Another Weekend Trip to Illinois and Indianapolis

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The first Thursday of November we packed up and headed out to travel to Illinois and Indianapolis for the weekend!

If you have been here for awhile, YOU could probably write this post, ha, ha!!

We do the SAME things every single time we make this trip!!

Eliza and Tate were the only two that joined us this time – but they are fun travelers!!

And that meant we only needed one hotel room at each stop we made!

The sunset as we left Wisconsin was BEAUTIFUL!!


Our first stop was Peoria, Illinois where we headed right to bed very late on Thursday night!

The next morning I fed everyone breakfast from our cooler.


After getting ready we headed to see Ross and Lilli.

It was such a wonderful visit!!

Eliza was the activity director’s new favorite visitor because she played song after song on the piano for all the residents!

It made my heart SO FULL to watch Eliza enjoy that!

When she started playing Christmas songs, everyone started singing along!


We took Lilli out to lunch that day and tried a “new to us” place called CoreLife Eatery.

I wish we had that restaurant here!

It was fantastic and so allergy friendly!


Pretty soon it was time to say our goodbyes.

My least favorite thing EVER.

I miss Ross and Lilli SO much!


We headed to Morton to meet up with Blake’s Mom at our favorite little coffee spot – Four30 Scones.

You already knew that though, didn’t you??

But wait…first we headed to buy Blake’s Mom a TV because hers had been broken for quite awhile.

It was fun picking out a TV for her!!


Ok, back to Four30 Scones – We LOVE that place!

They have gluten and dairy free scones, you guys!!

I also love what they write on your drink lid.


We headed to Blake’s Mom’s house after our coffee treats to install her new TV.

Unfortunately we could not get it to work, because her cable box was broken.

We did talk to the cable company and got a new box sent to her that she would need to make it work.

She has since then received it and had help to get everything working!

YAY!!


Then it was time for yet another goodbye.

We headed to Indianapolis WAY TOO LATE that night!

When we arrived at our hotel, we were so hungry – so we let the kiddos eat and watch a show before finally heading to bed.

Our small room with only one bed and a pull out couch gave me the opportunity to have my morning quiet time and coffee standing in the bathroom, of all places, ha, ha!

But we made it work.

Some can sleep through anything – take a look at the photos and try to guess who!


I was SO excited to head to see my Mom and brother!!

My brother had a GREAT idea for the morning – there was an apple orchard that was open not too far from them that he had stopped at earlier that week and knew it was worth going back to with the kids!

My Mom’s caretaker said that she would come along and bring my Mom too!

We had THE BEST time!

It was chilly, but we had proper coats so it was not bad.

The kids loved running all over the playground and playing!


We also got some great photos with my Mom!!

Such a treasure!!

I love the one of my Mom and my brother looking at each other.

He has the sweetest way with her and it is so special to watch.


Right as it started to rain we decided to head to the shops and also to get some apple cider.

You guys.

I have never in my life heard of apple cider slushies – but I am here to tell you they are THE BEST THING EVER!!

The only ingredient is apple cider!

But it’s a slushie!

We all got one and enjoyed every single drop!

I almost asked Blake to drive back there the next day to get another one!!


We went back to my Mom’s to hang out the rest of the day – besides one trip to the grocery store.

It was a fun day!!!


The next morning came quick, even with the time change.

We spent some time at my Mom’s and then headed out around lunch to make the nine hour trip back home.

At least it was a beautiful day!!

We always stop back in Morton to run around a parking lot and get our wiggles out, and to get some coffee.


These weekends are FAST.

But we get to do them often!

And I would rather be there often, than be there a whole week only once a year!

Now that winter is upon us, we do not have a plan yet for our next trip.

If the weather stays like it is now, maybe we will go again very soon!!!

If I could choose, all of these precious people would live on our road, and I would walk to their front door everyday.

Since I cannot have that, I will take all of these quick weekend trips we can get!

I cannot wait until next time!!

Ross, Lilli, Barb, Mom and Mike – WE LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!

Our Kick Off to the Holidays!!

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The first week of November always brings our kick-off to the holidays!

We have been doing this tradition for as long as I can remember!!

I even remember spending the first week of November at my parents house in Illinois back in 2011, and we did this there with them too.

Operation Christmas Child is a WONDERFUL ministry, and so easy to be a part of!

The first Wednesday of November the kiddos (that were home) and I headed to the dollar store to do our shoebox shopping!

We always get a plastic shoebox for every box we want to give and then fill it with gifts for the appropriate age and gender.

We also got a shoebox and gifts for Chad and Blake so they could participate in packing the boxes after dinner that evening!

We all enjoy selecting things for our shoeboxes, but I think Eliza enjoys this the most!!


I had a brilliant idea a couple of years ago to have the cashier check out one shoebox at a time and then put everything from that one shoebox back into the plastic tub.

It makes it much easier to keep track of everyone’s selections!


That evening after dinner we packed up our shoeboxes, made homemade cards for them, and labeled them so they were ready for drop off.

It was very fun!!!

Making a card is our favorite part!!

This year we packed our selections in the boxes that our church had that were specifically from Operation Christmas Child.

I kept the plastic tubs because I needed them for shoe storage!

Note to self – the actual shoeboxes from OCC are much larger than the plastic tubs!

We needed to buy more gifts than we had!


I am thankful that we have holiday traditions that the children count on!!

They spur me on to continue them and they are worth continuing!!

We have many other traditions around the holidays – stay tuned for those!!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME!!!

I hope you all do too!!

The Rest of October

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The weather in September and October was nothing short of AMAZING!

We had such a warm October and even November and December this year!

We just covered our strawberries for winter after Thanksgiving.

Crazy!

Nice weather has given us lots of time outside – even on the chillier days!

We go for walks, spend time with the animals, prep the land and gardens for winter, and even play soccer on the deck!

I took this first photo on October 1st when I was wearing sandals to church because it felt like summer – what in the world??!!

The colors changed so slowly around Twin Oaks back in October, but it still was beautiful!

I wish I could have taken photos every single time I was driving somewhere in October.

The colors here this year were certainly the BEST we have had in a long, long time!

We did have one slight snowfall in October – only a dusting though, that disappeared quick.


We had plenty of outings in October as well – a lot of our same things!

We are pretty predictable people!!

Our monthly Hymn Sing is always a blessing!


Lane is doing SO great with his orthodontic treatment!

We see the orthodontist about every three months right now.


Predictable people get their haircut every four weeks on a Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Just saying!


We also had our six month check-ups at the dentist in October.

Eliza came out from having her turn and said, “Mama!! That is the first time I did not cry at the dentist!”

Well, when she said that it made me cry!!

You have NO IDEA what this means to us.

The Lord has allowed SO much healing for our brave, strong girl!!


There are times, like when Blake is traveling away from home, when we just go out shopping to not lose our minds.

A trip to Walmart to browse can be just the trick!!


Blake and I had a date night at the beginning of October!

I think it was our last one since then?

You guys! That is NOT ok!

We sat by the fire at Starbucks in Hyvee that night and it was wonderful even though we were exhausted!


While Blake was out of town one weekend in October, I took the younger kids over to Kay’s after church and we stayed there all afternoon.

FILLED MY CUP!!

And Kay fed us way too good – it was so yummy!!


In case you are wondering if we still have dogs – here a quite a few photos to show you that is a yes.

Somehow these photos are mostly all of Ruby Jane!

She is just more cuddly and always, always at my side or at my feet.

I love Sadie Jo just as much, I promise!

They are such sweet pups!

Eliza and I are already dreaming of not one, but two new dogs…time will tell!!!

Don’t tell my hubby, ok???


We ran outside one night in October to see if we could see a line of satellites that you were supposed to be able to see.

Look at the photo I captured!!

We sure did see it!!

It was SO neat!!!


I grabbed this photo with the newly engaged couple once they returned from Florida!

WE ARE SO HAPPY!!!!!

Wedding plans are moving along!!!

They will be getting married in May!!


That was taken on a Sunday and we REALLY enjoy our Sundays here at Twin Oaks!!

Our house gets full, and loud, and is filled with conversations, laughter, and sharing – IT IS FANTASTIC!!!!!

These first two photos are Addie and I being very distracted during a congregational meeting after church one Sunday.

Can you blame us??


The kiddos have to bundle up for morning chores now, but we are still loving our goats and chickens!!

Blake has the Lil’ Red Barn all buttoned up and warm and they are doing great!!


I read or listened to several good books in October.

I seem to be a historical fiction fan right now!

There is something about the fact that I stood in the concentration camps that you can visit in Germany when I was a child – only 30 years or so after all of that wickedness happened.

It is something I will NEVER forget.

There are so many good books about World War II if that is something you are interested in!


We still have a librarian here – the only difference is that he is WAY taller than me now, and also that he does not work Saturdays at the library anymore.

That means that I do not volunteer to be with Lane at the library on Saturdays anymore either!

I miss it!

It was really a neat thing while it lasted!

We are super grateful still for Lane’s job there and he loves it too!

Right now he works only four hours on Friday afternoons.


Drum roll please……

it is now time for my signature sky photos!!!

Which means this long post is almost over!!!

This first photo is one Grant sent to me while he was in Florida with Kamryn and her family – and I about jumped through my phone to join him on that beach!!!

SO many beautiful skies in October, you all!

So unique in their own ways!!

All perfectly placed by the Lord I love!!


You all, Christmas is in SIX DAYS.

What in the world.

I am in a season like no other, where time is flying faster than ever, where I feel like I am doing nothing well, where I feel stretched in so many directions that I cannot keep up with it all –

I reflect on it a lot during my morning quiet time and I pray about it a lot too.

The Lord shows me again and again that I am right where He wants me – the mama of a BIG, busy family – full of many ages, personalities, and needs because each child is in a different season of their own.

I NEVER feel worthy of all this!!

I am thankful that God’s promises are true!

He is my strength, my joy, and fills me with grace each day to try to glorify and enjoy Him!!

I need a nap though, ha, ha!!!!

Christmas break is only a few days away – I am looking forward to that!!

Back to this post – I hope your October was wonderful too!!

Next up, all the amazing things that the Lord allowed in November!!

A Day With Our Grands

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At the end of October we were privileged to have our five oldest grand kiddos spend the day with us while their Mama, Dad, and baby sister were out of town for the day!


The key to attempted success with that many young kiddos is to have a bit of a plan.

So I made a plan!

We followed the plan!

And we had the BEST day!

My plan included playdoh – so I made some.

They all sat at the kitchen table for almost two hours that morning playing with that playdoh!

Addie and I were chatting with each other while they played and I did not take one photo.

It was super sweet to see how much they enjoyed playing with that playdoh!


My plan had a goal of simple foods but full bellies – so I bought chicken nuggets and French fries to bake for lunch, and planned waffles for dinner.

They enjoyed these choices very much, and bellies were full!!


My plan also included reading aloud to the children so I chose a book to read and some coloring pages to print.

This book ended up being the perfect length, with just enough suspense to keep everyone interested!

I would stop often and ask questions – and they all were able to answer!

Kayla is teaching them to love books they way I taught her to love books!


I also had planned some rest time for the youngest ones and a show/rest time for the older ones – which we did.

The little girls love to rest in Addie’s room!


We finished our read aloud book after our dinner that night, and then Blake and Lane took the kiddos home to get them ready for bed and to bed on time.


WHAT a fun day!!

My grand children are always SO very well behaved for me!

The training that David and Kayla pour into their children makes them SUCH a joy to be with!!

I am so glad that they live so close by and that we will always have these memories that we are making together.

Sweet grands, NaiNai LOVES YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!

Can’t wait until next time!!

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