Last weekend Isaac headed to youth conference and the boys and I went to Des Moines with my folks. Saturday was their 40th wedding anniversary and as bad as they wanted to spend it with all of their kids/grandkids...we complicate things. But we felt super lucky they came to us!

Friday we went to Chuck E Cheese...who wouldn't want to spend their anniversary there right? Oh brother, but the kids had a BLAST! And that's why we went. Colt was telling me it was really Grama that wanted to go. Ha. Maybe he just needs to recognize a they'll do anything for him.

 

But watching the kids have so much fun really was fun and that night we caught an Iowa Cubs game.
It was pretty sweet. We've seen the Cubs play before but this time were were in Cub territory. It was awesome. Blue and white everywhere. I loved it! Even one BYU grad on the roster. We had pretty good seat but talked about sneaking down a little closer...we were glad we didn't when the rain started but, we were under the over hang, could see home plate. I had a great time. I also loved eves dropping on the scouts that came up and sat by us while it was raining, that was cool.
That night we stayed in a run down hotel I got a deal on online. YIKES...fire me. HA Oh well.
And the next morning when went to breakfast and a place called "Living Farms" It was pretty cool. The boys had fun. It definitely had a Nauvoo feel to it to me--minus the missionaries and spiritual stuff, oh it also kind of reminded me of the Ag museum in Mississippi. Anyway we wandered around until we were hot and tired and then said goodbye to Grama and Grampa and headed home.

 

Hopefully they got a little better dinner than Chuck E Cheese for their actual anniversary. Originally we were going to hit the Cubs came that night but I kind of wimped out at the thought of having to drive clear home after a night game. They way we did it worked out though.
(And it remains to be seen if we'll make it down and celebrate with everyone else when were in Utah  or not.)
Monday we worked on the crown molding some more and they cut down the dead tree in front of the "chicken house" (No chickens) then while Isaac was dragging the tree out of the way the boys found a new favorite pass time (we go in phases around here) but it is riding the wagon down the cellar hill. They love it.
And with Dad's encouragement soon upped their game to the driveway hill. It didn't really work but at least he towed them back up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nYSZFa1NF4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R6kotAm0iM

Tuesday we had a security assignment over at the Nauvoo pageant. But.... I have a story before we get back to that! That morning I went to the grocery store and was trying to be quick per Isaac's request. When I got back he was going to head into work for a while. Well, I came home and he had all three boys down at the bottom of the driveway burning weeds. (And he hadn’t fed Tanner or Colton who were both asleep when I left! I ran somewhere in the morning today too and when I got back Cannon said "he fed them this time mom" haha...I'm happy with the improvement) Back to my story, he says I always elaborate the stories but I say the truth is the truth! At any rate it the weed burning didn't exactly seem like headed right into work kindof activity to me! But pretty much I drove by shaking my head and got up to the house got the groceries put away and such and shortly after he was back up the hill with the boys and ready to go to work. He just left the two fires because “it’s different we’re not in Utah”  the former fire fighter in me just had to take a deep breath and consider it as not my problem. (Wrong) so Isaac gathers up his stuff and head to work, but I get a call shortly after, like after he had time to get to the bottom of the driveway “so we have a little problem the big tree is on fire” I ask “the big tree?!?!” He says “well the good news is it is just in the dead branches, I would have cut them out anyway” so scratch work we had a disaster on our hands. First he asked me if we had any water balloons-we did- Cannon had got some of those that a bunch fill up at once for his birthday last year. So that was attempt 1. Oh and we lost a lot of balloons to the rose bush (that’s still not planted that he gave me for Mother’s Day) that lives under the faucet trying to stay alive.

So we throw water balloons at the burning tree. So ridiculous. (I’m laughing even typing it) but it’s good to laugh, that day I wasn’t! Smoke from my ears way keeping pace with smoke from that fire,  I was livid! He doesn’t like it when I get mad...then don’t do dumb things and don’t tell me over and over again that “it’s not Utah” 

Anyway finally I said “look, that tree will burn today if you don’t cut those snags out of it” it isn’t Utah but it has been very dry here-for here- and the burning dead branches would have dried out the others enough it would have burnt. I’m positive! So this tree is HUGE and they ultimately want to build a tree house out of it. It’s too big for that but let me tell ya how much my vote is going to count on that. It’s not. Anyway, I didn’t really care about the tree, just that is really tall and I didn’t want a big fire to spread, the boys though (Isaac) wanted that tree. Sooo he climbed the tree, (Safety is not really our thing if you haven't noticed. I did specifically say that I thought the best course of action would be to call the fire dept and have them put it out. NO way, that wasn't going to happen. We've since learned we need to join the rural fire dept for such events. Its officially on my to do list!) Back to what did happen, he back the truck in and climbed the tree from the bed of the truck. I pulled the truck back out of the way and then I threw him up a strap, then we hooked his chain saw to the strap and hoisted it up. It really wasn’t a time for taking pictures but I still did a few. It was kind of awful, part of me thought I might be documenting his death, or at least a serious accident! That's pretty unsettling. I know this one looks like he’s cutting the branch he’s standing on but he’s not, it’s still the raising of the saw up with the strap.

 

He’s really going to cut the one directly above him and  up and over a bit

He cut them down and then we hoisted up buckets of water just like we had done with the saw and ultimately survived it.
Thank Heaven.
He would have left it at that but I made sure mop up was adequately performed. I would have left it sooner if we hadn't been headed out of town for the afternoon--if we could have check it here and there.
When I found out he intentionally started the fire right at the bottom of the tree...blown away in frustration might describe my feelings.

I should have an "after" picture of the tree but I don't. Anyway, we got it mopped up, showered and headed to Nauvoo--thankfully we were within minutes of our scheduled leaving time.

Now back to pageant security. It makes for a long night, but such a cool experience. The boys loved "helping" and got lots of comments. The security director was pretty cute to play light sabers with them too.

A highlight for me was meeting our temple president and matron with the mission president and his wife coming in. I had met the temple president and matron before at a stake RS event but Isaac recognized the mission presidents wife's name tag, so he was like Oh you're President Badger, and President Irion pointed at President Badger who was a few steps away on the phone then things clicked for me and I said "No, you're the temple President!" They just smiled. I asked how to pronounce their name "ear-E-on" "like the end of Presbyterian" they said and I called Cannon over and told him who it was, then had him ask Sister Irion who her dad was. Her dad is President Nelson! So it was cute she told him his name and then said "do you know who that is?" And Cannon said "He's the prophet!" it was awesome.
Worth every bit of that long drive home!
Wednesday and Thursday we had friend over here at the farmhouse. It good to be isolated, but its also good not to feel quite to isolated. Our house is like another park for friends to come to and the boys love showing them all their new tricks. (This week the wagon down the cellar hill.)
I thought that wagon riding was pretty much the new excitement around here. Of course I was wrong--there's always more. When I got home this morning they were putting together the trampoline.

Just one of the many treasures found here at the farmhouse. They boys had a great time. I was a little nervous-we never had one growing up because my mom worked as an x-ray tech and saw all the broken arms. Isaac had one and loved it. So...pray for no broken bones for us--please!

We've worked on crown molding a little and around the windows trying to clean that up.
It rained a little...oh boy do we have some mud around here--and it all gets tracked in!

Then tonight we went out to the lake with our new neighbors and watched the sunset, they are super nice we had a great time. The boys had a blast driving the boat and they had a friend there who knows lots about bugs and stuff...Yuck but they loved it.

Bout it.
But it was a good week.