It has been so long since I've last posted on this blog I don't even know where to start! I'd really love to catch up on the last few months so I'll just start with our most recent little getaway and do some "flashbacks."
Life in the fast lane with two energetic boys is my excuse for lack of blogging... but no more! This past week we took the boys for a weekend trip to Iowa... One of my favorite composers was giving a presentation there for piano teachers & with the promise of a visit to one of Mike's closest buddies at the tail end of the trip I enlisted the whole family.
We drove out to Des Moines where the conference was held on Thursday night. Friday morning I left Mike and the kids for a couple hours of amazing piano teaching instruction and some hypnotizing music by none other than Dennis Alexander. It was special to me because I grew up playing a lot of his music and he is retiring so it was a great experience to hear one of his seminars. He recently wrote a book of Nocturnes that I have now added to my bucket list of songs to learn (that list is getting quite big... I guess the saying is true "There is enough music for a lifetime but not enough time in life for all the music")
We spent the afternoon on the Hauptly farm catching up with Sam, Rachel and their two energetic little boys Frank and Tommy! They are just the sweetest little family and I love visiting their home. Calvin probably wants to move in after having free reign to pet the animals and even drive a tractor with Sam!
Mike and Sam spent hours gossiping like schoolgirls and then had their time shooting guns together. Mike has recently acquired a rifle and wanted to scope it in or something, I don't really know the vernacular of the shooting world but I do know they were in their element!
The kids loved seeing all of Frank and Tommy's toys and had a hard time calling it a night.
It was a short and sweet trip and really reminded me of how much I love these midwestern summers! It was a pretty great trip!
Meeting "bun-bun" their cute pet bunny
Wesley warily checking out the rooster and the chickens
Frank and Calvin playing on the teeter totter together
Meeting baby goats "Twinkie" and "Wonder"
The goats were Rachel's deployment gift to herself after Sam returned home from an 8 month tour this past may :)
Running around with the goats!
Calvin is giving the goat a kiss <3
The beloved marble tower toy
The "nest" (full disclosure: my kids looked cute and cuddly in this nest for about 5 seconds before they lost attention to the movie. What in the world is wrong with my children that a cute kids movie can't hold their attention!?!)
We are so happy that you are continuing your blog. That is one of our ways to keep up to date with the South Dakota Reynolds’s. It is so neat that Mike and Sam have kept in touch all these years and what a blessing to your boys to be able to see Frank and Tommy and see another side of life, on a farm. I really loved the picture of the boys in blankets on the floor. This took me back to my childhood when we visited our Texas cousins, and all the cousins laid out on the floor and giggled and talked into the night. We appreciate your efforts, Marissa, to update your blog, with all the other things on your plate.
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