Iowa

It had been a couple of years since we’d visited the families in Iowa, so we decided to make the trip during Labor Day weekend, along with my parents and sister. The kids handled the drive well, only getting fussy at the end of the 12 hour trek…let’s be honest, by that time, we were all a little fussy. It was interesting traveling with someone who is in the midst of potty training, but Zach did a great job, letting the driver know when he had to go and holding it until we made it to a restroom.

We had fun spending time with my dad’s parents, and my grandpa was interested in our GPS, although he wasn’t convinced it was as accurate as he is when we led the way to the Brick Haus restaurant in Amana Colonies. Nevertheless, we made it and, while we didn’t take the route he would have taken, the GPS prevailed.

We visited my aunt and uncle’s dairy farm with my grandparents as well, and Zach and Great-Grandpa were two of a kind, heading to the barn with single-minded purpose (see photo below). The kids got to see calves up close and personal, and were very impressed by the bales of hay and feeding troughs.

Family photo in front of the corn - "as high as an elephant's eye."


We stayed with my cousin and her husband; they have two kids, and it was really fun to see the kids all playing together.

We were able to get together with each side of the family, so the kids could meet them all. I was amazed at how much my younger cousins have grown up in 2 years; I was also struck by the fact that I am quickly becoming the shortest of the cousins – what are they feeding those kids?

We also visited another cousin and her family on their farm as we traveled home. Zach was very taken with her kids, who seemed to like him too – one let him help gather chicken eggs, and they all showed him the barn cats and horses. He also got to help feed the cows, which consisted mostly of him throwing handfuls of dried corn in the general direction of the cows. Alex enjoyed being carted around by the “big cousins” (again, what are they feeding these kids?), and checking out the animals from a distance.

Thanks to everyone who spent time with us, and especially to the hosts of our big family gatherings for opening their homes to us!