Graham turns 5!

Hey Graham Fans!  Happy Birthday to me!  We are up to August '13 when I turned 5!!!  What a great month!  Mom made me include a pic from gymnastics.  In August, I was the only one in my class so it was like I had private lessons.  In the pic I am doing a pull over on the bar. 

My birthday celebrations started with my family party.  I actually had a tee ball game that morning.  Grampa and Susan were there.  Grandma came to watch me too.  As you can imagine they were very impressed!  After the game, everyone else started showing up at the house - Aunt Deb and family, Nanny, and Uncle Greg.  Everyone had lunch, then it was present time!!!  I got some cool things including a remote control car, a bull dozer, an Oliver tractor shirt, and an Optimus Prime.  My theme was Rescue Bots so my cake had a couple of Transformers on it.  Overall it was lots of fun!!

For my actual birthday, I got to open my presents in the morning. I got a Rescue Bot, some blocks, books and a new scooter!  Mom, Caroline, and I headed out for some birthday adventures at the Playscape in Jester Park.  The water feature was closed so we headed to Big Creek Beach which had a HUGE play set.  There were quite a few kids, but it was really fun anyway.  We also played in the water some.  Caroline and I really liked it.  Frankly, we didn't want to leave.  Mom was concerned there might be too many chemicals in the lake from runoff.  When Dad got home, we went out to eat.  All in all it was a fun day!

 The partying continued! I had a friend party August 9.  We put a big sheet of plastic on the side hill in the yard and made a big water slide!  It was so fun.  I loved it!  We also filled the pool.  It was a fun party!  Not everyone was brave enough to slide down our hill.  Ethan (from across the street) and I went down a bunch!  Below is my best buddy Michael.  We go to school together and his birthday is in August too! 

 

 

I love my birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gotta love Summer! 7/13

Happy 4th!  Well, it was the 4th of July when this all happened.  Caroline, at the keyboard for this month.  It was my turn, but I had the biggest news so it should be my turn.  While we were getting ready to head to Grandma's for the 4th of July parade, I fell on the hardwood floor and split my chin open.  We headed to urgent care and I got three stitches.  It hurt and I fought it, but I did survive.    Hope the pic doesn't gross you out.  

 

After the trauma, it was on to Grandma's!  Graham and I love riding in the parade.  Sam and Kayla drove down to join us.  It wasn't as hot as last year, but there were lots of people lining the parade route and lots of kids to pick up the candy we threw. While we were waiting for the parade to start one of Grandma's neighbors pulled up on his old tractor.  Graham got to sit on it which he loved.  We were early enough on the route that we got to see the end which included this HUGE tractor that barely fit down the street. 

We hadn't been to the zoo yet this season so we went on a weekend with dad.  Dad hadn't been to the zoo since I was a baby.  There have been several changes since he was there so lucky he finally got to see all of them!  This was the first time that we fed the giraffes.  That was pretty cool!

 Our new house did not have any landscaping - well a couple of trees and a few bushes under my window, but it needed more in front.  Uncle Greg was our landscaper.  We got to help - Graham was way more into it than I was.  I did try to use it as an excuse not to nap, but Mom coaxed me into it.  It was hot, really hot.  Fortunately Uncle Greg survived and the front of the house has so much more personality! 

July was the start of Graham's tee ball career.  He seemed to really like it and really hustled to get the ball.  His favorite part of the season was the last game when Cubby Bear showed up at the end of the game.  None of the kids finished - those that liked him ran to him and those that didn't, got out of there!

Daddy's grandmother, Nan, passed away at the end of July.  She hadn't been doing well and was in the nursing home.  We went to Kansas City to be there for Nanny and attend the funeral.  Below is me with Benjamin - just cuz I like to hug him. 

 

At the end of the month we went out to Saylorville Lake to go fishing,.  We didn't have much luck, but Mom and Dad would say we were lucky that neither Graham nor I fell in the water.  We watched the water come out the dam for awhile - Dad and Mom were probably most nervous then!   Afterword we stopped to check out these old army tanks.  Graham has asked to stop before but we never had.  Of course we climbed on them.  Pretty cool stuff.

We don't have any pictures but Mom took us to watch the Ragbrai riders come into West Des Moines.  For those readers that don't know what the is - Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa.  Mommy used to ride a few days of Ragbrai.  Graham and I weren't really impressed but the Hy-Vee we stopped at had fun things to do including one of those big blow up slides. 

New Digs! 6/13

Hey Graham Fans!  We are up to June of last year!  June 1 was the day we moved into our new house.  The moving actually started on May 31 when Dad and Mom signed all the papers.  Grandma came up and helped unpack the boxes dad was moving.  The 1st is when the real moving really happened.  Two guys in a big truck pulled up around 8:30 (there was supposed to be a third, but Mommy doesn't know why only two came).  Uncle Greg was helping.  Uncle Tim and Aunt Deb helped.  Kayla helped to entertain Caroline and me.  Mommy's friend Sara helped too.  Somehow it all got done with a lot of hard work.  God Bless those that helped!

 

After move in day, there was still lots of work to do.  Daddy worked to get the garage organized so we could get the cars into the garage.  Soon the storage room had shelving too.  Uncle Greg got the washer and dryer going.  Grandma was helping (and passing out some of her cookies) and Grammy made her potato salad to feed the helpers.  Love her potato salad! 

 

The getting settled continued, but we started getting to know neighbors.  Gosh on move in day a family that was building their house across the street and they even came over.  Other neighbors across the street have two boys - 4 and 2,  brought us dinner that first weekend.  During the week, their daddy and our daddy were gone so they invited us to walk around the neighborhood.  I road my bike - mind you on two wheels- all the way around the neighborhood.  Mommy had to push once we got towards the end and it was uphill.  The next two weekends they had what are called Pink Flamingo parties.  Someone puts a pink flamingo in their yard and then people in the neighborhood bring their coolers in the evening and everyone socializes.  The first one was a lot of fun because they had a bounce house out!!  The next one was fun too, but not as many kids.  It took me a bit to warm up but it was a good time!  People are pretty friendly and will stop and talk. 

 

Finally in June Dad was able to participate in a bbq contest.  The bbq trailer was still at Grandma's so on a Saturday morning, Dad and I headed to Sigourney to get the trailer.  We left a little early and frankly I was tired from the previous night's Flamingo Party.  I took a snooze on the way down.  

 

This trip was my first time visiting Grandpa Dennis' grave.  Usually Mommy just gets out on her own.  I felt like a pretty big kid that Daddy took me there.  You know my middle name is Dennis so it is  important for me to make a visit myself.  Then we headed on to Grandma's.  I did some gardening while there.  Grandma has an old push garden tiller.  I had to help her out and do some tilling.  She appreciated it. 

 

The bbq contest was the following weekend.  I was so excited.  My plan was to go up with Dad and Grampa to Marshalltown, help set up, help cook, and EVEN spend the night.  We didn't leave until after gymnastics.  Grampa wanted to see what we do at gymnastics.  The picture is of Caroline climbing the rope ladder.  She hasn't been doing gymnastics that long but you couldn't tell from how she made it to the top.  Once we had gymnastics out of the way, we were off to Marshalltown.  We stopped for bbq on the way out of town.  I managed to doze off on the way to M-town so the trip went fast.  I worked so hard trying to help unload the trailer.  During the downtime, I climbed the trees by our spot.  As the day wore on, I became more tired.  As much I wanted to stay with dad the idea of Caroline getting to watch a movie on the way back home was too much.  I had to go home too.  I did get some good sleep!  We went back the next day and I was ready to help!  Daddy won 5th place in chicken and .  How cool is that!?  I rode back with Dad and Grampa.  Mom and Caroline headed to Sigourney to go to the Peiffer family reunion.  

I really missed Caroline.  Daddy and I did some projects around the house.  We went to Bass Pro.  I insisted on getting pop guns for Caroline and me.  I was very happy to give it to her and of course happy to see Mom too. 

In the past, I am pretty sure I have talked about learning to golf.  Dad takes me out with him sometimes.  We had talked about asking my friend Michael and his dad to golf with us.  It finally happened.  We had so much fun.  Once I went to retrieve a ball from the weeds and Michael shouted there was a snake in there!  I hustled back out!

 

That is all for now.  Hopefully Caroline will be on here soon writing the July '13 entry. 

I turned 3!

Happy Birthday to me!  Happy Birthday to me!  I am 3!  Woot Woot!  If you haven't figured it out, it is Caroline at the keyboard.  Given that May is my birthday month, it should be my turn!  My birthday was awesome!  We started out the day with Pillsbury rolls.  Because I am three, I am now old enough to go to gymnastics!!  I got to try out a class and of course I needed to get a leotard.  We go there early so I could try a few on before deciding.  We found a pink one that we liked.  Then out I went to gymnastics!  I liked it - lots of fun stuff to do!  For dinner we went to the Chicken Coop for pizza. 

 

My birthday party was actually on the 4th.  Grandma came.  Nanny, Grampa  were there from Kansas City.  Aunt Deb, Uncle Tim, Sam, and Kayla were there and of course Uncle Greg.  It was a Dora themed party!  Grampa gave me a tea set that his sister had used, as well as a family friend of Grampa's family.  Mommy took some pictures with it, then it went back in the box and placed out of reach.  :/  Daddy made some yummy bbq and Mommy made some stuff to go with it.  I got some really fun things including my scooter from Mommy, Daddy, and Graham.  The cake was great.  I felt so special!

 

 

The next day we were playing outside, though it was chilly.  I wanted to ride my scooter of course.  Graham wanted to ride his bike but he wanted Dad to raise his training wheels.  Well tha wentt ok so then Dad took the wheels completely off!!  At first he could balance, then he could get stopped, and ultimately he figured out how to get himself started.  All in ONE day!  Can you believe it!  I sure was proud of Graham!

 

Our spring was pretty raining, but we were hopeful that the morel mushrooms were out, around the second weekend of May.  We all went down to the hunting camp to try to find them.  We didn't see one mushroom!  It was fun nonetheless tromping through the woods.  Below we are sitting on one of the tractors on the neighboring farms.  We love farm equipment!

That same weekend was mother's day.  We went to Victor where we met Mom, Grammy, Greg, Uncle Tim, Aunt Deb, Sam and Kayla.  I had a pretty good time - even sat on Grammy's lap for awhile.  She turned 93 the day before, that is a lot of years!  She still lives in her house and makes the best noodles! 

Our family had planned to go to KC to visit Daddy's family the next weekend.  Mommy's Uncle Clarence passed away so Mommy went to Grandma's for the services.  Dad, Graham and I headed to KC.  Obviously the weather was nice - shorts all weekend and outside play!  We even got some golf in!

 
Graham's preschool year concluded in May and of course there was lots of house related stuff and packing.