Summer Fun!

It feels like we waited forever for summer to finally arrive in Iowa!  Now that summer is officially here we are having a lot of fun enjoying the mild weather and longer days!  We attended the Jones County Fair on July 18th to see Lee Brice & Luke Bryan perform.  TrueNorth sent the entire staff again this year in celebration of our mid-year meeting, so we invited our good friends, the Holub's, to come along with us!  

Lee Brice

Enjoying a fun night out!

Girlfriends! 

The fair never disappoints!  We always hear good music, have fantastic people watching, and there is cold beer!  Now, there always seems to be some type of crazy shenanigan that happens that solidifies the fair will always be something we talk about for years to come...but that is what memories are made of, right?!

Luke Bryan burning up the stage!

"Baby, Do I?!"

Smooch!

That same weekend Lila and I went up North to attend my cousin Alison's bridal shower.  My Grandma requested that the shower be held in her hometown of Lamont, and more specifically, at the coffee\shop that she volunteers at, Common Grounds.

On the road!

Posers!

Ali's shower was lovely and it is always nice to be surrounded by our closest family and friends...and it is a treat to have it just be the girls, it doesn't happen that often!  After the shower Grandma and I took Lila to the Dairy Sweet.  I was born in Lamont and lived there the first four years of my life, not to mention my Grandparents have always lived there, so I have some of my fondest childhood memories at the Dairy Sweet with a crunch cone in hand!

Sharing a tradition!

The first weekend in August found us making the trip up to Guttenberg to spend the weekend with the Hahn's on the river!  To kick off the fun we met on Friday afternoon for lunch at the Riverview Cafe!

Happy to be together!

Riding in style!

We made our way to the cabin to unload the cars and get settled in.  It wasn't long before the girls were begging Mike for a boat ride.  We got the big boat out and went for a cruise up to McGregor and back.  The girls thought it was awesome to be able to go down below in the boat and goof around!

View for the weekend!

Enjoying a "cold one!"

On Saturday my Dad came up to hang out with us.  We ended up getting both boats out and took them to the backwater where it is nice and calm.  The river had spots in the water where it was really low, so we tied up and anchored next to some other boats and enjoyed hanging out in the middle of the river where the adults could touch!

River girl!

Getting in!

Chilling on the tube!

Practicing her swim techniques!

1...2...3...

JUMP!

Sun-kissed!

After a fun afternoon on the water we drove the big boat up to McGregor, Grandpa wanted to take the girls to Paper Moon and to get an ice cream cone - there wasn't any argument from the little girls!

Grandpa's girl!

On the way back the girls asked if they could drive the "ship!"  My heart bursts to see pictures like this because it doesn't feel like it was that long ago that I was driving the "ship" with my Grandpa Smith.  I love that Lila gets to carry on that tradition with my Dad!

Driving the ship!

Hypnotized by the water!

Happy!

Best Buddies!

Nothing quite says summer like time spent on the river!  I am so happy that the girls will have memories of spending time with their Mommy's & Daddy's up at the river.  As I stated above, being in Guttenberg & on the Mississippi River is very special to me, I don't know life without it.  I am happy to extend that to our daughter and our friends!

Other things that have kept us busy this summer...

Riding lessons

Feeding Baby Moo @ lessons!

Frozen Dance Camp at Dancer's Edge

Pool time at Grandpa & Laura's!

The new house has an absolutely beautiful backyard that we fell in love with when we were looking at homes last year.  We moved in, in December, so we were anxious to be able to get outside and enjoy the awesome patio and yard.  We have so enjoyed spending time out there!  Lila even uses it as a stage from time to time!

Enjoying the view!

Dinner on the patio

Summer smiles!

Dance, dance, dance!

Pretty girl!

The road that brought us to the house on Vernon Drive has been a long one, but it truly felt a little more like home when we finally brought Lila's swing set over from the other house!  Ever since the swing set has been here it has been used a ton!  Lot's of laughs and fun from a little girl who was missing her swings and slide!

A little girl is very happy!

We met some good friends at the Kernels game on Friday, August 15th.  It was a pretty special night at the Kernels...Daddy & Daughter night!  We made reservations for the guys and the little girls to attend a princess party at the park!  They walked a red carpet, they were greeted with a flower, met all sorts of princesses, and had cupcakes and punch!  The girls loved meeting the princesses and we all enjoyed hanging out on a nice summer night to watch some baseball!

Pocahontas

Mulan

Cinderella

and Snow White!

Go Kernels!

Lila & Jozie!

It is hard to believe that we are getting close to back to school time.  With it being so wet in June it feels like our summer just started!  We are trying to make the most of the time that we have before fall is upon us and our schedules get busy with two students in the house!

Whatcha Been Up To?!

These last two months have seemed to fly by with the greatest of ease.  I was just at a meeting today and we were talking about the first of October and it was a harsh realization that we are approaching that much quicker than I care to admit! 

We have certainly been busy and once the school year got into full swing, it seems like you pick up on a rhythm and before you know it the weeks have sailed by. 

Here is a quick detail of what has been keeping the Eddins family busy recently...

Cheering on the Hawks!

This year we went to Kids Day at Kinnick!  We actually had dual purpose of doing this.  We went because we have never done it before, but more importantly we went to support our good family friends, the Holub's, and their son Dylan.  Dylan was picked as a University of Iowa Hospitals "Kid Captain!"  What a cool deal this has been for all of them.  Dylan and the other captains got to spend the whole day in Iowa City on Kids Day and did a ton of behind the scenes stuff with the coaches, the team, and were guests of honor that day!  Each child also has a game of their own during the season where they are honorary Kid Captain of the game.  Super cool!

Kids Day @ Kinnick!

 

Mom & Lila

The family!

Even puppy has his black & gold on!

To learn more about Dylan's story and his role as a Kid Captain click here!

For the Iowa vs. Iowa State game we ended up at my Dad and Laura's house for a family tailgate/birthday celebration for Cade/celebrating the their new pool & backyard!  The weather was very nice, so we were able to watch the game outside and the kiddos were even able to break in the new pool!  And to sweeten the deal, the Hawks pulled off a victory against our instate rival!

Breaking in the pool!

Enjoying the outdoor viewing!

Even though we went to Kinnick early this year to attend Kids Day, we were delayed in actually getting down to Iowa City for a game.  The weather was unseasonably warm for the first few games and sadly we weren't all that interested in sitting in 100+ degree temps in the stadium.

We finally made it to a game this weekend!  The weather has really turned around and we felt that the clock was ticking a little to get Lila to a game this season, so we took advantage of it while we had the chance! 

Hawkeye fans all ready to go!

We thought we might be flying solo to the game, but we were thrilled to learn later in the week that the Holub family would be attending the game, too!  So we made plans to meet up with them to do a kid-friendly tailgate!

Munching away!

You might notice that Lila isn't in black and gold?!  Yup, she wasn't interested, so for this game she was decked out in pink and white...no fear, she had a tiger hawk on her shirt, so she was still rocking her Hawkeye pride!

Dylan - a proud Hawkeye!

Sporting his Kid Captain jersey!

 

It was just the three of us in our seats, so we had three extra spots to spread out!  Having Lila with us, it was really nice to have the extra room for her to dance along with the music and have stretch her legs a little! 

 



Her Herkey fan/mask was a hit!

During the game Dylan was featured up on the Jumbo-Tron as one of the kid captains!  It was so cool to see him up there being honored.  He is so deserving of the honor and the Hawkeyes are lucky to have such a cool little kid to represent them!

After the game (I should mention that the Hawkeyes beat Western Michigan 59-3 -- WOAH!!!), we met the Holub's back at the car for a little more tailgate time!  The kids enjoyed playing "house" in the front seat of my car.  I would have paid to watch them a bit closer to hear what they were saying?!

Happy campers!

As we made our way home we looked back to see a very tired little girl fast asleep in her car seat!  I made Mike prop her back up, it looked so darn uncomfortable!

Wiped out!

We can't be too sure how good the Hawks are going to be once they start their Big 10 season, but they came out and really did a nice job yesterday, so here is to hoping they continue winning!!!


Riding Lessons!

Lila continues to love her riding lessons!  Awhile back she was introduced to a new horse named Jake since Bud had been sold.  While we were super sad to learn that Bud went to a new home, we were excited to meet Jake!  Jake and Lila have become fast friends!

Meet Jake!

Riding with great form!

As Lila continues to enjoy her lessons and her skill continues to further, we decided it was time to get her a pair of boots that she can use for her riding boots.  She had been doing some galloping and complained that it hurt her feet...that is what galloping in Toms will do for you!  So, we got online and ordered her an official pair of cowboy boots!  We were hoping that she could wear them riding, but also utilize them this fall with some of her dresses!  She was beyond thrilled to do a bit of a fashion show for us when they arrived!

Showing off her boots!

It is amazing to think we started these lessons less than 6 months ago!  She absolutely loves her time with the horses and her instructor, Carrie!  We look forward to seeing if this is a hobby that will last a lifetime?!

Jake & Lila!

Dance Class!

We also started up our first full year of dance class at The Dancer's Edge!  Lila wasn't so sure about dance last summer, but this summer proved to be successful, and I believe we owe that to her dear friend Henley!  Henley joined Lila this summer in their Tinies 1 class and they had a ball!  So, we are happy to watch the girls as they continue in Tinies this fall and will anxiously await to see them on the big stage during recital!!!



I think her favorite part is the twirly skirts!

Look how much these peanuts have grown up since our "Mommy & Me" days!

Supporting a Good Cause!

I continue to be involved as a board member for the Cedar Valley Humane Society.  The organization continues to make great strides in cleaning up its checkered past and I am proud to be a part of that!  We most recently have been involved in a fundraiser for the month of September called the $30k in 30 Days Challenge!  We knew it was aggressive to try and raise $30,000.00 in 30 days, but we were excited to be able to ask the community to participate and also be able to tell our story to the public!  We are at the 22nd of the month as I write this and we are just over $2,000 away from our goal!  I am humbled with the community involvement and can only hope that we continue to help the CVHS be successful in fulfilling our mission! 

Click here to learn how to donate!

You can see some of the great media coverage that CVHS has received while running our challenge!  Click here to see the story that one of our local news stations did. 


Baking & Cooking...Thanks Pinterest!

One of the things that Mike and I have always loved to do together is cook!  It has been so much fun to include Lila into the cooking and baking as she has gotten older, too.  I have to admit, I am a bit addicted to Pinterest when it comes to finding recipes to try!  We have had a ton of luck when it comes to preparing new meals and having them actually taste as good as they sound!

Helping to make breakfast!

Butterfly cupcakes!

She loves to whisk!

Some of our favorite recipes can be found by looking me up on Pinterest and checking out my board titled, "Delish!"  I have to say if it is on the board it is a hit at our house or it is still awaiting us to give it a try, but we have a great success record, so take a peek!  I should also note...did you notice that Lila either has a princess dress on while baking or a tiara?!  She just can't help herself!

To add to Lila's baking and cooking, she went to Strawberry Point with Jen, Celia, and Ruby to spend time with my Grandma Harvey, one of the best cooks that I know!  It was a special day as they made cookies, pie, homemade pizza, and so on!



Gram & her girls!

Enjoying the last days of summer and welcoming fall!

And lastly, we have been enjoying the weather we have had!  Granted there were several days in there where it was too hot to even be outside, but amidst those days there have been some really beautiful days that were meant to take advantage of!




Pool fun with friends!



Kite flying with Dad!

Carving out some time for sidewalk chalk!

 

Swinging with Sloan!

Even the pups enjoy the nice weather!

Pretty weather, pretty girl!

I could go on and on about what we have been up to lately, but that would just make this blog post even longer!  I promise to get better at posting this fall!  I am sure as the weather gets a bit colder, I will be more inclined to turning on the computer and dedicate myself to doing more frequent updates!