Wisconsin Dells or bust!

Every year we are so blessed to be able to vacation

with Grammy and Boppa Wangerin!

They have a great motorhome with room for us all.

We load up the essentials, and plenty of other stuff,

and head out to explore our great country.

This year we were short 1 dad (Dave) and short

on time, so we decided to head up to the Wisconsin Dells.

I'll admit, my expectations were low, but we had a great time!

The best part is always the family, and the unexpected

adventure!

Our first stop was to visit Dean, Rachel and Sophie.

That was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

I love getting to spend time with my brother and his

family.  There is just something so special about

being with your family and the unconditional

love and comfort that comes with it.

When I locked the keys in the RV, on the other hand,

was not my favorite part!

Then we headed to our campsite in the Dells.

Estimated arrival time was 8:30.  We made it

to the Dells on time, and just a short 2 1/2 hours

later we found our campsite!  Yes, that's right,

2 1/2 hours later.  But, at least we'll always remember

our time with the Sprint GPS lady! : )

Once we found our way, we were able to enjoy

the great pool, splash pool and park at the campsite.

From there we had a great time riding boats,

exploring the town, golfing, playing and

enjoying our time together.

The "most fun" award goes to the Jet Boat

ride and the great captain who gave us a ride

we will all never forget!!

Visit with cousin Sophie, oh and Uncle Dean

and Aunt Rachel were there too!

Wisconsin Dells or Wall Drug???

She looks so innocent.....

The girls and I did a really cool virtual

fantasy game.  It was this amazing,

interactive gaming place. The object

was to solve all these quests and

rescue 4 wizards.  The girls loved it and

convinced me to go again the next day!

Success!  We rescued the 4 wizards!  There was a

lot of climbing and crawling.  I didn't look quite

so fresh afterward! : )

Next, a fun and relaxing "Duck boat" ride through

the Dells.  These are the boats that drive on land

and in water.  Pretty cool experience!

No trip is ever complete without a little mining!

I think she found gold!

Avery struck gemstone too!

Grammy and Boppa had the great idea to buy all

3 girls huge weapons, oh wait, I mean wands ~

My beautiful girls ~

We went miniature golfing along the river and the

only person to get a hole in one; Avery! (twice!)

The ladies ~

The 'staged' photo before boarding the boats!

This was taken toward the end of the trip.

I love hearing it in "their own words"!

I miss my Claire bear!

Claire is off to Riverside Bible Camp again this year.

She did the 3 day Alpha camp last year and loved it.

This year she'll be gone for 6 days!!

I have to admit, I miss her already! 

I think I have gotten very spoiled having Claire

around all summer.  She is so helpful and happy

and just plain great to have around.

I want her to have lots of fun. 

I want her to praise God and work on

that relationship.

I want her to meet new people and grow

closer with those she already knows.

But, mostly, I want her to come home soon!

Claire with her 2 best buds: Ellen and Katie

The Rouse Family

She's 'theater folk' for sure!

Here is Avery, doing a lovely rendition of,

well, I'm not sure what, but it's darn cute!

Supermom!

Well, maybe not Supermom, but I'm going to give it my best!

This has been a very busy week, thanks to my new full-time position
with Simpson College!
I just accepted a 10 month, full-time position as the Academic
Support Coordinator with the Student Support Services program.
I am very excited!
So far, I really like the program and the people I'll be working with.
It's a small group, 4 in all, and they all seem very passionate about
helping students succeed, so I think I'm in the right place!

Big changes for me mean big changes for my family.
Luckily, they were all in great positions for this change to happen.
Dave is taking over as primary morning caretaker, okay I'll admit it,
he has always been the primary morning caretaker, but now I won't
be in bed, I'll be at work! : )
The girls are all heading off to their own schools this month
Claire will be in 4th grade at Shuler.
Ella will be in 2nd grade at Sayre Montessori.
Avery will be in the pre-K program at Sayre Montessori.
Jack, well, he'll just sleep a little more during the day.

What does this all really mean?  It means that God has blessed our
family again; with change, with challenge, with opportunity.
Sometimes I don't really know what I want until it's right in front of me.
I didn't seek this out, it came to me.  It came to me at a time when we
were wanting to make some changes with the girls school and trying
to figure out how to make that happen.  It came to me at a time when
I was struggling with what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be.
It came to me at a time when I was willing to trust and walk with faith
that I am stronger, braver and more capable that I often think I am.

I am so grateful for the road that has led me here.  So grateful for my
husband that always supports me, unconditionally and passionately.
I am thankful for my family that loves and encourages me in all that
I do.  I am thankful for my awesome friends that listen to me and
laugh with me and help me see the absurdity and beauty in my life!

So, don't think you'll see fewer pictures or crazy Avery stories on here.
I will find that ever elusive balance, oh yes I will, says Supermom!

Avery

My beautiful, passionate, wild, brilliant, strong-willed Avery...

Iowa Games

I am so proud of Claire!  This last weekend she competed

in her second Iowa Games!

Last year was awesome!  She was at the top of her

age group, with very few 8 and under swimmers 

participating at this level.  Well.....

this year was slightly different.

She is at the bottom of her age group, with a lot

of fierce competitors.  Just as an example, two of the

girls that she swam against each broke more than

one Iowa Games record over the weekend!

Oh, and did I mention the heat?!  Iowa is currently

in the middle of a record-setting heat wave, and sitting

in a non-air-conditioned pool house is kind of like

sitting in a very hot sauna!

But, despite all of that, Claire suited up and did her best!

I am so proud of her.

She has the spirit of an athlete, with a heart of gold.

My favorite moment of the whole weekend, was

when Claire noticed a young boy struggling to get out

of the pool (this is a college pool, ISU).

Without hesitation, she leaned over and grabbed

his hand to help him out.  That is Claire.

Kind, smart, strong, caring, funny, and fast!

Overall, she had a good weekend.  She beat

several of her best times, got to hang out all by herself

with mom on one day and dad on the other,

and gets to say that she is an Iowa Olympian!

Way to go Claire!!

Claire during warm ups.  Why so hazy?  That is

because it was so hot and humid, I couldn't get

my camera lens to stop fogging over!

 Sitting in the stands with me, waiting for her next event.

Claire was the only girl, under the age of 10, from our

team to go to the Iowa Games this year.

Parade of swimmers.  She's on the left, above the blue flag.

Coach Kim, who was serving as an official not a coach,

giving Claire a pep talk before her relay.

I am so grateful that I get the opportunity to experience

these great moments with my daughters.

I am so grateful that they are growing up to be strong,

and proud and brave, as a result of these experiences.

Now, if only we could do some of this great

character-building somewhere a little cooler!



Happy 4th of July!!

Happy Birthday America!

The RouseHouse had a great time celebrating!

We had great weather, great family and

great friends!  What a wonderful holiday weekend!

First stop was my old stomping ground.

I grew up in Urbandale and we went to the

Urbandale 4th of July carnival every year.

I always enjoy taking my girls there and

reminiscing about my childhood.

The big girls in the "fun house". 

Avery behind the wheel ~

We even had the chance to hop over to the

park right across the street from my elementary school.

While most of the playground equipment was new,

there were a couple of things there from way back when!

 Avery never backs down from a challenge!

The girls on the tilt-a-whirl.  Hold on!!

One of my favorite pictures of Aves ever!

Next stop was Grammy and Boppas for some

smores and sparklers!

Sparkler fun!

The next day we headed out for a RouseHouse tradition:

the Waukee Parade!

Daddy getting in on the action.  Where's the candy!?

Aww, my cuties!

Daddy and Aves catching a break in the shade ~

That night we headed out to watch the Waukee fireworks

with some friends.  It was our first time to watch 'real' fireworks

as a family and we loved it!!

Happy 4th of July!~