Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns
If you think Jesus would have come into your home that day and not issued a strong rebuke to the head of household, you are mistaken. These words of condemnation have been haunting me for days now. They aren’t all that different than the soundtrack I play in my head on an almost-daily basis. It’s…
I am nesting. On Saturday I emptied the refrigerator. Last summer’s homemade pickles in their jars. The bread ends that seem to multiply on every shelf. The eggs. The milk. The fruit and veggies. All of it sat on the floor or the counter as I carefully removed the shelves and wiped them down with…
I’ve heard that life is like a highway. And it definitely seems like that sometimes. The pace of life swirls around me at dizzying speeds. We’re all so busy. In such a hurry. Always somewhere to be, something else to do. I’m a get-to-the-point, get-there-quick kind of girl. I don’t like to waste time on…
Today was our last day in Illinois before heading back to Pennsylvania. No matter how short or long our visit, it always seems to go by quick. We packed a lot into this visit, which means we’re tired, worn out, off schedule and sleep-deprived but also full of memories and experiences we wouldn’t exchange for sleep or rest.
Our last day was spent, I bet you can’t guess, eating with family and friends. Phil requested his birthday meal (a week and a half early) from his mom for today, so we celebrated his German heritage with bratwurst and sauerkraut, sweet and sour cabbage, potato pancakes and a frosted cookie cake. I will add that I am not a big fan of sauerkraut, but in keeping with my recent streak of eating foods I’m not that fond of, I ate a little with my brat and I survived. Even though the smell in the kitchen almost knocked me over when I walked through the door. For us, love means never having to cook sauerkraut in our kitchen even if it is something my husband enjoys. Hmm … maybe I should cook it anyway, then.
We did some packing during nap time, then headed to Rock Falls to meet friends for dinner at the newer Candlelight Inn, where we once again ate Chicken George. I can’t not get Chicken George at Candlelight. Now that I’ve had it twice in a week, I think I’m good for a while. It was a great visit, even though Isabelle was practicing her parkour in the booth and putting her naked feet on the tabletop. I’m beginning to think we may have to suspend our visits to classy joints while the children are young. Or go without them.
Now, the van is mostly loaded and we’re headed to bed soon for a bright and early wakeup call tomorrow. Off to stay a night with friends in western PA and then on to home the next day. I hope to carry the momentum of the last 10 days with us and make more memories once we get home. I feel like it’s been hard to do anything but sit inside and watch TV and I’ve used the kids’ ages and the intense temperatures as excuses for not doing more. That’s probably some unnecessary Mommy guilt, but I feel it nonetheless.
More memories, here we come!
Monday was another aunt-and-uncle day. I’ve said it before, but Isabelle and Corban are so blessed to have wonderful aunts and uncles in their lives. Since Phil and I are not yet an aunt or uncle, we feel like we have a lot to live up to, if and when that happens.
We headed to Davenport to pick up Aunt Charlotte and meet Uncle Zach at his school, Palmer College of Chiropractic. We ate a yummy lunch and got the grand tour of the campus. Although there were many neat parts, Isabelle particularly enjoyed the koi pond. This was after she wandered into a random office because she spied a fish tank. Fortunately, it was just a waiting area and no one was in there. Maybe it was watching “Finding Nemo” so much when she was younger, but the g
irl loves fishies. We even have to wander down that aisle in Wal-Mart if we happen to be in the neighborhood.
After Palmer, we hit the new splash pad in Rock Island. Once again, our little fishie found a home amongst the sprinklers and water pools.
The Elmo swimsuit is certainly getting used. I’m on the lookout for next year’s size because I know our world will revolve around water, especially if it’s hot. She also continued to make friends who share her interests. 
I’m not sure if Isabelle is a leader or a follower, but she constantly finds herself in situations like this. She’s kind of bossy, but I think that comes with being 2.
She’s always reluctant to leave when she’s having fun. Who wouldn’t be? Charlotte thinks a splash pad for adults would be awesome. I concur. Why do kids get to have all the fun?
We squeezed in a little bit of playground time before leaving the riverfront. Corban enjoyed that, given that he had to spend most of the splash pad visit in the stroller. Really, he’s enjoying it. This is the closest I could get to a smile on the camera.
