Iowa

The  day before we left for Iowa was a whirlwind. We really didn't have time to stop and process everything; we were too busy preparing for our departure.  We were both doing okay until we hit Iowa.  Well, actually Alex had a hard time the night before in the hotel where he cried himself to sleep.  I wasn't quite sure why he was crying.  Whether he was upset over losing his grandma, or the fact that this trip was not his idea of a vacation or if he just didn't like our hotel. Or maybe it was a combination of all three.  He never said.  He just started crying at bedtime so I snuggled in next to him and stayed that way all night.  That night we stayed in a hotel that was new to us.  It reminded me and Doug of being in Russia.  It was an older hotel, pretty good in size with very few guests.   It was a little bit creepy to the girls,  but really the accommodations were adequate and we dined alone the following morning for breakfast.  (Always a plus with kids.)  It was your typical continental breakfast with bagels, cereal, biscuits and gravy.

The next day as we continued our drive to Iowa, we found that the closer  we got to Iowa, the harder it was. Usually it is the opposite. The closer we get, the happier we get, but not this time.  I think in some ways, the drive was where we started our grieving process.  Even though my mother in law was sick with cancer, her passing was sudden and caught all of us off-guard and we certainly didn't have time to grieve prior to leaving. So as we inched closer to the farm and the sights were becoming more familiar, reality set it.  We were beginning to realize that life at the farm wasn't going to be the same without Grandma being there. (Which it wasn't.) But we did find comfort in what was there.....  Most importantly, our family.  The farm house was full of family, just how Grandma liked it.

  We all enjoyed cuddling the little ones and we waited patiently for our turn with the newest addition.

  Oh baby Elliott how adorable you are.

And there was comfort in the usual farm activities.  

Feeding the cows is a favorite for my kids. 

 Although there is nothing usual about feeding  fries  to the cows,

 it just happened to be what the littler cousins had left over from lunch.

This was the first time I had ever traveled to Iowa in the winter.  I lucked out.  I've heard the horror stories of Iowa winters, but the weather was about as good as you can get for January.

There was some snow, just enough for a small snowball fight with most of the family.  I didn't get any pictures of that though. It was too fun to watch! But it was definitely a highlight. 

 (Gwen, can you send me a few pics?)

And we even had a couple of great sunsets.

There is something so peaceful and beautiful about those Iowa sunsets on the farm.  

It was a short trip for us.  Once again we found ourselves not wanting to say goodbye, and  at the last minute we decided that I would drive back alone with the kids so Doug could stay back another week to help finalize a few things.  The kids were absolutely amazing in the car.  The drive (all 1150 miles) was quiet and peaceful as the kids stayed pretty plugged into the television.  I broke the drive up into two nights and we made such good time on day one that we arrived in Cheyenne early enough for a nice dinner and swimming. Swimming was another highlight on our trip.  Well, it was a highlight for all of us except for Hallie.  Unfortunately, she had to watch as she forgot to pack her swimsuit.  :(   She had a great attitude about it though.