Our Trip to Bolingbrook

We got home last night after another hectic weekend in Bolingbrook. Our weekends there are usually crazy as we are trying to pack a week's worth of events into 2 and a half days! While it was very sad having to say goodbye to Grandpa and go through all the funeral services, it was nice to see some family that we very rarely get to see. I was finally able to meet Cody's cousin, Christopher and his wife, Angela, who live in Phoenix. I couldn't believe we've gone 8 years without ever meeting each other! Owen had a good time playing with the other kids there. The service was very nice. Afterward, there was a dinner at a Bohemian restaurant where we ate all of Grandpa's favorite kind of food. He was a real "meat and potatoes" kind of guy. Or as Cody's mom likes to call it, "food that swims (in gravy)."

On Saturday evening we went to Matt and Susie's house for a barbecue. The picture above is of Owen playing in the sandbox there. Alas, this is the ONLY picture I got all weekend! I had planned to take more of all the kids but I just ran out of steam and ended up eating lots of food and just sat around talking! Owen had a great time running around with all the kids there. He even got a couple of kisses from some of the little girls! He was one sweaty, dirty boy when we got home that night! I had a little trouble getting all the sand out of his hair! I am trying to resign myself to the fact that he is a boy and he is going to live for getting dirty. I think I am starting to deal with it a little better. Although I would have never let him get in the sandbox, I didn't yell at Cody when he let him get in there! I really think that's progress! I guess Owen should be thankful he has his father, otherwise I might put him in a plastic bubble and never let him out! Nevertheless, we had a great time seeing everyone and hope we get to go back very soon.

Now I have 4 days to unpack, do laundry, clean up the house, and pack all over again! We are leaving on Friday to go to Tennesse with my family. It's always a hectic trip as we have about 15 people going, but we LOVE going and spending time with everyone. The guys play golf while the girls go shopping. This year I'm hoping to squeeze a pedicure and a massage in there somewhere. We'll see how that goes! I can't believe summer is almost over! Where does the time go?!

Grandpa Muhs

It is with a heavy heart that I publish this post. Cody's grandpa, Owen, passed away this morning at home. We knew it was coming, as he has been very sick with cancer. Hospice had been coming in the house and making things as easy as possible for both he and Grandma. We are heading home this weekend for the services.

We are thankful that there is another Owen Muhs in the world to carry on his legacy. We hope he grows up to be as good a man as the first Owen.

Here is a picture taken of them over the 2005 holiday season. Big Owen loved seeing Little Owen. He will be greatly missed.

Lance Armstrong comes to Newton!

The director of RAGBRAI introduces Lance. He rode into Newton yesterday afternoon around 2pm. He didn't do the whole leg, only about the last 12 miles. He actually rode in about 3 blocks from our house! Alas, Owen had just fallen asleep and I was not able to walk over and see him. Our guests got pictures and I have been promised those. Some even got to shake his hand! He rode in, stopped at a lady's house, and sat in her front yard and drank a beer!

I hear he left Newton this morning at around 10:30am and is riding the entire leg today. He stopped in one town, had a piece of pie at a diner, and was on his bike 11 minutes later! Here is some of what he said last night...."So this is RAGBRAI. I wasted all those Julys in France. This is my commitment. Next year, my rear tire is starting in the west and my front tire's ending on the east." We'll see if he lives up to his promise! He also said the he wasn't quite prepared for the humid Iowa weather. They are supposed to "reveal" today sometime where he actually spent the night in Newton.

The boys behind him are part of a baseball team called LIVESTRONG. They have all been affected by cancer.

A slightly blurry Lance addresses the crowd. He talked mostly about cancer and his goal was to have an army of people working together to put oncologists out of business. It was very moving.


Owen and Daddy pose for a quick pic!


Owen and Daddy cruising around the square! He had so much fun walking around for a bit!

RAGBRAI Rolls into Newton!

RAGBRAI stands for Register's (as in the Des Moines Register newspaper) Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. They do it every year and about 10,000 cyclists ride from the west end of the state to the east end. They bike about 70 miles a day for an entire week! They have one or two people who rotate and drive their support vehicles full of all their bags and stuff. They have a different route each year and this year the route came through Newton. At each Pit Stop City, the riders camp or stay in people's houses for the night.

These are the people who stayed in our house. From left to right: Jim (who works with Cody), Sharon, Sheila, Shelly, Arne, Randy, and Judy. They were a great bunch of people who have been doing this for years and we had a great time hosting them.

It was so neat to see such an event in our town. There were tents EVERYWHERE in the city. Our neighbors had about 10 in their yard alone. Maytag Park turned into a small city of it's own for one night. They had events on the square all day long until about midnight last night. We just really enjoyed being a part of it all and wish our new friends well on the rest of their ride!

From Baby to Big Boy

I am amazed at how quickly my baby seems to be turning into a big boy. He is doing so many new things everyday and you can really see those gears turning in his little head. He goes to the front door and tries to open it when we ask him if he wants to go bye bye. He goes to the pantry when he wants something to eat. The other day he walked over to the table, picked up his bib and put it on himself! He also likes to stand behind me and push me around to wherever he wants me to be. His newest "adventure" is climbing onto things. Here he is climbing onto the futon in the computer room.



Almost there!


Then he is so happy when he gets up there!

Avid Reader

Yes, thankfully Owen has followed in the footsteps of his mother and developed a love for reading. I know, I know, it is only a matter of time before he finds out Daddy's favorite hobby is wood working and takes that up. But I'm hoping that won't be for a while! I can't take the sound of two hammers banging in this house! One is really more than enough.

Here are a few pics I took of him reading this morning. He will sit forever and look at a book on his own. Then he will bring it to you and make you read it over and over and over again. His favorite right now is one about puppies. Sometimes we have to hide it from him because we get so sick of reading it! The living room is overflowing with books and this is pretty much all we do all day long. I guess there could be worse things to do! The cutest part of it all is that he knows when he's looking at it upside down and he turns it around. It is just adorable!

Owen goes swimming!

It is only for my child that I would allow pictures of me in a swim suit to be posted on the web! ;) Here are some pics of Owen at his swimming lesson last week. We went three times a week for two weeks and he really seemed to enjoy it. The last day he went under about 5 times without crying so I took that as a good sign. Just remember to focus on the cute baby and not the Mama in the suit with no makeup! :)

Five Years of Wedded Bliss!

Yesterday we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. We can hardly believe it has been 5 years! My mom, Danielle, and Maddy were here visiting so they watched Owen while we went out to eat. Nothing too fancy, but it was nice to spend a little alone time together for a change! As we were eating, there was a baby screaming at a table next to us and I said to Cody, "Isn't it nice to know that's not our kid for once?!" It was so nice to be able to eat an entire meal while it was still hot and to not have to do it while trying to keep a yelling toddler occupied!