Welcome Mason Kirk

Mason Kirk, newborn son of Nate and Lindsey is finally here!  He arrived at 0853 on 8/31/12 and weighed 8 lbs 3 oz.  He is perfect.  Mason's arrival kicked off Labor Day weekend.  Kirk and I drove down to Des Moines when I got off work to meet the little guy.  He is so handsome and mom is doing great.  We also went down on Saturday and Sunday.  Mason and Lindsey were able to go home on Sunday after a little billirubin setback, but as long has he wears his "glow worm" pads, he should be just fine.  Kirk grilled burgers, hotdogs, and brats for everyone greeting Mason at his new home.  All the grandma's were there, including great grandma Mavis (Kirk's mom), also all the grandpa's.  We had a great time.  Hopefully, Lindsey will get some rest now.

Being it was Labor Day Weekend, Dan, Amy and their friends Mike and Julie also camped at the Outback.  We were able to cook out with them on the campfire on Saturday night after seeing the new grandbaby that day.  Amy bought this neat little swivel grate for the campfire so you can cook on it.  It's adjustable (up and down) and I'm pretty sure Kirk and I need one now.  Then our weekend neighbor, whom we just met that morning brought over a cast iron dutch oven with homemade apple crisp that his wife made and was cooked over a campfire.  OMG!  Now that was some good stuff...I'm pretty sure I need a cast iron dutch oven now so I can make some good stuff like that.  The campground was packed with lots of activities for all the families.  Kirk and I really didn't get to enjoy the activities as we needed to see that new grandbaby while we could. 

 Papa Kirk and Mason Kirk Nelson.

 Proud parents....what a cute family!

 Great Grandma Mavis loves her a baby boy.

 Four generations..Daddy (Nate),  Mason, Great Grandma Mavis, Papa Kirk.

 This family is glad to be home!

Amy and her Oasis....Dan is here somewhere.  Labor Day Weekend at the Outback.

Dan and Amy's new camper.

We are extremely blessed to have wonderful families and great friends.  Two of those friends are Dan and Amy of Gladbrook, Iowa.  I'm not exactly sure how to describe them, except that you couldn't meet two nicer, funny, thoughtful, people anywhere.  They bought a new camper and spent their first weekend in it in the site next to us at the Outback in Toledo, Iowa.  Now you have to know that prior to this camper, they had a pop-up camper, that when they slept in it, had to sleep on opposite ends to keep it level, or from tipping over, or something like that.  Regardless, it was an experience that finally got them to look for something different.  They spent the weekend, learning all the in's and out's of their new camper, cooking out on the campfire, and just sitting around the campfire at night and enjoying each other's company.  They are a hoot.  Oh yes, I do have to mention that they gave me a "poker" (inside joke) of my very own, to use with all our campfires.  I'm not sure how Kirk and I went this long without a campfire poker....really!!  Thank you so much guys.

Dan, Amy, and Paige ....They are so cute!

Adyson is 9 years old...YAY!

I took an assignment in Toledo, Iowa after leaving Prairie du Chien.  Kirk and I arrived in Toledo on Thursday and decided to stay at the Outback Campground and Resort in Tama.   Tama and Toledo are like two small towns in one.  They have a Fareway grocery store, so Kirk is excited, as he loves their meat department.  Remember, Kirk loves to grill.  We got all settled in and left the next day for Minnesota to help Ady celebrate her birthday.

Adyson celebrated her birthday in many ways this year.  However, I think this is typical every year for her birthday.  The one Kirk and I attended was for family and close adult friends of hers that have been a part of her life so far.  Kirk and I drove up on Friday and returned home on Sunday.  Chuy and Lily went with us ( Lily loves the girls and misses them).  Kirk, again, was in charge of grilling.  And, as usual did an exceptional job with the burgers, brats, and jalepeno poppers.  We had more than enough to eat and had a great time.  Ben, Bella, and Isaac also stayed at the house, so the weekend was perfect with all the family there.  Although, we did miss Nicki (Ben's wife) as she had another birthday party to attend on her families side.  It was so fun to see the girls and Ady's friends and spend time with everyone. 

 Yummy food for the party....thank you Papa Kirk!

 Ben and Isaac partied out and hanging out!

 Adyson's mom and Bella getting ready for the party...Bella loves a good time.

 Lily at our new spot in Toledo.

 Chuy waiting to go outside after getting settled in Toledo

The Happy Birthday Girl....Sooooooooo Beautiful!

Bev and Al's Luau

Our stay in Prairie du Chien came to an end July 22 as the company I was contracted with hired a full time perm SLP.  Since I'm a traveling SLP, I realize that that is the nature of the game, so I guess I'm never really surprised when that happens, and I do look forward to our next adventure.  The thing with my job in Prairie though, was that I was still fairly close to the kids and grandbabies, and to some really special friends that I had not seen in years.  Kirk and I were able to hit the Mississippi River again on an "adult only" boat outing with our friends Bridget and Jason, and also Stacy and Maury.  Jason is an excellent boatsman, and Bridget an awesome boatswoman (not sure that is a real title, but she is absolutely great).  I will really miss her. 

Before leaving Prairie, we also attended Bev and Al's (Kirk's sister) wedding reception, a Luau, at their new home in Nashua, Iowa.  Bev is totally into flamingo's, even has a tatoo of one on her leg, so the Luau had a few flamingo scattered about, to say the least.  Kirk was in charge of grilling the pork loin, and I was to take random pics of the day.  It was a gorgeous day, and everyone had a great time. 

 The day after the Luau....Courtney, Gena, Bev, Al, Mavis (the mom), Kirk, me.

 Bridget and Jason.....we just love them so much!

 Stacy and Maury....red solo cup!

 The girls....back at the RV.

Our house warming gift to Al and his flamingo lady!

Nicki's 30 years old!!! SURPRISE!

 Cousins taking a break from playing and just hanging out....snackin'.

 Avery, could you just be any more adorable!!!

 He's a happy boy!

 Ady's handmade bracelet...with help from Neva's Cricket.

 Bella wearing her new bracelet and looking pretty for the camera.

 Getting ready to take off with Grandpa Brian in the Buggy.

 THE BUGGY!

 Isaac, Ady, and Bella....A meltdown-free weekend!

 Cool Man!  Like father, like son!

And one night we had spaghetti!

Okay, so Nicki's 30th birthday was the reason I returned to The Marsh.  However, you wont find much of the party weekend in this post, even though I heard they had a BLAST!!  I do keep secrets....What happens on the Marsh, stays on the Marsh...just saying!  My part in helping with this Surprise party, was to assist in watching the babies and Adyson so this would be a child-free party.  I was fortunate to be able to stay at Neva's (Nicki's mom) with the kids, while she also watched  Dani's (Nicki's sister) 3 month old, Avery.  Neva is the perfect hostess.  Bella and Ady made bracelets with Neva's help.  All the kids watched The Lorax..the cartoon,  umpteen (is that a word?) times, went for a ride with Grandpa Brian in the "Buggy", and did a great job of wearing us out.  Best part though, is that we did not have one "meltdown"....YAY!!   We had a great weekend at Neva's Bed and Breakfast....I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to explore The Marsh!

Summertime 2012

This has got to be one of the hottest Summer's ever in Wisconsin and surrounding states.  Because we weren't able to find a long-term RV spot for my Arpin assignment, Kirk took the RV to Red Bay, Alabama to have some work done on it.  I was fortunate enough to be able to stay with Ben and Nicki (son and daughter-in-law) and continue working while Kirk was there.  Ben and Nicki were so great, and I was able to spend some quality time with them and the grandbabies, Bella and Isaac.  Kirk and I are doing the full-time RV thing because we want to travel and be together, so since we weren't able to do that for this assignment, I took a job in Prairie du Chien, WI and gave my 2 weeks notice to Arpin.  I was so sad to have to leave the kids, but Prairie had RV campgrounds with full hook ups and monthly sites where Kirk and I could be together.  I need to mention that while up by Arpin, I saw 3 black bears, one of which we chased in the truck as he was on the marsh.  We also went trolling in the boat on the marsh waters and watched a beautiful sunset.

Adyson stayed with me at Ben and Nicki's while my two girls, her mom and aunt, went to a retreat.  She stayed for a week.  I took her back to the Minneapolis and spent the weekend with them all.  Isaac celebrated his 1st birthday on May 20th.  He is just so darn cute! 

Kirk and I took the RV on Memorial Day weekend to Illinois to help celebrate Alyssa's (niece) graduation from RN school, Andy's (nephew) graduation from law school, and Karla's (niece) baby shower.  What a weekend.  We had a great time!  While there, we were able to also visit with my sister Elena and her husband Jim, my brother Rudy and his wife, Bev, Angela, my sister, some very good friends Bird and Sherry, and many numerous other family members and friends.

Father's Day weekend, Kirk and I met in Monmouth, after not seeing each other for 3 weeks, for the annual Golf Tournament at Gibson Woods in memory of my brother Bob, who passed away from cancer in 2007.  It was a sold-out event with family, friends, storms, and good times.  Proceeds from the event went to ICS scholarships. 

The next weekend we drove to Gladbrook, Iowa for the Corn Carnival and Kirk's 40th class reunion.  Kirk got to ride on the class float in the Corn Carnival parade while I sat with his family, took pictures, and watched the kids pick up candy thrown into the crowd from the parade participants.  It's funny how it's called the "corn" carnival, yet the corn isn't ready as it's only June, and what little corn there is comes from Florida or California...weird....and we're in Iowa, corn capital of the world...REALLY?  Oh well, it's their party (I'm sure politics plays a part in this somewhere).  Anyway, Kirk had a great time at his reunion, and was able to catch up with some old classmates.  I had a good time too.

For the 4th of July, Kristy, Robyn, and Ady came to the campground for a few days on their way to Illinois.  They also brought Caleb, a very close 4 year old friend of the girls.  The weather was pretty much in the 100's while they were here, so trying to keep cool staying inside the RV with the air was cozy!  We did swim at the campground pool quite a bit which was mostly standing room only. 

Our first weekend here in Prairie, we went to Rossville and had a much awaited prime rib with Bridget and Jason.  I used to work with Bridget when I worked in Decorah 10 years ago.  She is one of my BFF's!  The next day we all went on a boat ride along with their  kids Drew and Kinsey, and Stacy (former co-worker) and her daughter, Katie.  We had a great day on the river.    And the Summer's not over yet!!!

 View from Pikes Peak in McGregor, Iowa.....Beautiful!!

 Boating with Bridget and Jason on the Mississippi River...so much fun!!

 Look out golfers...they're taking over....what a great looking couple!

 Cousins at the golf outing.....Jason, Dustin, and Adam.

 Elena and Jim....you can't go to Monmouth without getting together with these two.

 Kirk's 40th Class Reunion in the Corn Carnival Parade, Gladbrook, IA...where's the corn?

 Trolling on the Marsh.....Bella had no fear in the boat.

 Sunset on the Marsh....breathtaking.

 Three sisters and a brother....along with our better halves!

 Congratulations Alyssa (RN), with Devin.

 Congratulations Andy (Lawyer).....with Carissa.

 Best wishes on your new little one Karla and JR.....September will be here before you know it.

 Nicki and her famous dirt cake!

 Happy 1st Birthday Isaac!!!  Look at those eyes!!

Our temporary stay in Dexterville County Park.

Dad, look at the bear......for real!!!

Wisconsin 2012

My new assignment is in Arpin, WI.  Basically in the middle of nowhere.  We have found that there are only local State parks w/in a decent distance from my job.  Among these, only one has full hook-ups, and then there are only 4 sites.  All the other sites have electricity, but no water.  We looked at other parks within 45 minutes of my job and found NONE that we would be willing to stay.  Very frustrating.  The main perk is that we are only 15 minutes down the road from Ben and Nicki.  So we are definitely getting our grandparent fix.

 Bella enjoying a beautiful day at Papa Kirk's and Grandma Reina.

 Couldn't resist taking this pic early morning on Hwy 54 in WI...love the clouds.

Mother's Day weekend, Kirk and I drove to Minneapolis to spend the weekend with Kristy, Robyn, and Adyson.  Kirk grilled out (yummy), and on Sunday we attended church with the girls, and then were treated to dinner by Kristy at Bucca de Beppo's.  Ben and Nicki also celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary that weekend.  They are a great couple, and wonderful parents.  I am so blessed!

Headed to Wisconsin for the Summer 2012

While on our way to WI, our plans were to stop in Des Moines, IA and spend a day and night with Nate and Lindsey.  Lindsey is pregnant with a boy.  She is due in September, so we hope to be present for the birth.  We stayed at Cutty's RV resort in Urbandale, IA.  Nate, Lindsey, Brian (Kirk's nephew) and Shaila and their daughter Gretchen all came out for a cookout.  We had a great time.  It's always a good time getting together with family.  Kirk and Nate went golfing the next day while Lindsey and I shopped (Lindsey is fun).  After leaving Urbandale, we drove to Kirk's mom's in Gladbrook, IA and stayed there a few days.  We took her to That Place for her IOU Christmas gift one night, and had Zeno's pizza with Mavis, Heather, and Damon another night.  Oh yeah, we also hooked mom-in-law up with Face Book.  She is now able to secretly enjoy family.  We also got to see Damon play one of his baseball games.   Then it was on to Nashua, IA to visit Bev and Al (Kirk's sister).  Nashua is home to and famous for The Little Brown Church.  Bev and Al were married in there in January.  They also bought a house on the lake in Nashua.  Kirk and I stayed at the city park in Nashua while visiting them.  They have been remodeling their house and preparing for their wedding reception the end of July.  It's going to look great! 

We headed to Wonewoc, WI to spend a couple of days at the Chapparal Campground where we stayed last Summer, and also where Kirk was campground host.  We had a great time visiting with Dennis and Dianne, Ronnie and Arlene.  We miss them all so much! 

 Cutest little Gretchen...and mom!

 Lindsey at around 4 months....one happy mama!

 Kirk, Bev, and Al in the house on the lake....lovely place!

 Big Kirk at the Little Brown Church.

 Little Kirk at the Little Brown Church....Look all the way to the right.

 Bev and Al ringing the bell at the Little Brown Church.

Our view from our campsite at Chapparal Campground...absolutely gorgeous.