Dear Reader,

      Thunder is rumbling in the distance as I sit here typing and August, Freya and Jonas are asleep and have been since 6:30, 7:30 and 8...marvelous:)  They are totally tuckered-out from a busy day.  I don't have any pictures to add right now as I am feeling too lazy to upload them to my computer, but wanted to write a short update anyway, even though I know people really only want to see pictures:)  We are living in Iowa now for the summer---well, actually, my dear husband is kayaking his heart out in the Boundary Waters this week with some buddies, but next week, we will ALL be living in Iowa.  We are living in the apartment in Jason's parent's basement---Jonas and Freya are sharing a room, August has his own, Jason and I have a bedroom, and we even have our own bathroom, a kitchen and living area all to ourselves.  And we can be as loud as we need to be, which is a blessing (for those of you who know about the situation at our previous place, you will be breathing a sigh of relief on our behalf), and for those of you fortunate enough to know our three children well and their level of energy and intensity, you will be VERY happy for us.  Suffice it to say, trying to parent while attempting to keep the noise down is very nigh IMPOSSIBLE when you have a 5-year-old, a 2-year-old and a 16-month-old...all of whom enjoy running, jumping, shrieking, wrestling, somersaulting, nerf-sword fighting, skipping, spinning, hide-and seeking, singing, rolling, tumbling, leaping, galloping, and millions of other verbs that would never all fit on this blog even if I had the time and energy to list them all:)  I am THANKFUL to be here. 
      It will be a simple summer, I pray.  Simple in that I hope that we have lots of family time doing things that we love to do: namely, being outside in any shape or form---and while rocks and sticks and grass to run in are more than enough to entertain these creative little minds, we hope to explore this part of the country a little more and invest in some friendships here that we have treasured over the years but have never had the time to really focus on because of the distance.  Bath-times are frequent--the combination of sweat and sand and sticky fingers and faces consume my days, as they do for all moms of little ones who like Popsicles and sandboxes:)  Have a sweet summer, dear Reader, and I will update with pictures soon. And, thanks Mom and Dad and Erik and Becca for a wonderful two weeks in Rockford.  We miss you already.  The kids adore you all and ask about you all the time, wondering when you will meet us at the park or join us for dinner.  They see no reason why ALL the people that they love shouldn't live right next door (or in our case, right above them), and frankly, I completely agree.