Our Sunday drive

This morning started out productive (not that that's our goal in life) but I was glad to get some minor projects done. I wanted to take my mind off the fact that Cliff was working on a paper that is due Monday while it was gorgeous outside! I called a friend on the phone too. I also wanted to take my mind off missing my mom. Today would have been her 56th birthday. I wasn't overly emotional, just blah about it. She has been gone almost 4 years now.

After Cliff finished his paper he decided it would be a good day to go to a park we hadn't been to. So we found a county park near his grandmother's retirement home so we could see her as well. She is only about half an hour away, but we don't make it there very often. She used to have a house with land we could release the boys into. The retirement apartment she has is not as kid friendly for two young boys. I usually end up out of the room with them for at least an hour so Cliff can spend time with her.

On the way out of town we ate at a Pho restaurant called Fuzion. It is a mix of all Asian food. I loved it, but it was expensive. The kids loved it as well.

The county park was a wildlife habitat we hadn't been to before. We had a great time seeing snakes (non-venomous ones in Iowa) and lots of frogs and a toad. It was a river bottom area and very marshy in some areas.

After we left the park we headed to Cliff's grandmother's. We stopped to pick wilting wildflowers for her. She loved them, and was so happy to see us. It's emotional for Cliff to see her since his mom passed away last fall. But it is getting easier for him. His grandmother's birthday is coming up in a few weeks. We're glad we got to visit her. She's such a sweet woman. She loved seeing the boys laugh, wrestle and rough house. She didn't even flinch about the fact that Holden is homeschooled. She said she'd go back to having kids at home in a heartbeat. Two of her kids passed away almost a year ago. She knows a little about how fast a lifetime or two can go by.

Now we are home. Camden is passed out on the couch and Holden is playing with friends. It's a good life and we know it.