Conrad Turns Eight

Conrad turned eight at the end of September. This boy is such an awesome kid. He's fast and fidgety but also tender and kind. He's carefree and so much fun. 

Conrad loves to learn. He thinks deeply about things and will ask me things that literally stop me in my tracks. Mostly because I've never looked at the world the way he does. He currently is super interested in mummies, I Survived books and reading chapter books in general, Harry Potter, and taking his turn to read verses during family scripture study. 

He also makes the most goofy faces

Conrad's main love is still all things physical. Soccer, riding bikes, roller blading, even doing yard work are all things he excels at and bring him great joy. He's been learning to fix his bike himself and LOVED visiting a local bike shop where workers helped him gain new skills. Of course he's always perfecting soccer moves. His love of sports is expanding beyond soccer to pretty much any ball he can get his hands or feet on. I'm brainstorming how to keep him busy enough through the cold winter months to keep the rest of us from going insane. 

Conrad also loves his family and the Lord. I've been so impressed by how kind and gentle he is with the younger boys. He's actually very attentive and responsible when helping care for them. He also teaches them plenty of silly things too. 

While Conrad mostly drives the older girls nuts, he is also fiercely loyal to them, asks them questions about their lives he genuinely cares to know the answer to, and is first in line to cheer them on (especially when they're cooking something he will happily sample for them). 

Then there's his bond with Orson which is so strong. The two are pretty much inseparable. Maybe it was forced upon them since they're so close in age and have always shared a room, but I LOVE seeing them play, rough-house, learn, and work together. 

Most of all, Conrad loves the Lord. He has a simple, but pure testimony. While he can be goofy and fidgety, he deeply cares about doing well in life and the gospel. On Sunday he was giving a talk in Primary. He spent all of Sunday morning following me around the house with his scriptures in hand while rehearsing and asking questions about how to give his talk. I think he changed the focus of his talk several times, as he refined what he hoped to say. It was very sweet. 

Now that I think about it, there is one thing Conrad might love more than anything else - FOOD! The kid is always eating. He eats full helpings at meals then finds snacks in between. I love the things he chooses to snack on though - full sized carrots, raw cabbage, fried eggs which he cooks for himself, sunflower seeds, and apples. 

Normally Conrad has an extensive list of birthday requests, but this year it was super simple. He wanted the whole family to play sports after dinner. So after stuffed peppers for dinner and an impressive soccer jersey cake that Lenora helped me make, we all headed out to play kickball. Conrad was in heaven! 

Conrad, we love you SO much! Keep being you. Keep moving though your life the way only you do - with tip-top speed pushing you onward to excellence and with a healthy balance of moments of slow curiosity and reflection. You really are amazing at both. 

August in Iowa

August was a whirlwind of unpacking, house projects, organizing, preparing for the school year, and getting settled. 

Besides getting unpacked, the first priority was to finish the girls' bedroom. The previous owners had renovated every part of the house except this room. So we repaired plaster, painted trim, painted the walls, and refinished the floor. Overall it took about two weeks during which the girls and all their things were everywhere. But, it came together SO well. And their shared room is beautiful! 

Eliza's corner of the room

        

Lenora's area... We still need to hang her shelf.

And Hazel's area...

One of the super fun spaces in our new house is the attic. We hope to make this an incredible bonus space, but for now it's at least storage on one side and a sewing space on the other. 

One of the treasures we found in the attic was this wardrobe (or the entrance to Narnia as the kids were calling it!) We cleaned it up and brought it downstairs - it's perfect! 

Our ward has been amazingly welcome. We've had meals brought, dinner invitations, and have quickly made friends. I feel so thankful! 

The girls and I stole away for a trip to the Nauvoo temple one Saturday. After living 5 minutes from the temple, it will be an adjustment to be nearly 2 hours away. But, the girls mentioned how it feels like you take the time to worship more sincerely and make your time in the temple more focused when you can't go as often. 

  

One of the huge blessings here in Iowa has been the incredible homeschool group we've found. These women are amazing! This is only the groups' third year, but it runs so smoothly. I was blessed to attend their mom's retreat and was blow away by their kindness and bright lights. I'm feeling SO blessed by this group already. 

Lionel tagged along for the Mom's Retreat too!

Besides that, we spent a TON of time unpacking this month. The kids were good sports, and when it wasn't too hot, they had a lot of fun exploring the backyard. 

We're also on the hunt for a new forest school spot. So far this is a promising place. It was an old quarry that's now filled with water. We found tons of poison ivy though. 

There's also a really awesome nature trail within walking distance of our house. We've had lots of fun walking and riding bikes down it, identifying new plants, and eating mulberries.