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.