August Adventures

This week's children sermon at church was about a book, God Gives Us Thankful Hearts, and how we can ALWAYS find a reason to be grateful if we stop and think about it.  I needed that this week.

We've definitely been busy these last few weeks with lots of fun things to do. And while I look forward to new adventures with my family, I can also get wrapped up in what Grace can't do, especially when it's things I wish Grace could participate in. It's easy to get sucked into a pity party when my heart aches for Grace to ask to ride the carnival rides at Old Settlers or beg for a stuffed Truman tiger on her first visit to Mizzou. 

Times like that, it's easy to refuse to be thankful, to spend your time wishing for something that just isn't meant to be. But like the little pup in the story, it's worth the extra effort to be grateful in all things.  So, even though I wish things were different, I'm grateful for all the times we got to spend together as a family these last few weeks.

Choir practice for the community choir.

Daddy and his beautiful girls at church

It started with one of our favorite hometown celebrations at the end of July, Old Settlers. The first day starts with a Sunday church service, and I always read the Memorial Prayer (which is something that was started by my grandparents).  I even wore one of my grandma's necklaces to church that day.  Kyle also encouraged me to sing in the community choir.  That's a pretty big deal for me, since it meant he would have to wrangle both the girls in church by himself. Here's something to be thankful for: Grace sat very patiently during the service, and Charley fell asleep on Kyle's shoulder. 

Hanging with my girls at Old Settlers

Grace getting her pigtail measured

Charley getting her ponytail measured

After church, we made our way down to The Zone for the annual pigtail and ponytail contest, where Grace won a second place ribbon for her pigtails!  Although Grace didn't have enough hair to enter the contest her first Old Settlers, Charlotte got her little ponytail measured, and she didn't get a ribbon, but she sure looked cute.  We also entered some of her baby pictures in the photo contest.  

For us, it's always so much fun to participate in the local celebration.  They also had a baby crawling contest on Sunday, and even though she hasn't started crawling yet, Kyle did ask if Charlotte could enter and maybe learn a few pointers.  We let her watch instead.  

Then, it was time for Kyle to take the girls home, while I finished covering a few things for the paper.  I feel blessed that Kyle is such a big help with the girls, and that he does such a great job taking care of them.

Our infamous Old Settlers celebration continued on Wednesday and Thursday that week, and our very favorite part is the Kiddie Parade.  Kyle and I have so much fun putting together an idea each year and entering in the Mini Float division.  The first year, the theme was "_____ Makes Me Smile," and we made a kissing booth.  I think that one is still Kyle's favorite.

This year's Kiddie Parade entry, Hawaiian-style

This year, the theme was "Oh, the Places We Love to Go," and we made a Hawaiian-themed entry in honor of Grace's Make-A-Wish trip to the Disney resort Aulani.  Although we lost a palm tree (or two) along the route, we were proud of our entry, and the girls seemed to enjoy all the attention.  Well, mostly just Grace. Charlotte slept the entire parade.

After the Kiddie Parade was over, it was kind of warm, so Kyle took the girls home for the afternoon.  I was hoping to take Charlotte up to the Duck Pond for her very first Old Settlers, but both girls were hot and tired. Later that night, Kyle encouraged me to head back up town and take her since it was a tradition.  Charlotte couldn't get enough of all the lights and sounds of the carnival, and even won a stuffed duck, that Kyle named Carney.

First time at the duck pond

Picking a duck with Grandma Susie

Charley enjoying her new prize

We had only a couple of days to rest up until our next adventure, a road trip.  Our nephew, Keelen, turned two in August, and we headed to his house in Fulton, MO, for a party.  We really enjoyed seeing much of Kyle's family, and both girls got more attention than they knew what to do with!  And I think Kyle was especially proud of the 110-piece set of Mega Blocks we got Keelen for his birthday.

Pajama party at the hotel

Since it's such a long drive, we opted to spend the night in Columbia that night, and walk around my alma mater, Mizzou the next morning.  Kyle has been with me once to the school, but it was the first trip for both girls.  As we drove into Columbia, Kyle asked why I was a little sad.  I told him that Columbia was my home for four years, and the people that made it such a special home to me were other places now.  And while I missed them, it was fun to walk around all the places I spent so much time.

Family photo at the columns

Don't drop me in the fountain!

We started off at the columns, walking around the School of Journalism, the statue of Beetle Bailey, Memorial Union and even had lunch at Shakespeare's Pizza.  Kyle wanted to get each of the girls some Mizzou gear to remember their first trip, so I picked a yellow and white striped dress for Charlotte and a black "I Love Mizzou" shirt for Grace.  He even let me get him a bowtie.  I wasn't going to get a souvenir, as I still have lots of Mizzou stuff, but a bright purple Mizzou shirt caught my eye, and it came home with us too.

Beetle Bailey statue

I got it, daddy!

Missouri School of Journalism

It's hard to believe it's been 19 years since my freshman year of college at Mizzou. I'm not sure I could ever have envisioned the adventures my life would take me on when I started, but I am so glad I got to take my family to see the place where I fell in love with journalism.

Checking out some Tiger ears at the bookstore

Lunch at Shakespeare's Pizza

We managed to stay home for a few evenings during the week, before finding a few new adventures this weekend.  Since Grace has physical therapy in Springfield on Fridays, we decided we would head to the Illinois State Fair after her session.  We have taken Grace a couple of times, including one trip, when she got her very own AmTryke.  

We decided to head for some lunch in the commodities tent first.  I went for a pork twister, which is a pork kebab, wrapped in bacon, and Kyle went for a prime rib sandwich.  We figure we had to walk enough that day!  Since it took awhile for me to feed Grace, Kyle offered to get us some pie and homemade ice cream too.  We probably should have taken a few more laps around the fair.  Sometimes I wish Grace could get as excited about fair food as we do, but I feel blessed we are still able to feed her.  Charlotte, on the other hand, just loved sharing a few bites of ice cream with her daddy.

The butter cow at the Illinois State Fair

Then it was off to one of our favorite stops, the butter cow in the Dairy Building.  A nice passerby even offered to take a family photo of the four of us - and Grace gave him the best smile!  We spent most of the rest of our afternoon at the fair just wandering around.  Kyle and I talked about the things we used to do with our families at the fair, and how much we have always enjoyed coming.  After a few hours, we headed back to the van, hot and tired, but so grateful for the chance to experience the fair as a family.

The very next day, we decided to try something completely different. A local family was raising money for the Alzheimer's Association, and they were hosting a scavenger hunt with one division for adults and one division for families.  We are always looking for things that we can do together and just have fun with, and this seemed to fit the bill.

Posing on a stage at the scavenger hunt

On a slide

The letter B

We got our list of items, and even though we couldn't do them all (like make a human pyramid of all our teammates), we had fun taking photos in a camper, walking a stranger's dog, in a porta potty, on a slide and jumping up in the air. We also made a few videos, and Kyle had to run the bases of a ball field twice when I forgot to start the camera.

In a porta potty

Posing with Honest Abe

In a camper

That night, there was lots of laughing, lots of smiles and lots of memories.  It sort of made us forget that Grace even has INAD, and we felt like a regular family getting to do something together.  I hope we get to do it again soon.

This Grace-Filled Journey can be a tough one. Even on the best days, it's still hard not to wish things were different.  But we learned a long time ago, that you may not like the cards you're dealt, but you still play the hand to the very best of your ability. By wishing things were different, I might miss out on some really great moments and memories with Grace, and there's no chance that I want to miss any of her gorgeous smiles. 

So, tonight, I remember to be grateful for my awesome family and to many more wonderful adventures together.

Sharing My Treasures With Someone Else

Ever since working on our very first home renovation project last winter, I've been trying to find a place to put things away and get rid of things we don't use very often, or really ever.  And I must be doing a pretty good job, because Kyle told someone earlier this summer that I gave away everything that wasn't nailed down.  I took it as a compliment.

A self-proclaimed pack rat all my life, I often find it challenging to get rid of things, especially those that I hold sentimental value to. But after Charlotte was born, it seemed only fair to give her a bedroom in the house, which required a bit of spring cleaning.

Since Grace got what used to be Johnny's bedroom, Charlotte was slated to get my childhood bedroom.  Now, let's be honest. The reason Grace got the other bedroom is because my old bedroom was still full of many of my childhood possessions, and things I was certain I would never part with. But it did seem like we should make room for someone new, and get rid of some things that I hadn't seen in years.

Growing up, my mom convinced us to get rid of old toys by having a yard sale. It was a way to get rid of some things we had outgrown and we could get a little extra spending money. Anytime I had trouble parting with something, like my entire collection of Babysitter's Club books, mom would remind me that getting rid of things I didn't use anymore was a chance for someone else to get some use out of it.  And somehow that's always stuck with me.

When we were cleaning out the office for our renovation project, I cleaned out my Mary Kay cabinet.  I had several years worth of samples that I wasn't going to be able to use for my customers, and Kyle suggested I donate them to the Elizabeth Ann Seton program. Each year, they host a Mom Prom event, and I hoped they would be able to provide makeovers for some of the prom-goers, or even provide make-up samples for women going on job interviews.  Executive Director Dawn Morris told me she was thrilled with the idea, and even made special valentine gifts for their clients with some of the samples.  She thanked me several times for the donation, but it was really me who was grateful for a chance to pass something on that would be useful to someone else.

Parting with make-up samples was one thing. Parting with my nearest and dearest childhood possessions, well, that was another story.  But in order to get a room for Charlotte, I was going to have to get busy.

Fortunately, I have a wonderful mother and mother-in-law who agreed to help me on this monumental project when I was home on maternity leave. My mom helped me to clean out the nursery, while Kyle's mom entertained both of my girls, and I am forever grateful to them both.

The first thing I got rid of was two diaper boxes full of Beanie Babies. During the initial Beanie Baby craze, my mom helped out in the hospital's gift shop, and often came home with some of the latest and greatest Beanie Babies for us.  I was especially partial to the bears and the cats. And while they were fun to look through, they weren't doing much good sitting in plastic tubs in my old closet.  So, I picked three to save, and boxed the rest up for our church's Operation Christmas Child shoebox program. Picturing the delight on those children's face to find a sweet stuffed toy for Christmas brings me much more joy than those same stuffed animals sitting in a box in my closet.

And I moved on to the next thing to get rid of, two plastic tubs of Prom and formal dresses. After high school, I saved those dresses, absolutely certain I would have cause to wear them again. And to this day, I have not. But in the spirit of making sure my things went to good use, I found the Cinderella Affair in Bunker Hill, which accepts used formal dresses and provides them to girls in need for a variety of occasions. So, I packed up not only my old Prom dresses, but also all my old bridesmaid dresses, in hopes someone will feel as pretty in them as I did.

Those two weeks, I certainly did a lot of cleaning in that room.  I enjoyed going through old things, remembering special times or places. And in the end, I saved two small plastic tubs of things, like pictures, my Salutatorian medal from high school, my diplomas, coins I got on my trip to Europe and a few other things I just couldn't bear to part with.

But we packed boxes and boxes of things to take to Goodwill, in hopes someone will be able to get as much use out of them as I did. I'm not sure I could truly become a minimalist, but I definitely see the value in letting of some things that others might find a new use for.  I'm sure one day Charlotte will be grateful, as she finds her own treasures to store in that room.

mlh

Celebrating With Family

It started with a party and ended with a wedding. And everything in between - well we celebrated a lot with family. 

It seems like holidays are always crazy times at the newspaper and in family life, and until today, I hadn't had a chance to sit down and write a blog. But we had a wonderful time celebrating America's birthday this July 4 week with our family and friends.  And it really was a week-long celebration. 

On the Saturday before July 4, we headed to St. Louis for our nephew's second birthday party.  And of course, we were running way behind schedule (getting lost on the way didn't help matters), but it was a great day to spend with Kyle's family. Quincy is definitely into Lightning McQueen right now, so we enjoyed a Cars-themed birthday party.  Both girls loved all the attention from Kyle's aunts, uncles and cousins, who for some, it was their first chance to meet Charlotte. 

Herschelman family photo at Quincy's birthday party.

Charlotte's new Tigger from Uncle Shane.

Before we left, we took one final photo of Kyle's siblings, their spouses and kids, before the newest Herschelman would arrive later in the week. 

After the party, we headed back home, only to head out to Raymond for the community's annual Independence Day celebration.  Kyle and I had to cover the parade and queen's events for the paper, but we also had a chance to watch Charlotte's first parade with Kyle's family. The girls looked so cute in their patriotic Minnie Mouse dresses.

Patriotic princesses

Typically, we celebrate the Raymond festivities at Kyle's grandma's house, and even though the numbers were smaller this year, the girls still loved all the attention. And it's always so much fun to be together and catch up.

Believe it or not, we actually had a third event that same Saturday, as two of my cousins were visiting my Aunt Janice and Uncle Doug. And since we couldn't be everywhere at the same time, we felt lucky that my cousin, Dru, and his daughter, Evee, stopped by our house Monday night for dinner.

Hanging out with Dru and Evee at our house

While the grown-ups shared some pizza, Evee had a ball playing in our new playroom.  I was so excited to see all the toys played with and listening to her stories.  It seems like we don't see each other as often anymore, but it also seems like no time has passed when we get together.

Since Tuesday was actually July 4, Kyle and I both had to work a little bit for the paper.  He covered the biathlon and I covered the cardboard boat regatta, and we both enjoyed two really nice events in our community.

The girls and I headed over to my cousin's house for a mid-afternoon Fourth of July picnic. Since Kyle's biathlon started so early, he stayed home and took a nap. But the girls and I had fun talking to everyone, and I enjoyed all the food!  Even Dru and Evee came over, so we got to visit with them again.

Three sweet cousins (Evee, Gracie and Isabel)

The youngest two cousins (James and Charley) on their first July 4

It was awfully hot that day, so Kyle and I opted to keep the girls at home instead of going out to the lake for music and fireworks. Instead, we enjoyed an evening at home together, just the four of us, snuggling and watching movies.

And if our week hadn't been eventful enough, we got to meet our newest nephew on Friday. Daniel and Monica welcomed Kolston very early Thursday morning, and we couldn't wait to snuggle him on Friday. It worked out well because they were at the hospital in St. Louis, and we had to pick up Grace's new braces for her feet. It's hard to believe that the next generation of Herschelmans now number five!  We even made our best attempt to get a photo of them all together.  They are all in the frame, but that's about it.

All five Herschelman grandchildren (Quincy, Charlotte, Grace, Kolston and Keelen)

The two newest Herschelmans with Kyle

Before heading for home, we stopped to have dinner at Fitz's with Kyle's sister, Mikaela, and her son, Quincy. We even made room for a root beer float before we left.  Grace liked sharing her ice cream with me!

Grace shared a root beer float with me!

Charlotte wanted Aunt Mikaela to share with her.

Charlotte checks out the bottling at Fitz's.

Quincy cheeses with Uncle Kyle

Before closing out our holiday week, we had one more big event, Charley's first wedding! Our family had been invited to the wedding of two coaches Kyle covers, the new Matt and Mallory Millburg, and it was fun to get the girls all dressed up for the big day. We also got to see lots of friends, and even have dinner with Kyle's cousin, Marcus and his girlfriend. Both girls were so sweet the whole evening, smiling at anyone, who stopped by to visit with us.

Family photo op at Charlotte's first wedding!

Cheesing with mommy

Selfie with mommy

Beautiful girls at the wedding

I have to say we were exhausted by the end of our holiday week, but I can honestly say we wouldn't have changed it for anything.  Spending time with family and friends is always worth the time and effort, and we loved every minute.  And we can't wait to do it all again.

mlh