There’s nothing to make you want to re-connect with the place you’re from like having a baby. Ever since Giana was born, I have urges for extended trips to my homeland, the great state of Iowa. I want Giana to experience it. I love when we have time for her to bask in the attention of her grandparents. Instead of just dropping by for the weekend, I want to make sure I have enough time to really slow down and be present.

We had a great trip a couple of weeks ago. Not only did Giana get lots of grandma and grandpa time, but she got lots of cousin time too! Levi showed her how to play with bubbles and Lily gave her some good cuddles.

We went to the playland at McDonald’s. I won’t let her eat the food, but I did let her climb up all the stairs to the slide!

We enjoyed some mounted cowboy shooting with Grandpa Max. (He could have done it with his eyes closed.)

We really enjoyed watching Michael ride the horse…until he got bucked off and fractured his wrist. He’s now the proud owner of a plate and two pins. We tried to make some lame bionic man jokes, but he wasn’t ready yet. I snapped a couple of pictures on the beautiful day, pre-accident.

And finally, a bit of Iowa wisdom for you. My favorite? “Never be angry at the same time.”