Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Iowa Trip (Finally!)
It took awhile, but here are the best pictures from the rest of our trip to Iowa. As we passed over the Mississippi River, we realized this was a big milestone for Hank.
I excitedly turned around to tell him about it, and as you can see his reaction was priceless.
We stopped in Cedar Rapids to visit his Great Grandparents, and we had a good time and a nice dinner with them. Grandpa Ryder enjoyed seeing Hank.
We drove on to Manchester, and his Great Grandma Scanlan was so happy to see him. She said repeatedly that this was such a joy for her to get to see him, and they had a good time together while we were there.
Aunt Barbara and Uncle Ken were wonderful hosts in Manchester. They showed Hank on of the 30 plus cats that are living on the farm...
as well as their pet beagle.
We got to see the last of Grandma Scanlan's rose bushes.
I got some good photos of the flowers, they were really pretty and Grandma made a really nice centerpiece for the dining room table while we were there.
Alison loved the midwest, she kept saying it was like being near the ocean. This is the back of the farm, and the Scanlan farm used to stretch back to those trees in the background.
Here is the old barn that is still there. I told Hank about it, and playing in it when me and Jane were little.
Hank loved Iowa corn. Here he is enjoying a fresh ear before we cooked it for dinner. He liked gumming it to soothe his incoming baby teeth.
He liked seeing all of the strange new things on the farm, like this old tractor tire.
We got to visit with Uncle Bill and Aunt Donna as well, and Hank found a new playmate that he really got along with.
While in Manchester, Grandma got Hank some old toys to play with. I remember playing with this when I was little.
We had a blast.
Uncle Bill took us on a guided tour of Manchester, and showed us a bunch of stuff that related to Dad. It was very special.
He took us to the local cemetery and showed us some of our family buried there.
Most important, Hank got to see where his Great Grandpa Forrest was laid to rest. He passed away about five months before Hank was born.
We hated to leave, the trip was so rewarding.
Upon leaving Manchester we returned to Cedar Rapids and got to spend more time with the Ryders, Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Paul and his three kids.
Grandpa taught Hank to signal TOUCHDOWN!!!!
We had a wonderful time.
Alison and I were both sort of sad to come home, but it was a wonderful trip and we look forward to going back soon.
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