Mark had a one day conference in Iowa City last Friday. Since it was a driving trip the kids and I went with him. Lili wanted to know why we didn't rent a car when we got there. I had to explain that you only rent cars when you fly somewhere.
While Mark listened to speakers (but mostly chatted with old professors and grad school friends), the kids and I visited a few places that we had loved while we lived there.
We visited the Old Capitol Museum. Auntie Wendy would be impressed with their historical restoration efforts. However, the kids thought playing on the outside steps was fun, but the inside was a bit boring for them.
We drove out to my favorite Amish community, Kalona. We visited the Kalona Cheese Factory. Holden and Lili watched the mixers in the huge stainless steel tubs. They laughed when they ate squeaky cheese curds. We also stopped at Stringtown Grocery to buy some candy and bulk oatmeal.
The Iowa Children's Museum is a giant play ground for kids--they were way more impressed with this museum. They all could have stayed there for ages.
It was fun to be in a university town and see all the students on the streets. Asher has a bit of a cold so all 5 of us sleeping in the hotel room was miserable. So we were happy to get home on Saturday afternoon and have Asher back in his own crib.
