irish invasion, part 1

Thanks to PL for posting pictures to Iowa (what I call the "Fatherland", at least for the girls)!  We are embarassed that we didn't take any photos during this portion.  Fortunately, as you can see, PL did a great job.

The girls had a great time visiting family.  There were so many activities to choose from.  First, there was wild animal kingdom (i.e. PL's 4 dogs and 2 cats):

FABJ and her dog posse

Can you see the smile on FABJ's face?

In addition, there were lots of princess stories:

ORBJ, Nana, and Sammy cat focusing on an important story

Hmm...they seem a bit distracted here, don't they?

But perhaps the most important part of the trip was the start of a power agri-business:

LBJ and Papa and their agribusiness app

LBJ was trying to find a free app that the kids could enjoy.  As we were in Iowa (Cedar Rapids area), she thought a farming game would be enjoyable.  It was a bit too slow for them, but it was huge hit for LBJ and my dad.  LBJ is still addicted to the game (she's nearly at level 30 now), and the kids are well on their way as well.  Papa, however, was greatly frustrated by the lack of an instruction manual.  This produced flashbacks of Christmas for PL and me, when we had to wait hours (ok, probably minutes, but when you're a kid ...) to play with our toys because our father had to read the instructions manual and do everything in proper order.

Our kids are lucky in that LBJ puts together the toys, often the night before.  I help when needed, such as fetching appropriate beverages for LBJ to improve her assembly skills.

Anyway, I got my fix of American sports - college football bowl games such as the Rose Bowl, NFL playoffs, and a couple of college basketball games.  I even was able to attend a college basketball game, thanks to PL.  PL wanted to take FABJ to a game, as I was allowed to accompany them.  However, it almost wasn't to be, as FABJ decided she didn't want to do.  But LBJ saved the day (once again) by identifying the problem and assuring FABJ that we would leave if she didn't have fun.  She, of course, had a great time (as did I):

Purple panther fans at the game

More on the trip in the next posting ...