Catch-Up

I am a little behind on blogging, so this post is kind of a mish-mash of photos.  :)

After our trip to the lake, we drove to Itasca State Park on our way home.  Itasca is most notable for the Headwaters of the Mississippi River.  We crossed the tiny river a few times (without getting wet!).  And I was humming the Okee Dokee Brothers in my head the whole time!

Last week was Punky's last day of her Lil Sports Sampler class we signed up for through our local Parks and Rec.  The first three weeks were soccer and the second half was t-ball.  Originally, Punky was more excited about soccer, but in the end I think she like t-ball the best.  We signed up with Punky's BFFs too, so that always makes everything a lot more fun!  Especially since they could all go to the playground together after practice.  Buddy kept himself busy playing with with the other siblings, tossing toys off the bleachers, and running around.     

Go Astronauts!

Lastly, we took the kids to the zoo as a surprise a few weeks ago.  It was a really nice day, not too hot, not cold or rainy.  But, the kids were kind of crabby.  I am not sure what was up, but we decided that we'll need to bring at least one stroller when we go to the State Fair.  They just got so tired walking around the zoo.  Tired kids = crabby kids = crabby parents.  I didn't get many photos that day, but I did manage to bribe them with ice cream for some.

Up North

Every year Grandma and Grandpa rent a lake cabin at a resort "up north" and we join them towards the end of the week. We are so happy that Grandma and Grandpa don't mind that we tag along with them! It is really nice to get away from home and work schedules and we all have so much fun.



The first thing Punky and Buddy wanted to at the lake was to go fishing. We tried fishing from the dock and had a ton of success! They were both catching fish every few minutes. There were definitely not any big ones, but they didn't mind!

The weather was sunny and nice our first two days, so we got to swim in the lake. The resort had a new water slide this year that was a lot of fun! We had to catch the kids at the bottom of the slide, but they loved it! Buddy HATED the seaweed at the lake. He hardly wanted to touch the bottom of the lake with his feet. He is pretty spoiled with our chlorinated and filtered swimming pond at home. But, he did learn to float pretty good!







We took a few boat rides and Punky tried fishing on the boat. It was pretty windy that day though, so we gave up pretty quickly.





The rest of our time was spent playing games, eating, relaxing, and watching the kids play at the playground.

I also got to play around with my camera and got a couple of neat photos.

This year at the lake was especially fun because we could really see that Punky and Buddy were making memories that will stay with them forever.

Color!

This weekend we visited Auntie Shannon and her family.  We visit about once a year, and this year we decided to do something a little different.  Derek, Shannon, Leah, Grandma and I ran a 5K Color Run.  Derek had been training for the race since June and Leah is the only 10 year old I know with a 6 pack, so they were set to actually run the race.  Grandma, Shannon and I, on the other hand, only "practiced" once or twice months ago.  Good thing the race wasn't timed!  I don't think I would want to know how good (bad?) I did.

Here are our before and after shots:





Grandpa watched Punky and Buddy while we were running.  I think they were a little bored, but found ways to entertain themselves.  After the race, we let the kids dump/spray/throw some colored powder on us for fun.  Buddy mostly got himself.



We also went to a parade (and accidentally left all the candy with Leah), watched a Minor League baseball game, and spent time together as a family.







I am so glad that we get to spend fun weekends like this together with family.  #making memories

The Fourth

The fourth is definitely one of my favorite times of year. This year we were blessed with beautiful weather, great memories, and lots of candy and mosquito bites.

Like last year, our day started out with the kids dressing up for the Kiddie Parade in Derek's hometown. If you remember last year, Punky and Buddy dressed up as Snow White and a Dwarf... in nearly 100 degree heat. This year I kept the temperature in mind when I planned their costumes and decided they should be the Tortoise and the Hare. We checked out the book from the library and watched the Disney cartoon, so that the kids actually knew who the Tortoise and the Hare were before their big day. Their costumes were fairly simple. Punky wore white clothes she already had. I bought her bunny ears and nose online and Grandma made a pom-pom tail. I bought Buddy a new green shirt and he wore his pajama bottoms. I made his turtle shell from a turkey roasting pan I bought at the dollar store. The costumes were simple but I think they turned out pretty cute!

We were running a little late that morning and had to be to town 30 minutes before the parade started. As soon as we pulled up to the parade line-up (about 5 minutes late), I realized I FORGOT THE BUNNY EARS AND NOSE! Derek had to drive the 7 miles back to his parents' house, look for the costume pieces, drive 7 miles back to the parade and then run to the parade line-up since the roads were closed for the parade.

Punky was feeling a little nervous that Daddy wouldn't find her bunny ears.

We had missed walking with our "Storybook Characters" group and ended up being the last group to walk through. Luckily, just as I was beginning to think Punky would have to walk the parade without her costume, Derek showed up and saved the day! After moving the car, he joined the kids about halfway through the parade route and I was able to move to the sidewalk and take some photos.



Because we missed walking with our group, we were stuck walking behind the "Patriotic" groups, which included kids on bikes or floats throwing candy. I soon realized this was going to be a disaster, because Buddy was following behind these kids picking up all the candy! I don't even think he realized he was walking in the parade at this point, because he was so focused on grabbing candy! We had a half a backpack full by the midway point. After we passed by our family, Buddy finally figured out he was in the parade and started waving to the crowd. He walked right along the side of the road and shouted, "Hi Everybody!".



Punky walked right in the middle of the street and waved with both hands.

After a quick walk, we met up with our family to watch the parade. The kid's changed clothes quickly before the parade began. I stenciled Punky's dress and think it turned out pretty cute!



After two more buckets full of candy, we headed to Derek's grandparents house for a barbecue. My favorite meal of the year!





We ended the day with awesome fireworks (Thanks Grandpa Scott!). Buddy gotten eaten a live from the mosquitoes. The next day, Derek had to work, but the kids and I stayed behind and spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa.  On Saturday, everyone went to visit new Little L and then came to our house for dinner.  It was a fun weekend!

Welcome Little L

This post is coming a week late, but with us being out of town for the holiday, I didn't have time to upload photos etc.

Auntie Amber and Uncle Ryan welcomed a new baby boy to their family last Sunday night!  Punky has been so excited to have another cousin and we were all so surprised he came a few days early.  We had seen Auntie Amber the day before and had no indication that the baby would be arriving soon!  What a surprise!  All four of us had guessed the baby would be a girl so we were equally surprised he was a boy!  I think Buddy was feeling a bit territorial because his first reaction to hearing of the baby's birth was "He can't have my crib." 

Derek took the kids to the hospital to meet Little L after work on Monday.  They were so excited to get to hold the new baby.





I was working Monday, so the kids and I visited again on Tuesday afternoon after Little L had come home.  On our way over, Punky told me, "Mom, maybe you'll get a chance to hold the baby too!"



Congratulations Auntie and Ryan!  Even though our free babysitting is done, we couldn't be more happy for you!  We are so excited to see Little L grow!