Week 32

This weekend we headed to SD to see our family.  Our first stop was to visit Uncle Sean, Aunt Hilary and the NEW BABY! 

Baby B was just about the sweetest, most content little guy I've ever met.  He barely cried the 3 hours we were there.  I could've stayed all day and snuggled up with him, but man our kids are crazy compared to a newborn!  We could tell it was time to get back on the road once the kids started wrestling each other while the baby was sound asleep.  I do miss that squishy newborn stage though!

Our next stop was my parent's house.  I wish we lived closer- I love being on their farm and visiting their house.  The kids and I would be there so often during the week if it were only an hour or so away.  But, I guess I will be grateful that we can get there 3 or 4 times throughout the year too.    

The entire family was there this weekend because we had scheduled to have family pictures taken on my parent's farm.  We obviously haven't seen the photos yet, but I really think we will like them!  It was a fun experience and we developed a few inside jokes that just crack me up.  The photographer was setting us up and placing everyone in the family for the first shot of the whole group.  As he was doing this, Buddy shouted "Are we done yet?"  It had been approximately 3 minutes.  During our last shot, the photographer said "Everyone to the left of Diane step in a little closer" and Leah yells out "Who's DIANE?"  It was just so funny and now my mom's new name is Diane.  I guess you had to be there...

Other than our photos, we spent our time on nature hikes, in the garden and playing games.  The kids tried out Life and Clue this time.  Later the same day, Punky asked to play Clue again and Buddy told her "No, we can't play again we already know who did it!"  I only took my camera out when Punky was picking strawberries but it was a great weekend with the family.

    

We were so lucky and fortunate that my parent's gave us an awesome deal on their old van.  Both of our cars are pretty old and it'll be nice to have a bigger vehicle that gets good gas mileage.  I drove the van home with the kids and Derek followed behind us in the car.  Wouldn't you know 7 miles from my parent's house I hit a deer!  I still can't believe my luck.  7 miles!  It was a baby fawn (sad) so it didn't do much damage and the kids didn't even notice it happened (I remember once when we hit a deer when I was a teenager, it was very traumatizing for me).  We weren't hurt and there are so many ways I can be thankful, but really?  7 miles!  

                               

We stopped by Minnesota's Largest Candy Store on our way home.  Buddy picked out a 3 foot long gummy snake and Punky chose a toilet bowl/plunger candy- classic.