Our visit to the big red store today included a trip to the school supply section. (I’m always looking for deals on Post-it notes since I go through so many of them.) While we were shopping, we rolled past the backpack aisle. Nolan eyed up a Toy Story backpack, so Lincoln, likewise, found one too. Once we were home, the two of them modeled their new bags before promptly finding all sorts of things to load into them.
There’s a woman we know from our church who lives nearby a set of train tracks. The train passes through every morning at about the same time. We can often hear the whistle blow if we have the windows open in our house. Earlier in the summer, Jake told the kids that he would talk to Ms. B and see if they could come visit and watch the trains and have a glass of lemonade. Well, it only took telling them this once. They continue to remind us that this is something we need to do before the summer ends. What I love the most about this though, is the way Lincoln says the word “lemonade.” It’s “yem-nade.” Makes me smile every time I hear him say it!
The weekend we were up north, a strong storm blew through the area. We had one tree casualty in the backyard that caught in another tree and also lost a couple of significantly sized branches off another. (The largest branch apparently fell on the shed and swing set. Our wonderful neighbors took it down and cut it up before we arrived back home.) Because of the size of the trees in our backyard, we had to hire someone to come and remove the broken one. And since they were already going to be in the backyard (and there would be a mess of some sort anyway) we had an arborist look at the other trees to see if any others needed to also be removed. All total, we had 5 trees taken down. Watching the crew of 3 guys work was crazy! The boys and I camped out in the front yard and watched them work – they loved to see what was going on. One by one, the 5 trees were no more. They finished things off with a stump grinder and then cleaned up the majority of the mess. By the end of the day (they worked 12 hours) we had a totally different backyard. The amount of light that the 5 trees kept out of the yard was pretty significant. It’s going to take a little while to get used to the new and improved sunny backyard we now have.
Kari was in town this weekend (and it was her birthday) so being the wonderful brother he is 🙂 Jake so Jake loaded up the boys and headed north where she was visiting. I didn’t feel up for the trek, so I opted to stay home and get a little (much needed) rest. Judging from the pictures Jake took, everyone had a lot of fun. Stacie and Larissa were also there, so there was no shortage of extra hands if Jake needed help corralling the kiddos. And of course, no visit to the lake would be complete without some casting practice. Forget actually fishing for fish, my kids just like to cast and reel the casting weight back in 🙂
At another visit to the local splash pad park, Shecklet #1 scaled the rope tower. I was amazed that the little guy was so bold! Really, it probably should surprise me that much. He’s a monkey in the backyard on the swing set too. But this thing is seriously high! And then to top it off, he makes the whole thing move by holding on and bouncing on it!
While we were at the park, we also noticed an amazing sight in the sky – the sun was peeking through the clouds with “fingers” of light streaming through. It was what I picture when I think of God reaching out from heaven. So beautiful!
Nolan received moonsand as a gift from our neighbors a while ago and I pulled it out today for the boys to play with. Note to self…next time, take the moonsand OUTSIDE to play with. The kids LOVED the stuff, but man was it a mess to clean up! I had to shake rugs, vacuum, and wipe down the table multiple times. Nevertheless, watching the boys have fun was definitely worth the clean-up afterward.
We visited my extended family this weekend. It is probably the last time we’ll get up their way until after the baby arrives. The drive to get there is about my limit as far as the amount of time I can spend in a car at one time, at this point.
We got into town about 2pm and stopped at my Great Auntie Helen’s house (my grandma’s twin sister.) It was really good to see her. She hadn’t seen the boys in quite some time, so she was excited to have them visit. She gave them animal crackers as we were leaving – they were thrilled!
Afterward, we went to my Uncle Ron & Aunt Judy’s house. The boys were enthralled with the equipment my uncle has in his woodworking shop. They even lended a hand with cleaning up sawdust. Give them a shovel and they’ll move just about anything for you! Ron also took them outside in his yard to see his skid loader and they “played pool” in the basement. It was nice to have them entertained while I chatted with my Aunt Judy and cousin, Jeana.
We went to mass at my Grandma Fran’s church and then went out to dinner with my Uncle Gene, Aunt Ann, and cousin, Amy. After we ate, we all headed for the hotel pool. Unfortunately it was freezing cold! But Jake and Amy were brave enough to take the boys in. I only set foot in the chilly water when Lincoln decided to slide off the edge into the shallow end without anyone there to catch him! Talk about my heart skipping a beat! For him though, it was all fun. The experience didn’t frighten him in the least. That kid is going to be put in swimming lessons as soon as we have him potty trained. He has no fear of water, which is both good and bad.
Sunday morning we woke up and went to Ann & Gene’s house. My parents arrived shortly before we left – they were part of a group of my Grandma & Great Aunt’s kids who were taking them out (in a limo) to celebrate their 93rd birthday. (The limo was a surprise to them – I think they enjoyed themselves :)) Nolan wanted to check out the inside of the car, but Lincoln did not.
On our way out of town, we stopped at the Mineview to show the boys the biggest dump trucks they had ever seen.
We then loaded into our car and headed to Duluth for Jake’s cousin’s 30th birthday party. When arrived at the party, the first thing the boys saw was the giant inflatable cake jumper in the backyard. It was a definitely highlight of the party for the kids. We spent a couple of hours at the celebration and then headed for home. It was a quick trip up and back, but well worth it!
Lincoln decided to give me a hand with the vacuuming today. I don’t know what it is about this machine, but both boys love it. It’s gotta be the fact that they can move it around and switch out the attachments. That, and the fact that it has a retractable electrical cord. It honestly is one of the best “toys” we have in the house.
The boys love to have picnics. We would have one every day if it was up to them. Today, I took them to one of the nearby parks for play time and a picnic. They donned their hats & sunglasses and dined on PB&J, grapes and cheese sticks. Our lunches are pretty predictable. As long as they enjoy them, right???
Just a couple of pics of Nolan playing goalie for his team. Goalie is one of the favorite positions the kids play. So much so, that they often ask Jake if they can be goalie when they first show up for the games 🙂
