Please pray for Stellan.

A Precious Moment Lost

I really need a back up battery for our video camera. Today as I was getting the kids ready for their afternoon nap, they were being SO cute. Unfortunately our camera battery was depleted. So I watched as they lay next to each other giggling and snuggling. Kaylee was holding Hudson and he was trying to look inside her mouth (he fascinated with teeth and tongues and stuff). They were both laughing histerically. I willed my brain to burn that image into my head so I'd never forget. But of course I will forget... and I won't be able to share it... unless I can recreate that moment with a fresh battery in the camera!

A Day on the Farm

We are so lucky to have such a wonderful park like this to go to! Hovander Homestead Park has so much fun stuff to do and see, but the best part is that it is FREE! On a much clearer day, you would see Mt Baker behind this barn.

Kaylee arrived, prepared for any weather:

They have some pretty smarmy animals living here at the park:

The rocks on the ground are pretty interesting too.

These are such gentle goats. This little gal didn't mind Hudson grabbing her eyes and nose as I was trying to get a picture taken.

Still, goats creep me out. What's with their eyes? Thier pupils are horizontal!

Creepy... but cute.

They have a nice little playground there.

So we ate a picnic and then got all dirty in the gravelly playground. At least that is what I am leading you to believe by the order of pictures here. Come on, would I let my kids get terribly dirty and then shove food into their mouths? Not me!

I was happy to have brought the bucket and shovels. Soon a herd of small children flocked around us and we got to share the joy of shoveling rocks with them. It was almost comical how all the kids completely ignored the swings and slide as they dug and poured.

On the way out I walked my kids through the gardens around the homestead house. I've never had the chance to go through the house (which is decked out like a little museum with antique furnishings)

But the gardens were amazing. There are flower gardens, an apple orchard...

vegetable gardens (they're using the square foot gardening technique that I am also doing this summer!)

Believe it or not, they even have a weed garden! This is a "Weed Identification" garden. I've never seen anything like it before!

This park also has trails that lead to Tennant Lake and to a boardwalk that tours some wetlands. There is another house surrounded by a "fragrance garden" (very nice!) and also a few towers to climb up in and get a good view all around.

What a great place to visit!

A Purply Day

The other day I decided to do some crafts with the kids. I read about this idea for little ones: Use corn syrup and food coloring on their high chair tray. They can swirl it around and mix the colors. I just happened to put red and blue on there.
Hudson was loving it.
The best part is that it doesn't matter if it gets into their mouth. It's yummy sweet! The only bad part... clean up.Kaylee and I made some play dough. I let her choose which colors she wanted to add. Strangely enough, she also chose red and blue. She's getting to an age where she can start to see and understand that mixing colors sometimes makes a new color.

Here we're taking cheerios and stringing them onto spaghetti noodles.

But the best part for Kaylee is playing in the flour. She likes to scoop some up and then clap her hands together. What a mess!

A Week (or Two) in Minnesota

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been way out of town! We recently went to visit my family in MN. We had such an amazing time - I just have to tell you all about it.

First of all, Grandma came out to WA to help me fly home with the kids. I left about a week before Jeff was able to come. In those first few days we got adjusted to the new hours and the new routine of doing a whole lot of nothing! It was soooo nice!

Grandma went out and got a second swing so they wouldn't have to take turns. (just teasin G'ma!)

My neices were happy to help them on those swings.

The second day there I decided to walk my kids to the neighborhood park. On the way I did something to my lower leg and ended up having to hop around for a couple days. Thankfully, it healed up within a few days so I could participate in the many upcoming activities.

I should hurry up and say that we didn't bring our camera on this trip. The photos we have are from my Dad's camera.

My sister and I chatting and enjoying the cool weather - felt like home to me!

The kids had a pool set up for them with some really, really cold water. That never stops Kaylee though!

Breakfast on the deck

Here we're setting up for our fancy shmancy tea party with real tea cups and finger samiches.

We went to the local parade on the 4th of July. Thankfully it was overcast and even a little rainy. Us Northwesters don't handle the heat too well ya know!

Jeff arrived the next morning. It was so fun to see the kids' reaction when they realized he was there. They really missed each other.

On Monday we took the neices and Kaylee to the Mall of America where we visited the American Girl doll store and went on some rides. Jeff and I got to go on a roller coaster together and it was a great little mini-date. If you've been there before it's the one that goes straight up and then straight down and around and round. It was so fun to just let go...to laugh and scream with absolute abandon!

The next day we met up with my aunt and cousins at the zoo. It was great to see them, but such a hot day for running around outside! Our kids got real cranky in the afternoon so we took off early for a nap. Helps to live so close to the zoo! We went again the next day to see all we didn't get to see the day before. (also helps to have membership passes!)

Soon after this we went up to Duluth for a few nights. We stayed at a really fun water park resort. They had a nice little splash pool for the little kids with slides and spouts all over. Kaylee still talks about the big bucket that goes "ding-ding-ding-ding- SPLASH!" There was also a lazy river and two four-storey water slides! Ah, it was so much fun. The family also got a day trip up to Goosebury Falls and Split Rock lighthouse, but I stayed home with the napping kids. I just love the north shore in MN. It had been years since I'd been up there and it brought back a lot of memories. Now we have more special memories. I hope we go back again someday!