Summer Snapshots

Tomorrow is the first day of school and just like that, our summer comes to a close.  I don't really like heat, more specifically humidity, so summer hasn't ever been my favorite season.  This year was different.  We got out.  We explored.  We relaxed.  We enjoyed summer.  I enjoyed summer.  Maybe it's the ages the kids are at or maybe it's the fact that we now have our own backyard? Whatever it was, I'm happy to have finally enjoyed summer, despite the heat ;)

I didn't get on the actual computer much this summer so here is a glimpse of our adventures the past few months!

Enjoying having our very own backyard!

Our private island in the Apple River!  Our elderly neighbor has been gracious enough to allow us to use his yard (which is riverfront property) to access this little island and explore whenever we want!

We went to three library programs this summer!  Touch-a-Truck, the MN ZOOmobile and "The Frog Guy!"

Boating on Pipe Lake!

Backyard camping over the fourth of July!

Fawn-Doe-Rosa

Hiking and exploring the falls at Willow River State Park!

Wildlife!

Polk County Fair!

Polk County Fair!

Amelia LOVES catching all the critters she can find and I LOVE that about her :)

Shot for Hope and meeting/chatting with Donnie Vincent!!!

Minnesota State Fair

Minnesota State Fair

Minnesota State Fair

We enjoyed our summer but we are ready for fall!  We are ready to fall back into the routines that come with having a child in school.  We thrive on routine but it is just so darn hard for us to adhere to even a loose schedule during the summer!  Tomorrow the schedule returns and we will spend a few weeks figuring out our new routines for the academic year.  And I suppose it won't be long before we are all longing for summer 2016 to arrive :)

Hot Summer Night

Poor Joe turns into a hot, sweaty mess outside in the heat!  

Tonight, the neighbor said, "I can't take it anymore - he is all sweaty and pink.  The boy needs a popsicle.  I'm getting him one.  I hope you don't mind!"

Since we had already had dinner I didn't mind and Joe didn't seem to mind either!  Most of it ended up ON him vs. IN him but he cooled off and enjoyed it :)

Day at the Fair

We spent Friday at the Minnesota State Fair!

The fair is definitely different with kids - that is for sure.   We now spend time in the ride area, we have to stop to change diapers, eating takes a greater length of time (no more eating and walking!) and they get over-stimulated and cranky.  With that being said, we enjoyed the fair this year but I'll be honest in the fact that it was not as much fun - it was stressful.

We arrived bright and early at 6:30 a.m. to beat crowds, park easier and beat the heat.  We've been having temperatures in the seventies for about three weeks and now we are right back to 90+ degree temperatures and humidity - right in time for the "Great Minnesota Get-Together."

One of the first things we did was visit the DNR area so Amelia could see the fish before the crowds arrived!

She told us she found sharks and dolphins there with the fish.  I'm not so sure about that since they were all native to Minnesota!!!!!  

Amelia had her first face-painting this year and she did so good!

She was so happy with her "rainbow face."  I was impressed at how patient she was.  Since that went so well we went and got her some "fair hair."   Again, she sat so still and was so patient!

She was so excited!!!!

Final product:

She promptly ripped the crown off but look at how happy she was:

She kept checking herself out in this mirror.  Turning and smiling and clapping.

By the time she cooperated for a final picture most of the face-paint was gone but she still was a colorful sight!

Our next stop was the "kid-Way" to use the ride tickets we pre-purchased (at a cheaper rate!)

Joe was a trooper all day!  He spent a lot of time in his stroller and he was a good sport about it!

When we could, we let him out to explore!

He took his naps like a champ!

We are very fortunate that our stroller allows both the children to sleep at once!!!

See Joe's little feet poking out?

Our jogger (by Phil & Ted's) has an attachable second seat and there are several ways to configure it.  In the above photo Joe is in the main seat, fully-reclined, and Amelia is in the second seat, attached above the main seat, where a feeding tray is usually located on a regular stroller.  

Our usual set-up is this:

Milwaukee Trip, June 2012

Joe is behind Amelia in the second seat.  It was a hefty investment but it is beyond worth it for our family!

Another year at the fair is in the books for us and we are hopeful next year is a bit more enjoyable for all!

Home-made tie-dye (except for Papa...)

Bubbles and Bikes

Between the spurts of rain this evening we spent some time outside!

My mom and sister found this bubble mower, new in the box, at Goodwill this afternoon for $3.75!  Amelia loves it!

She could not stop running around with it!  

Amelia got a trike for her second birthday and it has been at my parent's house since then.  We've played with it there a bit but she has never really grasped pedaling.  Since there are several kids in our complex that ride their bikes at night I thought she might pick up on it if she had her trike while they were out there.

She pedaled, on her own, this evening!  She took off down the parking lot and told us she was going to Papa's house...30 miles away!  

I was a little concerned about getting her to wear her helmet.  She hasn't loved it in the past but we have stood our ground with her needing to wear it to play with her trike.  We want to get her used to wearing a helmet now so that she is in the habit of wearing it as she grows older.  None of the kids in the complex use a helmet so I thought for sure she would fight me on wearing it.  We got the trike out there, she pushed it away from me and started to get on so I said, "you need your bike hat!"  She turned around and said, "oh, my hey-oh-meh" and put it right on! 

It is nice to have a few more fun things to do outside!  I think she'll be a pro on the trike by the end of the summer!

Dinner on the Rocks

Tonight, Amelia requested to eat dinner on the rocks.

So we did.

I mean, really, what reason did we have not to?

How We Beat the Heat

We have had some unbearable, hot and humid days this week.  100 degree weather is just not my idea of a good time.  We found some ways to "beat the heat" though and we survived!  

Running through the middle school football field sprinklers (behind our apartment complex)

Organizing projects - including making the living room toys more Joe-friendly!

Baby pool party on the fourth!

Playing in the water in the parking lot from our garden watering system

Tonight we busted out the train set and the letter trains my family got the kids for their Easter baskets.

The train set is large and getting it out is quite the production, hence, why it doesn't come out too often.  It is a lot of fun though!  

If we were ever outside this week - it involved water.  We didn't stay out much longer than a half hour at a time because it was just so miserable (mostly for mama...) and sticky out. 

It has finally cooled down into the 70s and we opened the windows to air out the apartment and give the A/C a break.  That thing has been working overtime this week!  I imagine it will be nice and hot again tomorrow so I am enjoying the fresh air while I can.  

I am really looking forward to more tolerable weather so I can get the kids outside more!  The past two nights have been challenging.  It is obvious that Amelia is feeling cooped up after this week of heat so she is acting out which frustrates me which upsets Joe which leads to three cranky people in this apartment which is just not any fun! 

Fourth of July Pool Party

This year we spent July 4th with friends!  After I got home from work, Jason, the kids and I headed over to Lisa and Al's house!  Their son, D, hosted his first pool party and Amelia and Joe were invited!

Everyone in the pool!

It was a lot of fun watching them all in the pool.  Aside from Amelia everyone was between 7 and 10 months old.  Sometimes they would all just sit there and slap their hands on the water and other times they would all be moving and knocking into each other.  We laughed a lot!

The men of the pool - Joe, W and D

Serious Boys

Joe found a little girlfriend for the day, C

C decided that D's lap looked like a nice seat!

Attempted group shot!

Amelia was excited once the babies were done swimming because she got to pull a slide over to the pool!

I'm not sure how long we swam but it was long enough to turn Joe's little feet into prunes!

After swimming we grilled brats and chicken.  The hit of the night was the Jell-O Lisa made.  She used red and blue raspberry jello, layered.  "Frosted" it with Cool Whip and made a flag out of strawberries and blueberries on the top.  We all had some and started talking about how we hadn't had Jell-O in such a long time and how it tasted really good.  As we sat around talking we picked at the Jell-O and eventually Jason and I were the ones to polish it off.  It really hit the spot last night.

We watched New York's fireworks on TV before we all headed our separate ways.  No live fireworks for us.  With small kids who were tired and a mama who gets up at 2:30 a.m. for work it was just not worth it this year!  Oh, and the 100 degree weather we've been in this week (no joke) only helped make our decision to skip fireworks that much easier.

Our Garden

Last month we hastily threw together a garden.  Our landlord had the maintenance guy till the small strip of land between where we park our cars and the neighbors' fences.

The woman above us said she has had the idea for a few years and this is the first year they allowed it. Three units, including us, planted gardens.  Ours is by far the most pathetic and that's ok!  ;)  

We planted mid-June and planted only edibles - no flowers.  We don't have a lot of time to put into this garden.  In fact, to get it started Jason went out one afternoon, threw the contents of the eight seed packets we had into the ground and that was that.  It's hard to say what is what.  We're just out there watering it when we can and crossing our fingers!

We sometimes water with these re-purposed milk jugs but our neighbor has it worked out so that we have hose access now.  We got a sprayer attachment from my parents and I go out there in the evening, when the neighbors are out with their hose, and spray our garden a few times.  Usually Amelia, Joe and I go out in the afternoon as well.

Amelia helps me water floods our plants and Joey hangs out in a stroller.  It's a nice way to spend 15-20 minutes and I know she feels proud to be helping.  

We know that 5 of the 8 things we planted have sprouted.  We think we know what they are but all we can do is wait and see if we were right!  Next year we plan to be a bit more prepared for this and will hopefully have a more successful garden!  This year if we get one or two things we can eat I will be satisfied!