Summer!

It feels like summer has FINALLY gotten started around here. We've been in our pool, or swimming, or at a splash pad about 4 days in the last week, and it wasn't even that nice of a week! I didn't get pictures at the splash pad in St. Louis Park where we met my friend Mel, and her son Dane, but I did get my camera out a little this past week.

Joel and his buddy Carter, looking for fishies in Lake Pulaski near our house.

Between eating picnic lunches and picnic dinners every night Mitchell has a baseball game, I am quite certain, we have actually had more of our meals outside that inside during June. Good thing the boys can't get enough of mom's good old turkey sandwiches!

You would think they would be inspecting a fish, or a bug, or a snail or something in the picture above, but nope, it was just a hot wheel car.


Joel's friend Ashlyn was all about the seaweed, but my favorite part here is the look on Joel's face... just check it out:)
Grant... first upset that his hands were dirty... and then upset that his swim trunks got wet. My goodness, apparently we need to get these boys in the water more!


He did get a little used to it after awhile, but the picture above is about as crazy as it gets.


"cheese" Carter and Joel

New pool!

VBS Week

This past week, Joel attended Vacation Bible School every morning from 9-noon. It was a milestone, as it was the first time he has been left somwhere by himself (except for daycare). I think he did GREAT. His teacher said that he listened and it looks like he was participating and having fun. What a big boy! I got these pictures off the church website... here he is below with some pals from his group.

Not sure what he is planting here... (he didn't give me much info on what they did for these 3 hours every day, but it looks like they are planting something here...)

Playing on the playground.

It is SUCH an impressive and large program. It is truly amazing how organized and well-planned the whole week was... serious kudos to the organizers of VBS at Zion Lutheran.

Date Night

Since Grant is not "movie theater ready", my littlest little guy, and myself had some quality time together while Jeff, Mitch, and Joel when to Shrek 3 at the theater Saturday night. It is always such a good reminder of what a sweet little guy Grant can be when away from his very... well, let's just say "influential" big brother... and not surprisingly, he has even more to say than usual when he has someone to himself.

Our evening started with a trip to the grocery store to get the ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies. As usual, he was a babbling brook in the back seat on the way home.... "mommy, I went in your car, and Joel went in daddy's car", "we are going home now to make cookies, "ooooh, we are going down a hill... and up a hill", "bye bye cows (as we passed the cows), see you next weekend"...

A kiss for his new puppy.
Since it was a "special" night, Grant got to pick out a new stuffed animal at the store. It was SO hard for him to decide on just one, such a stuffed animal lover!

And finally after all the work, some tasty cookies for Grant to share with the boys.

A couple video clips from cookie making...

Birthday Wrap-up

June 3rd 2010: We all know you can't have a "real" birthday without a cake and presents, so for Mitchell's "real" birthday we switched it up to a DQ cake for a little change of pace.

My camera takes horrible pictures without a flash, so I had to change up the effects a bit since they were blurry anyway.

Joel and Grant singing to their "deeto"

Plenty of help opening presents.

The morning after the birthday sleepover on the last day of school. Mitchell and his 5 friends spent the night playing video games and ping-pong, and eating of course.