Staycation Adventures

What a week!  Please excuse my absence, readers - I've been on wonderful adventures with my in-laws during our "staycation."  Everyone made their way to our place to spend some family time together - by car, by plane, and by semi-truck - no joke!  It was so much fun to be a tourist in our own area - we got to do some activities that we haven't done yet in all of our seven years here in the Twin Cities.  You know what the best part of vacationing at home is?  You guessed it- sleeping in your own bed! 

Here are a few shots of Sunday and Monday, our first Staycation days spent in our town and then a few hours at the Mall of America, because what Minnesota vacation can be had without that?, after picking Mom up at the airport.

Grandma and M play the bongos at the Best Buy MOA

They didn't heed the "Please Don't Feed"

Dwinka wadda?

Aunt L and N play at the Legos store at the MOA

We kind of took over the joint

My in-laws amazed our server with their Bubba Gump trivia knowledge!

M was amazed only with the ping pong paddle

Okay, and Forrest's shoes!

Tuesday was a special day because we drove up to Stillwater and took a paddleboat luncheon cruise down the St. Croix River.  Not only was the weather perfect - and it has been all week, praise the Lord! - but the food was good and the boys were well-behaved, something I was a teensy bit nervous about.  What nut takes all of her in-laws and twin toddlers on a humongous 18th-century, two-hour paddleboat ride? Me.

Cool boy N, Grandpa, and M

N was quite snuggly and silly with my sunglasses!

All Aboard!

exploring the boat before we lift anchor

Don't kiss me, Aunt sheeshee!

Boo hoo! N spent a bit of time on the deck howling about something - like he can't jump overboard.

Upstairs, downstairs!  The boys can talk Grandpa into anything!

I said the weather was grand, didn't I?  So that evening we surprised Grandpa with his favorite cake, Pineapple Upside Down cake, which I'd never before made but everyone ate it so I guess it was ok, for his birthday (next week) and all settled down for a bonfire with s'mores.

There were grey clouds overhead but it looked like the weather was to the north of us and was going to miss us.  Hubs had a nice little fire going when we brought the fellas, freshly bathed and covered in long sleeves and socks to protect them from the evening skeeters, down the fire.  They were so tickled and thought that being outside in their pj's was the funniest thing!  We were outside for maybe 15 mintues, M was aways off "mowing" the lawn when

BOOM!

The loudest crack of thunder any of us have ever heard rattled the trees and our ears!  We all dropped low to the ground as bright lightning flashed all around us for a few seconds.  Then we grabbed our kids and our cameras and rushed inside to watch the downpour!  We were a bit rattled and had to watch an episode of "Imagination Movers" to take our minds off the fact that we had been nearly killed by lightning!

Parent-Free Vaca

It seems appropriate that the boys' vacation should be called Parent Free if ours was Adults Only, right?  We left them in the competent hands of my parents and sister-in-law, as well as my parents and sister.  They traded back and forth!

The first day, I called right away to check on them.  Aunt L told me that N cuddled with her in the morning, asking "Daddy ok?"  Yes, she told him, Daddy's ok.  "Mommy ok?"  Yes, Mommy's ok, too. "Ok."  He was satisfied with that.

A dream come true for N!  He got to open and close the door 100 times - AND sing "wheels on the bus!"

I guess they didn't miss us too much after that.  M waved to the photo my mother-in-law keeps on an endtable in the living room "Hi Mommy!  Hi Daddy!"  He also told them that "Daddy at work at the airport," and "Mommy in the other room."  I was in the other room for 5 days, but he didn't seem to mind!

M ate the WHOLE thing!  Free popsicle day at Junction Valley Railroad

The fellas went on more excursions than we did!  They played at a neighborhood playground, rode the quarter sized trains at Junction Valley Railroad, ate at Zehnder's and took a carriage ride in Frankenmuth, swam at Sanford Beach, AND visited the Saginaw Children's Museum!  Whew, I get exhausted just thinking about it!  The boys are sleeping like rocks this week, so I guess they're recovering from the vacation as well. :)

tractors and busses and grandpa, oh my!

a little unsure of that tunnel coming up...

all smiles on the carriage ride with a horse named Ernie

we love chicken, yes we do, we love chicken, how about you?

I'm having difficulty recovering the pics of the boys at Sanford Lake with my folks and my sister, but Aunt M told me this: that they played at the splash park then had lunch.  A fence separated the picnic area from the beach. M said, "going to the beach!" and slipped between the posts, running toward the water.  My sister said her great big skinny little behind couldn't fit through the rails, but she pushed her way through because she wouldn't make it to the end of the fence to go through the gate before he hit the water!  She told him they had to finish lunch first and dragged him back.  My brilliant son told her upon returning to the picnic, "Going to the beach!" and did it again!  This time, lunch was finished and they schlepped the beach chairs and whatnot to the sand.

"Why did you bring those?" my mom asked her, indicating the chairs.

Aunt M told her she always brings them, that HER sons play in the sand and splash in the water while she reads a trashy novel  magazine.

Needless to say, Aunt M didn't get any reading done.  In fact, she never unfolded a chair.

Heh, heh.

We'll see if they're up for it again next summer because we've already made reservations for two in Kona because the boys had so much fun they're already asking for vacation again!

Update: Here are the Sanford Lake pics - it was near 100 degrees that day, extremely hot for MI!  What a great way to stay cool!

M likes to give his trucks a bath

N on two feet, though I'm told he liked crawling like a dog in the water.  Go figure.

Uncle A Week

We have had SUCH a busy week!  I'm sorry to have left you hanging, faithful readers!  I won't bore you with the details because we have so many fantastic highlights!  Uncle A is in town with us for a whole week and they boys are in love with him.  "Uncle A sleeping?" is the first think M says every morning!  And yes, Uncle A is always up last - I think he's enjoying his "vacation." 

We spent Wednesday morning at the MN Zoo with Uncle A and Grandpa A, where we snapped some cute photos in the chicken coop and the play area:

Daddy had Thursday off, so we explored River Bend Nature Center nearby. We told the boys we were going on a hike, and M was so excited he said, "Hike! Hike! Hike!" all the way there!  What's even funnier is that we were trying to buy sandwiches to take on our picnic and we had to stop a few times to finally find a place that was open (thank heaven's for Jimmy John's!) and each time we stopped the van, M would ask, "Eat-eat?  Eat-eat-time? Hike! Hike?"  Poor kid was so confused!  But we made it and it was worth the effort! 

Uncle, Daddy and two little indians

Rollin' on the River...

Here are some more MN Zoo pics...not sure why Blogger won't let me move them around today, but I'd rather you see them out of order than not at all!  Today Daddy had to go to work again, so Uncle A went with us to ECFE.  We promised him a good time at the end-of-the year school picnic and vehicle fair after class - we know he only went to see the fire engines - but it got rained out!  So we punted and had an impromptu party at McDonald's playplace with our two-year-old twin friends from school!  Unfortunately, we don't have any pics of the dozen two year olds and parents, but I promise you it was quite a sight!  And uncle A was quite a sport, climbing up into the two-story play structure with the fellas.  He said it was fun, but then someone (not my kid) was really stinky, which just may be what ended the playtime.

We have just one more day with Uncle A, but it's supposed to rain again tomorrow - boo!  We'll still hope that it will be nice enough to go out for a little bit because we think the farmer's market starts tomorrow! 

Peep! Peep!  I'm about to hatch!

Uncle?

Last summer, I made a Shutterfly book with pictures of all of our extended family members so that the boys could see all of their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins whenever they wanted.  I thought this was such a stroke of genius! 

While I sometimes believe that my boys are also geniuses, yesterday I determined that they are not.  Because we picked up this "Trucks" book at a garage sale over the weekend and for some reason they think "construction worker," the guy who drives the bulldozer, is named "Uncle." 

Neither my brother nor any of my brothers-in-law work construction!  By they're pretty sure this guy is their uncle.  Go figure.

More Free Stuff

Every few weeks, pocket your dollars post a slew of freebies.  For those of you who are interested, here's today's newest link:
http://www.pocketyourdollars.com/2010/10/free-samples-toothpaste-coffee-chips-lotion-more/

So far I've requested coffee, toothpaste, and a bunch of Dove samples.

I've been getting the freebies that I shared with you a few weeks ago.  The one-load Wisk sample arrived in time to be included in Uncle A's care package.

He lives in a dorm, you know.  Pee-yew!

Made with Love...and Terror

The boys and I are making a care package for Uncle A, who is away at college for the first time this fall.  We haven't done much coloring, but I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to try again.  I taped the paper on the floor and gave them each a crayon. 

These don't taste so good, Mommy.

I had to help them and they kind of  got it, but I won't post the finished product so the pictures are a surprise for Uncle A.  See how N is sticking his tongue out?  That's because he bit the tip off of a purple crayon and chewed it up!  I gave him some milk and I'll watch for the end results.  (Pun intended.  I found a piece of toy yesterday.  Yeah. Nice.)

I put on Sesame Street so they could learn about octagons this morning while I baked Uncle A some cookies.  I hope that one day they can help me in the kitchen baking cookies, but it just doesn't work that way quite yet!  Well, I had all the ingredients out on the counter, then took out the electric hand mixer, plugged it in...and stopped.  Matthew was hanging on to my legs, sobbing!  And not the kind of sob like he just slammed his finger in the drawer (which I suspected at first)- the kind in which he's trembling and frightened.  What in the world? 

He buried his head in my shoulder as I inadvertently brought him nearer to the dreaded object, attempting to console him by letting him pour the sugar into the bowl.  He cried harder and clung to me tighter!  What's going on? 

Uh, oh...the hand mixer.

He's terrified of it.

So I stopped the baking and took him back to Sesame Street and tried to calm him down.  It took several minutes until he was composed enough to look at me with sad, wet eyes, pat the side of his head, (sign language) and beg, "Nigh, nigh?"

He wanted to go to bed!  So I took him upstairs, N following because he refused to be left out, and he immediately curled up with his lovie and binky and closed his eyes.

Poor fella!  I haven't used the hand mixer with him in the room for a long time: okay, I don't do much baking, and didn't even think of it.  Even if I had, I would have assumed that he'd be okay with it because he finally acclimated to the coffee grinder.  Remember - I never even turned it on!

So Uncle A, enjoy your cookies, because they were made with much love...and terror.

Playing in the Leaves

Daddy rakes, we wreck.  Got it!

Yesterday I showed you the professional shot of the boys' first romp in the leaves.  We also have an unprofessional amateur photographer, Aunt L, who took these adorable shots on Sunday, when we were playing in the leaves in MI.  N really "got" it this time, running into the piles his Daddy was raking and scattering them everywhere!  He was having a grand old time, as you can see!

Hey, this is fun!

I love this!

Whee!  I love making a mess!

Mama calls this "ham and cheese"

P.S. For those of you who were worried about me frightening the children with the vacuum, I have good news: the food-throwing activities are abating.  My new tactic is to end the meal and make them clean up their mess when they throw food (thanks for the tip, sis!).  It keeps my blood pressure (somewhat) level! 

Bonus Pic: Uncle A gave the boys their first piggy back rides!