Train Ride!

My friends Sarah, Ashley, and their two boys Rowan and Lance, plus James and I all went on a fun train ride! The Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway. I believe it was all of our first times being on a train. It was lots of fun!

Lance and Rowan

The boys and I, in all my giganticness. EEEK!

A worker on the train

Checking out the scenery.

There were many parts to this trip that scared the crap out of me. This was one of them. It looks like we were going slow or stopped, but we were going pretty fast.

Another part that scared the poop out of me. These were the door ways where the cars were connected. We walked over a few of them while the train was moving.

A yummy train themed snack.

I love these pictures! I do have to say though that the train was stopped at this point. They were aligning something or something. There was also mommies on the inside of the windows holding legs :)

While we were stopped another train passed by.

Poor tired Ro-Ro.

Fun at the park

a forgotten picture

This is a picture from after the fireworks on Karl Oskar days. Driving on the way home, he was one tuckered out little dude. I just really like this picture.

Foamy fun in the not so summer summer

I found a really fun and really cheap craft project for James that he absolutely loves! Foam stickers with these cheap foam visors or just foam sheets. He was so funny and excited about this...something different from his usual crayons, markers, and play-doh. I sat there with him for a while to peel the backs off, but he eventually started doing it himself!

This first picture was the only one he didn't pose for. All of the other ones he chose when he wanted me to take the picture. He would pose and then look at me and say picture. He is so silly and maybe a future photographer :) His little poses were great!

Here we are a different time foamin it up. Notice that it is the end of July and he is wearing a thermal shirt! No, I didn't over dress him. The weather has been so confusing lately. At one point I seriously thought it was going to snow. The temps haven't been that low, but very unusually cool.

The poor tree in my back yard is even confused.

Wannigan Days '09

This last weekend was Wannigan days which takes place in the town I live in now. More festivities for us including another parade and James' 3rd fireworks in a row! I am sure next weekend he will be asking when we will be going to the fireworks! Fun times had by all!

Swimming in the river

I am a lake gal, I truly am. I am not sure, but I am pretty positive this might be a thing us land of 10,000 lakes people are born with. The love of a lake, the smell of seaweed. This also may have been instilled into me by the countless days on the lake as a child into adolescence. Our big, fire truck red, aluminum pontoon with a baby blue pool slide strapped to the side of it. It stuck out like a sore thumb, but did we care? Hell no! Who do you think was having the most fun on the lake? That'd be us! I believe there is one picture of this hunk of metal and if I ever find it I will post it.

Any who, I am growing on the love of another body of water (Please don't tell South Lindstrom Lake). The river, St. Croix to be exact. The river to me in my mind was always gross, dirty, rocky, creaturey...yes creatury. Well my friend Sarah introduced me to this wonderous spot. It is SO shallow and completely sandy. Perfect swimmin hole for the lil tikes. Now that I have been thinking about it a little, it is actually probably better than swimming in a stagnate water lake, in a river the water is always moving. Maybe those are just my crazy thoughts. It is beautiful and a great place to swim! We really only have to tie their feet down with little rocks so the current doesn't take them, so that is really nice!

Silly Ro with with boots on

call us crazy...call us what you will

Tiff and I took 6 kids to the zoo. I think that's all I really need to say about that.

Nah, it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be...they are all great kids, for the most part :)

Karl Oskar Days '09

This past weekend was Karl Oskar Days, a weekend of festivities in the town I grew up in. James had loads of fun rockin it into all hours of the night. My friend Tiffany lives right on the parade route so that is awesome...no diaper changes in the mist of crowds of people necessary. This was James' 3rd Karl Oskar parade, you can see pics from the first here and the second here. What was different about this one was he was actually kickin it curb side and able to grab and eat the candy thrown.

Being such a good boy and patiently waiting for the parade to start with his buds Ro-Ro and Kylee.

Fighting for their lives for candy. James had this weird thing about only picking up tootsie rolls for a while...that passed, he must have just known I love tootsie rolls!

Doing a little jig for the fire fighters

Our Candy Queen. This little pip squeak was the quickest candy picker upper ever! Now that I just looked back at last years post on the parade, apparently she gets this from her sister :)

The parade was Saturday and yesterday we went back for more fun. We saw some live music and fireworks.

The kids (James, Jaden, Kenzie, Kylee) plopped on the ground eating some delicious treats before the fireworks.

James and Kylee diggin the live band. They danced their hearts out.

The band was a Beatles tribute band called A Hard Days Night. They were really fun.

We tried to go sit down to get ready for the fireworks, but James wouldn't let me :)

Finally, we saw a great fireworks show...we had the best seats in the house!