Letting the kids cook . . .
Isaiah has recently developed a curiosity for cooking. He has been inventing recipes and decided he wanted to try one out on us. So he and a friend cooked supper and then made dessert for our family. It was great fun to watch him take charge in the kitchen. He did a great job and the food tasted good too!
Chicago
Oh we love Chicago! There is so much to see and do and it's not that far away! We visited the Field Museum and got to see the Egyptian exhibit with real mummies, which was great because we learned about Ancient Egypt this year in school. We went sledding on their 'big hill' which was a little mole hill in comparison to some we have in Minnesota but it was great fun! In this picture we're at the butterfly gardens. It was so nice and warm in there I just wanted to stay all day. And the butterflies were exquisite! They were every color imaginable from all over the world and would just flit right by you or even land on you!
Oh, and of course, we visited our favorite museum there - Museum of Science and Technology!
Oh, and of course, we visited our favorite museum there - Museum of Science and Technology!
Sibley State Park
We love to camp and one weekend decided to just head out and find a place to camp overnight. We ended up driving farther than we wanted but we found a great state park to enjoy! Sibley State park in western Minnesota had everything we wanted. Nice campsites, a great beach and lots of hiking. They have a place called Mount Tom with a nice overlook.
We cooked over the fire in our pie irons and with our roasting sticks, got super dirty, got wet in the lake, which was named Lake Andrew, and then packed up and headed home. Hopefully we'll get to do it again for a longer stay sometime!
We cooked over the fire in our pie irons and with our roasting sticks, got super dirty, got wet in the lake, which was named Lake Andrew, and then packed up and headed home. Hopefully we'll get to do it again for a longer stay sometime!
Valleyfair . . .
We were blessed with tickets to Valleyfair this year. This is the first time we've ever brought our kids to something like this! They had such a great time, even the 3 year olds.
With the new Planet Snoopy there was literally rides for every age. It was no small feat to coordinate who went on which ride with whom, but in the end I think everyone got their fair share of thrills! Samuel loved the big rides like Wild Thing and The Power Tower. I stuck to the kiddie rides :).
Good to know: Valleyfair has a couple of great programs for families with small kids. One is called Parent Swap. A simple slip of paper from Guest Services allows one parent and one other rider to 'swap' places with people in your party who have just enjoyed a ride. You just wait at the exit with the kids that are too small to ride and when the ride is over you and your spouse switch places on the ride and you get your turn without waiting in all the lines! The second program is a wristband program. Your kids can get a wristband with your cell number on it and if they get separated they can go to any Valleyfair employee and you'll be contacted right away!
If you go, find a company that sells discount tickets. No need to pay $42 per person. Almost every good sized company can get discount tickets! Pack your own lunch - it'll save you a good amount of money!
With the new Planet Snoopy there was literally rides for every age. It was no small feat to coordinate who went on which ride with whom, but in the end I think everyone got their fair share of thrills! Samuel loved the big rides like Wild Thing and The Power Tower. I stuck to the kiddie rides :).
Good to know: Valleyfair has a couple of great programs for families with small kids. One is called Parent Swap. A simple slip of paper from Guest Services allows one parent and one other rider to 'swap' places with people in your party who have just enjoyed a ride. You just wait at the exit with the kids that are too small to ride and when the ride is over you and your spouse switch places on the ride and you get your turn without waiting in all the lines! The second program is a wristband program. Your kids can get a wristband with your cell number on it and if they get separated they can go to any Valleyfair employee and you'll be contacted right away!
If you go, find a company that sells discount tickets. No need to pay $42 per person. Almost every good sized company can get discount tickets! Pack your own lunch - it'll save you a good amount of money!
Carpenter Nature Center
Last week we visited the apple orchard in Hastings, MN. I always thought Hastings was such a long way off, but it was a quick and beautiful 40 minute drive. The apple orchard sits on the St Croix River, overlooking beautiful hills vibrant with color this time of year.
The Nature Center offered animals of all kinds, common to Minnesota, along with classes about apples and plants. The kids had a great time tasting different apples and picking their own. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly.
We had a great time!
On October 8th and 9th they are hosting Apple Fest, with free hayrides, face painting, apple picking and a host of other activities! Looks like it will be a great weekend for it too!
The Nature Center offered animals of all kinds, common to Minnesota, along with classes about apples and plants. The kids had a great time tasting different apples and picking their own. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly.
We had a great time!
On October 8th and 9th they are hosting Apple Fest, with free hayrides, face painting, apple picking and a host of other activities! Looks like it will be a great weekend for it too!
Happy Birthday . . .
Olivia is now a big 7 year old! She had a Hello Kitty themed party! It was so much fun decorating her cake this year and was actually easy compared to some I've tried. She had a Hello Kitty scavenger hunt around the yard (thank you, God, for warm weather in October), Pin the Purse on Hello Kitty, and a Hello Kitty tea party. There were girls galore and Olivia got what she really really wanted - enough gift cards to the American Girl store. Pictures to follow of her and her beloved look-alike American Girl whom she aptly named Olivia.
Happy Birthday . . .
We know how to stack birthdays in this family! The twins obviously share and our two singles are eight days apart in October. Can't beat that for planning!
Elliot is now 5! We cannot believe how fast this has gone. He, of course, thinks he's 7 like Olivia, and acts like he's 10 like his big brothers.
We had a Cars 2 themed party! These cakelettes were anything but easy. I think it took my about 4 hours to decorate them! But the end result - 6 boys oohing and aahing over them was worth it. Elliot said it was one of his favorite parts of his birthday. Elliot had a Lightning McQueen scavenger hunt, again outside, thanks to beautiful weather, pin the car on the track, and a Hot Wheels Race Track race. I think he had a great time for his very first kid party! It was so fun to watch him with kids his age instead of always playing with the big boys! He actually got to be the leader for a change!
Elliot is now 5! We cannot believe how fast this has gone. He, of course, thinks he's 7 like Olivia, and acts like he's 10 like his big brothers.
We had a Cars 2 themed party! These cakelettes were anything but easy. I think it took my about 4 hours to decorate them! But the end result - 6 boys oohing and aahing over them was worth it. Elliot said it was one of his favorite parts of his birthday. Elliot had a Lightning McQueen scavenger hunt, again outside, thanks to beautiful weather, pin the car on the track, and a Hot Wheels Race Track race. I think he had a great time for his very first kid party! It was so fun to watch him with kids his age instead of always playing with the big boys! He actually got to be the leader for a change!
The Grove Aquatic Center. . .
We recently visited a water park in Inver Grove Heights. It's located in their Community Center and has everything you need for a family with varying ages. There's a zero entry water play area with jungle gym and small slide. Lots of sprayers and splashers. There are two good size water slides for kids that can swim, which my big boys loved! There is a hot tub just for adults and even an olympic sized swimming pool with a high dive board. We had a great time there and it was warm air and water which is always pleasant. And the price was great too. $19.50 for a family of four, so we just had to pay that twice.