Camping...again

The kids and I took a quick trip back to Aspen for a one night backpacking trip last week.

The St. Croix river is still high, but lower than our Mother's Day trip

Ava got to come this time! 

We actually needed my rain tarp this time!!

Site #3 this time - our new fav. It's right on a steep ravine with trees perfectly placed for a hammock hanging over the drop. 

Yelling at the rain to stop until she goes back in the tent.

Laura drools when she sleeps :)

Sillies

Kids went exploring down the ravine.

Ava worried about her little people getting eaten by the wild turkeys. 

We also saw deer. At night, I heard a raccoon (in the vestibule of the tent possibly), owls, and coyotes.

Cozy ones

Creek exploring 

Good fire, Adam!

Pillow fights and wrestling during a rain break

Brrrr...creek is cold

Hi goofball

Waking up is so hard

That blue dot is us

"Come back little people!"

The pictures make her look so happy, but she actually spent most of time unsettled. Either wanting to explore too far, whining on the leash, or whining asking to go home. She might not be coming next time. :(

A Minnesota river beach

More bday pics

More birthday pictures...

We went to this super cool driving range called Top Golf to celebrate Jim's birthday. It's set up like a bowling alley so you have your own area with a table, clubs, touch screen computer, and waiter for food and drinks.  You wave your club over a light and poof! you have a ball with a chip in it. After you hit it, it automatically adds your score if you made it into on of the targets. Super fun and yummy.

Summer has begun!

The kids filled a little pool on our deck today. The inflating, filling, playing, warming up, and waiting for the sun to warm the water keep them busy outside together for several hours. Not sure if they ever actually swam? Love it when these two have fun together! 

Jim's bday

Laura's been working in something for Jim's birthday for a few weeks and wanted to do it today because she couldn't wait any longer. 

She sent him to 3 different 'lands' based on things she knows he likes. Each land has a brochure intorducing the land that he received before he traveled there. 

First he went to China where he learned some things about the country, got a traditional Chinese shirt and some postcards, was attacked by a crocodile and had to whack it to stay alive and won a gift certificate.

Next, he went to space, got a space helmet, got a tour from a space pig with heart eyes (inside joke), got attacked by a crocodile and had to whack it to stay alive, and got a portrait of the space pig in a hedgehog costume. 

Lastly, he traveled to a Louisiana bayou to hear a concert, meat the visiting Crocodile Hunter and beat the boss crocodile. He survived and got to keep Steve Irwin.

It was lots of fun and perfect for Jim! Here's a picture of all the stuff he won. 

L

My birthday rememberings

I never posted about my birthday! Oops! 

Back in March, I will still making my way thru Legends of Zelda on the Switch. Adam knew I was super into it, so he made a super cool live land of Zelda for me to conquer all over the house (with some help from Jim and Laura). I had to find armor, food, weapons and beat foes (Ava). It was so fun and creative and thoughtful.

I had cheese cake, and made a quinzhee too. 41 is great so far!

Dreaming

I woke up laughing today. I was dreaming I was an actress in a movie.  I was going to the bathroom in some library that was closed and wasn't supposed to be there. And this guy was with me as my partner or friend or something. He looked big and intimidating,  but was actually very meek. and I came out of the bathroom and the security guard, who was played by Michael chiklis, came around the corner. And my friend and I were trying to act normal since we weren't supposed to be there.  So my friend had chosen to sit up on the counter while I was drying or washing my hands. When Michael chiklis walked by, my friend slid down from his seat headfirst somehow? it was like he was water sort of sliding down to the ground head first. I was so surprised, apparently that wasn't in the script. so all three of us burst out laughing. which was really funny but I still didn't wake up. So then we cut the scene and were going to set up again. And I caught a look at myself in the mirror of the set bathroom, and I was wearing four different types of plaid. I had a flannel shirt on, some sort of plaid checked pants, a gigantic plaid fanny pack that I was wearing in the front, and this tiny plaid apron that was smaller than the fanny pack?!?!  I laughed so hard at my own image in the mirror in my dream that I woke myself up. I'm still laughing 😂

Around the World in 80 Measures

My favorite song from Laura's band this year

Today's growing things