Husky Hustle

Laura's school changed fundraising strategies this year, and I think it worked marvelously. Instead of selling wrapping paper or magazines door to door, they had a 5K run this morning and asked for pledges. Laura ran the kids' 100 yard dash and had such a great time that she decided last minute to join me on the 5K. And she did it! We ran/walked it in only a little more time than I usually run it. And it was much more fun to be with her than by myself. What a great example for the kids, great school spirit  builder, and a chance to spend some time with each other and her school friends.

By the way, did you fundraise for elementary school? Are tax cuts worth it? d

Tough decisions

Not looking for a debate or advice, this is just a thought I had a few days ago...

I am taking a class at the church about the role and responsibilities of the government. It has been interesting, but has opened my eyes about why I buried my head in the sand for so long. Everything is so complicated. The Church takes a very balanced approach, which means it doesn't fully agree with any political party on all issues. I leave the class feeling very heavy spirited and confused. It makes me want to quit and just go back to hanging with the kids, chatting with friends, baking bread, etc. But I feel its important. I know I'll leave the class with more questions than answers, but I've always preached that you can't complain about the government if you haven't made some serious effort to learn about it and participate in at least the smallest way by voting.  I've always voted on gut decisions and now I'm making some effort to get different view points and understand as much as I can, even though its no fun at all. Am I growing up?

First Days of School 2012

School! School! School!

I'm so glad there is school!

Laura is having an absolute blast. Its been almost 3 weeks and I think she loves every aspect of it. The bus ride, recess, her teacher, lunch with her friends, music, art, gym, library books, on and on and on. This is her first year of full day and many of those things are brand new to her. She's such a brave girl, ready for anything and everything. She is comfortable socially, is a sponge in academics, and is a fanatic rule follower. It makes me smile to think of her jumping on the bus everyday and jumping off the bus, beaming, with her mouth running rampant telling me all about her day.

More good news: Adam's preschool has gone so well! We spent one day together at the school getting to know the teachers and the room. He was nervous, but loved all the new toys and activities. My concerns about the teacher were completely wrong; she is personable, approachable and huggable. He has gone one day by himself this week with a few tears when I left, but lots of smiles when I picked him up. He is excited about going back tomorrow, which I think is the truest test of all. I hope this year brings him more comfort socially, both with the kids and the teachers. I know he'll love the projects, books, and songs and proudly bring me some piece of art every single school day.

Weekend fun!

We accidentally had such a fun weekend!! While laying on the couch Saturday morning discussing breakfast options, I (very uncharacteristically) said "Let's go to McDonalds!" Jim surprised us by taking us to the Inver Grover Heights McDonalds, which as a better play land (yes, I know its not 'Grover', but its more fun to say). After Adam completely shocked me by having a great time up in the tunnels, we went across the street to a little pond and tried to catch some fish. At some point in the morning, we realized this was IGH Days, and that we were standing on the corner where the parade started at 11:00. Despite not even a bite on our lures, we managed to keep happy fishing long enough for the parade to start. People really have a lot more energy at the beginnings of parades than the end! This year was different than in the past because both kids were brave enough to run out there and grab their own candy, fending for themselves among the other little ones. 

I'm not sure if I should be proud of their confidence, or worried about their greed?

About halfway through the parade, I looked across the street and saw our good friends, Amanda, Matt, Mimi, Rowan and Isla. Laura and Mimi met in school last year, and Amanda and I really connected. So Laura and I spent the rest of the parade over there with them catching up on all the 1st week of school stuff. (Oh my goodness, I haven't posted about that yet!)

So none of the morning was planned, but it turned out full of so much fun, and sugar!

After the parade, we packed up and went on a hastily planned, last minute camping trip at Lake Byllesby near Cannon Falls, MN. 

This turned out wonderfully too. The campground is very weird and not exactly rustic. Its like a huge city park, and there are just random posts with numbers on it. You pitch your tent near your assigned number on a large grassy lawn. Strange, but the kids had a blast being able to go to the playground nearby and all the campers were nice, friendly, and non-party-ers.

The boys slept in the tent on the left and the girls on the right. Soon after this picture, we put the rainflys on them because the wind was gusting at 35mph and it got down to 49 that night. Brrrr! But much better than camping in the heat!

Good morning sleepy head!

One last hoorah - in reverse order

Just got back from a super complicated vacation. I'm going to make it more so by showing you pictures in reverse. Ha!

But here's a quick rundown before we get to the pictures:

Kids and I drove to a campground in Missouri, just north of Kansas City. We camped, swam in the lake, and took a walk in the dusk. 

Next day, I briefly slowed down at Jim's parents' house in SE Kansas to boot the kids out of the car and zoomed off quickly the other way. They stayed there 2 or 3 days and did stuff like fish, hunt for frogs, drive the lawn mower, ride Aunt Rosemary's horse. I spent that time at my parents house reading 3 novels cover to cover. It was glorious.

The grandparents handled a transfer and the kids spent 2 or 3 days with my folks. They did stuff like art, play games, playgrounds, and visit my Grandma. I spent that time in Wichita at a super cheap motel reading more books and shopping. It was glorious. 

Then I picked up the kids and we drove to pick up Jim at the Fayetteville airport (yes, Arkansas), which is not in Fayetteville at all. We went on to Branson (yes, Missouri) to spend a week swimming, riding the Ducks, swimming, playing miniature golf, swimming, fishing, watching all the TV channels that we don't have at home, and swimming. Both sets of grandparents joined us because they just couldn't get enough of us (and we begged them :) )

After that week, we drove to Jim's brothers' house (yes, Iowa) and spent a night in the Easter Egg dome home and did stuff like drive the lawn mower, 4 wheeler, and skid loader, and go up and down in the dumb waiter.

Then, finally, HOME!

And here are the pictures, in reverse order because that's how my computer did it and its a pain to switch them around...

"Can I push that button?"

A swan at the College of the Ozarks

Fish Hatchery

Our favorite spot by Table Rock Lake

Throwing rocks

Looking for fossils

Dam

(ha!)

Kowabunga!

Trout

Adam drove the Duck!

Laura drove the Duck!

Also took a short run while in Wichita. Dad teased me about going to see the Sailboat Museum. Turns out that I ran right past it!

There's a tiny Pioneer Woman statue along the Arkansas river, just like the one in Ponca. (This area, by the way, didn't feel very safe, so I only jogged a short way and went back to my car. Its a shame; it is clear that a lot of money was spent to make it pretty.)

River was dry

Lazy man's marshmallows

Love our new tent!

Dakota County Fair in Pictures

Art House

Laura's been busy this summer too. She went to a Farm Camp at Dodge Nature Center and got to do farmy things like gather eggs, feed pigs, and let the sheep out in the pasture. She also went to a sculpture class at the Eagan Art House with her friend from the school bus, Mason. They made sculptures out of paper mache, melted plastic, clay, and paper. 

Mason in the black on the left, Laura in the white on the right.

Zoo

Please pretend I fixed all red eyes

These last 2 pics are of animals that we rarely see awake. The first is a red kangaroo and the second is a binturong.