Buffalo Bill Days! {Aug. 2}

We had a fabulous weekend in Lanesboro for Buffalo Bill Days. Thanks so much for having us all over, Mom and Dad! You are great hosts!

Mandy started the weekend off right:
There was lots of bean bag tossing. Jeff and Dad even joined a tournament downtown.
Mandy and her sweet baby Anna:
Amelia at the park on Saturday:
Amelia and Nick at the park:
Mira and Abby enjoyed the petting zoo:
The men, just lounging around:
We had a birthday party for Abby. Happy 6th birthday, Abby!
We brought our bounce house for the kids. It tired them out and kept them busy for a long while!
Aunt Bonnie came to visit. It was great to see you, Bonnie!
We made s'mores on Saturday night. Then at 10:00, we pulled all our lawn chairs across the road and had a wonderful view of the fireworks! It was a great evening.
And the parade was on Sunday. We had great seats on the first block of the route. Why is Dad in the parade? He's one of the Grand Marshall's (retired firemen)! (And we got extra candy, of course!)
Family photo at the parade:
Jeff, Sara, Abby, and Nick at the parade:
Justin, Mandy, and Anna:
My sweet baby watching the parade. Her first time with braids!
Mom and Amelia:
Mira showing her candy stash (and this was only halfway through!)
We had a wonderful weekend. We hope next year, Kelly, Duey, Chesney, and Logan can join us. It's been way too long since we've all been together!

Another quiet weekend

We had another quiet, but lovely weekend. No plans. Just hanging out with Mira and Amelia. We went to this great park yesterday, just a short drive from our house. The girls loved it. I think we'll head to that one more often. Then Mira and I made cookies while Amelia napped. Here is a photo of Mira in her new apron. She's getting great at making chocolate chip cookies!
We visited my friend Ivy and her two kids that afternoon. Thanks for having us over, Ivy!

Today, we took the girls to the nearby man-made lake for a couple hours. Mira loves it there and makes a new friend every time we go. Amelia still prefers to just hang around under the umbrella and eat her snacks. We ran into our neighbors there, so Mira had a friend to play with too.
Here is Amelia, in her cheerleading outfit and Easter bonnet!

Really relaxing weekend. Really.

I can honestly say that we did absolutely nothing noteworthy this weekend. Chris didn't even leave the house or yard once. We just hung around the house, got some chores done, played outside. Nothing exciting. And it was wonderful!

Here are just a few photos from the weekend. Mira and Amelia colored with sidewalk chalk, and then enjoyed our bounce house. We did meet the new neighbors across the street. They seem very nice and popped over today when the girls were jumping in the bounce house. They have three kids (2 girls, ages 6 and 4, and a boy, age 2). Mira is thrilled to have two more girls her age in the neighborhood!

Dancin' before the storm

I took the opportunity to try a couple new things with my camera tonight. Mira and Amelia were running around outside before the storm came. Without my flash on, the shutter stayed open longer to let in more light, creating a blurry effect. They look like little fairies, dancing before the storm.
For this one, I pulled back on the color a little, but let their clothes be at full brightness.

Friends.

I took these photos of Mira and her friend Kelly today. Kelly and her family are moving to Colorado soon, so she and Mira are playing together quite a lot lately. I think these photos are so sweet!

Going away party

We have some wonderful neighbors (Tom, Shannon and Kelly Taylor) who are soon heading to Colorado. Kelly is Mira's good friend and she will miss her terribly. Last night, many of the neighbors gathered to say goodbye at a nearby park. It was a wonderful party! About 50 people showed up. We even played their wedding song and made them dance to it!

Jamie, Erica, Annie, and Kami:
Me and Shari:
Many of the kids!
Tom and Shannon. We'll miss you!
Amelia and Jane:
Chris, Tom, and Mark:
Kary and Kaitlyn:
Addy:
Tom and Kelly (she wasn't feeling very good):
Shannon and Kelly:

Betrothed.

Mira and our neighbor Sam were playing in our pool this afternoon. Sam is six, so he's an "older" man by my standards. I overheard this little exchange:

Mira: "Let's pretend we're in love. You can be my boyfriend, and I'll be your girlfriend."
Sam: "I have another girlfriend. You can be my ex-girlfriend."
Mira hugs Sam and doesn't let go.
Sam: "Okay! Okay! You can be my girlfriend!"

I guess a little coersion never hurts.

Maple Grove Days!

As we do every year, Chris and I took Mira and Amelia to the fun that is Maple Grove Days. They have a nice set up in the parking lot of the community center. Lots of fun things for kids to do. We always get there right when it opens, before it gets hot and the crowds come. For the last three years, we've been blessed with just beautiful weather! 72 degrees with a lovely breeze. It was a great time!

They had a great petting zoo, complete with kangaroos, llamas, potbellied pigs, and a wallaby. Very interesting animals, mixed in with the goats, cow, and roosters!
Amelia tried out the toddler bounce house. She loved it! We had a hard time getting her to come out when the time was over.
Mira and Amelia loved riding on the train!
Mira got her nails painted!
The girls had fun in the back of a Maple Grove Squad car. Hopefully, this is the first and last time they tour one!
Mira got to ride a horse!
Mira climbing to the top of a slide:
This afternoon we head to a nearby park to say goodbye to some dear neighbors who are moving to Colorado. Will be fun to see everyone! Happy weekend!

Happy 4th of July!

We had a lovely 4th of July at Chris's dad's house yesterday. Thanks for having us, Randy and Terrie! Mira took advantage of all watercraft: jet ski, pontoon, paddle boat. She had a blast! Amelia even ventured into the water a little!

Amelia at the lake:
Mira loving the water:
Mira on the waterslide!
Amelia and Grandpa Randy:

The entire gang:
Me and Chris:
Amelia and Mira on the jet ski:
Uncle Matt took Mira out on the jet ski. She loved it!
Amelia enjoyed playing in the sand:
We hope you all had a wonderful and safe 4th of July!

Finally, a face-to-face call!

Tonight, my sister (who lives in Sydney with her family) and I finally figured out how to get video phone calls! We use our gmail accounts to video call each other. Worked great tonight and we can finally see each other (as well as our kids can see their cousins) while we chat. We look forward to seeing more of you!
And my baby Amelia with her stylin' hat! Oh, she is such a mini-me!