Summer Time!

We picked up the kids in Owatonna on our way home from couples weekend. I'm pretty sure they had more fun than we did last weekend! I can never thank my parents enough! They took the kids to the library, to visit my Gma (2 times, per Bishop's request), to the park (multiple times), fishing, to Cabelas, garage saling, to get donuts, to Mikkel Donalds and they were ALL smiles when we picked them up! Thanks mom and dad, you're the best!!

It was a hot day on Sunday and there were a lot of neighborhood kids out and about--we walked down to buy a couple glasses of lemonade and then joined some neighbors for some slip and slide and sprinkler time!

Getting the hang of the slip and slide

Nora preferred to drink the water!

Running through the sprinkler with Peter and Henry

 Monday was a HOT HOT day and the kids didn't get outside much at school because we were in a heat advisory....so we had our own water day that night. I filled up the baby pool and put the sprinkler on, the kids loved it!

Enjoying some puppy chow before getting wet!

There was a night this week that Luke got home late-he helped a co-worker move, so I took the kids to the park and we played in the pool and at the park after school! Nora did get in, but spent most of the time sitting on my lap--she was happiest swinging and sliding at the park!

Checking out the water!

Loving the water!

She prefers the swings and slides over the pool!

We love these summer days and nights!

Couples Weekend

This past weekend we had couples weekend with 2 other couples! We headed down to Tracy, MN to spend the weekend at a cabin (Matt's aunt and uncles cabin). It was a great weekend to relax with friends!

Summers are busy, so not everyone could make it, but we enjoyed catching up and relaxing with the Sweetman's and the Meysenburg's! Unfortunately the weather wasn't perfect on Saturday-but it could have been a lot worse....it was cloudy and a little cooler than average, but we enjoyed reading, relaxing, playing beanbags and a boat ride out to dinner!

Ellen and I

Matt and Luke

Sarah, Ellen and Tony

Boat ride!

Matt, Tony and Luke

Luke, myself, Matt, Ellen, Tony and Sarah

A button up his nose

Luke was out of town last night so I had plans to take Bishop to get his haircut, stop home and eat dinner and then head down to the Bandshell for a ride on the Trolley.

On the car ride home from the haircut Bishop informed me that he had a heart shaped button stuck up his nose. I looked back to see a freighted boy in the backseat. I told him to leave it alone and not try to get it out, as that could push it up farther and I would check it out when we got home.

I got the headlamp out and a tweezers and I was able to see the button in his nose, but he was kind of squirmish and wasn't really comfortable with me trying to get it out--he mentioned a few times that he wanted to go to the Dr. :( Bishop was very nervous and he felt bad. He asked if he was in trouble.....and then he asked "did you ever put anything up your nose or in your ear when you were younger?" I said "no"....he replied "EVER??". I called Luke----and then I put sunglasses on him (as the light from the headlamp was really bothering him) and I told him if he let me try to get it out and I could get it out I would take him to get a Rootbeer float at the Bandshell. He laid perfectly still and I was able to get it out!! Being it was after hours I was envisioning a night in the Urgent Care (or worse yet, the ER) with both kids. I'm so glad I was able to get it out!  The button was a heart shaped button Nora found at school!?!? Bizarre! It was a little stressful for a bit, but it could have been a lot worse!

Waiting for the trolley

All Aboard!

We walked down to the bandshell, rode the trolley and then got Rootbeer Floats! I later had a thought......that I was rewarding Bishop for putting the button up his nose!! Hopefully they both learned their lesson!

Frogs!!

The obsession with frogs continues! Last week we took a family bike ride around Lake Harriet and stopped at the Bird Sanctuary to hike around in there. The kids call it the Bird House and ask just about daily if we can go to the Bird House (we told them the Bird Sanctuary was like a bird house--where lots of birds live). Due to all the rain this year a lot of it was flooded and/or really muddy and impassable. So, we walked through the Peace Gardens as well. We had never been to either (they are just beyond the Rose Garden) and it's an absolutely beautiful area!  We found a pond and a TON of frogs. We weren't equipped to catch any frogs, so we had to go back the next night to catch them!

Biking around Lake Harriet

Nora loves to catch frogs!

Getting dirty in the mud!

No, those are not socks! :)

Nora wanted to go in too! :)

Celebrating and Honoring Dave Griffin

Saturday afternoon we headed up to Cold Spring to honor and celebrate the life of Dave Griffin. Dave was a very good family friend to the Froehle's--he is Ben's dad. He lived across the road from Rich and Eileen and Rich played football with Dave, worked with him at the Children's Home, shared adventures together with their sons and helped each other build their houses and work on the many projects they did together.

He was a very smart and talented man and he sold many foods he raised to high end restaurants in Minnesota. Bishop particularly enjoyed visiting Dave and watching his ducks run around! He passed away in January and we miss him dearly.

The family held an open house at Dave's place and it was very nice. It was raining when we got there, so everyone was crammed inside the garage, but the rain cleared away, the sun came out and it ended up being a very nice celebration.  The kids had a blast looking for frogs and salamanders with the other kids!

Bishop and a tiny frog

Luke sharing a memory of Dave

The Salamander swimming in the baby pool

Nora all smiles, swinging!

Rich and Dave!

Rich and Eileen!

 Nora wore a dress and since she's not used to wearing dresses all that often she enjoyed the freedom of being able to take it off! She ran around like a free-spirited girl......and everyone just smiled! She was not going to let anyone help her put it back on, she was happiest when her dress was a skirt! :)

Luke and Ben!

As I mentioned Bishop had such a great time catching frogs. He found a couple glasses he would fill with water and transfer the frog back and forth from the 2 cups. At one point I caught him drinking the frog water!! He was quite embarrassed that I called him out in front of everyone! ;)

Sunday morning the frog hunt continued at Grandma and Grandpa's (or as Nora calls them, Grandma and the other Grandma)! We found lots of small frogs, a tree frog and even a bigger frog! Grandma even found a frog in the mailbox! It was fun letting the kids roam outside and play-they had a blast!

Nora loved holding the frogs too!

She gets SO excited to see Uncle Jake!

Helping the other Grandma feed the birds

Grandpa and his Grandkids!

Grandma and her girl!

The frog from the mailbox

Riding the Horsey!

Working out on the Elliptical 

Hugs for Grandma!

It was a nice get together for Dave and a very fun weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's!

Last Week

I missed my niece and nephew a lot and so the kids and I went to visit them last Tuesday when Luke was out of town for the night. The kids had fun playing with their sweet neighbor girl, who organized races for the kids! It's always a fun time with the Bormann's and I love watching the kids grow up together!

Silly faces!

Sweet nephew Jack!

We were getting ready to leave and the kids were playing on their porch, in the play house. I swatted at a bug (thinking it was a dragonfly), but it turned out to be a wasp and it bit Bishop in the head! I felt so bad--he was in so much pain! Thankfully Shelly and Ryan were there to help (give him an icepack, Benadryl and tylenol). I have never seen him in so much pain! When he finally settled down I was able to look at it and check for the stinger. The wasp got him under his hair-OUCH!

Kind of tough to see-but this is his wasp bite

Before we left he was smiling and playing Ring Around the Rosy with Nora and Madelyn! :) Whew!

Wednesday at school was paint your face like an animal day, so Bishop had a bat painted on his face! His teacher did all the kids in their class and they all looked awesome!

We took the side of the crib off of Nora's crib Wednesday night and she's done great with the transition!! She has still woken up and asked to come into our bed (crying daddy, daddy, daddy), but she's also made it all night in her toddler bed, so that's great!

This was taken on our way to school on Thursday morning-he wanted to see if the bat mask was still on! :)

Friday night the Retzer's came over for dinner. It's always fun hanging out with them and Nora especially enjoyed hanging out with baby Andrew!

Meanwhile, Bishop and Jack had a great time playing in the baby pool and hanging out together!

Bishop and Jack in the pool! 

Nora entertaining Andrew!

It was a great week acclimating back into a regular routine after vacation!