Halloween

With a little help from Dad, Lulu & Leo carve pumpkins.

Pumpkin Party at the elementary school. The kids at the school are not allowed to dress up during the day but the school has a party at night, with dozens of games where the kids win candy and prizes for playing… everyone wins!

If one is up for being out in the cold, there is a hayride too.

 

A Summer Outing

Minnesota Fountain

A trip to downtown for ice cream, and after the circus!

Who doesn’t love a pony ride.

Cousins enjoying an flavored ice during intermission.

Changes

Pottery Studio Turned Play Room

The kids were so excited and super helpful in creating this space for themselves today.  They wanted to put in all their toys but I limited it to a reasonable number of toys.

When the rain stops I can finally move the rest of my pottery studio from the hallway into my newest space...  my new pottery studio is by far the ugliest studio I have worked in, but it's a studio nonetheless and I am grateful to have the space.

Here are pictures of the start of the pottery studio to my new space:

My First Pottery Studio on Main Street in Park Rapids

My SECOND Pottery Studio on Main Street (off 3rd) in Park Rapids

My BASEMENT Pottery Studio where I kept my pottery wheels...

but eventually I moved the bisque here too, before I sold the paint-your-own pieces.

My Pottery Studio in Menahga

As 'RUSTIC' as the old milking house is, it is now the home of my studio... and it holds all the things I need including my kiln, which is actually the first time I've had my kiln in the same room as my studio space.  What a blessing all around, I still have a pottery studio and now I also have a play room!  

Happy Birthday...

Lulu Turns 5 Years Old

'Buld-a-Stuffy' at Jilly Beans at the West Acres Mall in Fargo

Special Birthday Dinner in Detroit Lakes

We had to go to Fargo for a Doctors appointment, so unfortunately 4 hours in a car for your birthday wasn't so great, but she and her cousin did enjoy the Fargo mall! 

Redoing the Flower Garden

I Want Flowers!

I pulled all the rock out a five years ago, and mulched but the Chickens kicked out all of it in about 2 years.  

So after 2 kids, a few years lots of thought and some planning The Green Thumb  and I pulled out 3 bushes, a dozen Iris' (which I will replant elsewhere) I weeded, layed railroad ties as a border along with landscape fabric.  

Now I need some flowering plants, shrubs, a climbing plant for my topiary and flowers for my window box.

I also need to finish pulling out the left over rock on this end of the flower garden, fix the siding and figure out a new way to drain the water from that area.

I also was given the FABULOUS hanging planters, which hang from the porch.  These kicked off my summer project list!  Thank God because I needed the motivation.

Butterflies

Catching Butterflies

Leo obviously gets his patience from Daddy. He's been outside 1/2 the morning and he finally caught a butterfly! Then he said Lorelei can have it for her birthday.

*We did let the butterfly go, after they said their goodbyes.

There was a little time to play Pirates too!

Super Hero's, Bad Guy or a Princess

Made by Nana

These two kiddos we're running around flying through Nana's house.  I also learned that the 'Fun Size' candy bars actually "Make me fly faster!"

Launching the Pontoon

All Aboard!

We launched the Pontoon for the family.  Then we went fishing.

Leo caught the most fish.

Lulu caught the biggest fish.

Watering Memorial Flowers

Watering the Flowers

We've been stopping by the memorial to water the flowers because it's been so hot and dry this week.  

The kids have so many questions and comments about Grandpa: 

"Are we standing on him" 

"Where did he die?" 

"Was he sick?"

"Maybe he was just passed out"

"How did they know that he didn't just pass out?"

So I did my best to answer all their questions, and then Leo throws out his real concern about dying... "Mom, who is going to feed me in Heaven?"

We added a flag to the flower bed, and then the next time we came back we bought Grandpa a pinwheel, oh and the kids got one too!  We watered the flowers and then the kids watered any real flowers/pots in the surrounding memorial markers.  They are really sweet kids.  

Later that week, we stopped in again, and the kids wondered why to which I said that Dad  hadn't been there in awhile.  So Leo says, "Dad, he's dead."

Oh my gosh, I don't think I laughed so hard... as if he may not have known.  You gotta love kids!

Stop and Smell the...

Alyssum

I had a late start day today so Nana, Leo, Lulu and me went to Greener Tomorrows looking at all the blooms.  Which of course made me want to start trying to start growing flowers again.  The kids loved the smell of the Alyssum best, but they did smell any flower they could reach... even the ones that "don't smell."

Graduation Day

Lulu's Graduation Day

I can't believe an entire school year is over for my little girl.  Today she graduated from Preschool.  We gathered to watch them sing songs, and walk the stage for their certificates.  It was so cute.

Later we went out for DQ to celebrate, but that is not where she wanted to go so she was just a bit disappointed... but she enjoyed her ice cream just the same.

Easter 2014

Easter Service at St. Raphael's

We went to see Grandma and family in the Twin Cities for Easter.  We went to the beautiful St. Raphael Catholic church for Easter service. 

St. Raphael's Catholic Church

Shortly after services started, seconds I am sure, Leo started  'log rolling' down this aisle as many parishioners were onlooking some with smiles and the others... well you know the disapproving looks a Mother who can't control her child gets.

Leo

So I took him outside to burn off some energy.  Where he proceeded to roll around in the grass, and throw landscape rocks (against my directions), and look into the flood lights around the 10 Commandments thinking it was a telescope.  

Thank goodness Lulu was an angel! 

Coloring Easter Eggs at Grandma's

Staying in a hotel for holidays is less than ideal especial when young children are expecting Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny and some traditional type activities that cannot happen easily in a small room.  So I planned an GLOW-IN-THE-DARK Egg hunt the evening before Easter.  As you could guess it was a big hit and nearly impossible to get the kids to bed after that!

Glow-in-the-Dark Egg Hunt

Leo & Lulu