An unexpected visit.

Got a call from my niece Jess this morning that her and my grandnephew were looking for something to do. Jess and Clayton spent a few hours with us this afternoon. Look at how beautiful they are!!


Jess looks WONDERFUL and you would never guess that she gave birth less than 8 months ago. Clayton is sweet and very good natured. So handsome too.

Thanks Jess and Clayton for being the bright spot in our day.

One more thing. Happy Big 3 - OH to Stuart !! Hope your day is happy. Hugs. Laura

The legend of Ubu.

Alex attended preschool at Handke last year. In front of the building is a statue of a yellow lab. A couple of employees at Handke dress him up every day. Here's Ubu dressed up as a MN Twin complete with Joe Mauer sideburns. We have a lot of fun checking out Ubu to see how he is dressed for the day. Here is a picture of Ubu and Alex.

Our local paper did an article on Ubu. To read more, click here .

We FINALLY got some much needed rain this morning. I didn't realize how much I missed the sound of a good thunderstorm in the morning. Usually the kids sleep in on a day like this. No such luck today. Alex was up at 6:30 am. Makes for a LONG day if we can't get outside. Wish me luck. Hugs. Laura

The yummy smells of summer

Yes, it really is summer. Doesn't feel like it when it's only 60 degrees in the middle of July. I really LOVE all the good smells that come with this season. The smell of fresh cut grass and sunscreen on Carly and Alex are a few of my favorites. I also love the smells of the flowers and trees. In the picture below, the white flowers are alyssum. If you have never smelled this dainty little flower you should definitely do that. They are delicious. I can smell them when I am sitting in the rocker on the porch.

I also love the smell of the flowers that appear on the Linden tree. We have one growing in the front yard. It's a slow grower, we've had it for at least 14 years. The blooms are so fragrant that you can smell them all over the front yard. The bees ADORE this tree. There are so many hanging around it that when I water the plants at the base, I can hear a constant buzz from them. It's cool but just a little bit creepy.

Gotta go and get the kids ready for bed. Have a good night. Hugs. Laura

Another fantastic weekend (BEWARE..Contains bragging)

Our friend Evan and his family invited us to go to a Saints game for Evan's birthday. Evan's brother Nolan and Carly share a sped class together. We had an absolutely amazing time!! To be honest, I was hesitant to bring Alex to a ball game let alone Carly. I just couldn't imagine them sitting for 3 to 4 hours watching a ball game! Well, they did. We had GREAT weather, Carly and Alex behaved beautifully and we were with EXCELLENT company.

Before the game we tailgated. Right next to the tailgating area there are railroad tracks. So we had the extra bonus of having the trains go right by us. A huge hit with the boys for sure! Below is a picture of Alex and Evan watching the trains go by.


Below is a picture of Carly having a GREAT time. That is Nolan next to her. I think this is the only time that he wasn't trying to sneak a kiss from Carly. Nolan is quite the Romeo.


This was our first visit to a Saints game. We had been wanting to go for quite some time. As far as I am concerned, this is what baseball is all about. Tailgating, an outdoor stadium and pretty much every seat is a good seat. There is something going on in between every inning. For example, in between one inning, Petey P. Cup, Pokey syringe and a big tooth (I don't know what the tooth's name is.) played Twister. If you are wondering who these "people" are, see HealthPartners web site. It was pretty funny. Maybe you had to be there. The Saint's mascot is Muddona. She is pictured below. Isn't she cute!!??
Thanks Kathy and Scott and all for a really GREAT day. You guys rock.

Children of the Corn

If it's true that corn should be knee high by the Fourth of July in order to have a good crop, this year's crops should be fantastic. Some of the corn in some places has already tassled. Can't wait till the Minnesota corn is ready. Yummmmm!! Have a good weekend. Hugs. Laura

Fourth of July

We had another fabulous weekend at Springvale. We went up on Thursday night. Friday night there was a street dance at the campground. Carly LOVED it. Alex......not so much. He told me several times throughout the day that he was going to dance but he never did. We didn't get to stay long but it was a lot of fun!! The picture below is the only one I was able to take at the street dance.

Springvale had their annual Fourth of July parade. The Boys of Springvale always lead the parade.

This year we decided to bling up the golf cart and be in the parade. The kids had a great time but the Dads decided that next year the Moms could be in it and they would watch.

The picture below is of Kels and Kat (the two in the middle).

We really had a GREAT time. Can't wait for next year. Maybe we will be able to stay for the whole dance AND win the parade "competition". :) Hugs. Laura

Planting shrubs

My next door neighbor asked me to water her plants for her while she was on vacation. As a thank you, she gave me a beautiful Weigela shrub, a couple of Coneflowers and another flower out of her garden (Not sure what that one is called). So I planted the flowers but decided that that one little shrub needed some friends. Yes, I know, it's a sickness. It's a little bit like buying a throw pillow for the couch and then deciding you need to re-paint, re-upholster, etc. I'm sure there's an intervention for this somewhere. So I ended up with 8 shrubs (yes, 8) and still would like 2 more (Couldn't find 2 of all that I wanted.). Well, anyway, we planted them yesterday while Sissy was at school.


Not sure what kind of shrub this one is (below). Pretty sure it's a dwarf variety though. :)


Alex's favorite part was the pile of black dirt in the back of the pick up truck. He probably would have slept there last night if we had let him.


This cool weather today and yesterday is kind of a bummer but it sure is GREAT for doing outside chores!! Talk to you soon. Hugs. Laura