Summer Randoms

Happy Boy!

Rice cereal? Yum?

Taking time to smell the flowers near the Lakewalk

Lounging in the hammock with Daddy

With school starting this past week, I have been too busy for a couple of weeks to post anything new....so here are some recent pictures from the tail end of summer. Cole and Grant are back at Miss Nora's house for preschool and rat race resumes. The days of lounging in our jammies until mid-morning are gone....we are back to our early, hit-the-ground-running, crazy mornings of trying to get four people dressed and fed and out the door before 7:30! Goodbye, summer!

Iverson Family Fun Weekend

Looking at the exhibits at Underwater Adventures with Grandma

We HAD to climb up on this thing to look through the telescope!

Cole followed the "one finger rule" for the most part when at the touch pool.

Checking out the dinosaurs at Lego Land

Fun on the boat

u

oGrant liked the boat too!

"Fishing." Is it called fishing when you don't have bait or a hook?

A couple of weeks ago the four of us traveled down to Forest Lake to spend a 4-day weekend with the Iversons. We had a blast! Ryan went golfing with my dad on Friday, so my mom and I took the boys to the Mall of America to experience the Underwater Adventures aquarium and Lego Land. While we were there we also spent some time on the boat on Forest Lake, during which Cole "fished," and had dinner at 'Za!, a great pizza and calzone place on the lake. We had a great time, and actually ended up towing their boat home with us, so we have been enjoying exploring the lakes and The Lake around home. Thanks for the fun time Grandpa and Grandma Iverson!

Pinehurst Park, Cloquet

Max and Cole had fun with their beach toys. Too bad we donated a shovel to Pinehurst Park.

On Tuesday, the boys and I met our friends Amanda and her two kids, Max and Lila, and Jess and her two kids, Ben and Grace, at Pinehurst Park in Cloquet. We had never been there before, but we will definitely go back! It is a manmade lake with a sand beach, kiddie waterslides, concessions, picnic tables, a huge playground, and grassy areas. We had a blast! Between the three of us moms we had six kids between 8 weeks and three years, so we were very busy keeping sunscreen on everyone and keeping track of everyone! We set up a tent in the shade for the three babies (two months, four months, and six months!) and took turns playing in the water with the big kids and rocking babies in the tent. We had fun, but it was a lot of work and hauling gear! We will return....but not TOO often. We need to recover from our first trip!

Apostle Islands -- August 2009

Ryan and Cole joined Grandpa and Grandma Sharrow on their sailboat in the Apostle Islands last weekend. Despite a fairly severe thunderstorm Saturday night, they had a great time and enjoyed primarily cooperative weather. Cole loved throwing rocks into the lake, as usual, and riding in the dinghy the most. It looks like they had a blast!!!

Just some fun pics

Hiking on the trail Ryan made behind our backyard
Here Cole is feeding Bailey some raspberries they found!

Cutie patootie.

Wow! Cole actually smiled and looked at the camera!

Grant seems to like having his picture taken.

All clean!

The boys and I are enjoying our last couple of weeks together before I head back to work. Of course, they don't know that that's the plan. Yet. Cole loves going to Miss Nora's house where his friends are, but we have become quite attached to each other over the summer so I think the transition will be hard on him this fall. He was not thrilled when I dropped him off there a few weeks ago for a day when we had the closing on our house refinance....I don't think it's going to be pretty.

Late July 2009

Making homemade pizza. Cole liked rolling out the dough.

This pesto looks gross but it was delicious!

Happy Boy!!!

Lots of smiles from Baby Grant

At the Children's Museum sitting on a bench made of bones with Ben. Cole, smile! Throw me a bone!

My lillies

More smiles from a very happy baby who is just starting to use his Excersaucer

Throwing rocks into Lake Superior on Sunday night - July 26

Big Boy Undies!!

Bren, Nicole, Erin, and Me at Bren's baby shower. Somehow I didn't get a picture of Laura, Kirsten, Bren, Erin and me on my camera....I will have to get one from one of you! =)

Here are a few pics from the end of July. Cole has been busy using the Big Boy Potty and wearing Big Boy Underwear! So exciting! We had a very busy week last week. Last weekend we had a visit from Grandpa and Grandma Iverson. They stayed with the boys Saturday night so Ryan and I could have a dinner date at Pizza Luce. Tuesday the boys and I went to the Kaleidescope show at the library, which was a comedic juggling act this week. We met up with my friend Jess and her two kids, Ben and Grace, and with Miss Nora, Miss Nicole, and the kids there. We had a blast! Wednesday Jess, Ben, and Grace met us at the Children's Museum where we had fun exploring and learning (Jess and I are both teachers -- poor kids) and having lunch out. Then Wednesday evening we went to Wednesday Night at the Races, which was at Bayfront Festival Park this week. Cole ran his little heart out with about one million other kids ages 4 and under. Thursday we made our weekly trip to the Gymnastics Academy for open gym time for toddlers and then had lunch at our friend Josh and Amanda's house with their two kids, Max and Lila. Whew!! Sunday we had my friend Bren's baby shower at our house and had a blast getting ready to welcome Baby Schomberg who is due August 26. Busy, busy, busy!!