MN Zoo Day!

This time with Grandma B!

We get discount tickets from work and have lunch on the grounds, the highlight of which is the face painters! What an amazing job :)

Silverwood!

We got Roman and Dad to come along on another adventure today. It had been awhile since we'd been back to Silverwood. Such a nice park. If I had to pick a wedding location this is where I'd choose. The building and terrace are lovely and the landscaping around it very Minnesota. And it's centrally located. And has art sporadically placed throughout the park.

We brought a picnic lunch and ate on the small peninsula.

Always an opportunity to check out the wildlife.

And guess what?

They rent canoes!

$5 for each 30 minutes - what a great way to try it out.

Even though someone was a little nervous. Maybe that had to do with me spinning around in my seat and making the boat go tippy tippy. By the time we were almost done Roman was also having a good time :)

Maybe a preview of what's to come this summer!

Inaugural T-Ball Season

Oddly enough, both Roman and Zoe wanted to give it a try.

Someone got a pink glove. 

Someone else got to guard third base.

Guard might be a strong word.

There was a party at 2nd base.

Run the bases? What?

Zoe was chattering away. Here she is with "Blink."  He's in Zoe's pre-k class.

That is what she swore was his name until we found out at Halloween that's it's really Blake.

Blink. Blake. Close enough (and when most names are new to you, what's the difference really?)

Roman's turn to chat.

I guess they do that in the big leagues too.

And wait.

And wait.

Finally! Time to bat.

Pink bat.

Worked it's magic - Zoe hit the ball on the first try. So fast we didn't get a photo.

Batter Up!

Roman!

Bam! Same thing - on the first try. And Dad captured it!

Tongue firmly in the thinking position.

Pleased.

A good time :)

Hayward, WI (part 1)

When in Rome, visit the Vatican. When in Hayward, go

here to Scheers Lumberjack Show.

We were staying nearby the night before we could hear hoopin' and hollerin' from across the lake.

A little bit of competition. Red plaid vs Green plaid. Or Hayward against the other town.

A bit of a steep walk up the bleachers, but we were in the shade (hurrah).

What does Roman remember?

Lumberjacks drink Lemonade.

As the host explained,  after a hard day in the forests lumberjacks in these parts would often make their way to the bar, to drink...lemonade (it is a family show, after all). And when they drank a lot of lemonade they would get boastful about their exploits.  Thus lumberjack competitions were born.

Like logrolling.

Kerplunk.

Tee hee.

Cross cut sawing...

...by you guys! At 'halftime'

Official junior lumberjacks

Grandma Candy had the great idea of giving you some colored pencils and notebooks so you could draw what you did and show her when you got home. And you did more than I expected.

From Roman's notebook (spelling help from Mom and Dad.):

"Lumberjack Shows"

Roman might also remember that this is where he first got stung by a bee.

Which was later recorded by both Roman and Zoe in their journals. 

Roman's take:

"Bee Sting"

It was on the knee and happened while Dad was holding him.

The sequence of events: Zoe told me she had squashed or shooshed a bug. I didn't think much of it (although this is odd because she gets hysterical when she sees a bug, any bug). A few seconds later Dad is asking Roman what's wrong because he's shaking. Da bee, that Zoe had just waved off. Normally she sees a fly and she screams (shrieks) at the top of her lungs, but in this instance the bee didn't do it. Which was good because the bleachers were a bit treacherous and we only got up them by carrying you two up.

And Zoe's take:

"Roman cry. It's gust a stinger Roman"

Big tears. Orange hat, orange shirt and a MASSIVE bee.

Not even 5 years old. Thanks adult teachers in my little one's life.

And you left with a souvenir - a chunk of debris from the carnage that was the competition. Signed by the lumberjacks!

Living Room Concerts

This, and the Okee Dokee Brothers recent Grammy win, reminds me we got to get back to some good kids music. Funny how I was all over that when you guys were under the age of one and since then have lost track. There’s some good stuff out there. I loved the Medeski, Martin and Wood one. And some of the other jazz compilations. Gotta get back on that train, folks. And check out some local live family music this summer.

Can you tell me how to get...

 ...to Sesame Street?

Elmo the Musical, live and onstage. (Beats the alternatives). So apparently opening night tickets to these multi-night stagings are discounted, because I was able to get us some tickets at a reasonable price ($10 each) although they were augmented by the evil super ticket vendor’s multiple service fees. No matter, you can’t bring down the magical experience that is live theater. Tee hee hee. What sold me on going really was the photo ops. Imagine that. Before the show there were some sets from the show and some  visits by costumed characters. Zoe wasn’t too interested in the oversize real life characters, so we headed over to the famous steps for a picture. I tried to go back and get one of the two of you together, but alas, no luck.

But your Dad was available. Kind of nice to have him along with the crew.

The mom ‘cheese’ face makes an appearance.

A closer look means a closer hug to dad.

The other Zoe.

Come here! 

No? Then I guess it’s mommy and the count.

SUPER grover.

Zoe’s Dance Studio