Minnesota State Fair

Yesterday the kids and I along with my mom and dad went to the State Fair. We go there every year and it is lots of fun!! We saw cows, sheep, pigs and baby animals which is always neat to see--the kids like to pet them and hear them make sounds.

This year the kids went to the Midway for some rides and games (in previous years we went to the Kidway--not anymore!! They are ready for BIG rides). I went with them on a roller coaster called the Crazy Mouse and it was fast, spinning fun--the kids said it was AWESOME. Nick won a stuffed animal at one of the games--he was sooo happy!

Another new thing we did this year was ride the River Raft Ride. Me, my dad and the kids sat in a round raft and floated along a water-filled canal. It was fast and had many rapids that would splash up and get us wet. Matthew said that it was his favortie ride.

We always do the regular stuff like Ye Old Mill ride, the big slide, eat our regular food, get the All-You-Can-Drink milk, get all the free stuff in the Education Building and the boys always get a toy tractor from the same shop. All three kids got an animal marionette puppet (with the strings and wood handling mechanism) that they can make walk, wiggle and dance--they are pretty cute!

We visited the Butterfly Garden at the fair too. We went in and there are tons of butterflies all around. They just land on you--the kids had them on their clothes, shoes and even on their heads! We stayed in with the butterflies for a long time--it was really cool.

After a long day and tired feet--we left for home. It was a great day and we look forward to next year with all the new stuff as well as the regular things too. We had a day to remember!!

Sammy the Grasshopper Hunter

Our dog, Sammy, loves to hunt grasshoppers (actually any bug). When we go to the lake, he likes to comb the beach for spider or any bug to "play" with. On this day, he found a grasshopper to follow. He picks it up and kind of throws it in the air--follows it around and sniffs it--digs at it in the sand. Ultimately he ends up killing the bug. Sometimes he eats them (spiders mostly) but usually he just amuses himself with his new toy.

It's fun to watch him when he is hunting down a bug! His days at the lake consist of looking for bugs, swimming in the lake, guarding the house and following me around all day. He is a funny little pup!

Emily & Oreo

Okay--we cannot go into a pet store anymore!! The kids and I (innocently) went to Petco to get crickets for Nick's lizard--a simple task, shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes, right? Of course NOT!

As soon as we entered the store Emily and I saw this super cute hamster up for adoption. We tried to pet it through its cage--she was black and white just like an Oreo cookie. We asked a Petco worker about her and got to hold her. Emily and I liked her a lot. After Emily found out how much the adoption fee was ($10 for the hamster, cage, ball to run around in and supplies) she wanted to adopt her--she can pay for it with her own money.

I reminded Emily about her guinea pigs that she had in the past and how she didn't take the best care of them resulting in finding a nice home for them. She said that she is older now and really wanted the hamster and that she would take care of her (she said that she might need my help a little too:) Oreo is an older hamster at 2 years old--their life span is between 2 and 4 years. I told Emily that she might die in a year or so but Emily said that was okay--she wanted to take care of her even if she was old.

Since I am an animal lover too, I said that she could adopt her. We got her home and set up her cage in Emily's room--Oreo seemed content and happy. Last night she was busy running on her hamster wheel--it was fun to watch. We can all hold her and pet her--even the boys--and she just sits in your hand. She is pretty cute. It warms my heart that Emily is growing up with a kind spirit to all animals and a big heart to want to give an old hamster a home.

Star Wars Legos

Nick was finished with summer school last week on Wednesday. He worked hard in class and his teacher repeatedly praised him--she even let him teach math one day! He got up every morning without complaining, ate his breakfast, got dressed and went outside to wait for the bus--all while his brother and sister were sleeping in!

He was such a good boy though his summer school that Gramma T. got him a special gift. He got to pick out something that he wanted and (of course) he picked Legos--his favorite thing! He really wanted the Star Wars Trade Federation ship set--it was a little more money than Gramma planned on but he had such a great attitude (not one grump or anything) during summer school that she got it for him.

Nick was extremely excited and happy. He put the whole thing together--Tim & I just sat with him to make sure that he didn't skip anything by accident. That evening after he finished the ship, we watched the Star Wars movie that had his new ship in it--he was overjoyed seeing it in the movie.

He was very happy to be rewarded for a job well done. Nick has such a tender heart that we know his special Lego set means a lot to him. He is an exceptional boy!