Paul Bunyan Land

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I thought it would be fun to have one last summer adventure before heading back to work, so I took the kids to Paul Bunyan Land in Brainerd. This was a place I remember going to and loving as a child. They were not only amazed with his size, but with the fact that he knew their names and personally welcomed them when we arrived. This is something that shocked me years ago too. :) They rode just about every ride in the theme park (more than once) and enjoyed the petting zoo and old fashion exhibits. We had perfect day together.

Reading Camp

Nolan spent 45 minutes each week this summer at Reading Camp. Mrs. Anderson, a first grade teacher, worked with Nolan on Tuesday mornings teaching him how to read. He has been interested in letters and spelling for some time now, so we knew he was ready for the next step....reading!!! Nolan really loved going, and claimed it was more fun being taught by someone other than mom and dad. Mrs. Anderson sent home all the materials we needed to reinforce the skills at home. He has about 50 sight words mastered and is constantly asking what words say. It has been fun to see him enter the world of reading. He loves to combine words to make sentences and proudly reads signs as we travel. His favorite... the speed limit sign! He makes sure we are not exceeding the number posted on the sign. :) There are so many things to discover in an open book. Reading can take you places buddy...may you get lost in hundreds of books. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Great work little guy!

BoRn to RiDe

Seeing all the neighborhood children ride their bikes around the block gave Nolan the motivation he needed to learn to pedal without his training wheels. We started him on his smaller bike so that he could put his foot down when he needed to regain his balance.

It only took a couple of tries and he had it. In fact, he is a much better biker without them. Within a week, the training wheels came off of his bigger bike and he's been enjoying the sidewalk and bike path with the best of them.

Nolan enjoys going for family bike rides a lot more now too. He thinks it is easier to ride and has been on several five mile trips with us already. BMX bikes, the dirt hills, and ramps has been a favorite topic of discussion. Mike and Nolan have formed a special "Biker Bond"...which is making Mike very proud.

Silly Lilly

You have a way of melting my heart little Lilly. There is something about you that is very special. You have a way of making all those around you smile. So innocent, so full of life, so full of love. We are incredibly lucky to have you as our daughter. Thanks for brightening our days silly Lilly!

Summer Playdates

The kids had a lot of fun meeting various friends for playdates this summer. We ventured to various parks, pools, and splash pads with our buddies. We even went to the Library, Bounce Depot, and Space Aliens on days that the weather didn't cooperate. Many pizzas were shared, juice boxes were sipped, and Popsicles were eaten. Loads of sunscreen was applied, bug spray was used, and Bandaids/hugs were given. Tons of fun was had, laughs were heard, and memories were made.

A Must See Sale!

HUGE Multi-Family Sale!

Name Brand Kids' Clothes (Gymboree and Gap),

Tons of Toys, Housewares Galore,

Scrapbooking and Stamping, Country Crafts,

Jewelry, Bedding, and Miscellaneous Goodies

you don't want to miss.

This is a MUST SEE SALE!

Preview Sale Wed., Aug. 12th from 4pm-7pm,

Thurs. 8am-5pm, and Fri. 8am-2pm.

901 21st Ave. North~ Sartell

The kids sold Lemonade, baked goods, and candy.
Profit: $27.00

Each year I like to do what I call a "clean sweep" through my house. This simply means going through every closet, cupboard, and drawer to clean and reorganize the space. It also means pulling out items that haven't been touched in the past year and marking them for my yearly garage sale. I believe that if I haven't touched it, or in some cases forgot I even owned it...I probably don't need it.

With the move, I came across many sellable items. Most of the treasures came from the storage garage. When you live without half of your belongings for close to eight months, why put them back into a cupboard or closet? I forgot we even owned some of the things I unboxed from storage. Sad, I know. The date for the sale was set the day we moved in. Each box I unpacked was sorted and placed in it's new location in the house, or put back into boxes labeled "garage sale". Before I knew it, one side of the garage was filled with boxes of things that I didn't want to put in the house.

If you have ever had a garage sale, you can empathize with how much work they are...but it you haven't, beware! At one point, I contemplated taking all the boxes in the garage to the Goodwill and forgetting about it. I was so tired from moving and unpacking that I wasn't sure it was going to be worth all the time and energy. Well, thank goodness I stuck with it. After gathering 10 eight foot tables, seven card tables, one clothes rack, marking hundreds of items, placing the ad in the paper, and putting out a half dozen signs... I was ready for business.

Cars were lined up in front of our house close to an hour before we opened. Ladies seriously poured into my garage the minute I put the doors up. It reminded me of the "Day After Thanksgiving"...where people wait outside of Best Buy and then form lines to the back of the store the minute the doors open just to get the hot deals.

A few ladies actually took empty boxes from the back of my garage to load up their loot. It was quite a sight! $1400 was made in the first two hours! I guess you could say it was worth the effort. Many of my friends brought items to sell as well. When it was all said and done, $2500 was made and just a couple of boxes were brought to the Goodwill. It felt good to not have to store those unwanted items in the house...and of course make a little money for new treasures.

Rub A Dub Dub

Rub A Dub Dub

Look who's in the tub!

Nolan and Lilly broke in our whirlpool tub tonight.
Bubbles, bubbles, and more bubbles... everywhere!
The jets have a way of making them multiply.
They were definitely squeaky clean after this bath.

Off to the Fair

The kids and I got away tonight to meet their cousins Brandon and Carter at the Benton County Fair in Sauk Rapids. Summer just wouldn't be complete without the traditional trip to the fair.

Nolan was pretending he had a Harley just like his Grandpa Jim.
Vroom! Vroom!

Lilly really enjoyed the rides this year too.
She is finally tall enough to go on the kiddie rides without Mike or me right at her side.

Even I couldn't pass up the Merry-Go-Round.

All Aboard!

Pure excitement...I think he is ready for the "big kid" rides.

Nolan has no fear when it comes to rides.

Of course, we couldn't leave the fair without a special treat.

Lilly LOVED her tasty snowcone.

The Big Move

As much as our family loved living at Grandview Estates, we were soooo ready to get back into our own home. Originally, Mike and I planned to spread the move out over a week. We thought it would be nice to take it slow and do a little each day. There was no rush, so why get stressed trying to do it all in one weekend? Well, once we got going, we really got going! Our helpers were awesome, and the move was done in a day! Jason brought his truck and trailer and two other friends showed up with their SUV's. By noon, my grandma's basement and our storage garage were empty and the guys were asking what they should do next...so off they went to bring everything from the apartment over. They had it all in the house before three o'clock!

It was amazing...and a little stressful. Watching four men box up my stuff was interesting. :) We spent our first night in our new house on August 1st. Thanks for your help everyone!