Fountain

Monday night we had to have our van serviced so we had a two hour window in the evening to fill. We dropped the car off and headed to find a dinner spot in a suburb we know nothing about. We ended up at a restaurant with a fountain so the boys were won over immediately. Nothing like getting soaked before and after dinner.

B&N

A nice trip to the local Barnes and Noble. Good books, stuffed animals and plenty of benches to climb on.

Micah was excited...the lady behind him wasn't thrilled with having us there. Hello, it's the kid's section lady. Come on!

Noah was pumped to have found Elmer. We just got a new Elmer book from the library.

S'Mores

Our neighbors called and invited the boys over for s'mores tonight. Noah adores the little girls, Eva and Stella. No s'mores for Micah but he was happy to climb up and down on the picnic table and run wild with the big kids. Cute before bed fun for the kiddos.

Driving

Noah said he was driving them to Wood River.

Speaking of driving, here's what happens when I let them "play" in the van for a few minutes. They were so excited and crazy I couldn't even get a shot, but I think you will get the idea. :)

Summer Concert

On Tuesday we went to a free concert, the park has free kid entertainment every Tuesday and Thursday, LOVE it. The Okee Dokee Brothers played and they are SO fun. It was a really nice surprise for me, I think I had as much fun as the kids. We met up with my friend Megan and her kids Emmie and Jackson.

Nothing like good lunch entertainment.

Noah participated in a song that was about a train.

After the concert Noah and Emmie just ran and ran on the hill.

I'm all for running before nap time. :)

A quick check on the ducks and dip in the water on our way back to the car.

Doors

Have we really already entered the stage of Noah slamming his bedroom door in Micah's face to keep him out? Oh boy!

I do get a kick out of the fact that Micah can open doors and really gets his brother fired up.

Zoo

We spent Monday morning at the Minnesota zoo. We have a pass so there is no pressure to see everything or feel guilty if we have to leave after an hour. This week we saw a lot of animals but really took advantage of the play areas built into the zoo.

Playing in the fossil sand box.

Micah was very excited to see the prairie dogs.

The farm section has a play ground and Noah spotted these trucks instantly and was in heaven.

Yard Work

Shawn has been doing a lot of landscaping work the last couple of weekends and the boys are more than happy to lend a hand.

Soccer

About four months ago I told Shawn that we have to wait until the last possible moment to let our kids play sports because once it starts we will spend the majority of our life shuttling them from one event to the next. Then a couple of weeks later my girlfriend sent an email about a soccer program for 3 years olds in July and I got sucked in just by thinking about how stinking cute Noah and his friends would be running around the field.

Thursday was Noah's first soccer game. The kids practice for 20 minutes and play for 20 minutes. Our friend, Mike, is their coach and led them through drills the first half and I just couldn't stop smiling at the cuteness. Coaching at this age is really about tying shoes, pointing at the right goal and constantly reminding that there are no hands in soccer.

I imagined that Noah would be timid but once again kids never cease to amaze. He was aggressive and even scored the only goal for his team.

Listening to the rules.

Team huddle.

Whew, was he thirsty. He ran to the sideline numerous times for a drink.

Barbara Ann

I've been trying to upload this video to the blog for a few days with no luck so I went the youtube route. The boys have a new favorite song or as Noah calls it "our song".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4S6wzOHwrU

Woolly Noah

Noah is delighted to have a new dinosaur coloring book from his friends Collin and Liam. One of his new favorites is the woolly mammoth. Earlier this week he asked for a straw, then bent it in half and put it in his mouth and said he was a woolly mammoth.

Fourth of July Weekend

We were fortunate to have family visiting us to celebrate Independence Day. My sister and her family and my brother and his girlfriend came for the weekend. We had a great time and apparently the good weather held out for them because now it is pouring rain.

An afternoon snack with Uncle Tyler.

Fourth of July parade.

Tyler and Rachel - the love birds.

Beth and Jestin - eagerly awaiting their new addition.

Noah, Trista and Brady watching the parade.

Could Noah have any more stickers?

The highlight of the parade for him was the three lollipops he downed in a matter of minutes.

On Sunday we went to Como Park. We forced the kids to take too many photos and got one or two where they are all cooperating. :)

Noah and Trista identifying butterflies in the Butterfly Garden.

A sibling pic - we were all so hot and tired.

Trying to get the butterfly to land on their hands.

The way home.

We had such a good time this weekend. Thank you for making the trip! xo.