Daddy!

We went to the airport to pick up Bruce on Friday (8/6)....here's how it went:

1st we checked out the luggage carousels, I had to convince them that they were not merry-go-rounds since both kids wanted to go for rides. I didn't think that security would appreciate 2 kids going round and round with the luggage.

The we found some open seats, and did some more waiting and people watching. Pretty sure that anyone and everyone was told 'Hi'. Andrew also pointed out everyone that was really tall, had a wheelchair, walker, cane, or that he thought needed to be pointed out. We're working on that....I'm guessing it's a little bit of payback from the fat guy at the auction incident I put my parents thru when I younger.

Then we saw on the screens that the plane arrived so the kids moved onto watching everyone thru the glass.

Unfortunately the plane landed at a very busy time so there wasn't a portable walkway available for a bit, which meant there was no way to get people off the plane...which meant we went back to walking around the baggage area....then it happened....we turned around and Jenna spotted Bruce. Both kids did an all out run down the walkway to him- it was adorable.

Andrew, our little helper, loved pulling the suitcase along:

There were lots of hugs from Jenna, she barely let Bruce put her down (I think she missed her Daddy):

Once out in the ramp, the questions started; what kind of plane, did you get to watch movies, and of course - did you bring us anything?

Both kids got some adorable panda bears:

Jenna got a China doll (made out of wood):

Andrew got a Twins jersey (he's been asking for one):

Vacation

We spent the last week of July at Belle Shores Resort in northern MN. We had a great time, and are looking forward to spending a week up there again next year. We had awesome weather this year, and were able to spend a lot of time in to boat, and on the beach enjoying the water.

Here's the week in pictures:

Seeing how far the squirt gun will squirt:

Out in the tube:

Bruce and Andrew with their bounty:

Superman & Wonder Woman even made appearances:

Fishing:The kids that participated in the fishing contest (there were more kids than this @ the resort):

One of our traditions is going to the Dorset House for Ice Cream, here we are ordering:

The kids & I with my big sunfish:

Wednesday night, the moon was really cool. It was orange. We've never seen anything like it. It was beautiful:

Thursday morning the kids participated in the minnow races:

Both kids loved riding on the fun bugs:

Andrew still loves to Kayak, and went out whenever he could. He's really good at steering and paddling this year, so we went out quite a bit. Jenna liked to go out too, but isn't big enough to got by herself so she would ride with Bruce or I.

Bruce with one of his fish. The kids got a kick out of this one because he jumped right out of the live well!All rested up after a great week!

Another highlight for the week was being stopped by the water patrol. He stopped us while we were out kayaking and paddle boating to give the kids a certificate for a free ice cream cone or burger at DQ (they each got one), just because they were wearing their life jackets. We thought it was a great way to reinforce that they need to wear their life jackets.

For Daddy

This is post for Bruce.....he's been in China this week.

Here's a picture of the kiddos:

And here's a family shot from vacation last week.....

Up next - a vacation post from our week at Belle Shores resort, but that will wait until I find some time.....I have no idea how single parents manage. They must be exhausted all the time!

Random July pics

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks (since Hayward, but before vacation). We've been having fun, and enjoying the warm weather with some days at the beach.

Miss Jenna showing off her swimming ability:

Andrew looking cool on his bike:

Jenna has been requesting to wear this dress a lot lately...she calls it her party dress:

Andrew and one of his friends during playgroup at the beach. They had caught some minnows, so they were making sure they had enough water.

After spending the day at the Lake Elmo pond swimming and having fun, we headed to Stillwater to get ice cream at Nelson's....YUMMY!

Hayward

We spent the 4th of July weekend up in Hayward, and had a blast. We tested out the rental by owner option, and it worked out really well. The place we rented had a really sandy shoreline, so it was perfect for swimming, plus it was back in a bay, so even on the windier days, it stayed calm. They also allowed us to bring Sadie! It was a lot of fun to have her at the lake with us.

Andrew & Bruce made friends with the neighbors right away, which lead to Andrew meeting Maddie, their granddaughter who is his age. They played a lot together, and he ended up getting to ride a jet ski, be pulled on their tube, and go out in the paddle boat to look at the otters, and turtles that were in the bay. Here are some pictures from his adventures:

The other big highlight was getting to visit the Stampf's and Marion's every day that we were up there. The kids all did really well playing with each other, which allowed for the adults to catch up a bit ;) It was great to hang out the Cori and Teresa, and their families for more than a day (which is what we usually do). Here are some pictures from the weekend:

What he was trying to catch:

Andrew wanted to kayak, but decided he could improvise w/ my lounge chair instead:

It's a shark! Nope just Sadie:

Enjoying some ice cream at West's Dairy on the 4th of July:

Splashing in the puddles:

Andrew with one of his big catches:

Home Run!

During Andrew's offical last game (we did have a make-up game after the 4th), he was the last batter during one of the inning....which means he got to hit a homerun! Here's our little all star running the bases:



He loved playing t-ball and is sad that it's over. Bruce really enjoyed coaching too. Here are some additional pictures of Andrew in action:

3 year stats

Jenna amazed us by jumping percentiles (a lot) for her 3 year check. Turns out she's not nearly the peanut we thought she was :)

Here are her stats:
Height: 38 inches (75%)
Weight: 28 lbs (50%)

We think they were a little generous with the height measurement, but she does seem tall (or a least average) when around others her age.

She did great at the Dr., but I think that's only because she asked every single person she saw if she was getting shots, and they all responded "no" so she seemed okay with being there. Apparently our flu shots last year were more traumatic than we thought!

She also celebrated her birthday at daycare. Here she is showing off her 'crown':