Here Comes...

Too much Halloween candy?  No, that's not it (well maybe some of it).  We are having a BABY!!!  Our family becomes five this spring!

Halloween

This year it was Pippi Longstocking and the Beast...yes Connor being Beast again.  It is getting to be more about the candy and less about the costume for him as he ages.  Next year I might have to make him venture away from this mask.  Maari also wanted to be the same thing she was last year - a princess of course - but we talked her into trying something different.  At least one of them had to change costumes!  With that hair she just had to be Pippi at least one time in her life.

Poor Pippi was sick for the big night...so was mom.  But we still made it to the neighborhood pary/tractor ride/trick-or-treat.  Maybe all that candy we ate will make us feel better.

Maari seemed more excited about these pumpkin seeds than the candy.  She was so eager to bake them and then took one taste and declared a "YUCK."  Oh well, the rest of us are enjoying them!

The Operation

Yeah, I know it's strange... Why am I posting a picture of my child's Playmobil toys?  I guess I just thought it was cute the way she set this up.  Everyone watching this operation so patiently, everyone with the exception of the little girl in the corner turned the other way.  It must be her teddy bear on the table.  She just can't bear to watch.

The poor man with the gaping hole in the top of his skull.  You'd think maybe he should be first in line at the ER!  Happy Friday, happy playing!

Fall Flowers

Maari found for me the last of the wildflowers.

Until spring!

Princesses

Like many three year old girls, my daughter is crazy for princesses:  Cinderella, Belle, Princess and the Pea, Snow White, Jasmine...and now the Seven Nasty Princesses.  We went to a play put on by some local 7th-9th graders all about some pretty vain sister princesses.  I think the idea of naughty princesses (aren't they usually perfect?) was a bit confusing for little Maari.  Also, the ladies ended up learning their lessons from two witches and instead of living happily ever after with the prince, he fled from the whole lot of them.  None of this follows proper fairytale protocol.  However, I think she kind of got the gist of it.

The "real life" princesses were not at all nasty and were kind enough to pose with their most adoring fan.

And even share their beautiful head pieces.

Making our Maari the 8th princess (although not at all a nasty one!)

To Market To Market

Maari's Market Skirt:

I LOVE all of Dana's tutorials and I just had to make this one the minute I saw it!  It think it was the pocket that caught my eye.  Not only is it cute but also the perfect size for holding all of Maari's little rocks and acorns.

And of course it works well for twirling, stomping, running, etc, etc. 

Into the Wild

 A little picture show of our camping trip a couple weeks ago:

Our campsite was only 5 minutes from home, so I don't know if you would call it true camping.  However, without all of the daily chores of home it felt like we were much further.  The kayaking was a highlight for Connor.  Maari I think enjoyed her campfire baked blueberry pie most.

This trip was kind of a test run, preparation for something bigger.  Connor, Dad, and Betsy are right now on a more rugged trip...one not quite suitable for Maari and myself.  Far up north in the Boundary Waters, they are true camping.  They have been gone since Tuesday and I have had NO contact with them.  Yes, they are so far in the wilderness that there is no cell phone coverage.  This freaks me out just a little...what if...?, what if...?, what if...?, and so on and so on in my head.  But according to Justin that is the fun of it...being truly AWAY from it all.  But moms worry.

And I am sure it is beautiful and peaceful and lovely... I just don't know if I could handle all of the hauling.  Because you see one can't just drive up to the campsite, one must canoe/hike to it.  All of the gear must be hauled in: food, clothing, sleeping bag, cooking utensils, and canoe. (Did you notice Betsy's little backpack in one of the pics?  She was practicing, getting ready to carry her own food).  But again, that is the beauty of it...true wilderness.  Maybe some day Maari and I will enter the wilderness but for now the state park down the road will do just fine!

Here are my boys (+Betsy) up at Grammy's house on Lake Superior the night before their departure into the wild.  Dad practicing his firemaking skills and Connor talking to Mom on the phone one last time.  Can't wait for them to come home!

Connor at Camp

This week we are coping with the absence of camp.  For the past eight weeks (has it really been 8!?!?) Connor has spent three days at camp.  Looks to me like he enjoyed it!

To be ten again!

And no, mom was not hiding in the bushes taking pictures - can't you just see me all incognito, camera ready?  I think my extremely loud screeching three year old would probably have given me away.  No, the staff was just kind enough to share their photos.

This was Connor's third year at the same camp and he loves it!  He comes home so full of excitement and stories which makes mom happy.  So I was shocked when one day he told me he didn't want to go to camp the next day.  I tried to pry out of him why: was he being teased, bullied? was he tired, bored, sick?  "No, no, no I just don't want to go on Friday, but I'll go every other day."  Finally, several hours later I finally got it out of him.  They were going to be having a big Hunger Games competition and all his friends knew everything there is to know about Hunger Games and he knew nothing.  So we had the big "It is better to try to solve your problems than run away from them" speech after which Connor proceeded to the computer for a crash course on the Humger Games.

And guess who came home with THE trophy, guess who won the whole thing against ALL the kids in ALL the age groups and ALL the counselors...yup, that's my boy with the giant gold goblet!

(lesson learned!)

Mowing

Daddy's little helper

In a ruffled skirt and sparkly red ballet flats of course

Something else seems more interesting...

And she's off!

Hot

It has been one steamy summer!  I heard on the news the other night that this summer has the potential to be the hottest since 1988.  Much different from last year.  With the addition of grass to our yard now we have been able to enjoy some water activities at home.  Since Nana & Papa's pool has been undergoing some maintenance, we have relied on other means to cool off.

Maari

Connor

And of course Betsy too



gotta love the slip & slide

7th of July Fireworks

This was our little belated 4th of July fireworks extravaganza.  Although Maari came in at a close second, Betsy was most excited about it!

After the driveway display, Justin took us for a drive in the country to "firework hop."  I was a little skeptical thinking there would be nothing to see...but I was wrong.  Amazing to me that we saw so many and how big they all were.  Betsy got to come along for that too but she definitely prefered our show at home.

Patience and Popsicles

Usually patience is not my daughter's strongest quality, but I was quite proud of Maari this week.  Our Always-Very-Generous Aunt Christine sent us a Zoku in the mail - HOW FUN!  Popsicles in just ten minutes!  And it just happened to get up to 90 degrees this week, so we found that to be the perfect opportunity to test out our new little contraption with raspberry cream popsicles.

I say popsicles in only ten minutes, which was amazingly fast freezing time to Connor and Mom, but ten minutes is a long time for our Maari to wait. However, she did surprise me by not throwing an "I WANT MY POPSICLE NOWWWWW" fit. No, Maari was paitent?!?!?!

And so happy after being so very patient...

Connor was happy too.  He even let me take his picture AND smiled for it.

What a fun little gadget! 

Betsy also enjoyed the Zoku...90 degrees + popsicles = lots of drips...
                                    

Hot weather and poslicle face, hands, etc called for some some water.

Water for people, dogs, plants... (while Connor and Mom just sat back, watched, laughed, smirked, rolled eyes, and just took it all in) 

WELCOME WARM WEATHER (and zoku), WE ARE SO GLAD YOU ARE HERE!