A Day at the "Beach"

Saturday I took the boys and met Jermaine, Jaden, Jenna, Jennifer, Scott, Anna and Zachary (whew) at a wading pool in Minneapolis. It was a gorgeous day at a gorgeous park and for an hour or so we had the pool all to ourselves. The boys had a ton of fun splashing, running and playing with their trucks. Here are some fun photos of our morning. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of Anna or Zachary enjoying the water. I guess I had put the camera away before they arrived at the festivities. Grandma Jackie showed up for a while too. As did Jermaine's mom and grandparents. It was a great way to spend the day.

Little Cow Pokes

The Texas cousins have arrived in Minnesota. Welcome Jaden and Jenna (and Jeff and Jermaine). It's grand to have you here! After one of the our get-togethers, Jaden loaned out his cowboy hats and guns. Jonathan and Eric thought being cowboys was yeehaw exciting! They used the tractor to round up their cattle one whole afternoon.

Rocket Men

Jay and the boys have been building rockets this summer and then launching them. The boys (all three of them) really enjoy the whole process. And I think it is kind of fun too. Unfortunately, the rockets they have made do not have a very long life span. We have had many, many engine failures. A rocket that practically flew sideways. And a rocket that got stuck in a tree and then rescued. She was relaunched but then subsequently lost in another tree. I believe Big Bertha is still in said very tall tree. She won't come down. If you ask Jonathan and Eric about the last rocket launch both boys will say, "We told daddy to use the B engine not the C engine. It's his fault it got stuck in the tree. The C engine was too big and the rocket went too high. It's daddy's fault. He didn't listen to me." Oops. It's time to build another rocket.

Como Butterflies

Como Zoo opened a butterfly exhibit this summer. The boys and I checked it out a few weekends ago. It was a ton of fun. We all enjoyed it a lot and need to go back again. Here are some pics from our visit. Enjoy.

Menomonee Zoo Oshkosh

Menomonee Park also has a small zoo. We saw elk, wolves, a lion, prairie dogs, llamas, and monkeys. The "highlight" of the zoo adventure was being dive bombed by red wing blackbirds who were nesting in the bushes near the lion's cage. Poor birdies thought we were going to attack their babies so they attacked our heads first. It came as quite a shock to my head the first time it happened. Yipes! A new experience to be sure.

The Castle at Menomonee Park Oshkosh

When visiting Grandma and Grandpa Wolf in Wisconsin, we spent Saturday at Menomonee Park in Oshkosh. The park has this cool castle play area. There are places to hide, place to climb, an airplane, diggers and sand, portraits, a king & queen's throne, etc. All materials and labor were donated by local businesses and residents. It was hard to get the kids to stand still to get a good photo. Needless to say that when it was time to leave the kids didn't want to and the adults were tired!