Round Two....

Round 2 was a success!!

 

Remember when we went to KC and took Landon to the movies and found out they pop popcorn in coconut oil?

 

We couldn't eat it, big bummer.....

 

We had him tested, and he was negative for coconut, so we had our celebratory "date" at the movies today to eat popcorn!

 

I think I have the most handsome date ever!

 

Of course, we went to see "Planes" again....big hit!

And this time, Dusty came as well!

 

The pop was good..... 

 

And the popcorn was even better! 

 



Company Perks

We have said it before.....the CN is a fantastic railroad for us (actually Adam) to work for.

 

That point was made clear this weekend when the company hosted a Family Festival at the train yard. 

 

For FREE, they had all kinds of fun things for kids and families to do.....and we took full advantage!

 

They had cotton candy....I think we had at least 4 bags!

 

The bouncy house..... 

 

Bubbles, the amazing secretary, had organized everything and had gifts for every adult and kid (coffee mugs, soccer balls, teddy bears, etc.) and even took time to have a dance with Avery!  

 

The biggest hit.....the train rides!!  It went all around the train yard and past the big engines and all the cool garages....a train kid's dream!! 

 

I didn't even get pictures of everything.....they had fast pitch games, a photo booth (we have at least a dozen rolls from that!), and a full BBQ spread catered by a really yummy place. 

 

Seriously, if all companies did events like this every year, company morale would be amazing!



I Wonder What the Poor People are Doing.....

Growing up in Panama City, my Granny would always say that phrase when we were sitting on the deck, facing the beach, eating buckets of crabs and shrimp.

 

Of course, in that case, the answer was "They are watching the beautiful beach and eating delicious food!"

 

Well, the other day, the answer would have been "Sitting on the beach, soaking up the sun, and enjoying each other!"

 

We went out on the boat with Uncle Kevin and Auntie Pam and stopped to soak up some Vitamin D at the beach.....it was a gorgeous day!!

 

I especially loved my extra snuggles.... 

 

Landon was having a blast! 

 

And even Uncle Kevin was enjoying the sun (or shade...) 

 

Us poor people sure do have a lot of fun!!



The Artist's Canvas

It all started well....coloring on PAPER with markers....

 

 

......then we decided to move to a different canvas.....

 

I am not sure if you can tell, but do you see her bright blue tongue and teeth??  Yup, that was the blue marker that she ate the entire tip off of. 

 

And, yes, I was sitting right next to her......she is Houdini!  

 



For the Love of BBQ and Movie Theater Popcorn

You ever have a hankering for something and you just can't satisfy that with anything else??

 

That happens all too often around here when it comes to good BBQ!

 

We did spend a rather long period of our lives in Kansas City, so our BBQ standards are rather high as well......sorry Famous Dave's, you do NOT pass muster!

 

Anyway, our August was pretty tame and uneventful, just the opposite of our July.

 

And, Adam had some vacation time to burn up, and since the holidays will be with us this year, we decided to use the time up last week before school and activities start up.

 

So, what did we do with that vacation time???

 

We went to Kansas City!

 

We had just seen all the grandparents in the past few weeks, so it wasn't like we HAD to go, we just really wanted BBQ and thought Why Not??

 

We started with a picnic at the Mini Train.....

 

Then went for a ride on the train.  Super cool, by the way!! 

 

I think Landon rode 4 or 5 times...... 

 

Then it was BBQ time!!!!  I think it is safe to say everyone enjoyed it and it was well worth the trip!! 

 

We wanted to take Landon to see the new movie "Planes", and since we were in KC with extra babysitters (grandparents) for Avery, we decided to go. 

 

We hyped up the movie and the whole popcorn thing for DAYS!!

But we overlooked one very important detail....popcorn is popped in coconut oil.

And Landon is allergic to nuts.....coconut oil not an exception (we will get more to this later.....)

So he settled for a pop and some candy. 

 

Also on the "KC Last Minute To-Do List"??

 

Chuck E. Cheese! 

 

My dad came to town so we went swimming at his hotel pool.  The original plan was the zoo, but our Minnesota blood is too thick for these 85*days!!   

 

Of course, we still had plenty of time for snuggles.... 

 

....and berry picking in Nana's garden! 

 

We also wanted to hit up a place called Fritz's in Crown Center. 

With the train theme, we were guaranteed a fun time!

 

The food gets delivered to each table by a train that drops it off on this platform and then lowers it onto your table.

Landon was so excited!! 

 

The kids are starting to *maybe* like each other a bit more these days, so every once in a while, I can catch moments like this one..... 

 

So, back to the movie theater popcorn/coconut oil thing......

 

After we got back in town, Avery had an appointment to be tested for nut allergies. 

Take a look......everything except the control spot (which is supposed to react) was completely negative!!  She has NO allergies!!! 

 

And, after all the popcorn mess, we went ahead and had Landon checked for coconut while we were there.

Coconut is one of those odd items that doesn't fit into categories like "Tree Nut", "Legume", etc, and it is found in all kinds of things randomly (cereal, ice cream). 

I wasn't expecting to be surprised, but check it out......he is NOT allergic to coconut!!! 

 

Now that we are back home, and able to have that movie theater popcorn, can you guess what our weekend plans hold??

 

Yep, a trip to the movies.....with a TUB of popcorn!!!

 

If only they also served BBQ.....

I Think I Missed July.....

Yep, I missed the whole month of July.....at least in Blog World, I did!

Not to say we haven't been doing anything worthy of some screen space...

 

..just the opposite, actually!

We have (finally) had some decent weather, so we have squeezed in as much outdoor time as possible! 

 

 

 

All of our playgroups and school groups have been meeting during the summer...outdoors, of course!

 

What happens when you mix good weather with kids and a body of water???.....

....FUN!!

 

We had company the weekend of the Fourth.  Our friends, Josh and Lyndsey came for a visit.  Their son, Becker, and the kids had a good time goofing off and just being boys.  We went to the Bayfront Fourth Festival and then watched the fireworks.

 

 

 

Obviously, by this point, Landon was way beyond tired and not exactly in a friendly mood....

 

After the Fourth, Nana and Bompa came for a visit.

 

Of course, I don't have a single picture from that whole week (I know....BAD mom!!!!) but Nana was snapping away with her camera.  The big event from their visit was that the boys worked on our fence......and it is *soclose* to being all done.  I will post a finished picture when the time comes.  :)

 

We took a day to visit Auntie Lisa down in the Cities as well.  We had lunch at Bubba Gump, which Landon loved......they have a big "scrimp"!

 

Whew!!  No wonder we have been too busy to blog!!

 

But, we aren't done yet!

 

This last week, Mimi came for a visit.  And as if we haven't been doing enough to keep busy, we decided to really show Mimi the fun stuff in Duluth.

 

First stop....the Tall Ships were in town!  



 

Next, off to the Train Museum...Landon's favorite place on Earth! 

 

Then out to the Cities to hit the Mall of America......including the aquarium. 

 

......Avery learned how to shop with Mimi while we were there too..... 

 

Landon showed her how to go on all the rides at the mall! 

 

Uncle Kevin and Auntie Pam took a day to take us on a boat tour of the lake and have some treats on the beach.... 

 

And finally, we hit the zoo! 

 

Just for me, Mimi made my favorite.....chicken and dumplings!

 

And just like I used to help my Grandmother, Landon and Avery got to help her with the rolling..... 

 

......and tasting! 

 

Well, as much fun as we had in July, I am looking forward to a lazier August! 

 

Somehow, I don't think that will happen!

 

I guess that is what the loooooong winters are for up here...... :)