Summer's Out for School

We couldn't be more grateful for Nana and Papa's vacation that they spent at our house during Mommy's workshop week back at work.  Not only did they take care of the kids when we didn't have daycare or school, they took care of the cooking, cleaning, dishes, laundry, and shopping since Daddy's schedule was very busy with lots of employees off and Mommy was busy getting her classroom ready.  Nana and Papa, the kids LOVE to play with you and Mommy and Daddy are SO appreciative of your help!First night = a Twins game with Daddy and Papa
Lots of baseball fun all week long...both inside and outside.  Here's the batting position for inside baseball (which is played with a small foam ball)!  Good thing Mommy wasn't home to see this in action or she would've probably put a stop to the fun.  Gotta love those special grandparent moments!
One week left of summer means some time to relax and watch a little TV too!

Who knew that washcloths could elicit a half hour of playtime fun between siblings!
"Time to go to the State Fair?  OK...I've got my shoes on!"  Amelia loves to say the word "shoes" and go in her bottom dresser drawer, take out all her shoes, and try to put them on.  We're working on finding matches and mates so that at least she's coordinated!

P.S.  We did have a great time at the State Fair, but Mommy realized the camera was at home when they were half-way there.  But, to recap, both kids loved the big slide, ate a big pickle on a stick, and were in awe of the baby cow being born.  
Squeeky clean after a day of fun at the State Fair.  I don't think that either of them could've been more sticky, sweaty, or dirty feet covered!  But, that's a sign that it was a fun Fair day!
Engineer Carter and...
Amelia and Papa in the first car!


At the top of a tube-slide that Mommy thought was WAY too steep but both kids loved!

Carter's king of the mountain...well, not mountain but dinosaur bone head!
Have we said before how lucky Amelia is to have a big brother who not only rides the little rides with her, but is happy to do it!
Round, and round, and round on the teacups!  No one got sick, though!
Although the hight minimum is 54 inches for this ride, the operator must've though that 52 inches was close enough and he let Carter on!  Once was definitely not enough, as he literally rode it 11 more times in a row after that!  Thankfully, there was a patio table with chairs and an umbrella and Amelia was already snoozing in her stroller while this was going on!  The Frog Hopper just lost all it's novelty after this adventure!
Back to our car in the shuttle bus from Como!  Amelia's pretty proud of herself for riding without a car seat!

What a great way to draw summer to a close!  We're excited for another great school year and year at Carrol's house (for Amelia), we'll sure miss our summer together time!

A "Fairly" Great Visit from the Hansons

"Grandma and Uncle Curt are coming??!!  Yeah!"
We'd better get the yard read for their visit.  We're not sure who's doing the mowing...Carter or the mower.  The self-propellingness kind of took Carter in the mower's own direction!  But, for his first time, his couple of swipes across the yard looked great!
A yummy barbeque...picnic style for the kids!
Daddy grilled lots of meat and potatoes, Grandma made yummy dip, and we all ate a LOT at the cook out!  Cousin Morgan (who's going to be a senior this fall in Grand Rapids) was down here to attend a concert with her friend Shelby.  So, Uncle Ryan drove up to our house, and they came over from their hotel for an even bigger Hanson get-together!  Thanks for a yummy lunch, Daddy!
After lunch, we were off to Valleyfair!  It was Carter's first visit there and we had SO much fun!  It was a chilly day, but we dressed in pants and sweatshirts and ended up staying until nearly closing time!
Daddy, Uncle Ry, Morgan, and Shelby were off to Steel Venom right as we walked through the gates.  The rest of us thought they were CRAZY, but they loved it.  Carter, still 2 inches shy of the cut-off, had fun trying out the tester seat at the entrance of the ride anyway!  Maybe next year, Buddy...if Mommy will let you!
Carter loved riding on rides with his big cousin Morgan.  We wish you lived closer, Morgs, so that we could see you more often.  We miss you!
Choo, choo!  Amelia's fascination with trains carried over onto this ride, as she was either saying "choo choo" or giving us the pageant wave as they went round and round and round!
"The Mild Thing" was nothing compared to "The Wild Thing"!  Carter hit up that ride too, but we don't have the pictures to prove it because Mommy was too nervous to take any!
Two kids...floating in a bath tub...no adults in the ride...more nervousness for Mommy.  But, Daddy, always the voice of reason, knew that the water was only a foot deep and would jump in if need be!
Up, up, and away!  Thank goodness Daddy can stomach rides that go round and round!
This looks like a smile, but it is really mid-tantrum after having to get off of the balloon ride.  It's tough being a toddler!
32 ounces of Icee just wasn't enough for Carter!  This is his second trip to the stand (where you can select your own flavor...or flavorS in Carter's case...from 15 different ones) for a refill!
Our 2 busy bees had a buzzing good time on all the rides!
Here's proof that Grandma DID go on a ride at Valleyfair - the train totally counts!
Good thing there are small rocks instead of the concrete since Amelia slid right off this ride as I was putting the camera away.  What Mommy thought were tears of injury were really tears wanting to be put back on.  Way to go tough little girl!

The foam ball shooter is heaven to Amelia - who is in LOVE with balls!  Her look of amazement as we entered the room was priceless!  So many balls...so few hands!
Look out below!  Flying balls from the second story were non-stop!
This place was SO fun!  After loading the contraption, you pressed a button, and the balls shot out everywhere!
All of the exciting rides only play a close second to the giant fish swimming in the little pool!
Still smiling even though the loading and unloading of this classic octopus ride took 10 times as long as the ride itself!
What a great sport for riding all of the rides with Amelia!  Thanks, Buddy!
On the "Mouse Trap" ride, Carter chose to ride in the front of our little 4-person car all alone while Daddy and Mommy rode in the back!
What a crazy crew!  Love the big puppy that you won Uncle Ryan!  It'll look great on the back of your motorcycle!

What better way to end the day of fun than with a wild game of "Pass the Pigs"!  
Uncle Ryan owns his own Domino's Pizza store in Owatonna, and he invited us down for a visit. Not only did we get an individual made-to-order lunch, but Carter was able to try his hand at pizza making!
Daddy and Amelia were hard at work while lunch was prepared!
Did anyone know that stuff that is on the crust of Domino's pizza is cornmeal?  They have that on the counter as they stretch out the ball of dough!  
Yup...he did wash AND sanitize his hands before sticking them into the cheese and topping containers!
Uncle Ry showed him how to spread the pepperoni in circles starting at the outside edge of the crust, and Cart took it from there.  Looks yummy, Bud!