The Great Minnesota Get Together

I look forward to the State Fair every year and here it is again!  Frankie and I went to the fair Saturday night with my sister and her friend.  We had floor seat tickets to the Blake Shelton concert but of course we had to arrive 2 hours early so we could eat some yummy fair food first.  The concert was awesome (especially when his special guest Miranda Lambert came out on stage)!

Of course one night at the fair is not enough for us so Sunday morning we were back at the fair bright and early (in total we spent 15 hours at the fair this year).  This time Colton, Pop Pop and Sharon joined us for some State Fair fun.  We spend the day just wandering around the fair, going on rides and attempting to eat our own weight in food.  We even ran into some friends from the campground which was perfect because that meant Colton had a buddy to go on rides with! I really do love this time of year and I am considering going one more time although it gets expensive so I think this might be it for State Fair 2012, we are already looking forward to next year!

20 Things a Mother Should Tell Her Son

I read this today and knew it was something I needed to remember.... 20 Things a Mother Should Tell Her Son!!

1. You will set the tone for the sexual relationship, so don't take something away from her that you can't give back.

2. Play a sport. It will teach you how to win honorably, lose gracefully, respect authority, work with others, manage your time and stay out of trouble. And maybe even throw or catch.  (I played sports and I never learned how to lose gracefully, I HATE losing actually and dont handle it well most of the time, but hopefully my boys will learn that trait and not take after their mom.)

3. Use careful aim when you pee. Somebody's got to clean that up, you know. (So far so good on this one, Colton rarely misses the toilet, one trained - one to go!)

4. Save money when you're young because you're going to need it some day.

5. Allow me to introduce you to the dishwasher, oven, washing machine, iron, vacuum, mop and broom. Now please go use them.

6. Pray and be a spiritual leader.

7. Don't ever be a bully and don't ever start a fight, but if some idiot clocks you, please defend yourself.

8. Your knowledge and education is something that nobody can take away from you.

9. Treat women kindly. Forever is a long time to live alone and it's even longer to live with somebody who hates your guts.

10. Take pride in your appearance.

11. Be strong and tender at the same time.

12. A woman can do everything that you can do. This includes her having a successful career and you changing diapers at 3 A.M. Mutual respect is the key to a good relationship.

13. "Yes ma'am" and "yes sir" still go a long way.

14. The reason that they're called "private parts" is because they're "private". Please do not scratch them in public. (I know too many adults who were obviously never told this!)

15. Peer pressure is a scary thing. Be a good leader and others will follow.

16. Bringing her flowers for no reason is always a good idea. (Obviously Frankie was told this cause he has brought me flowers for no reason.)

17. Be patriotic.

18. Potty humor isn't the only thing that's humorous.

19. Please choose your spouse wisely. My daughter-in-law will be the gatekeeper for me spending time with you and my grandchildren.

20. Remember to call your mother because I might be missing you!  (They better call once they leave home cause I already know I will be lost without them)

I feel there is just one thing missing from this list... Tell them "I Love You".  The more they hear that the more they will be willing to use those same words (and actually mean it) later in life!  I love you to the moon and back Colton and Mason and will do my best to make sure you grow up to be fine young men.

Almost Perfect Evening

Sunday Evening we enjoyed dinner together and decided to head out to the park being as the weather was absolutely amazing.  The boys were running, climbing, jumping and sliding while I sat back and just watched my boys play together (those are the moments that I love the most)!!  After a half hour we decided to head home but Mason cried so hard when I buckled him into his seat that I caved and we stopped at another park for 15 more minutes of playtime!  After the park we headed to Dairy Queen for some ice cream treats.  This was seriously a perfect evening.... well almost, Frankie was stuck at work again because of a big event so we were missing the final puzzle piece to make it an actual Perfect Evening.  And believe it or not I do not always take my camera with me everywhere I go but thankfully I do have a camera on my phone so I still was able to snap a few shots of my boys!

Como Town Fun Day

The boys and I spent several hours today at Como Zoo and Como Town!  We were joined by some of my friends and their boys.  I just want to say I have some of the best friends a girl could ask for and after today I realized just how lucky I am and I very happy that our boys can grow up together.  We spent a couple hours in Como Town riding the rides... favorites being the Tea Cups and the Swings.  Then it was lunch and time to see some animals.  We had so much fun, it was a pretty much a perfect Minnesota weather day and getting out of the house was just what we needed.  And 4 hours of fresh air will make anyone sleepy - the boys have been sleeping since we left (Mason fell asleep before we even got back to the van) and 3+ hour naps means I have had some all to myself which I of course spent playing with the pictures I took today!  Anyways, here are some pictures from our Como Town Fun Day!  Thank you Alicia and Suzi for joining the boys and I today, it was so nice to see you guys and watch our boys interact together!

Babes in the Garden

The boys love to be out in the garden with us.  Colton has always helped with picking the veggies and Mason is quickly realizing just how fun it can be too.  This week we finally got to pick some tomatoes (they are very late this year) and Mason decided they looked more like they should be used as a baseball instead of something to put on a sandwich!  Fortunately we also finally had green beans ready and as soon as he got one taste a freshly picked green bean he forgot all about the "little red balls"!  Having a garden can be time consuming sometimes but we love it!

Lazy Night

So tonight we were all being lazy and just hanging in the basement (with Mason and I both on drugs to get us feeling better we don't have much extra energy- stupid Bronchitis)!  I was playing on the computer trying to get caught up on uploading pictures to an online storage site in case that my computer was to crash or something - I would need to be admitted to a nut house if I lost all my pictures.  The boys were both sitting on the couch watching TV and playing Nintendo.  After about 15 minutes I looked up and saw this and just had to snap a picture:

 I snapped a few pictures and then sat down in my comfy chair to post them and before I knew it they were snuggled up together watching Dora.  Seriously, I love these two boys and they love each other in case you can't tell!

Lee Lake Campground

The boys and I spent last weekend hanging with my cousin Sheila and her family at Lee Lake Campground in Hawley, MN.   It was quiet the drive, taking us just over 5 hours to get there.  But once the drive was over we had a great time.  We spent Friday night just hanging out and catching up.  Saturday included playing at the park, swimming in the pool, watching the kids play, collecting wood for rainbow campfires and smores!  It was fun to spend the weekend just relaxing and hanging with my cousin (who lives in Fargo so we don't get together as much as we would like)!!

 

First attempt at a photo shoot!

So tonight I headed down to Afton State Park with my assistant (my sister Marissa) to take some pictures of my other sister MaryBeth, her boyfriend Tim and the kids!  I was nervous that I wouldn't know how to pose them or be able to any good shots and it would be a complete waste of their time but after 2 hours and 170 clicks of the camera I think I got some good ones!  I am still sorting through the pictures and would like to do a little editing on them but here are just a few of my favorites that I thought I would share!

Weekend in North Country

The boys and I spent the weekend up at the lake with Grandma Yvonne and Grandma Lori!  That's right, we went to the lake with both Grandma's and believe it or not the boys still heard the word "NO" once or twice.  We had a great weekend, the weather was absolutely amazing.  We spent time relaxing, playing mini gold, go-kart racing, shopping, enjoying pizza and ice cream at some great little shops in Nisswa, more relaxing, and some swimming!  It was wonderful to get away from the hustle of everyday life and just enjoy life!