4th of July

I'm just now finally getting around to posting some pictures from our busy July, starting with the always fun weekend of the fourth. For the past several years in a row we have been at the cabin in Barnes, WI, near Hayward. This year was no exception. The small town of Barnes has quite a bit bigger population for it's 4th of July events, including a pancake breakfast at the church, the parade down "mainstreet", a concert on the lawn of the church in the early evening, and of course the fireworks, which are set off at the town park... pretty much right in front of all of the onlookers. Here are some pictures of our weekend!

The sign on this float in the parade says it all... decades of fun at the lake! :)


Matt's Uncle Dave was able to join us for the weekend, so that was fun to hang out with him.


All of the floats were throwing candy, and a few had other items too, like this necklace that Mckenna got, and promptly put in her mouth.


And this festive mini beach ball, the perfect size for Mckenna to play with. She plays with this at home quite a bit too - she loves it!


Matt's parents are really involved in this church when they're at the cabin - Barnes Community Church.






And what small town event is complete without the presence of John Deere? ;)




On to the evening fireworks display. Mckenna was going strong as we waited for the fireworks to begin, but as you'll see below, soon faded fast...




I promise, she isn't mad or upset in this picture, even though it really looks like it. I remember that when this picture was taken, she was literally falling asleep. And no loud booms had started yet, but I was covering her ears in anticipation... I knew they were going to start any second.




I wasn't sure how she would react to the fireworks, and I was prepared to go inside if she seemed scared, but instead this is what she did the entire time - slept like, well, a baby! She fell asleep before the fireworks started, and stayed asleep the whole evening - she didn't even flinch at any of the loud sounds. That's our girl. :)


And we got her in the car smoothly, and she slept the whole drive back to the cabin. We got her into bed without incident. Mckenna's first 4th of July experience... mission accomplished!


The next day we continued our great weekend by enjoying Mckenna's first ever boat ride at the cabin. It's funny to think that even though we live in Minnesota and go to the lake in Wisconsin a lot, she had been on a boat in the ocean (in Mexico) before being on a lake. Go figure.




Can't wait to go back for the fun again next summer!

Minnesota State Fair

Today Matt, Kristi and I went to the MN State Fair, otherwise known as the Great MN Get-Together. It is one of the nation's largest and best-attended state fairs, as well as boasting the most "foods on a stick" of any fair, such as cheese on a stick, MN hotdish (known to most as casserole) on a stick, spaghetti and meatballs on a stick, deep fried candy bar on a stick, and much more. Every year there are a few new treats on a stick added to the lineup, and this year one of them is chocolate covered bacon on a stick... sounds strange, right?

I was wondering how I would feel at this point (34.5 weeks) and if I'd want to go or not, but I was feeling good, so we went for it. We left home earlier in the morning so we could get back home for our last evening before school starts tomorrow. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, and I held up surprisingly well. Here are some pictures from our day. Enjoy!



Kristi took this picture of Matt and I and wanted me to put my big belly in where your face should go. Funny picture! Notice the famous big yellow slide in the background.


One of Matt's favorite state fair treats - Pickle on a Stick!

I took this picture of Kristi for her to send to her friends in Alaska... home of the roving moose in the street. :)





I love to go to the Miracle of Birth Center, an agricultural education exhibit that is the birthplace of approximately 200 animals every summer, including chicks, ducklings, bunnies, calves, lambs and piglets during the fair’s 12 day run. The animals are so cute, and fun to watch in their first few days and to pet. :)




And 7 hours after we arrived, we were definitely ready to go home... we'll sleep well tonight! It's fun to think that next year we will have a little baby to experience the fun with us. :)

Matt's 32nd Birthday!

Matt turned 32 on Friday, August 15th, and we did some fun things that day, like go to see The Dark Knight at the MN Zoo Imax Theatre. But a week later we had a birthday "fun day" around town - a full day! First we went to the Science Museum of MN in downtown St. Paul to see an Omni theater film about movie special effects and to see the Star Wars exhibit. It was awesome! Next we ate lunch at Fabulous Fern's Bar & Grill, a few blocks from the St. Paul Cathedral. After that we made a stop at Home Depot (one of Matt's favorite stores) to buy a gadget for Matt's summer garage organization project, then to Babies R Us to buy a baby swing. You may notice my rather large belly - how could you not... :) I'm now 34.5 weeks and counting, and getting more and more excited every day. Lastly we stopped by Brad and Jessica's house to see our niece and nephews, Sarah, Tommy, and Jacob. My Dad was watching them because Brad and Jess are out of town at a Luis Palau festival in Portland. So we played with the little guys for awhile before their dinner time. Finally we got back home and Kristi made dinner for us. It was a fun and full day. Here are some pictures... Happy Birthday, Matt! :)





















Fun fact: Did you know that Yoda's appearance was partly patterned after Albert Einstein? Also, the same guy that did Grover's voice from Sesame Street and another character (can't remember which one) from the Muppets did Yoda's voice too.