County Fair

is this weekend
the temp say's fair time
(it's hot)
this afternoon we paid a visit
where we watched trains...

ate tacos at the seratoma stand

walked the midway
(tiny as it was)

and visited the animal barns
where only one child touched any animals
my rosie should live on a farm
she would embrace the open space, the animals both farm and wild
she would love the mud, and the water
the plants and the garden
(it's that mud thing I'm sure)
when I watch her interact with animals I have moments of guilt
thinking this child should have these experiences
oh she would thrive (her momma not so much, it's that mud thing)
I waver at times and come close to saying to kevin let's buy a farm
then I catch myself and realize the insanity of those thoughts
and so I take her to the fair, and the zoo and any othe place that offers a time to interact with animals

party planning

when I realized that I had not planned much (none) of Rosie's birthday party
and that soon we would be moving into a new month and had yet to have her party
I realized it was time to call in some help.
My sister's friend Jackie happens to be a cake decorator so when Linette suggested I call her for the cake
I quickly made the call. After talking to Jackie I discovered cake decorating was not her only talent she also
created cutouts and party props...
after telling her the theme and listing the games we planned to play
she went to work and I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that several items were checked off the list
do you see that cake????
way more than I expected
can we just say wow!
I know how cool is that?

perhaps you noticed this Jessie cutout in some of the other pictures
wow! again

these were the cupcakes she made for the daycare kids
(we always have cupcakes with the daycare kids for each birthday)
these were amazing!
chocolate with cookie dough filling
oh.my.word.
I almost cried they tasted so yummy...

a cutout for one of the games
and a sign she made (for each game)
she made this party simple, and fun
her decorations and cake were amazing
I know I will be calling Jackie when the next birthday rolls around.

6th birthday party...

the theme Jessie from Toy Story
Her birthday arrived while we were on vacation...
I realized that I had yet to make her invites let alone set a date for her birthday party
I did have some things purchased (bought when I ordered yahaira and reyna's birthday supplies)
so in a bit of a rush I put my attention to making this birthday party happen.
my sister suggested a friend of hers to help with the cake and some decorations
(so very thankful for that suggestion)
games were found, linette sent a few ideas my way
food was figured out
and this morning the day of the party arrived...
with one very excited 6 year old

after 2 1/2 hours the house was empty
the laughter still echoed and the mess was slowly being contained
and still there was one extremely happy 6 year old who claimed this had been the best birthday ever!

a party for a six year old

included food

and games...
a horse obstacle course
(a broom was the horse)
water the horses
(the goal fill the bucket with water from another bucket, the catch the cup used to carry the water was full of holes)
rope 'em cowgirl
(lasso the animals)
snake in my boot
(a spin on drop the clothespin into the bucket)

and keeping with the cowgirl/Jessie theme we mined for gold
(the sandbox filled with gold nuggets (spray painted rocks) gems and rings)
by far the biggest hit of the day

birthday guests

cowgirls and cowboys
but no horse
oh she asked, oh did she ask.

sometimes

you just have to be creative...
Rosie received the Barbie swimming pool from Josh for her birthday
It was way to hot to take it outside to play, this past week has been unbelievable in the heat and humidity
letting those three play with it in the tub was a no go...sadly the tub isn't quite that large
I didn't rather embrace my kitchen floors being flooded and so I hauled the wading pool inside
put the swimming pool playset inside it, added water and watched them play for the longest time
of course they got wet...but thankfully my floor, walls and space did not
all good in my book
bonus...some very happy girls

water fun

hot summer days are made cooler with the simple addition of water...

National Eagle Center

In Wabasha, Minnesota
our final stop
an amazing place right on the Mississippi River
a place where eagles that are unable to be returned to the wild come to live
where you can view them and learn about them in a very kid friendly atmosphere
Definitely a place to return to!

returning

to minnesota

Pepin Wisconsin

birthplace of laura Ingalls Wilder
we visted the site of the Ingalls' homestead
explored the small cabin
visited the musuem in the town of pepin
and a farmers market
found myself wondering as I looked at map of all the places the Ingalls family lived
if this little group I traveled with would
find a tour of all the Laura homes as interesting as their mom.
I see a trip in the making in a few years...

mining

definitely the hit of the cave tour
they would have spent hours searching through their bag of sand
picking out all the colorful rocks and "gems"

Hank Aaron

as we roamed through Eua Claire we stumbled across this
tribute to Hank Aaron who got his start at this very ballfield
as with much we have seen, combined with the ages of this crew we travel with
this didn't register as awe inspiring or wow they simply were most fascinated by the sprinklers nearby