Bike Helmets Pay Off

The other day Jr. Princess and I went out for a bike ride/walk. We had barely gotten out of the driveway when we got stopped by the police! The two sheriffs got out and told Jr. Princess she was such a big girl riding her big girl bike, and complemented her on wearing her helmet. After the shock of a police officer actually stopping to talk with her, she beamed with pride while talking about her lady bug helmet. After they exchanged high fives, the sheriffs gave her a "ticket" for catching her wearing a helmet that gets her a free cone at Dairy Queen. What an awesome surprise!

I have a feeling it will no longer be a problem convincing the kids to wear their helmets!

This One's for Grandpa L

I sliced up a peach the other day for the girls to share, and Starshine wanted to know if she could nibble off of the core. I told her that Grandpa L would put the whole thing in his mouth and suck it down to the pit (because Grandpa L is not a waster). Well, she thought that was pretty fabulous...

Vacation Day 1 - Wild Mountain

The girls loved going to Wild Mountain so much last year that we knew it had to be a part of vacation this year, too. Hands down, their favorite part is the alpine slide. This year I think we went at least 12 times. Here we are going up the chair lift (which is practically a ride in itself)...
And here we are on the way down. Starshine isn't quite tall enough to go by herself, but we let her drive.

I think the racing goggles are a nice touch...

We also love the go karts. They have a mini kiddie track, too, which is heaven for the girls who are normally strapped into car seats. Last year Jr. Princess could barely reach the pedals. This year - driving maniac!

It was definitely a chilly day. The good news - there was hardly anybody there so we never had to wait in a line for anything. The bad news - the waterslides were a test of our fortitude. We put in a bunch of waterslide runs, but thank goodness the girls love the other activities even more.

Overall, it was a great first day.

Vacation - Days 2 and 3

After a fun night in the hotel, we were off to the Duluth area. Can you believe this is our first Minnesota vacation?

I have officially turned into my father. We decided to drive up to Two Harbors and just explore, so we turned off the road anywhere we saw "scenic view" or "nature walk" (I did draw the line at no historical markers.) This drove my sister and me NUTS when we were younger, but my kids were in good spirits. Jr. Princess loved any occasion to throw rocks in the water...... or be the line leader...
Starshine loved any opportunity to climb big rocks...

...or pose with touristy displays, statues, etc...

My favorite story was when we were in downtown Duluth. Jr. Princess and I got out to walk across the lift bridge while M&M Dad and Starshine found a place to park. I had just explained to her that the bridge lifts up for boats (and we posed for the below picture), when the announcement came on "Attention, the lift bridge is about to raise. Please leave the bridge immediately." Well, Jr. Princess looked up in alarm and took off RUNNING to get off the bridge. It was super funny. In her defense, the bridge started lifting almost immediately after we stepped off. She wouldn't go anywhere near it for the rest of our time there.

Then, when we got to the hotel, we were disappointed to find there were no 2 Queen rooms, only 1 King. Well, no problem. Jr. Princess was super excited to sleep on the chair/ottoman!

Vacation Day 4 - Fishing

Our last day of vacation was spent at home, but it was a big hit because the girls finally got to go fishing.

Jr. Princess was loved playing with the worms...


And they each caught a lot of bluegills...

Starshine was a bit disappointed that she didn't catch a salmon - her favorite fish :).

Swimming Videos

I can't believe it - Starshine knows how to swim. We knew she was close, but on vacation this weekend apparently something clicked. Check out her awesome video...

Not to be outdone, Jr. Princess wanted to show you how she can put her face in the water like a big girl.

And just for fun, here is Starshine pretending to surf...

Dad Extraordinare

I don't think M&M Dad woke up this morning thinking, "I wonder how many stereotypical dad events I cram into one day," but he sure was busy.

1. He cut down a couple of dead trees in the back yard, which was all the more challenging because we don't have an axe or chainsaw.

2. He taught the girls to cast in the backyard with blue wiffle balls in preparation for our mini vacation next week. Jr. Princess is a natural, though I am nervous for the switch to actual hooks.


3. He aced the girls in water balloon throwing (which explains the swimming suits for the fishing lesson.)

4. He helped me smoke the best pork shoulder we've ever made - delicious!

5. And he helped Starshine finally lose her first tooth without dental assistance!

He might actually beat me to sleep tonight!

I started the day helping Starshine clean her room. Seriously, I am the only thing standing between her and some future hoarders' intervention. She wants to keep everything!

I let Starshine listen to my Ipod to relax while M&M Dad tried to extract the tooth, and Jr. Princess didn't want to be left out. Here she at her bedtime snack...

Berries, Berries and More Berries!

The girls and I are summer berry fanatics, so Friday we decided to bake a yummy pound cake, whip our own cream (Jr. Princess didn't realize that it doesn't have to come from a can), and pour on a boat load of blueberries and strawberries. Yum...

Then, on Saturday we went for a fun family bike ride. M&M Dad had scouted an awesome straight, flat path which was perfect for our newest bike rider, Jr. Princess. The best part? The path was right by Costco so we could finish up with a little shopping and an even bigger vat of strawberries!

On an unrelated note...

I love this picture of Jr. Princess with her 3 best friends - Emmy, Baby Emmy and Buddy. They are inseparable!

Thank you!

The girls light up like Christmas trees whenever there is a package on our front steps. Often they are disappointed because it is just my medication, but this week was for real - they each got a box!


First Starshine got a box full of Grandpa M's daily workbooks. They go awesome with the summer school math packet we got last weekend from Auntie. Starshine wants to try and stay sharp on math this summer to make sure she doesn't take a step back after such progress this year.

And actually, Jr. Princess LOVES the Kindergarten math workbook. She is great at it. She is SOOOOO ready for school (albeit a year early).

Then Jr. Princess got an awesome memory book from Grandma L all about her big girl adventure back in May.

Thank you!

Thank you for the math stuff Grandpa M .

thank you

Camp Grandma and Grandpa

In case you've been wondering why we haven't posted in awhile, well we have been busy living kid free!

Last Saturday my parents drove up to pick up the kids for a week at Camp Grandma and Grandpa x2. We don't know all of the sugar-laden, multi-McDonald-trip details, but here are some pictures curtesy of Grandpa L...

They stopped at my Aunt's farm on the ride home, where both girls got to ride a donkey. They got to feed birds at the zoo...

They went on the Jelly Belly factory tour...
They then went to Grandma and Grandpa M's house where they went on the train to Chicago for a fun day trip, and got to play with one of their cousins.

Then, M&M Dad and I joined them the following weekend. I went with my parents and the girls to the 4th of July parade while M&M Dad helped prepare for Grandma and Grandpa M's big move. The girls loved the parade, especially looking for Auntie and Uncle's recycling project.

They had a great time (and so did we). Too bad it ended with Jr. Princess having a mysterious swollen eye that totally freaked me out. It did not respond to Benadryl, so she went to the doctor when we got home and she already looks better after 24 hours with an antibiotic. Now we are just crossing our fingers that she isn't allergic to this antibiotic (like the last two). The good news - at least I'm ready for potential hives with a leftover half-bottle of Benadryl.