Adventures with Nellie

Some of you may remember Ned.  He was Hunter's preschool's class bear that went home on the weekends with the students to get a glimpse into their life at home.  Well this year, Hunter is in the morning preschool class and they have Nellie, Ned's sister.  This past weekend, it was Hunter's weekend to bring Nellie home.  And let me tell you, we had quite the adventures!  Take a look at what we did!

After school, Hunter, Nellie and I went to Mi Mexico for lunch.  Hunter enjoyed a quesadilla, fries and my rice.  He tried to feed Nellie, but she must not have been too hungry.  After this we went over to Caribou to visit Auntie Melissa who was working.

That night, we baked cut-out Halloween cookies.  We had bats, cats, haunted houses, ghosts, pumpkins and witches!  They were quite the helpers!

 Saturday morning, we hit the road at 8:00 AM and headed south to Iowa.  (See, Nellie picked a good weekend to spend with us).    We drove, and drove, stopped for some lunch and continued to drive arriving to Craig's project site around 3:45 in the afternoon.  We found out that Nellie is a great traveler!  And so were the boys.  We only stopped 3 times. 

At the site, they were just starting to put up the nacelle of the turbine.  So we drove over there and watched the crane bring it to the top of the tower.  They were going to hang the rotor (blades and hub) but the wind picked up and they were unable to.  Either way, it was fun watching the crane and seeing a little dot poke up from the top of the tower now and then directing the crane.  The little dot was a person.  Not sure I would like that job and I made my husband tell me he is not doing that. 

We got a tour of the site, checked out some turbines, went to Craig's office, checked out their wind turbine pumpkins and then went to the dirty hotel Craig's apartment.  Don't worry, he keeps his place pretty clean, but the first time we were there, the halls were dirty and Hunter called it the dirty hotel.  So that's it's name.  We went to Pizza Hut for supper and then hung out at the dirty hotel.  Brody had a rough night and didn't want to sleep.  We finally got him down around 10:30 which is late for a little by who is usually in bed at 7:00-7:30.

Sunday morning, we decided to skip church since they were up and at em at 6:00!  Short night!  We got on the road around 10:00 to head to Omaha, NE.  We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory-yum!, and then went downtown to the Children's Museum.  The boys had a blast.  So did Nellie (Ok, so she just stayed in the car...it's hard enough keeping tabs on 2 boys).  But we did take a picture of her and Hunter outside of the museum before leaving.

Monday morning, we woke before the crack of dawn at 5:30, packed up and were on the road at 6:30 AM.  We drove and drove again and finally arrived home at 2:00.  We changed into costumes, took pictures to send to Target, then began our trick or treating adventure.  And all 3 of my "children" for the weekend were in costume: Mario, Luigi and a cheerleader.

Nellie came trick or treating with us around town to see our loved ones.  She  helped me hand out candy while my brother, Andrew took Hunter around our neighborhood and Brody stayed home and ate supper and went to bed. 

 It was a fun weekend and very busy.  Hunter was very excited after school because he was able to share what he did with Nellie.  Mrs. Roste told him that Nellie had never been to Iowa or Nebraska.  Lucky bear!  He told me the kids liked the pictures too and told me they said things like, "Whoa!  That is so cool!"  "Neat!" "That looks fun!"  He is proud of his daddy and was happy to share some of the things with his classmates and to actually be able to see the project.  Even though this isn't a typical weekend for us, we still had fun and it gave Nellie a glimpse of how wild, crazy, and adventurous our life can be.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

If I could sum up our summer in one word it would be "busy"!  But I like it that way.  It let's us do fun things and makes the periods in between Craig's rotations go by faster.  Always a plus.  Our August has been very busy.  Here is a run down of what we have done:

August 1st-5th: Hunter had VBS at our church.  He loved it and it got him excited to start school this fall!

August 3rd:  Went to the American Idol concert at the Target Center with one of my best friends, Kiley.  We had a great day of shopping, eating downtown and going to the concert.  The concert was great with so much talent!  And I got to see my favorites from the season. :)  It was a fun show!

August 7th: Craig's cousin, Meghan flew in from Arizona.  It was great to see her again because we only see her for about a week every year.  Not enough time, so we make the most of our time together.  While she was here, we decided to take a road trip to the North Shore and show her a different part of MN. So, August 9-11 we went to the Duluth, Lutsen, Grand Marais area.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our trip up north.

 Love my boys.

 The boys and I at Gooseberry Falls.

 The whole group! Hunter, Meghan, Melissa, Brody, Heidi, Henry and me!

 Can you believe my 5 year old took this picture?  Impressed?  So was I! Hiking around Gooseberry Falls.

 Brody, me, Hunter and Meghan riding the Gondola at Lutsen.

 Brody on the shores of Lake Superior in Grand Marais.

 Throwing rocks into the lake.

 Hunter and the lighthouse keeper at Split Rock.  He asked him a bunch of questions about his job.

 Brody rock climbing on the shores by Split Rock

 Hunter being adventurous!

Meg and me at the Rose Gardens in Duluth.

On August 13th, I attended a going away party for Kiley before she left for law school.  Yes, she's very smart and in three years if you need a lawyer, I can hook you up.  We had a great day on the lake hanging out and finished the evening at the Garfield Street Dance.  On the 15th, I went to Grand Forks to help her finish moving in and watch her nephew while she went to an induction supper.  On the way, I said good-bye to Meghan when I dropped her off at the airport in Fargo.  It was a sad day of good-byes.  Let's just say a fear tears were let out that day.

See...I told you it's been a busy August!  And I'm only half way done.  Not kidding.

On August 18, we hit the road to the great state of South Dakota.  We were there until the 24th.  Here are a few highlights from our trip:

 After many billboards advertising Wall Drug, we finally made it!!  My cute little cowboy and Indian at the Wall Drug Backyard.

 The family in the Badlands National Park.

 We got off the main road through the park.  Best decision ever.  Ok, maybe not ever, but it was that day.  We came across this herd of bison in the road.  We didn't rush them!  Just your average traffic jam in South Dakota.

 Crazy Horse Memorial.  One day it will be finished.  When?  Who knows.  Still pretty neat to check out.

 Bear Country USA.  What a neat place!  And the best part was that Hunter thought we just took a random road that just so happened to have a bunch of wildlife including a lot of bears.  I think it'll be sad for the day he learns how to read.  All of the excitement of things get sucked out.  Ok, not really, but next year, he may know that it is just a tourist attraction and not just a random road.

 Brody's first train ride!  We rode the 1880 Train from Hill City to Keystone and then back.  Brody loved it for the most part.  He even fell asleep on the way to Keystone.  Half way back to Hill City he was ready to get out of his seat and walk around.

 Hunter loved it too!  He was really quiet and took in the scenery around him and enjoyed the ride.

 The "boys" in front of the train.  It was getting ready for it's next trip so we watched the engineers get water into the engine and prep the train.

 My favorite family picture from the trip :).  Needles Highway.

The family at Mount Rushmore.  I guess Hunter is now Abraham Lincoln and Brody is wondering who the heck that guy is that my mom stopped and is now holding our camera taking a picture. 

 Hunter's a little model!!  Along Spearfish Canyon Scenic Bi-way.  Such a pretty drive with some great waterfalls!

 At the bottom of Roughlock Falls.

 Devil's Tower, WY.  A really neat place.  If you are going to hike around it, make sure to bring good shoes, water, and know that there is a sign marking the half way point when in your head you are convinced you are at least 2/3 of the way around.  It was a hot day and the longest 1.3 miles of my life.  Strap on a 30 pound kid to your back.  But totally worth it.

 Not a bad view for a picnic!  And a cute kid too :)  I know, I'm biased.

 No, we did not force Hunter to take this picture.  He saw them and kept asking if he could take his pictures with the cowboys.  Which is funny because anytime WE would want to take a picture of him he would pout/whine/complain...you get an idea of what we dealt with.  He looks a little nervous, but I think he enjoyed the guys in Deadwood.

 Pretty sure we heard the question "Are we going to the Corn Palace today?" about 5 times a day.  Originally our plan was to stop on our way out, but due to some rain we passed thru Mitchell and stopped on our way back.  Hunter was excited to finally see the world's only Corn Palace.  And it was neat.  We went inside and saw how they transform the palace year after year and come up with a new design.  And Tanya Tucker's band was warming up, so we had some great music to listen to.  Oh!  And the best part was: air conditioning.  It was about 95 outside that day and the sweat would just roll off your forehead.  Yuck.

And our final stop before parting ways was Falls Park in Sioux Falls.  Our view from the observation tower.  The tower that I climbed while carrying Brody thinking that Craig and Hunter were just a little ahead of us.  Only to find out they took the easy way up and rode the elevator.  Why didn't I think of that??  Especially since it felt like 100 degrees inside of the tower with zero air movement.  I was about ready to pass out.

Well, now you can see why I have been MIA this month.  But hopefully this catches you up with our life and you understand.  Hope you all are having a great summer!  Enjoy it while it lasts because before you know it we will be dealing with S***....Yeah, you know that ugly four letter word.

Rain is a Good Thing

There is a song by Luke Bryan (a country singer for those of you who don't know who that is) called "Rain is a Good Thing".  After days and days of rain, I would sing bits and pieces of this song in my head and reminding myself that the rain isn't all bad.  Ok, maybe not this much rain, but really, we do need it.  There was one line of the song that was on repeat in my head.  "Kids out playin' in a big mud puddle."  I knew that I wanted the boys to get out and play in a puddle once the rain finally quit and assure them that rain can be fun too.  Thankfully this week, Hunter has had science camp so he hasn't been stuck inside all week.  But, a lot of "Rain, Rain, Go Away" was sung in our house this week.  And let's all be honest, we've had enough for awhile and we're ready for summer and the sunshine and heat that goes with it.  And I knew that they would get dirty...I just didn't know how bad it would get.  But I can tell you, there is nothing better than seeing pure joy on your child's face and it doesn't matter how dirty they get as long as they're having fun...right?
 

 Brody and Hunter testing out the big mud puddle at Grandpa Al's.

 Splish! Splash!  Not going to lie, this was almost a big collision.

Classy kid.  I asked Brody to point to his nose and this is what I get.  Also, take notice of his jeans.  They're pretty dirty...

 But since they weren't dirty on the back, he decided to fall and get the full dirty effect.  I actually love this picture and so glad I was able to capture the splash.  And I couldn't help but to laugh.  My dad thought I was crazy and just shook his head most of the time.  But I did see a few smiles on his face.

 Yep, I didn't anticipate that it would get this messy.  Oh well.

This summarizes the boys so well.  Hunter has always hated getting messy and this was really pushing the limits for him.  In Brody's eyes, the messier the better!  He literally crawled through the puddle.  I hope we get to do this again this summer.  I hope that the sun in shining and it is warmer and I can strip them down to their undies and diapers and let them have fun and rinse off in a sprinkler.  See, rain is a good thing.  Especially in the eyes of a child!

Road Trip!

WARNING!  PICTURE AND WORD OVERLOAD!

Saturday morning, the boys and I hit the road and headed south to Iowa to go and visit Craig.  We knew it would be a long trip, but for some reason, it felt a lot longer than we anticipated.  First stop: Sauk Center, MN.  Yes, only 25 minutes into our trip.  The boys were doing fine, but we needed to buy tickets for Craig and Hunter so they can go and see some monster trucks this upcoming weekend.  Next stop: Redwood Falls, MN.  My bladder just couldn't hold it any longer, so we pulled off at a Wal-Mart.  Typically we go to gas stations, but I always feel like in order to use their bathroom you have to get gas or buy something.  And, I packed snacks, water, juice, pop so there was no need to go to one.  We walked in and found $1 on the floor.  So, Wal-Mart paid me to use their bathroom.  Next stop: Windom, MN.  I finally convinced Hunter that we needed to stop for lunch somewhere.  He didn't want to stop because he was eager to see his dad.  After arguing with a 5 year old (you don't always get very far) and a phone call to his dad, we decided we better stop or else we would be really hungry.  Next stop: Sioux Rapids, IA.  It was so nice to finally be in the same state as Craig!!    We stopped, went to the bathroom and bought some water to refill the sippy cups.  We kept trucking...oops!  carring according to Hunter since we weren't driving a car.  Next stop: Carroll, IA.  We went to Wal-Mart again and used their bathroom.  I wish I would have taken a picture of their sinks because they were so cool!  We tried to get together with our old neighbors in Carroll, but they were busy.  Next time.  Next stop: Atlantic, IA.  This is the town Craig is currently living in.  I had to go to the bathroom again so we stopped at a Wal-Mart before heading out to the site.  I promise, I'm not pregnant, but that bathroom breaks sure felt like I was!  Next stop: Massena, IA Rolling Hills Wind Project.  We were able to meet some of Craig's co-workers, see his office and he gave us a small tour of the site.  They are busy and at the end of the project there will be 193 turbines.  This is one of the biggest wind projects in the country and is also Mortenson's 100th wind project.  Kind of exciting!

 Here is a picture of a base-mid (the lower 2 sections of a wind turbine, a 19 axle trailer that hauled a nacelle, and a blade in the background.  Next week they will start topping off turbines which means it will look complete with the top section, nacelle, hub and blades.  We then went with Craig back to Atlantic and saw the "dirty hotel" aka Craig's apartment.  The halls were in need of some cleaning but Craig's apartment was in decent order.  We grabbed Subway and were off to Council Bluffs, IA for the night.  As the sun set, we arrived at our hotel...the new hotel in Hunter's words...and slept for the night.  The next morning, we packed up and headed to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, NE.  It was amazing!  We arrived there around 9:45 AM and didn't leave until 3:00 PM.  Granted, we ate lunch there, but there was so much to see!  If you haven't been there and ever get the chance to go, I highly recommend it.

 Craig and the boys feeding the goats in the petting zoo.

 Hunter and Brody ready for the steam engine to give us a tour of the zoo.  They boys loved it.  Brody was a little hesitant at first, but really enjoyed himself.

 Hunter and Gerry the gorilla.  The zoo person was telling us some info about him and told us that Gerry likes to scare people by charging the glass and banging on it.  He told us that Gerry thinks it's funny.  Little did we know that it would happen about 5 seconds after this picture was taken.  And even though we were half way expecting it, you never dream it will happen.  It was so neat though. 

 Here is a picture of the steam engine that took us around the zoo.

 The boys and I in front of the giraffes.  I like giraffes.

 Brody checking out sharks, sting rays, sea turtles and fish as they swam around him in a tunnel.  It was very cool.  I told Craig, "Isn't it crazy knowing that these things were swimming with us every time we went to the beach in Texas."  I don't like to think about it. 

 Epcot?  No.  It's the Desert Dome that houses lots of animals from the desert.

 After the zoo, we went to downtown Omaha.  We found a park to walk around and then went to a street fair and checked out lots of art from different vendors.  It was a gorgeous day and we were able to walk around the little river thing.  Very relaxing.  Not a bad family picture for a self timer, huh?  We are all looking and smiling!

 While walking around, we came across this really cool slide.  You had to wait in line just to go down it.  There were two and that was the only playground equipment.  It was huge and something we didn't expect to find downtown.  Hunter had a blast going down it twice!

After a day in Omaha, we headed back to Atlantic, picked up some things from the dirty hotel and then went to the new hotel.  We were exhausted!  The next morning, Craig left for work before any of us were up.  It was up to me to get the boys ready, fed, and out the door with all of our luggage.  The day started to Hunter waking me up because he was sick to his stomach.  Great.  Just what we need.  Thankfully he wasn't throwing up...it was the other end.  Not ideal, but I think throwing up is worse.  So, we got up, I ran downstairs to the breakfast room while Brody was in his pack and play and Hunter was watching him/cartoons.  Grabbed a few things to eat and headed back with my hands full.  I gave Hunter very specific directions not to answer the door for anyone, but with my hands full of food/drinks, I couldn't reach my key in my pocket.  So I kicked the door with my foot and after a couple of minutes of that and convincing Hunter I wasn't a stranger he opened the door.  We ate breakfast, finished packing up and headed out.  Let's just say it is rather difficult when you're on the second floor of a hotel with no elevator, two kids, three bags of belongings, a diaper bag, a purse and a pack and play.  But somehow, we made it out and nobody got hurt.  Phew.  So we were on the road.  First stop: McDonald's in Atlantic, IA.  I needed a boost to my day so I got a large pop to start it out.  It's so nice they only charge $1.  Next stop: Carroll, IA.  About 15 min. before we got there, Hunter told me he had to go to the bathroom really bad and his tummy hurt.  We were no where close to a bathroom!  Ahh.  Thankfully, we made it to a gas station and it was obvious that he was a sick little boy.  How were we going to make it the remaining 6 hours drive time.  That is not including stops.  We drove by our old house in Carroll and headed to Wal-Mart.  I bought some big boy diapers for an emergency and we were down to one wipe so we got more.  As we were in there, the rain started to pour, the lightning was flashing like crazy and the thunder was booming and cracking loudly.  We were stuck.  So, we went and picked up an umbrella.  The rain was coming down in sheets and the wind was very strong.  There were many people standing in the entry way and we did too.  After about 5 minutes, I realized we couldn't wait for the rain to let up, we had to go for it.  I grabbed our bags, grabbed Brody, told Hunter to stay close and opened our new umbrella.  We quickly went to the car, but the wind was catching our umbrella and we ended up getting wet. 

 Hunter thought it was fun running through the storm.  Brody wasn't a fan.  And he wasn't thrilled to be back in his car seat.  As you can see we were a little wet.  Not too bad though.  So, after 45 minutes in Carroll, IA we set back out on the open road through a thunderstorm.  It let up about 20 minutes down the road, thank goodness.

 Here is a barn that I like along the way that is north of Carroll.  Many barns/out buildings in IA have quilt blocks on them.  Kind of neat.  We drove and we drove.  We stopped to get some gas and we had a bathroom break.  After our break and Hunter assured me he didn't have to go to the bathroom, we were on the road.  Five minutes later, it hit and he had to go.  So, we pulled over on a gravel road to put on a diaper.  We finally got it on after 15 minutes of tears because he knew he wasn't a baby, but I convinced him it didn't mean he was a baby, it was for an emergency.  So, we got it on, but then he didn't have to go.  False alarm.  We kept it on just in case.  We drove until we got to Okoboji, IA where we stopped for lunch. 

 When we used to live in Carroll, we would stop here often for lunch.  It is Los Pueblos and it has really great Mexican food.  Not as good as the place in Texas, because nothing will compare to that, but it's decent.  After filling up on chips, salsa, tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, and rice, we were on the road again.  We finally crossed back into MN.  We were getting ready for another break, and we came across the sign for the Jeffers Petroglyphs.  Curiosity finally got the best of me, so we took the road to it and ventured the 4 miles off our path to see them.  As we pulled up, we saw a visitor's center.  Hmm...not what I was expecting.  I thought it was a park where we could get out, look at some petroglyphs and we'd be on our way.  Wrong.  After digging out the stroller from the trunk, we were on our way.  As we walked in, I noticed it would cost me $6.  Ok fine.  Whatever.  I drove this far, I've always wondered, and it would help preserve history.  I asked the lady if we could go out to the site.  She suggested we watch the 8 minute video to learn more and look around the visitors center.  And we had to wait a few minutes because the guide had another group out already.  What?!  This is a guided tour?!?  What did I get myself in to!!??  Hunter really wanted to watch the video, so he went into the theater.  I tried with Brody, but he was terrified.  After a couple of dirty looks, I left the little theater and we looked around some more.  Hunter thought the video was interesting.  The lady then showed us some of the tools the Indians used.  Hunter was very interested and asked questions.  Brody was bored.  Finally it was time for us to walk the 1/4 mile out to the site.  Once there, our guide told us more info about the petroglyphs, we could ask questions, she showed us the petroglyphs since they can be hard to see.  And we had to walk on a two foot path that was roped off so we didn't ruin any of the petroglyphs.  Brody hated this.  It was not how he imagined stretching his legs and it was obvious he wanted to run.  Hunter had no clue what he was looking at besides some rocks.  Had I been there alone or with Craig, I think I would have enjoyed it and would have appreciated it more.  But I was so frustrated and irritated and was ready to get home.

We made the 1/4 mile trek back to the visitors center and interrupted a ceremony that was going on by a group of 15 or so Indians.  Oops!  We went to the bathroom, changed a diaper and walked out to a very smoke filled, funny smelling visitors center.  We got to the car and I realized that I just spent $6 and one and a half hours there.  Ahhh!  No more stops, please!!

This is one of the petroglyphs she pointed out.  It is a turtle.  It is fascinating, but not ideal for small children.  On the road again we were.  Right before Olivia, MN, Hunter had to go to the bathroom again because his tummy hurt.  False alarm again and it was just gas.  Phew.  We grabbed Subway to go and finished our journey home.  We finally arrived to our house at 7:30 PM.  It was a full day of travel and adventure.

Even with how busy we were and all the curves along the way, we had a great time visiting Craig, seeing his site, his home away from home and being able to cross off another state on my list.  Hunter and Brody's too.  Not sure when we'll make the next trip down, but I definitely hope it is less eventful.