i'm back!

The boys and I just got back from a two week trip to Utah to visit my family. We had a blast and are still trying to recover. But, soon I'll have enough time and energy to post pictures and details of what we did while we were there!

never mind--moving on

So, after posting my last entry two days ago, not a single person jumped at the chance to get something from me. (It's a little embarrassing.) That means that a) no one really reads this blog, b) you were all scared at what homemade gift I would send, or c) this has been going on so long that no one wants to participate again. For my self esteem I'm going to assume it's option c.
So, let's just call the whole thing off, and move on with some fun fair pictures!

Wednesday night we went to see some of Bart's family at the county fair. His dad and his sister are both really involved every year (which by default means his mom is too!). So, we came to see their animals and have a fun evening together.Sadie showed the boys the bunnies she had entered in the fair, and Kade wanted to pet one. We got to eat some fair food while we there and of course followed it up with some fair treats. Yum! Bart and the boys shared this enormous snow cone. Look at Ky eyeing it. Too funny! I had to pick the least healthy treat at the fair: deep fried Snickers. It was delish!
It was fun to see Bart's family, including our nephew Cooper--who clapped a lot--so cute!

But the very best part of the fair were these little baby ducklings.
They were only two days old and sooooo soft. I seriously could have watched them for hours. It made me want to bring one home along with a baby chick, Chandler and Joey style! The boys loved petting the ducklings too and have asked several times when we can go back to the fair to see them.
As we were walking out of the fair, we noticed that they were holding a pig catching event in the grandstand so we decided to check it out. Teams of three people would wade though thick mud, chasing a pig, trying to pick it up and put it in a barrel. I have to say that I thought it was the weirdest form of entertainment I have ever seen. Plus, who decides that they want to tromp through thick mud, knowing you are going to get completely covered in mud (etc.), trying to pick up a heavy, stinky pig, and let everyone watch you. I don't get it. But I did take a picture of a team that did it very fast. Do you think they practice for this sort of thing?
Kade was super sad when we said it was time to leave, and in true Kade fashion, let us know how he felt.

pay it forward

I won these awesome gift tags made by my friend Heidi by being one of the first 5 people to comment on her blog. Aren't they cute. I can't wait to give a gift away so I can use them! I was super excited when I got them because a) they are stylish and practical, and b) because that is the 3rd time I've been one of the first to comment on a Pay it Forward post and the first time that I actually received something! Thanks Heidi!

So, this is how it works: the first 5 people to comment on this post will get something made by me! I get to choose what it is, and I have 3 months to send it to you. The catch? You then have to re-post this on your blog and give away 5 things made by you. Sounds like fun, right? Okay, comment away!

congratulations to my honey!

I want to say congratulations to my sweet hubby today. First, because this video that he made of our boys has now been viewed on YouTube over 10,000 times!! If you missed it the first time we posted about it, be sure to check it out. Or, if you saw it already but you want to be reminded of how talented Bart is and how cute our boys are, check it out again!

Next I want to give Bart a big "way to go" because last week he reached his one year mark working as a physician assistant. The practice he works for likes him so much they've decided to keep him! Thanks Bart for all your hard work. I'm sure you really do know what you are talking about when you try to explain all that medical mumbo-jumbo to me!
On his one year "work-iversary" the boys and I made these candy noses, mouths and ears (get it --ENT) and took them to share with the people that Bart works with. The peanut butter and chocolate ears and noses were the best.

smattering

As I looked through my picture folders I realized that I've missed posting some fun things we have done and some cute pictures from the past month or so. So, these are not in chronological order with the rest of my posts, but here they are:

This spring one rainy day, the boys and I went to splash in the puddles. This big puddle was their favorite and since it got muddy quickly, they thought it was fun to jump in the "chocolate milk." Several months ago I bought some finger paints for the boys to try. I finally got brave enough to let them use them a few weeks ago. They used it all up in one sitting, and made a much smaller mess than I expected.

A few weeks ago, we took a nice walk along the river. The light was so great that evening, and I was able to take some great pictures.

A few weeks ago, our ward sponsored a 5K and kids' run. The boys still talk about this race last January, so we knew they would want to race again this year. The boys ran the entire 1/2 mile kids' run and had a great time. They thought they won because they got a Popsicle at the end.

fishing trip

Last Friday, we packed a picnic lunch and headed north for a fun evening fishing trip with our friends, the Strucks. One of the doctors that Bart works with has a nice 2nd home right on the water, with the perfect dock for fishing off of. It was such a great evening and here's why:

First, I got to hold hands with this man...

Watch Ky's excitement when he caught this fish...and another one...

Watch my hubby fish with his sons...

Laugh that this was the biggest fish we caught all night...

Pretend not to think it's cute when Kade cries like this because all he wants to do all evening is throw rocks in water...

Watch Ky and Logan watch the tiny fish swimming in the water...
And end the evening watching the perfect sunset...

Hope we can go again real soon!

kids' day!

Yesterday was such a fun day! Our mayor has declared June 25th every year Kids' Day. So, a bunch of places in the area were offering free things and free admission to all the kids. There was so much to do and we were able to cram a lot into one day.
First, a large dental group was offering free exams and x-rays, so I was all over that. The boys both loved being at the dentist. No one got scared or nervous. In fact, they thought it was all so cool, they did just what they were asked and they made friends with everyone. They both have great teeth and no cavities. Hurray! Also, they were doing some fun drawings for prizes and I won a Sonicare toothbrush! I can't wait to pick it up. My teeth are going to be so clean!

Next we went to the library for a fun story time puppet show. Plus, the kids got to meet this dog from the puppet show.

Next we went to a museum. I'd been wanting to check it out for a while since I had someone tell me the boys would like it. Wrong. It was boring, even for me. So, we didn't stay long.

Next, we headed over to Lambeau Field. We got free lunch, the boys got to sit in a fire tuck, we got to meet some of the football players, watch a video of highlights from last years' football season (which my three year-olds loved), get their faces painted, and jump in the inflatable football stadium. Actually, all the other kids jumped in it. My boys realized that it looked like a football field, so they spent all their time in there tackling each other. (Which, by the way, is what they spend most of the time at home doing.)
Next we went to the movie theater to see which free movies they were showing, but they were either not 3 year old appropriate, or we owned them, so we headed over to the Railroad Museum instead. We've been wanting to go there for a few weeks, but admission is kinda steep. But, since the boys got in free for Kid's Day, it worked out great. This was my favorite part of the day. There were so many real trains to explore. Many of them you could go in. Some of them you started in the front and walked all the way back, through the dining car, through the sleeping car, through the kitchen, etc. Since there were trains from different eras, it was neat to see the differences. I couldn't help wondering what it would have been like to travel that way, sleeping in the cute little bunks as the train moved across the country. It was so neat! We even got to go on a little train ride at the end.
When we finished there, we headed over to the little amusement park in the city. This has to be one of my favorite things about living here. Usually the rides are all a quarter or two, but they were free for the kids. The boys' favorite ride is the "chooer airplanes." They rode this one three times. The last time, Ky's chooer (gun) wasn't working, so he started bawling. It was cute and heartbreaking to see him going around and around with huge tears running down his cheeks, and just the saddest face. But, he loves that ride, it was late and we had been going all day.

Before we left, I decided to get a little crazy. I love the Tilt-a-Whirl, and decided to see if my boys would too. So, we stood in the long line at the end of a very long day. As we got closer, I started to get nervous that I was making a big mistake. I starting picturing them crying and screaming for several minutes while the ride spun them around and around, with nothing I could do but sit between them and tell them it was going to be okay. But, I made them ride on it with me anyway. Let me just say that I have never been on the Tilt-a-Whirl when it spun around so much! It was almost a little too much for me. But, both the boys laughed the entire ride! They never once got scared or nervous, they just laughed and laughed. They couldn't stop talking about it on the way home, they had to tell Bart all about it first thing this morning, Ky even woke up in the middle of the night wanting to tell daddy about it. I'm so relieved that they didn't hate it, and happy that they had such a good time on it!

What a great day it was. We did enough to make for an exciting week, and we did it all in one day! I just wish Bart could have been there with us.