2010 state fair {minnesota}

The Great Minnesota Get-Together. Where the general public pays, with money, to weave their way in and out of great throngs of sweaty people so that they can wander through smelly animal exhibits, shake hands with a (hopefully not) corrupted politician or two, go on a few overpriced rides, play a few overpriced games and, of course, stuff their faces with all sorts of overpriced cuisine. Most of which comes on a stick. And let's be honest. The food? Is the real reason the masses keep coming back. From the cheese curds to the pronto pups to the roasted corn on the cob, it's all delicious. Well, it's almost all delicious. Fried bacon on a stick? Pass.

Now this however, is worth coming back for. Strawberries and cream crepe. Swoon. This was one of our first food stops of the day. It came shortly after the cheese curds and lemonade. Which came at about 9AM. Why? Because we went to the fair with crazy people (I'm looking at you A).

Despite the fact that it was early September when we went, the day was relatively chilly. Wyatt spent some time warming up by cuddling in his daddy's jacket.

In heritage square, Miss I charmed the socks off of this unsuspecting gentelman.

We had to make a stop in the Miracle of Birth barn. We saw baby cows, sheep, pigs and goats. Aaron may or may not have actually managed to convince some poor souls that he was working at the fair and fed them a line of baloney about goats.

We've been to the fair a number of times before and somehow have always missed the fact that it was home to a place bearing my husband's nickname, The Blue Flame. If you're wondering how my husband wound up with that nickname, let me give you a hint. Think "gas" and lighters.

This girly waited very patiently to do some high jumping. All the waiting was worth it however. It was likely her favorite 5 minutes of the whole day.

Miss O was perfectly happy just hanging out wherever we were.

G was still smiling even after an entire day in the stroller.

Our very last food stop of the day was for cookies and milk. We opted for a "small" order of cookies rather than an entire bucket this time. And they were delightful.

*Disclaimer: I don't know why the text isn't all the same. It is driving me batty. But not batty enough to spend the time to fix it.

over the river and through the woods

When it comes to raising five children, it is necessary to find free and inexpensive ways to build memories. One of our family's favorite such ways is going "over the river and through the woods" to grandma's house. We are blessed to have a number of grandmas to choose from. One such grandma is Grandma "Pancakes". Grandma Pancakes is Aaron's maternal grandma. She makes the most delicious pancakes and waffles hence the nickname given to her by our children. One of her secrets? She saves bacon grease and uses that to lube up the frying pan.

Grandma Pancakes also has an abundance of raspberry bushes. Our kids love going out and picking the ripe berries off the bushes. Maya is especially fond of berry picking.

Wyatt was content this day to just hang out in his daddy's arms and watch all the action.

Grandma Pancakes has four children and a multitude of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, so she knows all the tricks. Like saving honey bear bottles and letting the kids drink their orange juice out of them. More exciting than a silly straw.

Grandma Pancakes always has real maple syrup and homemade applesauce available to smother the pancakes or waffles with. And here's another Grandma Pancakes tip: for those kiddos who want theirs cut up, a pizza cutter makes the task a snappy one.

Of course, if you're not feeling all that hungry for breakfast food, you can always gnaw on the back of a wooden chair.

After filling their bellies, it's time for some fun outside!

The fact that she's wearing a dress doesn't slow down Maya's ability to have fun!

And once again, this boy just observes. Somehow I get the feeling that he is not going to be quite so willing to sit and watch this summer.

superhero {superstar}

When two worlds collide.

thirst no more

Step 1: Find Mama's water bottle. Check out the mechanics of said water bottle.

Step 2: Dump water out of bottle onto playground. Be sure to shake out every last drop.

Step 3: Get down on hands and knees and assess the situation.

Step 4: Prepare to go in for the kill drink.

Step 5: Using your hand as a filter, slurp the water off the ground. And thirst no more.

dog days {ice cream bars}

I know what you're thinking. Is this the only child she ever photographs? Well, no. Not exactly. This IS, however, the child who is most often near me when I have my camera out. And the one who tends to engage in the most interesting activities.

So what's a mom to do with her very, ahem, active 2 1/2 year old on a hot sunny day? Why, stick him out on the deck with a strawberry bar of course!

And what's a boy to do with his

strawberry bar when he's finished with his treat? Why, set it down on the newly-painted deck table of course!

All done!

mr. fixit

temper tantrums in wheel barrows

catching up {13.1}

Last summer Aaron and I went up to The Big City with our friends D & A so that the husbands could run in a half-marathon. The Big Race started fairly early, so we packed up our babies and went up the day before the race to stay in a hotel. Being the generous wives we are, A and I let our husbands

take us to our favorite fondue place so they could fuel up the night before their run. I neglected to get any pictures of the delectable cheese and chocolate due to the fact that I was too busy swooning over the gooey goodness, but I did snap a few pictures of our littlest dining companions.

The morning of The Big Race, A and I loaded up the boys and drove to the finish line to cheer on our husbands. There was a lot going on so the boys were fairly content to hang out in their strollers and wait for their daddies to finish the race.

While waiting for the guys to get to the finish line, I decided to take a few practice shots of the runners ahead of them. I was so busy focusing on my camera settings that I didn't realize until after I'd snapped the pictures that a couple of my practice shots were of friends of ours.

Finally, after much watching and waiting, we saw Aaron approaching.

As he got closer and heard our cheers, he gave us his customary look of squinty confusion. Meanwhile, WE were feeling a bit confused because where was his running partner?

Aaron informed us that D's knee had started giving him trouble around mile 8, so D had slowed to a walk while Aaron continued on with the run. Poor A was pretty worried for awhile because we couldn't get ahold of her dearly beloved. He wound up finding a short-cut and walking the rest of the way.

And then there was sweet reunion between father and son. And Wyatt didn't even seem to mind the fact that his daddy was all sweaty.