Camping -- in our driveway

We found a cheap way to entertain the kiddos on the long Memorial weekend -- we set up camp in our driveway. We made s'mores in the microwave since it was raining out. Kids had a blast. Jackson fell asleep first, then Ron, then me and finally Addie!

Memorial Day 5K

Go Twins

Jackson had been to a couple games at the old Metrodome but this was their first time at Target Field. The Twins ended up losing to the Detroit Tigers but it was a good close game to watch. It was in the 90s and hot but the kids did okay... Jackson whined a bit and Addie fell asleep in my lap but overall it was a success.

The Cemetery

Some would say that my time spent in cemeteries is a bit odd. And I suppose, it is a bit but I do have an explanation.  My grandparents lived across from one of the oldest cemeteries in the Midwest, Oakland Cemetery. It is really a beautiful place to be with its massive oak trees and ornate gravestones. As a kid we spent time in the cemetery taking walks, the empty rolling hills made for a wonderful place to crunch the big fall leaves under your feet as you took an after-dinner stroll with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Oakland Cemetery on one side runs along Jackson street where I walked many of times with my grandparents to get to their window shop.  This is where our boy got his name in order to honor my grandpa (Otto wasn't a desirable child's name).

It was in this cemetery, that I learned to do gravestone rubbings -- you take a blank sheet of white paper and the side of a crayon and rub images from gravestones onto paper.  I once took a date to the cemetery to this very thing.  It worked for this particular date but others may have been frightened of me after a date like this. 

Last night, I took both of the kiddos with me and my mom to plant flowers on my grandparents gravestone, in another local cemetery.  I thought it was a going to be a bit of a challenge to explain to the kids what we were doing.  But Jackson actually took to it right away and said in a very matter-of-fact  no-big-deal way, "There are dead people under there." Addie just liked the open space to run and the beautiful detailing on many of the gravestones.

But we did "introduce" them to grandma and grandpa and share a few stories.  They helped a bit to clean up the stone and hand the geraniums off to my mom to plant and then took turns watering.  So while I know this is strange to some; we had a very nice evening in the cemetery!

Dirty Kids

The rain puddles are a great place to play!

Dirty boogers

Just a girl and her car

That's not poop

And yes, these are worms

Muddy chalk hands

Grr!

Family Update

Jackson:  I have been pretty addicted to watching the Avatar cartoons and playing Tiny Monsters on mom's iPad (I remember to feed and check on my animals when I wake up and before I go to bed).  I am getting better at helping out around the house lately and even put away all my clean clothes this week.  Now that it's getting nice outside I'm spending a lot riding around in my Lightning McQuenn car and even taking Addie for a spin.  I've also been digging worms with my sister and only once now did I chase her around the yard threatening to put the worm in her hair! Karate is still going well and I'm one of the best listeners in the class.

Addie: A bit of a cough has been keeping me down lately.  I sound a bit like a seal at night and have been waking myself up from coughing anywhere between 4:00 and 6:00 am.  This is when I climb into mom's bed to hang out with her.  Though on Sunday I went down on the couch with dad only to have Jackson wake mom up throwing up.  No one seems to ever get a full night's sleep around our house.  I am back in tumbling, Grandma Jan takes me on Fridays and I'm still enjoying our frequent trips to the library for story hour and gym time.  I love being outside and playing at parks, I'm very independent and like trying out new slides.  I've been telling stories a lot.  They go something like this:

Addie: I have something to tell you.
Other person:  What's that Addie??
Addie: Dogs poop outside; they also pee outside too.

Ron: Softball season has started up again so I am taking swings with the bat on Tuesdays.  Work has still be incredibly busy so I spend a fair amount of time in the office or taking phone calls.  I'm excited about the new cement slab that we will be pouring to house our new SeaRay boat.  I've also been getting out in the garage a little bit working on boxes and Sara and I worked together on a new raised bed garden.  I've been spreading dirting and using my wood-working skills.

Sara:  I've been running more and more and am pretty comfortable running a 5K.  I will run another race on Memorial Day around Como Lake. After that I hope to train a little more for a 10K... we'll see what my body can do. Ron thinks I have a bit of an obsession, but I guess it's better than any other addiction I could be starting up.  I'm also still baking up a storm in the kitchen and have no plans of quitting anytime soon, I may actually stick this out the whole year.

Thrill on a bobcat

We have a bobcat in our driveway for a little construction project that is happening. Jackson and Addie got to take a seat.

Jackson even got to run the bobcat with the help of tony, the owner. It was a thrill for all to watch the boy turn and dump!!!

Sharing