what a zoo

this weekend we made our now annual trip to the cities to meet up with the harms' for a twins game and miles was pumped to see his friend "E-E" (a.k.a. ethan). now that we both have little boys, we had to plan something fun for them to do as well. so we headed to como zoo on saturday morning along with a million other people. it was crowded, but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. the weather was gorgeous! we made it there just in time to catch the sparky the sea lion show. I do recall this being one of the highlights of the zoo for me when I was little. however, I also think it lasted longer than six minutes, but who knows?! miles thought it was spectacular and it was probably just long enough for his 14 month old attention span. ethan, scott, and anna joined us after the show for some lunch and then we took off to ogle at the animals. the fish were definitely the highlight for ethan and miles really enjoyed the monkeys.

check out the baby orangutan on the platform!
this was before miles saw the gorilla behind him
ethan LOVED the gorilla

we stopped for a quick ice cream break (for both the prego mamas and the babies) and then ventured into como town.
this area of the zoo is actually a really cute amusement park. it's relatively cheap and very clean - a nice change from the carnies working the county fair! miles embarked on his very first ride. the classic cars were a hit and he was just as amused by the train and the 2nd car ride with ethan. the daddies REALLY loved squeezing into the trains :)

check out that concentration - must take after his mommy

ethan was ready for a joyride!

both the boys were exhausted and glad that they were able to spend the night with their grandma and grandpas!
it was miles' FIRST overnight while mommy & daddy relaxed at the twins game with the harms'. this too became quite the adventure when we decided to park at the mall of america and take the light rail downtown. we were lucky enough to land ourselves a seat on the train - the poor souls standing up were getting to know each other a little more than they had planned. eew.

glad to have a seat!

kyle was in charge of getting us some tickets, but ran into some stubborn sales people on the street. lo and behold, we ended up sitting in the 17th row of the upper deck. nearly close enough to touch the dome at our last twins game in the dome. how ironic!

anna gets a medal for climbing this high while 7 mo pregnant!

say bye-bye to the narrow concourses packed with people

the game was terrible - but we had a great time in spite of the loss. the guys enjoyed a couple of beers while anna and I tagged along for some interesting people watching. we were glad to get back to the hotel and sleep in on sunday morning.

scott enjoying some snacks back at the hotel

I'm a little sad to report that miles refused to come to me when we got back to town to pick him up. a mini guilt trip for mommy I guess :(

guk

as I was hustling to get out the door the other day, I turned around and could not find miles. however, I could hear him saying "guk, guk". I noticed that the gate between our kitchen and dining room was open. miles was lying at the bottom in a pile of shoes. no need to panic, there are a mere 2 1/2 steps between these two rooms. he was just letting me know he was "GUK" - or stuck for those of you who don't speak toddler.

oh what a beautiful day

yesterday was such a gorgeous day - 75, sunny, breezy - so miles and I took advantage of it and packed it full of fun! we started out by driving down to chatfield to visit our friends - kate, kylin, and grace. kate is my job-share partner and a great friend! we walked the kids to the park and then came back to eat lunch. grace and miles were born just 12 days apart, so it was interesting to watch them interact. miles tried hard to keep up with the girls. his walking is so new and it's hysterical to see him stick his little elbows back and tummy out as he toddles around. we had a great time playing with our friends and left just in time for a nap.

miles and grace
I'm coming, I'm coming!
aren't there TWO rocking horses mama?
hungry kiddos
kylin helping miles take his shoes off

good thing we rested up, because later that evening we headed for the county fair. beth, seth, josiah, kyle, miles, and I all packed into our car and drove there. no need for sympathy here, the fair is located a mere 2 miles from our house. we were trying to cut down on parking fees. our county fair USED to be free, but as the population has grown...so has the price. it's still cheap-o, but we miss the good ol' days. at least we could take comfort in the yummy fair food! miles chowed down a hotdog and some french fries for dinner and then some mini-donuts and ice cream for dessert! delish!
after feeding our faces, we ventured to see all of the animals. miles has been quite interested in his little people farm he got for his birthday, so kyle and I were both curious to see his reaction to a REAL sheep, horse, etc. it was priceless. his jaw dropped open and he kept pointing and saying "ohhh!!" he was fascinated by every animal we saw. I took him to the fair last year, but I don't think he even opened his eyes.
this year was so much more fun. I am looking forward to many more summers at the fair (kyle is probably not - that's what happens when you grow up on a farm and as a member of 4H!).

cows!

hello otis

josiah's first fair!

checking out the chicks at the kiddie barnyard

obligatory family photo

wautoma oh-nine

this weekend we went on our annual vacation to wautoma, wi with the msoe gang - the harms', maios, and bansemars. we weren't able to go last summer, so this was the first year we had kiddos along. last time we were there there were eight adults and one baby on the way. this year there were eight adults, three babies, and three more on the way! oh, how times have changed.

the three preggo mamas

anyways...we drove there on friday night. it's typically a 3 hour trek, but we took almost four. that's what you get when you have a 14 month old who needs to eat dinner and stretch out his legs :) miles was such a good little traveler. he played quietly with his books and toys for some of the trip and snoozed on and off. about half of the gang was there to greet us. the bansemars rode up with matt and baby genevieve. her mama, sarah, had to work friday night and the harms' came on saturday morning as well. we settled into our "wing" of the cabin and headed down to the campfire to stay warm. it was freeeeeezing out! in fact, we had to start up the wood burning stove in the kitchen on saturday. july? what?! needless to say, we didn't do any swimming on saturday either. we did, however, go on our daily pontoon ride around mill pond. the babies were adorable in their little life vests. genevieve wasn't so fond of this fashion disaster. oh the humanity!

who are we to blame them for their lack of enthusiasm...
...this isn't exactly a coveted safety feature
a chilly boat ride

lucky for us sunday brought s-u-n!! it was gorgeous out and we took advantage of the only opportunity of the weekend to dip the babies in the lake. ethan was psyched! uncle shawn stepped up to the plate and took him swimming as his daddy (scott) had a bit of a run in with some sparklers over the 4th of july which resulted in 2nd degree burns all over his hand...lovingly earning him the nickname of "mj" (scroll to see spectacular glove bandage).

on the other hand, miles was NOT impressed with the natural spring waters of mill pond. not even a new nemo floatie could make this introduction to lake swimming fun. he cracked a smile (or two), but was especially happy to exit the water and get in the driver's seat of the boat. I can't say that I blame him. it wasn't what I would call "warm" water and the cool summer breezes were not masked by his adorable little swim shirt.

headed to the beach...note he is NOT sadhappy to be on dry land!
ahoy captainmiss g - bathing beauty & boat driver extraordinaire

everyone recovered and the guys settled in for some game time. first up? some sort of baseball ditty that I really don't understand (update from kyle: the game is called "pepper"). here are a couple of pics:

scheming to "fake out" matt

these three yahoos actually played college baseball

next...a rousing game of beer darts. in case you're unfamiliar with this fascinating little game, let me briefly explain. two people + sharp dart + puncturing a beer can + drinking down to the puncture = fun? apparently so. it even required a tournament bracket. kyle was the champion. I'm so proud.
we feel so fortunate to be able to spend time with our dear friends every year. it's amazing to watch how our families are growing. here are a few more photos to commemorate this annual trip. until wautoma 2010...

chow time
little buddiesroasting marshmallows with our dr. suess stickfirst smore