Hanging Out With Grandma

My mom flew in specifically to take the boys to A Day Out With Thomas.  But she was able to stay for almost a week so we filled it doing lots of fun stuff.

After we came home from A Day Out With Thomas the boys were still in train mode. So my mom made a track and the boys played for a long time.

We made a couple of trips to the park.  I don't always take the time to walk my kids to the neighborhood park.  I know, I know. That is bad.  But, they have a wonderful play set and sandbox in our backyard so it isn't like my kids are deprived. 

We also went to the zoo.  The zoo is always fun. 

 

 The zoo has proven to be quite a workout for me.  Pulling these three in the wagon is hard work!

 These three love looking at the animals.  I'm sure they would all love to live with the animals.  Ya know, there are some days I wouldn't be opposed to that.

My little Joeys.

While I Was on a Rhine River Cruise and Heading to France

The boys' clay pots were now dry and ready to paint.

John had a plan.  He was careful and deliberate.

Anders picked Super Why colors.  I bet you would have never guess that in a million years.

Gus picked Spider-Man colors.  THAT is even more surprising then Anders' color choice. 

After an afternoon of playing they went back to the park to splash and play.
These two really loved the merry-go-round.

Park Fun

What should you do when faced with 100+ degree heat?  Hit the park, of course!  But we didn't stay long so I told the boys to make it count.  Boy did they.  By the way, I could really use some of this heat right about now.

 Gus is getting a little more brave with climbing.

 He still hasn't mastered it yet.  And, yes, I'm the mom who takes a picture of the fall.  He was okay...no tears.

I was proud he wasn't deterred by the fall and tried to make his way up the wall again.  This time he succeeded.  Too bad I didn't get a picture of that.

 Anders wasn't as adventurous for a change and needed Grandma to carry him around.

 Swings are always a big hit.

 I wanted to get on the swings too.  At least there would have been a breeze.

 They had a wonderfully sweaty time.

A Crazy, Fun-Filled 21 Hours

Hans' parents came to visit for John's last T-Ball game of the season.  It also happened to be the weekend of Channahon's Three Rivers Fest so things were a bit crazy.

 It didn't take the boys long to start showing off their costumes.

It was an evening filled with food, costumes, and conversation.

The next morning we decided to get in a park visit before heading to John's T-Ball game.

Gus and Anders are always trying to get someone to push them on the swings.  Grandpa was a good choice.

After the park I had to go to work and everyone else headed to the game.

 Anders had to make sure Grandpa was fully nourished.

 Somewhere along the way John forgot his t-ball hat and Gus was nice enough to let John use his.

 Of course that means that Gus took Grandpa's hat.

 Attempt #1 to get a picture.

 Attempt #2.  John and Solveig look good.  Fiene boys-FAIL.

 Attempt #3.  Just give up!

After the game.  1 out of 3 Fiene boys looking at the camera = success!

When the game and little award presentation were over they all walked to the festival to play some games and ride some rides.

The festival also had a nice little petting zoo.

21 hours after their arrival it was time to say goodbye.  I don't think we could have packed much more into our time with Grandma and Grandpa Fiene.

A Visit from Grandma Fiene

Memorial day weekend Solveig came for a little visit.  The boys were excited to see her.  It was raining off and on while she was here so we tried to sneak in a couple of trips to the park when the weather allowed.

 We took Fritz with us once.  The boys would love to walk Fritz but he is a too big of a dog for them.  He's still learning not to pull on the leash.

 Gus was excited to walk Sophie.  Actually Gus and Anders fought over who was going to walk Sophie first.  Can you imagine that?

I love this picture for many reasons.  John is all the way at the stop sign sitting and waiting.  Anders is running all by himself and Gus, our pokey little puppy, is lagging behind leisurely walking the dog.

 Fritz is working on staying.  This is SO hard for Fritz.  He usually doesn't make it, but he is trying.

 Anders was excited to take his turn "walking" Sophie.  Sophie is not really sure how she feels about that.

Swings are always a big hit and Grandma was in high demand for pushing.

 Solveig and I took the boys to Ikea, which is always an interesting experience, and then we went to see the movie "Epic."  While at Ikea the boys, all wanted the exact same Leopard...more on that later.  But Gus also picked out a tunnel which has brought hours of enjoyment.

And, of course, you can't come to our house without playing games. I think we actually got through a couple of games with out any tears.  Now if we can just get through them without someone cheating.

A Picnic

I am so far behind in blogging.  Maybe it is because July and August were crammed full of stuff.  September has been equally as busy, making it hard to keep up with everything all the time.  Before we went on vacation, John and Gus decided they wanted to wait to get their new backpacks for school until Grandma and Grandpa Huebel could go with them.  One of the first things we did when they arrived was go to Toys R Us and pick out backpacks and lunch boxes.  After all of that hard work picking out the perfect lunch box, one can't just let it sit there unused.  So Grandma and Grandpa decided to have a picnic at the park.

 This kid is nuts about swings.

 This dog is just nuts, but we love him anyway.

Then the boys got to fly a kite with Grandpa.  I have wonderful memories of flying kites in the church parking lot with my parents.  It was a great day.

Playing at the Park

The Village of Perry has a great park near my grandparents' cottage.   It is equipped with a large shallow pool for kids, a castle climbing system, merry go round, swings, and lots of room to run.  The kids always like to play at the park.

 Anders wasn't too sure about John's crazy driving.  That's okay, Anders.  I'm not ready for John to drive either.

Even though this car was yellow, Gus was calling this his Wiggles car.

This slide scared the heck out of me.  Although I'm sure I would have loved it when I was John's age.  It was tall, skinny and steep.  John felt like he needed to get a swinging start.

 Swings are always a big hit.

Gus was going through a time when he didn't like to swing.  He thought it was too scary.  My dad was doing his best to make swinging fun.  I think it worked.