Mama Mia! Our Pizzeria!

 

It's no secret we like pizza around here, and what's better than take out?   Take out you make yourself!  Well, to the kids anyhow...Best and I would just rather someone else do all the work.  But these two had so much fun and since it was Sissy's first time assembling her very own pie, Peanut showed her the ropes. 
 Peanut is pretty methodical and doesn't skip any steps, but Sissy had other ideas...

 Taste Test!

 "Just do what I'm doing" he kept saying.  Smile.

 They watched it bake the entire time and with our new convection feature it turned out perfectly crisp!

 Peanut loves pepperoni now and waited patiently for it to cool.  That's the hardest part!

 Sissy is pretty serious about her pizza.  She ate half for her lunch and the rest for dinner.

 She even agreed to trade a piece with her Bubba.   They love to trade bites, pieces, halves, whatever it might be.  I guess the grass is really greener on the other side of the table.  I just like that they share and enjoy doing it!

It was fun to see them work together and enjoy the fruits of their labor.  Have a great week friends and family!

Branching Out (Shades of Sherwood Camping Trip)

 

Our family's little camping weekend is a time I look forward to so much each year.   It's a nice, quick, close by get away but far enough to feel like a vacation.  I like that we pack light, comfortable, and don't overplan.  I also like that we stay in a cabin with separate bedrooms and wifi.  That may not be roughing it I know, but after the kids are asleep and the campfire goes out we like to watch a good Netflix documentary.  True pioneers.

 This year we decided to "branch out" and try a new camping location.  We had been to Kamp Dells in previous years and while we love it there, we were intrigued by this site.  We had a great weekend.  There were fun activities, the weather was great and the people were friendly.  One of the kids favorites was the giant trampoline pictured below.  There was another with basketball hoops!

These cars were not motorized and Best and I thought we'd be zipping around with the kids on our laps but turned out they were very hard to pedal...or we're just very weak.  Anyhow, Peanut enjoyed sitting on every one and making car noises.

There was a beach with a sand bottom pool right next to our cabin.  Although it was a bit cool to swim we had fun playing in the sand.  Peanut was such a good helper with Sissy. 

I was glad the beach was enclosed by a fence.  We were the only ones playing in there all weekend and when we were done they just locked it up so we didn't worry about endlessly having to chase Sissy away from the water's edge.

Wish Best was in this picture instead of taking it!

On Saturday afternoon we ventured into the little town of Canon Falls.  They were having their city wide garage sales and a huge farmer's market.  The weather was so great and the firemen were out letting kids try out some equipment.

We visited the town's museum which is located in the 100 year old former fire station.  We had a private tour and learned lots about the town's history!  Peanut loved trying on this fire chief's hat!

Here we are back at the campground.  Peanut and Best are at the arcade and Sissy and I surprised them with some ice cream from the camp's store.

Best and Peanut climbed a tree.  That was an interesting sight.  Smile.

We had two nights of great cookouts and this was the first year we really let Peanut cook his own dinner.  I could tell how grown up he felt and he was very careful to follow the safety rules we gave him.


He lost one hot dog in the fire and was a bit sad but thankfully we had plenty.   He was still looking for it in the pit the next morning.  Best and I helped with the marshmallows and here is Peanut deciding which one will be his.  The other of course was Sissy's and you will see how that went below...

"Hmmmn....I normally don't like my hands to be sticky but this is pretty good.   Maybe I won't mind..."

"NO, WAIT!  I HATE THIS!  I CAN'T GET IT OFF!  HELP ME NOW!"

After a great stay at camp we packed up Sunday morning and headed out, making two stops on the way home.  The first was the Zollman Zoo.  This is a free zoo that exhibits animals native to Minnesota and it was really neat.  We had not planned to stop but the children's museum we wanted to visit in Rochester didn't open til later in the day so this made a great pit stop!

In addition to the many outdoor exhibits, this zoo featured a great learning center with lots of hands on opportunities for the kids.

This staff member was so kind and informative and let Peanut hold this snake for a long time and answered lots of questions!

Although I failed to get a picture of it, the zoo had constructed a life sized replica of an eagle's nest and it was quite impressive!  They are such magnificent creatures.

The kids both love birds and Sissy can say "Cardinal, Owl, and Eagle". 

 

A funny story:  When Peanut and I went on our night hike (about 6:45 pm, smile), I let him wear my headlamp.   He was so excited about being the guide and looking for wildlife.  Not far into the hike we heard some rustling in the trees and sure enough there were quite a few vultures circling.  Peanut was sure he spotted a King Vulture, but all I saw were Turkey Vultures.   He told me he knew he saw a King Vulture because he saw it's colorful face.   The King Vulture is typically found in Northern Argentina and Southern Mexico so unless this one had escaped from the Minnesota Zoo's bird show I think it was unlikely but he was so happy I just went with it.  Who knows?   

Daddy and Sissy at the zoo.  She loves him so much and I don't blame her.  He is such a great father to both of our kids. 

Later in the day we made it to the Children's Museum.  It was much smaller that I expected and certainly not as impressive as our downtown location, but the kids had fun so it was worth the stop.   Their theme was "Fairy Tales" and one of the activities was pushing buttons to "wake up" this dragon in the castle. 

 

 Making soup in the cauldron.

 Peanut loved this cart and spent most of the time making fruit and vegetable deliveries.

 It was a great weekend.  Thank you to Best for planning the meals and taking off work early to give us a long weekend. 

Although the kids are still so little, I'm hoping these words and pictures will someday bring back the memories we are making now.  I never want to forget these times as they are so precious to me.   I'm so thankful for my family every day.  Have a great week friends and family!