Where have these cool things been hiding?

We started to pull out some of the Halloween decorations and look at the cool things we found. Julia wasn't too fond of being a puppy dog, but Matt and mommy make pretty scary leopards.

Daddy and Julia just hanging out together

Daddy brought home treasures

When daddy got home from hunting, he brought Matt a bird (well, almost a whole bird). Matt thought it was pretty cool to see and even touched it. I don't think Julia was too interested. Daddy: mommy thinks you can remove it from the refrigerator any day now!

More fun at the zoo

Check out all of the cool scarecrows that are at the zoo right now. There's also a very small kids corn maze. Just my style, definitely cannot get lost in it. Matt had a lot of fun at the farm area. Some baby pigs were born just a couple of weeks ago...so cute and not too smelly yet. These chickens were getting super close. Maybe it was the goldfish crackers Matt was feeding them. Matt poked his head out of this climbing wall in the chicken coop and scared grandma...he thought it was pretty funny!

At the zoo with grandma

While daddy was out of town, the kids got to spend some time with grandma in MN at the zoo. Wow, there are a ton of things to do at the MN Zoo. Matt tried to touch a shark or stingray, but none came close enough to the surface. He really liked running back and forth with the sea otter and of course, the bears are cool because they swim right in front of you.

Cool Pumpkin

Look at the cool pumpkin Matt made. I think the spikes coming out of its head are supposed to be hair....at least that is the story I am sticking to.

No training wheels?!?!

Thanks to a little neighbor girl, Matt wanted to try riding his bike with no training wheels. He put all of his safety gear on and tried it for about 20 minutes. We'll keep trying and post more pics as he gets better.

Boots

We bought these boots for Julia so she could wear them this winter. Unfortunatley, we underestimated how fast her feet would grow so we're making her wear them in September instead.

Julia hangin out

Cleaning the gun

Matt was so excited to watch daddy clean his gun. I bet if he heard how loud they are when you shoot, he wouldn't be as excited.

New Hat

Julia got her new winter hat...I think it is adorable, but she doesn't like the strap around her chin. Check out all of those teeth.

Julia is getting independent

At times, Julia is sick of waiting for us to sit down and give her a bottle so she decided it is just easier to feed herself. Although, when it is bedtime, she still likes to snuggle with a bottle...mommy likes it too.

Iron Man

Matt wanted to watch the preview for Iron Man 2 and he had to dress up just like Iron Man while he watched.

Twin Lakes

Mommy finally got to check out Twin Lakes on Labor Day weekend. We had to take the little boat through the river, but it was a beautiful ride. Matt really liked exploring the woods when we stopped for a picnic. The north woods are beautiful in the summer.

Labor Day

We went to Ely for Labor Day. Matt got to drive the last stretch on the dirt road. He doesn't always keep his eye on the road, but we got there safely. Matt is just like the big boys now...eating peanuts by the fire! I think Matt is going to be just like Daddy because he never wants to leave Ely.

Julia's first birthday present

Daddy and Matt are building something for Julia's first birthday present. Now that he is getting older, Matt is turning out to be a pretty good helper.

Matt and Riley bonding

Bald Eagle

On the way back to the hotel, we saw a bald eagle on the side of the road eating dinner. He didn't stay there for his picture, but we did get one of him in the tree waiting for us to leave. Life doesn't get much better than that.

Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary

We went to see the black bears in Orr, MN. While we were there, we saw around 30 bears come in to feed...sooooo cool. It is getting to be the end of the summer so the babies aren't super small, but we did see a mom and her two cubs. There was one bear that only had 3 legs. I never saw him walk, but by the size of him, he seems to be doing just fine.

Fun in the Pool

Matt and Julia both had a great time in the pool. The hotel had a little 9" deep pool for Julia and then there was the big pool and waterslide for Matt. We were amazed that Matt had no reservations about going down the big slide by himself. It went pretty fast around the last turn and he loved every minute of it. Julia liked to play in the bubbles of the little pool and try to climb up the slippery frog slide. That didn't work very well, but it kept her entertained.

Mineview in the Sky

We stopped to have a picnic lunch at Mineview in the Sky. Check out the size of the trucks! The "Where are you from" map is getting a little full, but we squeezed in a pin for hometown Hugo.