Papa and Nana

While Corey and I were at the wedding, Charlie spent the weekend with Papa and Nana. They played baseball on Friday night. Saturday, they drove to Fargo to see baby Claire and then Great-Grandma Betty. After that, they went to Potato Days in Barnesville. Charlie enjoyed the parade. We drove down on Sunday. Charlie spent the morning playing in the water. He then took a nap in the dog log bed. Luckily the dog has not slept in the bed for 3 years.

Casting for big fish

Fixing the rod with Papa

Chasing the beach ball

Napping in the puppy's log bed. Perfect size for Charlie.

Wedding

Corey and I had a great time at Natalie and Brandon's wedding. It was such a beautiful wedding. So much fun being with friends.

Beads

Today Charlie worked on his small motor skills. He put beads onto a pipe cleaner. He had so much fun seeing how many he could put on there. As he would put them on, we would review our colors. Then we counted to see how many we had put on. We even tried making a pattern with his two favorite colors, green and blue.

Putting all blue beads on. Do you like the nice stains from lunch?

Conversations with Charlie

Charlie: Mommy, I want to change.

Me: What do you want to change into (thinking pj's, a new shirt, etc.)

Charlie: A butterfly

Grandma Cindy

Cutting the Cake

For Grandma Cindy's birthday, Josh and Kelsey picked up a Dairy Queen ice-cream cake. We took it out of the freezer about 20 minutes before we were going to cut it like it said to on the directions. Kelsey went to cut it and couldn't get it. She finally resorted to using an electric knife and it still took her 40 minutes to cut it.

Happy Birthday Grandma Indy

Happy Birthday to the best mother and grandmother we could ask for!

I love yogurt!

One of Charlie's favorite foods lately has been yogurt. This morning for breakfast he had to get every last bit out. He took his fingers and scraped all of the yogurt out and then licked his fingers clean.

Uncle Travis and Auntie Juls visit

We were so happy that Uncle Travis and Auntie Juls could come home for the weekend. Auntie Juls' sister had a baby. What a beautiful baby girl! We had such a fun weekend. It started on Sunday morning going to Como park for lunch.

Uncle Travis helping us across.

Auntie Juls going down the slide.

Charlie going down the slide.

After we played for awhile, we had a picnic lunch.

Then we headed to Como zoo. Charlie was such a good trooper for not having a nap. His favorite animals were the polar bear and the pink "flaminnows". 

Charlie with Papa and Nana

Hugging the turtle

Watching the tiger

With Mommy, Daddy, and the orangutan

Looking at butterflies with Uncle Travis, Auntie Juls, and Papa.

On Monday, Papa and Nana had to leave, but we got to spend some more time with Uncle Travis and Auntie Juls. We went to the Mall of America. We wanted to see Legoland, but they were closed. So we walked around the Nickelodeon Park.

 First we ran into Blue from Blue's Clues.

Charlie even tried out some rides. Here he is on a helicopter simulator.

Riding with Lowly worm

We loved being able to see Travis and Juls. Hopefully we can visit them in California this December. We parted ways at the mall and after they left Charlie looks at Corey and I and says, "That was fun!" 

New project

I have decided to make my own bread. To start I am making my own yeast. It is really simple. You combine flour and water and leave it out to grow. Obviously it is working well, because this is what I woke up to this morning.

It had grown so much it pushed the cover off and was coming out of the container.

Gotta love that smile!

New play mat

Charlie got a new play mat at a garage sale. It has been the best $3 we spent in a long time. It is a little worn in some spots, but he loves driving all of his cars on it. He has been so busy with it this week during all of the rain.

Who needs building blocks?

Who needs building blocks when you have spices to stack? Not Charlie. He kept stacking them up and then knocking them over. I am not sure why we even buy toys when he spends most of the time playing with our household items.

Also, we are very happy to have Daddy home! Charlie and Aaron have been following him everywhere. It is nice to have him back making noise and messing up my house.

Ottertail Lake

Charlie and I headed to the lakes on Thursday to distract us from Corey being gone. On the way to the lake, I noticed Charlie had a runny nose and was sneezing. He had a cold the whole time we were at the lake. Besides that we had a great time at the lake.

Thursday night we went to visit Grandpa Wayne and Nancy. That is what Charlie calls Wayne Ulven. My mom kept telling Charlie that Wayne was a grandpa so Charlie would not be scared of him. On Friday, my uncle Kevin and aunt Kathy came down to the lake. We went on the pontoon and had supper at Zorbaz. My aunt Pam, uncle Tim, and cousin Quinn came late on Friday night and stayed until Saturday morning. It was nice to see them. Charlie, Grandpa Dan, and I went mini-golfing on Saturday. Charlie even scored a hole-in-one on number 12. We did lots of pontooning and relaxing.

Mini-golfing in Battle Lake

Putting it in the hole

Getting tips from Grandpa Dan

Riding on the pontoon

Playing in the sand

Charlie would cover his feet with sand and then say "Where did my feet go?"

Charlie and I on the pontoon

Charlie and Grandma Cindy playing in the backyard. They would hit the ball and then race to get it. Some how Charlie always won.

Charlie loves corn on the cob.