Our summer

Here are all the things we did this summer:
Ben's astronomy conference
Macey's baptism
Wisconsin Amish country tour (lots of driving to find an Amish store)
The dentist for everyone
Doctor visits for Russell and Meghan
Ben's curriculum meetings
Grad parties forever
Daddy camping trip at whitewater
Meghan's birthday
Our anniversary
4th of July with the Sanders including the SPAM Museum
Fireworks too late at night
Park days with friends
Rochesterfest
Medallion hunt
Wedding reception
Star Trek with the Minnesota Orchestra
Janet's optometrist appointment and the shops at West End
Eyota Days
Sarah and kids visit
50 cent frosties
Car shopping
Car buying
Ben's buyer's remorse
Lots of missionary visits
Lots of bishopric meetings
Olmsted County fair
Scout camp out
Visits to Becker
Temple trips/sessions/cleaning
Trip to Laramie(see previous post)
Total solar eclipse
Stop in Vermillion
Potty trained Meghan
Looked at house with more land
Back to school stuff
Russell playmates with his friend who left for college
The Minnesota State Fair
The beach
The sprinkler
Digger park
Tree trimming
Lawn mowing
New driveway
Finished the kitchen
Mom sleeping in
Camping in the back yard

I'm sure there is more, but I can't think of it right now.

Total Eclipse (of the heart)

We eclipsed and spent almost a week in Wyoming with Ben's grandparents and some of his family members. I warned him that every time I heard some say 'total eclipse' I would add 'of the heart'. The few times people said it, I did add it, but Ben's family said 'totality' much more often and that just didn't work.

Here is a photographic log of the journey:

3 years

Monday marks three years from when we closed on the house. We will be celebrating by having our kitchen be finished making all the current livable space completely finished.

Here are the before/during/after pictures of our kitchen.

 

 

 

If everything lines up right then the first column is when we bought the house, then a year into it, and then today.

Olmsted County Fair

Today was the end of the fair, so I got to pick up my entries and my ribbons/checks for winning.

I remember going to the fair and looking at every single 4H and domestic entry and commercial booth before ever being allowed to ride on a ride or get food. And, I thought that took way too much time (except for the free water from the Culligan people, and sticking our hands in the hot tubs, and what ever the newspaper was handing out that year). Then when I was in middle school I realized that maybe one day I could actually put in some of my own stuff.

Meghan Burley did one year in college and she won, and that reminded me that I could do it. Then once we finally moved into our house just down the street from the fairgrounds, I was re-reminded that I could enter things.

It really is lots of fun. This year when I took things in the ladies were saying that they needed lots more entries in the sewing/knit/crochet categories. And, I am pretty sure anyone in the state of Minnesota can enter (Janet!). I am hoping that next year I can get Russell to enter in one of his fantastic machine drawings and maybe even something he builds out of his legos. I'm also trying to convince Ben to enter one of his model Enterprises in when he finishes it.

The best part about entering things is that you have a whole year to work on things and even two years in the case of some hobbies and quilts. I have already decided that I am going to enter lots more things next year including:

a

a barn quilt
a quilt using my fabric scraps from this year
a wall hanging quilt
a hand lettered wall hanging
more sewn stuff especially kids clothes because no one enters those categories
I have even thought about trying some simple embroidery and needlepoint

I have my work cut out for me if I actually do want to enter all these things.

Meghan's birthday

Today was all about Meghan. She has been waiting for almost two months for birthday ever since Russell had his birthday. This morning when she woke up and came into our room to wake us up she told us she wouldn't be three until after we sang happy birthday and had cake and opened her presents. Lucky for her, this year we weren't getting ready for a three week road trip and Ben wasn't gone. We did some of her favorite things today. She went to Hy-Vee and got a cookie. She spent special time with Dad. She wore her Daniel Tiger shirt. We went to the beach, and she got to wear her swimsuit. She played outside on her bike and in the sandbox. We had her favorite food for dinner. We ate dinner outside. We had dance party. She pooped on the potty. She got to take a shower.

She was pretty spoiled. I made her a Baby Margaret cake with all of the Tiger family on it. The top layer is supposed to be trolley.

It took her quite a few tries to blow them all out.

Having Meghan around is pretty fun! I do enjoy having a girl to dress up. When she was just born I told Ben she really was like one of my dolls. She isn't so much my dolly any more and has her own ideas of what she wants and doesn't want. 

 She always puts my Sunday shoes on if I leave them in the kitchen before we go. She walks all over the house, but mostly on the wood so she can hear them clacking on the floor.

 She has strange ideas about clothes. And, she really wanted to just wear her diaper and slippers to bed one night when we were at Sarah's.

This picture isn't the clearest, but Meghan's hair look so cute all day long! Usually it is a complete mess and has fallen all the way out by the end of the day.

Here are a few of her favorite things.