Fall Family Fun

What a fantastic weekend!  We made a trip to Alexandria to see family and while there we got to visit Cherry Blossom Farm!  It is a super fun place full of all sorts of places to play, run around, and have a great time!

One of our favorite places to play is in the GIANT corn pit!  I don't know why a giant corn pit is so much fun, but it was great.  That being said, Maren didn't get to play in in very long because all she wanted to do was eat it...

But that didn't stop Ellen and me from having a great time!

Papa had a ton of fun burying us in the corn...

and we all had a great time running, jumping, and digging.

They also have a really fun race track with giant trikes that even Mama and Daddy got to ride on.

Ellen really liked doing the boat races with the water pumps...

and Maren had a blast crawling through the tubes and tunnels.

I think my favorite was getting to jump on the giant blob!

It was a super fun day, but the best part was getting to take the boat out for one last ride to officially end the lake season.  

And now the count down begins until spring when we can pull the boat out again!

Linden

Finger Painting with the Big Girls

 Hey Everybody!  Ellen Here!

One of our FAVORITE things to do it finger paint in the bath tub, and today Mama decided to let Maren join us and give it a try!

Maren wasn't sure what to think of it at first, but it didn't take long before she was having a great time.

She never figured out that she was supposed to paint on the walls, but she had a great time painting her fingers and legs.

It wasn't long before she decided to eat the paint, and then it was off to the sink for a bath while Linden and I finished decorating the walls.

Have a great night!
Ellen

Crazy Cat Ladies

This summer Daddy did an amazing job putting in new landscaping in our backyard and we got to plant milkweed to attract butterflies!  Our milkweed was a little more successful than Mama expected and we have had a LOT of them!

It has been such a fun summer getting to see the tiny eggs hatch and watch the caterpillars grow.

My favorite part is getting to release the butterflies when it is time for them to continue on their journey.

I love how soft and delicate they are, but they are also strong and resistant.  Not to mention, they are smart enough to know that wintering in Mexico just makes sense!!

This has been such a fun summer getting to take care of these creatures. 
Linden

The Great Outdoors!

What a fantastic weekend!  

We have had a summer of up and down weather, but we FINALLY had a great night and Daddy FINALLY agreed to let us go camping in the backyard!  It was a ton of fun, we got to do all of the usual camping things (pitch the tent, eat smores, stories in the tent).  The best part was we even figured out how to fall asleep in the tent!!

I usually struggle trying to fall asleep when I am not in my bed, I like it dark and quiet, but I tried REALLY hard and it worked!

Even Bella slept in the tent with us.

The next day we went to Quarry Hill Nature Center and had a great time at their fall festival!

Auntie Heidi and Grandma Nancy met us there and we had a blast!

I think the best part was getting to give rock climbing a try on a REAL rock wall.

I made it almost all the way to the top...

Ellen tried really hard, but she got nervous and didn't make it very far.

Maren's favorite part was hanging out and watching us big girls have fun.

Here's hoping we have a ton more fantastic weekends!
Linden

Next Stop....T Swift!

O.M.G!  I had the BEST weekend EVER!!  

We went to the lake for Memorial Weekend and I was SUPER bummed to learn that Anna got tickets to go see a concert, that meant that I was going to miss out on an entire day with her and I was NOT happy!  Anna is one of my best friends but we only get to see each other when we are at the lake.  Turns out, Anna was equally unimpressed when her Mom told her about the concert too...

Well, our moms got to talking, like moms always do, and later that day Mama surprised me and told me that we were going to go to the concert too!!

I knew that I loved Taylor Swift, but I wasn't exactly sure what a concert was...none the less, I got to go with Anna and she was VERY excited so I knew we were going to have a great time!

Turns out we had awesome seats!  And it was so fun that Anna and I got to get matching t-shirts.

 Charlie XCX and Camilla Cabello performed first and it was AMAZING!  After that, the night got even better because our other best friends surprised us, we got to see Hannah and Sidney!!!!  They had tickets on the floor but they took time to come find us!

After that, the lights went down and the real show began!!!!!  Taylor Swift was AMAZING!!!!!!!!

Her show was so great, Mama said that it might have ruined concerts for me for a long time, not sure what that means, but it was pretty magical.

One of the coolest parts of the show was that we got a special bracelet when we walked in the door, and that bracelet made each of us part of the show! Taylor said that it was her first Stadium Tour and she was worried about performing in such large places and not being able to see all of her fans, so she came up these bracelets so she would be able to see every single person - and it created a pretty amazing light show!

It was a night that I will remember forever, and I love that I got to experience it with Anna!

Another great weekend,

Linden

Off to School

Hey Everybody! Ellen Here!

I have had a fantastic week!  I have been counting down the days until school started, and it finally happened!

Back to school fun started with Meet the Bus Driver day!  I was super excited about it, until it was time to actually meet the bus driver and then I changed my mind.

Luckily I have a great big sister and she talked me through it and showed me what to do.  Owatonna has a preschool bus route so I get to hang out with Gretchen before and after school, and I get picked up at her front door so I don't have to stand outside and get cold.  Linden is a tad bit jealous.

A few days later I got to meet my teacher and see my classroom.  I was so excited to learn that I got my own cubby, and I thought it was so silly that I could fit in it!

Once I got in my classroom there was so much to explore, I even had a stick with my name on it!  No clue what I am going to do with that, but I thought it was pretty silly.

After we checked out my classroom I really wanted to check out the playground, and it didn't disappoint!

Slides, swings, and monkey bars!  It was great!  I have been working on the monkey bars and I can't wait to master these ones.

The night before school started Mama surprised me with my own special blanket with my name on it.  We have rest time at school and I can't wait to snuggle with my new blankies.

That night I was so excited I could hardly stand it!!

The morning school started was awesome!!

Mama said that I looked so grown up and I got to wear my new school clothes.

After first day pictures Mama and Daddy surprised me with a trip to get doughnuts!

And then we were off to school! 

I felt like such a big girl walking down the hall, I even remembered the way to my classroom all by myself.

My teacher's name is Mrs. Jennifer.  A lot of Mama's friends know her and said that she is the best.  I was a little nervous and didn't want Mama to leave, but once she was gone I had a great day and couldn't wait to go back.

The next day Linden started school. 

Evidently pictures on the front step are a tradition.

Aren't we so cute?!?

Mama and Daddy brought Linden out for doughnuts too - I was okay missing it because it meant that I got to ride the bus to school instead of riding with Mama and Daddy (and they didn't tell me it was an option).

I can't believe Linden is already a 2nd grader, and next year we will be at the same school!

Linden was so excited to be back with her friends.  She has a group of awesome girls and that makes going to school even more fun.

Off to bed!
Ellen