Some days when cleaning up around the house, cleaning and picking up, I gather all the pretty clips, bows, and headbands I find (my girls leave them everywhere).  My trick is I gather them in my hair, so I can keep my hands free to put everything else in its place.  All the pretty girl things live upstairs, so I gather them in my hair, and take them up to put them in their place.  The thing is, sometimes I forget, and people come to the door, people come pick up things I have sold on craigslist... and I have my hair full of little pink bows, fluffy headbands, even tiara's.  I don't even notice until I look in the mirror hours later.  I am a crazy lady!

State Fair 2012

These photo's are a little Emily heavy, but honestly she is the most patient and enjoys getting her picture taken.  Dallas and Noelle had an off day at the fair and didn't really want to pose.  Rob also was our of photo space on his phone, so not alot of documenting was done.

 That is huge chocolate moose, made my Chocolaterie Stam.  They did have the foresight to put this in an airconditioned building!

 Emily posing with the CY-Hawk Trophy at the Iowa State Booth.  This picutre was also used on Iowa State's facebook homepage all day on Friday!

 Noelle with the fire dog

 Mark Pearson's tractor

We usually don't do rides at the fair.  Emily really wanted to try this bouncing/trampoline thing.  We let her.  She was such a kind and giving girl all day to her siblings that were in constant meltdown mode.

Random photo bomb

 Rocking the giraffe shades at the dentist

 Slide mountain, awesomist elementary playground ever!

 Vacation piles, can you guess which is Rob's and which is mine?  Our choices are radically different, it cracks me up!

 We deep fried sweet corn on vacation.  It was Rob's idea.  I think he is going to patent it and we will probably have a booth at the State Fair next year.  It was beyond awesome.  We made 7-8 different flavors.  My idea was the cinnamon sugar fried sweet corn.  It was yummy. 

 You know yoiu have good friends when they let you wake their sleeping baby so you can get your baby fix before you have to leave.... even when they are about to eat a dinner out with a sleeping baby.  Thanks so much.  I loved cuddling him. 

 My new shades.  Happy Mother's Day to me.  Thanks Robert!

After probably 10 visits to the gardens we finally made it all the way to the back to cross off the final legos we still needed to see.  Momma and baby bison and the kids!

For my mom and Aunties!

Look what I found at Reimen Gardens.  It was one of the featured birdhouses on display in the gardens.  I couldn't get a good close picture of the builder, I remember it was Barry someone?

Madeline Island

We accompanied our good friends to Madeline Island, WI again this summer.  Let's say we are so blessed that they invite us and put up with us the entire time we are there.  We spent Monday traveling, it takes a good 7-8 hours to get their with kids.  The Randalls were a little ahead of us, but we caught them and we both ended up on the 6:00 pm ferry to the island.
  I stopped at Sunglass Hut in Woodbury, MN to get some new shades and lunch. 

We had a really relaxing time.  Our kids match up really well almost the same age.  The kids all sleep on the third floor of the house, aptly named Bear Camp, it is filled with 3 bunk beds.  We had Noelle camp in with us in a crib.  Mya and Emily slept in the same bed most nights because they thought it would be so fun. 
We ate, played at the beach, went on boat rides, ate, read, kayaked, swam, ate, hiked, rock hunted, dock jumped, ate, watched sunsets, made smores, fryed sweet corn, ate, slept, had quality coffee time, snuggled, watched Back to the Future trilogy, and ate.

I would highly suggest a trip to Bayfield or the Apostle Islands, it is beautiful.  I loved my week without internet!

 Lake Superior (it was almost warm this year)

 Dallas completely worn out!

 Noelle didn't wander in much further than this, but she would play at the edge of the water happily for hours. 

 Emily and Mya hunted for special rocks, for hours

 Sunset

 Sticky smores

 Daddy and Noelle

 The men, doing some thinking?

This giant bench glider is epic.  It really makes the vacation.  Both of our family's can sit comfortably on it and swing back and forth.  Lots of eating, conversation a,d watching Gods wonder happens on this glider.