It only took me three days to complete this...

Not that I spent 36 hours creating one layout (which in my snail-like scrapping abilities, really doesn't sound all that unreasonalbe!), but I started on Thursday and finally finished this morning.

I'm really digging printing out wallet sized photos for large events, such as Alex's sports camp, so I can get lots of pictures scrapped, but not having tons of layouts! Loved using Elsie papers, she rocks! I haven't done a two-page-layout in ages, but it was painless.

Okay, I'm off to whip up a veggie tray for a cook-out with friends and maybe some more homemade salsa - the other was a hit at last night's cookout, that and the guac & tater salad, gone in minutes! Good times!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Hope you are having a fun-filled day!

Andy & Haley have been on the lake fishing since 7 am and not sure when they'll be back. I've made fresh salsa, guac, and tater salad - they're chillin in the fridge to take to a pool party tonight. We'll probably all need naps so we can enjoy the evenings' festivities, I've got the yawns already.

I'm beginning to think that the 4th is my fave holiday, it's so FUN and happy; no gifts to buy, so it's not stressful; Haley is usually with us; it falls on or around our trip to the beach; and best of all, after today, it will be Parker Levi Buhl's birthday!!! Jenny & Jon are going in at 11am for a 1pm C-section - woo hoo! So excited and I know that in Knoxville there are three extremely excited little girls waiting to meet their baby brother - love them SO much!!

Okay, I'm off to rescue the gallon of ice cream from Alex - he seems to think it's for him to dive into any time he feels and not for the yummy peach sweet bread we're having for dessert - stinker!

Hard Rock Goodbyes...

We met the Joshi's at Hard Rock Cafe for our last hoorah with them before they head back to Oklahoma, via Aimes, Iowa.

The food was YUMMY, the shopping was crazy and the company was delightful:

Miss you Jess!

11 1/2 hours at the Mall of America...

We met Jess and her family at Mall of America at 10am Tuesday!

While we waited for the Joshi's, Alex and Haley took a ride:


They're smiling, so I guess they liked it:


Jess and Haley we on this huge skateboard ride that was shaped like a "U" with the two upper tips almost touching the ceiling and the best part was that the circles spun as well (bluk, makes me queezy just thinking about it!):




Jess screamed every time they got to the top, but she said she LOVED it! (Haley's under all that hair, somewhere!):


Abby was the only one who wanted to meet Dora and Diego, but Tabitha loved watching them:


We took a lunch break at Rainforest Cafe:


We hit all 3 floors of shops, but only went in some, saving the MOST important for last (sorry about the pic, my flash just wouldn't work, but I think Jess' camera got a good shot) - for those who don't know what Archiver's is, it's a scrapbook store!:


We stopped at the fountain to make wishes - I think the kids were wishing that they would NEVER have to go to a scrapbook store with their moms again (hehe, we were at Archivers for probably an hour!!):


After shopping, we went back for more rides!

Alex and Abby were riding buddies (and a little lovey-dovey too with the hand holding and a few smooches!):


They rode the ghost shooting ride, but said they were brave, not scared:


Jess, Maddy, and Haley went on the extreme coaster of the park. Nope, don't need to flip this picture, that is them, going straight UP:



Better them than me! Crazy girlies!!

And on the tamer coaster:






Of course we had to go to LegoLand:



After the Joshi's left, we closed the mall down - more rides and dinner at Johnny Rockets:


Can you see how sleepy my lil man is?? He fell asleep on the way home:



Such a fun day!

The Joshi's are coming, the Joshi's are coming...

The Joshi's got to MN for a little visit yesterday and it was like we'd only been apart from them for a week, not 6 months! Alex and Abby held hands most of the day and then he let "big sister" Maddy walk him to the car with no complaints of having to leave, but not before he gave Tabitha TONS of hugs and kisses - the boy LOVES his Joshi girls!!!

We met them at Minnehaha Park - gorgeous! There is a huge water fall - here's Alex and Maddy looking at it:


Alex and Abby took a break from hiking to put their feet in the cool water:


We rented surries to ride around the park - here is the Joshi family in their double seater, which was VERY difficult to manuever. Look at TT on the front - she had THE best time sitting up there and LOVED the ride!!!


Here we are in ours, with only one seat, it was pretty easy to use (well, that and I had an in-shape 16 year old pedalling like a speed bullet!!). By the end of the ride, Alex was sitting in the front basket, just chillin like the king of the world!


Such a fun day, now we're headed to the Mall of America for an ALL-day adventure - Alex cannot wait to show the Joshi girls Nick Park and LegoLand!!

Sports camp fun...

Alex loved going to sports camp last week!

Here they are warming up with a game of Duck, Duck, Grey Duck (yea, it's a Minnesota thing calling it Grey Duck instead of Goose - odd):


They learned some soccer:


A little lacrose:


Shooting some hoops:


T-Ball was by far Alex's Fave:


The last day they were given shirts, water bottles and medals - one happy boy:


The coaches were awesome: