A little weekend family fun

The boys pose with their pumpkins

Last weekend we took the family to see the Shrine Circus. This was the first trip to the circus for Zach and Alex (although our house often feels like one).  They really enjoyed it; all week long they'd tell anyone they talked to all about the acrobats, clowns, elephants, the ringmaster, and their favorite part: the boom! (the crazy guy that shoots himself out of a cannon).

On the next day, the three boys had a ton of fun decorating their own pumpkins.  Zach and Alex each had their own little pumpkin that they colored with markers.  Cole carved his own Jack 'O Lantern all by himself after his brothers helped him clean out the "pumpkin guts." They all did a great job and were quite proud of their creations as you can see here. :)

Check out the pics from this weekend plus lots of other great ones from the last couple months in the Sept - Oct 2008 album.

"Mommy, I'm a big boy!!"

Our little strong-willed Zach has had no interest in using the potty.  We'd occasionally get him to sit on it, but he usually finds bathtime much more interesting and wants to go straight in.  Alex uses it every night before or after the bath and occasionally makes attempts during the day, but if you ask Zach if he wants to go, he replies with a resounding "No!"

Well, today he decided he needed to go #2, so I got him on the potty - and he actually went both #1 and #2!  We made such a big deal about it that I think Zach might actually be motivated to try that again. Here's hoping! :)

Yep, it's official - I'm a sappy mom who gets excited about poop - and the idea of not needing to buy diapers in bulk at Costco.

Fun times with friends

The Vandermarks recently got some opportunities to get out and have some fun with some friends - Alex and Zach with neighbors Brooke and Stella, and Karen and Joe with friends (and Joe's co-worker) Phil and Heather.

Last weekend, Zach and Alex attended the birthday party of sisters Brooke (5) and Stella (3), and they had an absolute blast.  The birthday girls celebrated with pony rides and a little petting zoo complete with chickens, ducks, guinea pigs, rabbits, and a hedgehog.  The animals where huge hits with the kids, although Alex preferred to look from the outside and spent most of his time playing with the girls' toys.  Check out the pictures in Brooke and Stella's B-Day photo album.

Karen and Joe actually got a little playtime too recently when they joined friends Phil and Heather Rodemann on a trip out to Treasure Island to eat, drink, and laugh our booties off with comedian Ron White.  We spent a couple hours playing the tables (blackjack can be a mean, mean game...) and then went on the casino's dinner cruise for a nice relaxing dinner on the Mississippi River (check out our pictures).  To cap off the evening, we saw Ron White perform. He is one incredibly funny person, but I think the funniest parts where when he screwed up his jokes and then just went with it.   We all had a great time!

Welcome Cadence Joy

Cadence Joy

Congratulations to Karen's cousin, Sean, and his girlfriend as they welcomed their new daughter, Cadence Joy into the world on Sept 8!

Water and go-carts and trains, oh my!

A couple weeks ago, the 5 of us spent a week relaxing and playing at the Wisconsin Dells with Grandma Pat and Papa Bob. This year we stayed in a condo at the Chula Vista resort, which is located just a little north of downtown Dells right on the WI River. It was so nice to get away and spend time together as a family!

We had a fantastic time playing at the resort's indoor and outdoor waterparks, where they had all sorts of cool water slides for big and little kids. Unlike last year, Z&A were thrilled to play in the water - especially Alex, who seems to be a natural in the water (he was trying to swim on his own by walking on his hands). This made our time in the water a whole lot more fun. Cole really had a good time too - his favorite slide was the 8-story tall straight-drop body slide; he went on that over and over.

This year we also went on a tour with the Wis. Ducks, which takes you on a land and water tour in an old army vehicle called a Duck, drove go-carts at Riverview park, got in a little mini golf, and of course visited the Riverside & Great Northern Railway, where we got to visit with longtime family friends and train buffs, the Chmuras.

Check out the pictures from the trip in the Dells 2008 album in the Vacation gallery.

In unrelated news, check out the photos from a recent golf outing Joe went on for work. He and a couple co-workers decided to have some fun as a foursome and dressed up in costume. You can tell they had a great time. :-)

Fun new photos

For Papa's birthday, Zach and Alex took Daddy and Papa to the Minnesota Zoo. They all had a great time checking out the aquarium, the new bear exhibit called Russia's Grizzly Coast, and of course the farm.

This morning we took the boys to the Scott-Carver Thresher and Gas Engine Festival, where they had dozens and dozens of antique tractors plus lots of other antique farm equipment. The festival is put on by a non-profit group whose goal is to preserve agricultural heritage. When we got the flyer in the mail, we just knew we had to bring Zach and Alex there, what with their tractor obsession and all, so we enjoyed a pancake breakfast there and explored the grounds. The boys were truly in heaven! :-)

Pictures of these events plus a few other cute photos have been added to the Jul - Aug album. Enjoy!

A busy weekend for the Vandermarks

This past weekend was a busy one with lots of excitement for all the boys with a couple of truck rides and a couple of parades. Lots of fun! :-)

While I was working from home on Friday, the power company came by to let us know they needed to shut off our power to swap out the transformer across the street. They had a big truck with a crane to move the transformer (as well as a trailer carrying a digger, although they didn't need it for this job). Zach and Alex were beyond excited to see all that cool stuff right in front of the house, so we sat and watched. When the guys came by to tell us they were done, they got such a kick out of them, as Z & A couldn't stop talking (guy! truck! crane! digger!) - so they offered to give them a ride while they turned around in the cul de sac. How cool!

On Saturday we went to the Belle Plaine BBQ Days parade to watch all the trucks, cars, and tractors on display. We sat with Debbie's family, who lives near where the parade route ended this year, which was a lot of fun as all there were lots of kids to play with (big and little). Being at the end of the route really paid off this year, as we hit the motherload of candy because most of the floats still had a bunch left at the end. People would just dump their buckets right in front of us - it was better than Halloween! We had plans to go to the carnival after the boys' nap, but we got hit with a big rainstorm (1" of rain in an hour!) so we didn't make it back.

Sunday was the day of the parade at the Hopkins Raspberry Festival, where Cole's mom is a participant as a member of the Hopkins Fire Department. For the second year she invited Joe, the boys, and me to join her and Cole in the parade to ride on the trucks, which just thrills Zach and Alex beyond belief. This year, Lisa drove one of the big ladder trucks, so Joe, Z & A, and I rode in front with her while Cole rode on the top. We all had a good time waving at the crowds on a beautiful sunny (but warm) day.

We were able to get a couple pictures of the power truck and fire truck rides (although we weren't able to get one of Cole on top of the truck before we had to start the parade); you'll find them in the Jul - Aug 2008 album.