Osceola/St. Croix Train Ride

Just before this summer started a couple months ago, I made a list of places I wanted to take Caleb and Ava. Today we crossed one more off our list... Osceola/St. Croix Train ride. This Sunday morning, we packed food and drink, hopped in the truck and drove about 1 hr 17 minutes (according to Mapquest) to Osceola, Wisconsin. The train ride itself was 90 minutes, during which we walked all the different train cars from caboose to engine lots and lots, ate lunch, watched the scenery pass by out the windows, saw how the engine hooks up to a train car, and took in this fun trip.

Caleb has loved trains since about the age of 3. Ava has come happily along on our other train trips the last couple years- Amtrak train ride and many visits to Bandana Square train museum in St. Paul. A train table and lots of trains have been collected over the past few years. His 4th birthday party was a train theme, complete with my home-made train cake. Whenever we are driving and Caleb sees a train going down train tracks how excited he still gets every time.

Today was another great memory and adventure with my kids...

Peter & Vanessa's Wedding

This weekend on Saturday July 23, my younger brother Peter married Vanessa! I am so very happy they found eachother, and know they will live an amazing life together as husband and wife!

Craig was able to fly home from his training in Virginia to be in the wedding, all be it a very quick visit. I picked him up at the airport at 10pm Friday night and I had him back to the airport this Sunday morning at 8:30am. But so happy we both were that he was able to be here for it, as it was a very special wedding day to remember always... Watching and being a part of Peter & Vanessa become husband and wife, Ava loving being a little princess in her pretty dress, me getting very emotional with my speech at dinner, Caleb grooving away on the dance floor, and Craig & I getting taking in every moment we had together...

Wonderful weekend it was:)

Hot and Fun weekend!

It was a very hot & humid weekend here, but we sure had fun doing a little bit of everything.

Saturday, Kristie and I made a day trip and brought our kids to Sandy Lake, where Kristie has a cabin from growing up. Super fun day was had- dock jumping, fishing, boat ride, and swimming!

Saturday night, I took the kids to see the 10:00 fireworks at Valleyfair. We got there at 9:45, and parked across the hwy 101 from Valleyfair. As we waited in the back of the truck with blankets, a faint train whiste could be heard...then some lights coming down the train tracks could be seen that laid only about 30 feet in front of us. Caleb, being the train lover he is, was beyond excited as he exclaimed "a night train is coming!" The conductor blew the whistle plenty for us as they went by and Caleb was so happy watching the long train go down the track. Then the fireworks began, and the kids watched all the different colors high up in the sky.

Sunday, we went to the Shakopee pool to keep cool in the tropical-like heat, where we met up with my parents, Kristy & Jack. We then winded down the weekend with some relaxing, napping and movie watching at my parents house.

Ready now for the week ahead... and in 5 days Craig will be visiting home for my little brother's wedding on Saturday- can't wait!