The Accidental Boilermaker

It was a busy Saturday.  Nate went on a bike ride, I took the kids to the library and once we were back home Evelyn and Jameson got to play in the kiddie pool.  After naps, we went to our first buskerfest.  We saw circus performers, drummers, a magician, a few jugglers and mimes, and several people just playing music.  It was super hot, but fun and not overly crowded.  Evelyn got to jam on some recycled drums before we left. Tonight is Nate and the kids annual 4th of July backyard camp out.  They both were excited to sleep in a tent again. We had s'mores bars for dessert and then everyone did some sparklers before bedtime.

On Monday, Evelyn, Jameson, and I set off for the Kettle Moraine State Forest in Wisconsin for a camping trip with my dad, Katherine and Tom.  Since Nate had at to work and couldn't come with us, this marked my longest car trip with the kids by myself.  Our campsite was perfect.  We actually had to hike in 650 feet from where we parked the cars which gave our site a nice secluded feel. Jameson loved the tent.  Which was good because it rained most of the day Tuesday, so we spent a lot of time inside it. Anticipating the rain, we had our campfire Monday night.  Evelyn couldn't not help Tom build and maintain the fire. We had hot dogs and campfire potatoes for dinner. Delicious! And of course s'mores for dessert. Tuesday morning while exploring the campgrounds, we got caught in the rain and got soaked.  Once everyone changed into dry clothes, we played with some blocks and duplos in the tent. A afternoon brea...

Today was bug day at the botanical gardens.  Evelyn and Jameson had just received magnifying glasses at the library as part of the summer reading program, so we brought them along for an up close look at some of the bugs. We saw the butterflies again. Just like at Easter, there were lots of activities.  The kids made bugs from egg cartons, pipe cleaners, and pom poms.  There were gummy worms and butterflies for snack.  They each were brave enough to touch a hissing cockroach.   Probably the best activity of all was the balloon animals.  Evelyn got a dragonfly and Jameson got a butterfly.  And both insects made it home without popping.  

Yesterday I took the kids strawberry picking. It was a first for all three of us. The farm was in Ohio so about a 30 minute drive away. It was the first day for picking and the weather was so nice, but we almost didn’t go. I was worried Jameson wouldn’t understand the concept or would get bored too quickly. We also had to bring our own containers and I didn’t know what to use, but then Nate suggested the kids halloween buckets which was a great idea. Evelyn did a good job. She was very careful to only pick red strawberries but she also liked to jump around the rows so I can’t say we cleared any one section very well. Jameson did better than I expected. He picked some green strawberries, but he filled up his bucket and stayed within the rows. I think his favorite part was whenever we saw a tractor.