The Arboretum

The last adventure I took Papa and MaryAnn on was to the Arboretum.  Papa really loves plants and gardening so I knew he would love it.  I was right - he really did! It was really hot out (I think the hottest day of the year so far) but the kids still ran around like crazy.  I then drove them on the 3-mile drive.  We saw beautiful plants and gardens.  I wish my yard was designed by them! For the rest of Papa and MaryAnn's visit, we spent just chatting. They even stayed at our house last night instead of in the cam[er. I really like MaryAnn and it is wonderful to see my Papa so happy!

Jake caught Papa and I watching tv the same way! You can tell we are related.

 Astilbe

 Astilbe

 Love this shot.  Might get it printed on a canvas for the house.

 They have a lot of these painted Gopher's all over for the University of Minnesota

 

Mall of America

When I asked Papa and MaryAnn what they wanted to do while they were visiting us here in Minneapolis, they of course said the Mall of America!  We got up and went on Monday morning thinking it would be less crowded.  Man that mall is huge!  We were their for several hours and only got through the first floor!  We did eat at Rainforest Cafe and rode some rides though so that took up a big chunk of our time.  Breanna and I ran off to do the big kid rides while Papa and MaryAnn ushered Will and Carolyn around on the little kid rides.  Jake and Charlie cruised the gaming stores. We also learned something new - Charlie is not a fan of the Rainforest Cafe.  He sat with his Daddy the whole time and would cover his ears anytime he heard a loud sound.  Poor little guy.

 

 

 

Como Zoo

On Saturday, Papa, MaryAnn, and Breanna came to visit us from their home in Sapulpa, OK.  They brought their travel camper and are staying at an RV park! They came over Sunday morning and we all went over to the Como Zoo.  It was a lot of fun!  It wasn't too hot out so all the animals were out. Charlie even got to get up close to a monkey (through the glass), Will's favorites were the big Buffalos they had, and Carolyn made a new friend in Breanna. We then ate at Buffalo Wild Wings down by the University of Minnesota!

Updated our patio furniture

We got this set of furniture at Wal-Mart in Houston for like $150 and it has lasted a long time and a move!  It needed some help though since it was starting to rust a bit so I decided to spray paint it to get a few more years out of it. I also sprayed the umbrella stand since that was pretty rusted too.  I went with a black (it was originally a brown color) and it looks so much better!

What my feet looked like after a painting session:

 Before:

 Comparing the two:

After: