Avery's new "bike"

Avery is getting to be quite the big girl. We decided she was ready to have her own "bike", as she'll be 2 on the 16th. She loves to ride on it while we push (thank goodness for the nice, long steering handle that comes out of the back). It's a back saver for sure!

Drinkin' some H2O

For those of you who remember drinking water straight out of the hose when you were a child, this is the updated version! Avery doesn't have any interest in drinking from the hose, but the water shooting out of her octopus sprinkler sure is cool and tasty on a hot August day!

BFF Isaac

Avery and Isaac are best buddies, and they love playing together. We had Isaac, his mom Tricia, and baby brother Luke over one nice day last week to play in the water and have a picnic lunch. We sure are going to miss them when we move to Michigan, guess we'll just have to visit!

A day at the park

Avery loves parks (especially if they have swings!), and today was perfect park weather. We packed a picnic lunch and headed to Silver Lake to enjoy the nice day. Avery does a very good job sitting on the blanket eating, and she LOVES her new backpack and lunch bag!

Bear gets a check-up

One afternoon Avery got a hold of John's stethoscope and decided to give her animals a check-up. She was very gentle with them, and baby bear and puppy received a clean bill of health!

Twins Game

As I wrote previously, we took Avery to a Twins game a few weekends ago. Finally, I can add some photos from the game. She slept for the first couple of innings, but then was wide awake for the rest of the game, clapping and cheering for the Twins! They lost a tough game, but we all had a good time.

Como Zoo & MN Twins game

Last weekend we ventured up to the Cities to meet John's parents & brother. Saturday we went to the Como Zoo in the morning/early afternoon, and headed to the Twins game that evening. Avery had tons of fun, it was perfect Zoo weather. She especially liked the monkeys and gorillas, the giraffes, and the seals. John and I couldn't believe she was so well-behaved at the game (although she slept for the first couple of innings!). It was a fun weekend, and we will definitely get back to Como before we move.

Happy 4th!

Avery was sporting her Patriotic dress for the 4th, just like last year! She wasn't able to stay up late enough to watch fireworks, but did go to the Rochesterfest parade last week (thanks Leslie!), where she got her little American flag. It was a cool 4th this year, which I guess is better than the 95 degree ones I remember as a kid! We hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend...can't believe it's July all ready!

Clifford...the Big, Red Dog

John had a couple of days off last week, and we spent one of them at the Children's Museum in St. Paul. The traveling exhibit is "Clifford, the Big, Red Dog", which happens to be one of Avery's favorite characters right now. She LOVED it there! We made it in time for stories with Clifford, and spent the rest of the morning/early afternoon exploring the museum. Avery not only enjoyed the Clifford area, but the water exploration, the tot spot, and the outside garden area as well. It was a fun day!

Back in good ol' MN

It was fun, but Avery and I are so glad to be back at home in MN. We made the long drive yesterday, leaving Rugby at 8:15 in the morning, arriving at our house in Rochester a little before 9:30 last night. Of course, there were many stops along the way! Avery had lots of fun playing with her cousins, and has developed a new love of "swinging" outside (guess that means we'll need to get a swingset soon!).

Getting ready...

Another beautiful day in Rochester, a little windy, though! John is out golfing (of course) while I am home cleaning and packing for our 17 day vacation to ND. Well, Avery and I will be gone for that long, John has to be back for work ;-) Let's hope for good travels tomorrow...it'll be a long day in the car for Avery!

A day on the Mississippi (did I spell that correctly?)

So today we took advantage of the wonderful weather (and John being on float) to drive up along the Mississippi River. We stopped in Lake City, Wabasha, and Kellogg to check things out. We walked outside and enjoyed the beautiful views of the river/lake. In Wabasha we ate at the Flour Mill Pizzeria...it was fantastic! They have the best super-thin, whole wheat crust!

John's cool fish

Added per John's request...this is the coolest fish we saw the whole day!

Trying this new blog out...

All right, my first attempt at adding photos. Yesterday we drove up the the Minnesota Zoo. It was the perfect day to visit, the weather was gorgeous, and Avery had a blast! She was a real trooper, not getting a nap until late in the day. The best part was seeing all of the fish, dolphins, monkeys, giraffes, bears, and visiting the "farm" to see chicks, goats, pigs, and cows. Of course, there were tons of other animals, too. We hope to get back again before leaving Rochester next summer.

Hi there!

Ok, this blog is for all of our friends and family! Now we can easily keep you posted on all the happenings of the Hoyt Household.