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!