a dinosaur walks among us

A friend of ours was recently getting rid of some things and generously donated his Roboraptor to the boys. Once I located enough batteries to power the thing, we spent half the day interacting with our new "pet".

rediscovered toys

While the boys played with their trains, Dad cleaned out the big closet underneath the stairs and uncovered a bunch of toys that were out of sight and out of mind. Owen raced cars down a wooden track over and over while Logan "sat and spun" on the Sit N' Spin.

flags of our sons

Logan has recently become very interested in flags. He notices them everywhere we go and asks what the different ones represent (our neighbor has one for the marines and we routinely pass the MNDOT building where the state flag is displayed). He has spent many a morning creating flags in his room such as the one pictured below. This is an early prototype, the newer ones have the correct number of stars and stripes.

easter 2009

After searching all morning for goodie-filled plastic and fabric eggs, we decided to dye some real eggs. Owen paused from egg-dipping long enough to take a photo.



Logan selects the next egg to be dyed.

sugarbush syrup

The phone rang this morning and we received an invite to visit our friends at the "Sugarbush" for an afternoon of sap collecting and syrup making. The weather could not have been better and a good time was had by all.

Owen collects his first bucket.



Logan carefully pours sap from one bucket to another.



After running the sap through a filter, it is immediately cooked down over a roaring fire. The resulting maple syrup has a smoky flavor that is absolutely delicious.

day of clay

Tracy and the boys decided to get crafty with Fimo clay today and created two wonderful works of art.

Owen uses a tool to cut and shape his clay.



Logan forms the base of his project.



Owen's coiled snake on the left and Logan's bowl on the right.



Logan decided to display his precious stones in his new creation.

jonah's quilt

In a record sewing month (for me), I've completed my first quilt, using fabric from my mom's stash. Thankfully, she had already cut the squares and some were even sewn together. It was a great first project.

I learned to piece the top...



...make a quilt sandwich and "stitch in the ditch"...



...and cut, attach, and hand sew the binding.



So, this one's for you, my sweet new nephew, Jonah. Something created with love from your Grandma Karen and Aunt Tracy.

the building for kids

Logan and Owen believe that a trip to Appleton is incomplete without stopping at the Building for Kids. We spent three hours at this children's museum today and we could have stayed longer.

Part of the multi-story tree where you climb through nets to different lookout points.

Logan tries the invisible ink experiment in the chemistry lab.

Owen builds a castle at the Lego table.

Logan picks up some ball bearings with the magnetized crane.

Firefighter Owen suits up before climbing on the pumper truck.

Logan drives the firetruck while Owen surveys the vast array of switches.

owen's rube goldberg

The boys absolutely love watching online videos of Rube Goldberg devices. After a recent viewing session, they both built their own contraptions and filmed the results with a digital camera.

afternoon delight

What to do when March goes out like a lion? First, get out of the house after the blizzard subsides, then scoop some very fresh snow into a bowl. Top it with syrup and proclaim it the best afternoon snack ever!



Owen eyes up his snow "ice cream" doused with raspberry syrup.



Mama went the traditional route: pure maple syrup.