Let the football season begin!

Each fall at General Mills, on one specific day, they have a football game for the employees to participate in. It's not a game in the sense of teams and points, more of who can throw, punt, and pass the farthest. Last year, Graham and I just happened to be having lunch with Jeff when this game was taking place. Graham was obsessed with watching the big boys play, and they kindly let him join in. So, when Jeff heard that the same event was taking place today, I packed the kids up and off to General Mills for lunch we went. Graham was especially thrilled to play football with the big boys and Amelia was just thrilled to be allowed out of the stroller on the giant lawn. With all the football talk that goes on in this house, I'm sure it won't be too long before Amelia is begging to play too!

A football for each!

Graham running like the wind....he is actually a pretty fast little guy

Go Vikings!

Poker Chips and Baskets

Amelia and Graham have created a game I don't understand. It involves wearing baskets on their heads and handing poker chips back and forth. Two days in a row now, they've played this game in exactly the same fashion. In fact, as soon as they wake up in the morning, they dump the wooden play food out of these baskets, and immediately place their "helmets" (as Graham calls them) on their heads. I wonder what sort of game these two will come up for tomorrow!

Pigtails

Just because I think pigtails are absolutely adorable...

Riding the trolley

After enjoying an ice cream treat at our favorite place (Sebastian Joe's) this evening, we decided to take a walk around lake Harriet. It's a good thing we decided on the route we did, because we stumbled upon an old Minneapolis street car offering trolley rides between Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun. Graham couldn't have been more thrilled, and once the trolley started moving, Amelia was quite impressed as well. The weather this evening couldn't have been more perfect to enjoy a ride around the lakes-the windows on the trolley were open and kids got to hang their heads out to catch the breeze and "o0ooh and aaaaah" at everything they considered impressive. It was the perfect way to end our day!

Waiting for our trolley ride to begin. It was impossible to get the kids to smile for the camera-Graham was enamoured with watching the conductor help passengers board, and Amelia was just plain old distracted by all the commotion.

Amelia was very impressed with watching the sail boats on the lake

Playmates

Amelia and Graham peacefully played with their animals this afternoon. Sure, the peace between them lasted 15 minutes at the most, but to be completely honest, that's major progress! Depending on the day, the amount of sleep the kids have had, how busy we've been, and how much they've eaten-maybe, just maybe, they'll play nicely together. Today, after two wonderfully long naps, the stars aligned and they actually appeared to enjoy having a playmate. Now, if this could only continue through the weekend...

I'm sensing a bit of animal hoarding going on here....

Amelia hysterical with laughter as she successfully got the whale away from Graham

Amelia is so thankful to finally have an animal in her possession that she showers her whale with repeated kisses

And now that they each have animals, it's time to pretend to eat them...I wish I understood the motivating force behind their behavior here!

School Open House

Tonight Amelia and Graham attended the open house at their school. Attending school is going to be a HUGE change for Amelia and I'm worried about how she'll do when she's separated from me. And honestly, the thought of leaving my crying princess in a classroom without me is creating a very sick feeling in my stomach. We'll attend school twice a week. On Tuesdays, Graham and I will attend his 2 year old class and Amelia will be in sibling care. Then, on Thursdays, Amelia and I will attend the 1 year old class, and Graham will be in sibling care.

I'm hoping that the excitement Amelia demonstrated tonight is a taste of what's to come. She marched into each classroom we visited with confidence and got right down to business playing with toys. I was slightly amused by the fact that Amelia and Graham never even acknowledged each other. They chose to play on separate sides of the room...I guess they're both looking for a bit of independence!

Amelia was very impressed with the toddler sized chairs!

Last year, this exact lawnmower was Graham's favorite toy. Interestingly enough, it's the first thing that Amelia went after!

Amelia LOVES babies! This baby swing is in the sibling care room and Amelia put a baby doll into the swing and made sure the dolly had a very nice ride.

The Great Minnesota Get Together!

Today we spent the day at the Minnesota State Fair! Daddy Jeff took the day off from work so we could enjoy the fair during the week and not have to fight the weekend crowds. I love going to the fair and I wondered what it would be like to have two toddlers in tow. We didn't have any expectations as to how long we'd be able to wander around, we figured we'd leave when the kids started to get cranky around naptime. Much to our surprise, like clockwork, at 1:15, they both fell asleep in their strollers and slept soundly while we were able to continue eating our way through the food stands that the fair is so known for. We had a fantstic time, the weather couldn't have been more perfect for the occasion, and we're already looking forward to next year! My only complaint for the day was the amount of energy both kids had this evening-after sitting in a stroller all day, they were ready to RUN tonight!

" Do I look cute, or what?"

They were sooo excited for the fair! Well, at least Graham was, since he's old enough to actually "get it", but his excitement was contagious!

Ice cream! Yes, we took two strollers with us -Jeff's great idea! Even on the best day, we wouldn't be capable of keeping the peace between these two for hours on end.

Amelia samples her first cheese curd...as a Minnesota girl this is a State Fair rite of passage!

Two very messy and tired kids study Minnesota's largest boar. Sorry, no pictures of the actual pig, so you'll just have to take my word for it, but this thing was HUGE!

Completely wiped out after a day at the fair

A close up of a slumbering Miss Amelia :-)