Drivers Exam

In the state of Minnesota, you need to take a drivers exam to get a license.  So I went with Amanda today and we took our exams together.  Me for a drivers license in Minnesota and Amanda for her learners permit.  I am happy to let you know that we both passed with flying colors.  I would not have passed if she had not helped me study.  One of the questions is how many feet you are supposed to give when passing a bicycle on the side of the road.  It is 3 feet but I would not have know if she hadn't studied with me.  So thanks to my Amanda and I am glad that is over.  I took Amanda out to a school parking lot and we practiced driving tonight.  She had so much fun.  I made Adri and JOsh get out of the car and play at the park but they kept chasing the car around because they were so excited to see Amanda driving.  It was cute to watch.  Amanda is going to be just fine as a driver.  She has common sense, she just needs a little practice.  Just think, by this time next year, she can do my driving for me!! Hooray.

Minnesota State Fair

This last Saturday we went to the Minnesota State Fair.  Bryon and I were volunteering at the Children's hospital booth to talk to children about ATV safety.
So Amanda and her friend Abby took Adri and Josh to wander around and see the animals etc.
It is a huge fair set in a very beautiful spot.  There are tall trees and beautiful buildings on the fairground that have been preserved as well as the normal sites you see at a fair.  There are the rides, the booths, the animal barns and the FOOD!!  Apparently this is the biggest attraction at the fair.  We sampled a pup dog which is a footlong corndog made fresh and brushed with ketchup and mustard.  They were good. We also tried homemade ice cream made with a machine run by and old John Deere tractor.  We had roasted corn on the cob, 3 icee's, and a deep fried apple pie with cinnamon ice cream.
So I think we got a good sampling of the state fair.

Lake Calhoun - #8,531 of the 10,000 lakes

On Saturday August 18th, we visited Lake Calhoun.  It is located in the city of Minneapolis in a trendy very expensive neighborhood.  It is a lovely lake with a bike and pedestrian path around the entire lake.  There were people everywhere.   One thing we have noticed about Minnesota that we love is that the people here love to exercise and be outside and moving.  So we rented two canoes and proceeded to travel from Lake Calhoun to several other lakes that are connected thanks to some canals that were dug in the early 1900's to allow passage from lake to lake.  We saw turtles, and lilypads, and plenty of other canoes, and even a man painting on the shore.  It was so picturesque.

After canoeing, we found a park and some grass and had a picnic.  In one of the pictures you can see how tired my little family was!!  Ha Ha.  Canoeing must have worn them out.  It was a great day.

The Drama King

I just need to add this quick post.  This week has been crazy driving Adrianna to math and then Amanda to Tennis, and then go and pick up Adri, hurry home for lunch, and then pickup Amanda to take to drivers Eduacation, then go home and take a nap, and then pick Amanda back up from Drivers ed, have dinner ready and that has been my day for the last 5 days.
Well, today I think Joshua had the cookie.  We were taking Adri to a friends home and I told everyone not to talk to me until we got there so I could concentrate on the directions.
Josh started crying for his dad (which is what he does when mom is stressed)  and finally we made it to the correct home.
After we left Josh was throwing another fit and I said, "Joshua you are just a big Drama King like your sister Adri who is our Drama Queen!"
He immediately started to sob and said,  "Mom I don't want to be the drama King, I just want to be Joshua Bryon Bowers!"
I had to chuckle and it lightened the mood in the car substantially.
Gotta love being a mom.  If you didn't work through the hard times and be there for your kids, you would miss those special moments that only come along once in awhile.

Drivers Education and Tennis

Well, Amanda has finally made it to the driving scene.  In MN she can get her learners permit at 15 years old.  So she is enrolled in Drivers Education.  It is weird to think that she will be driving on the road soon.  Now we have the joy of paying car insurance for someone who is younger than 25.  What a an expensive endeavor.
She also started Tennis today.  I was worried when I dropped her off and she wanted me to walk up to the courts with her.  It is hard leaving your daughter in a group of people where she knows no one.  I just said a prayer as I drove away.  But she came home very positive about the whole thing.  It should be nice to meet some friends before school even starts.  I hope it will make the first day easier on her.
I think it is nice to have a schedule and something to do.  For the next two weeks she has tennis from 11:00 to 1:00 and then Drivers ed from 1:00 to 4:00.
This week she is making cupcakes for a YW/YM pool party and meeting at a friends home on Friday to get ready for a multi-stake dance.

Fruit Pizza

Once a summer at least we need to make fruit pizza.  That was Sunday.  Adri helped me bake the cookie dough and she designed the pizza.  Try to overlook that it is on a square pan.  I forgot to pack the round pizza pan.  It still tasted good.  We texted a friend of Amanda's to see if we could bring it over to her house and share with her family and they were at their cousin's home so we were able to hang out with two families from the ward and get to know them better.  It was a fun night.

Oh by the way, Bryon got a church calling.  He is the second assistant in the High priest quorum.  I think he is so glad to have a job in the ward after being released back in May.

The Saturday outing to the Potholes

Last Saturday we went to the Interstate State Park. Yes, that is not a typo.  It is a state park that sits right between Wisconsin and Minnesota on the St. Croix River.  So we drove an hour and a half to the park. The reason we went was to see the Glacial potholes. These potholes were made when the The Glacial St. Croix River carved a series of terraces along its banks. Sand and gravel were occasionally caught in eddies or whirlpools and were swirled around with such force that they drilled holes straight down into the rock. Larger rocks caught in the spin would polish the shafts smooth.

^{That was from the internet because I couldn't think of a good way to describe it.  We hiked around, saw some beautiful views from the cliffs and even saw two very strapping young men in speedos who thought they were going to go cliff diving.  But alas they were caught by the ranger and we didn't even get a picture of them!!  Amanda and I thought they were both quite built!
After we explored the potholes, we went on a 3 mile hike.  Josh was amazing.  He loved it and practically ran the entire way.  He is a good hiker.  On the way home it was McDonalds ice cream cones and fries.  So it was a good day.}

^{That night Bryon and I went to see the Bourne Legacy and really liked it.  I liked it better than the other Bourne movies because it was alot more mental intrigue than killing.  Don't get me wrong, people still died but it wasn't as much of a slaughter.  It was a good movie.}

Our new neighbors

So today (Tuesday) is national neighbor night out.  It is when the community gets together for a night out to meet and have a good time.  Our new neighborhood did this.  So we went to a block party.  This is the first block party I have ever been to.  I lived on the wrong street growing up and never got to go to the block party on the street behind me and our block was a busy thoroughfare so we didn't have them.  Anyway, it was really cool.  We met most of our neighbors and found that they all know and like and care about each other.  It makes me really excited to get into our home and get to know everyone better.
I have always loved neighborhoods with sidewalks and kids playing outside and people chatting over the fences.  So this is a great chance to get involved.  We are actually the last lot to build in this particular neighborhood.

They also had a community party with the police and other local sponsers at the Maple Grove community center.  Adrianna was able to dunk a policeman on her first of three tries.  That was pretty cool.  She has a good arm. We learned a lot about what the community has to offer.  Any information is good.
Adri got to ride home from the block party with her dad on the motorcycle.  It makes me a little nervous, but she thought it was the coolest thing ever.  Josh got to take a ride in the parking lot and said that he didn't go fast enough.  Go figure!
I am so proud of Joshua today.  He has hated to have his hair cut ever since he was a baby.  So I have been doing it because most hairdressers refuse.  Today I took him to KID HAIR.  It is a place designed specifically for kids.  He watched Nemo and Cars and this young lady did such a terrific job.  I was so impressed with her.  His hair has never looked better and I truly mean that.  He looks great.
Amanda is doing baptisms for the dead tonight.  What would be do without the church to keep us busy and happy.  It is a blessing to have ward families.
Well, I shall say good night.  Who knows what will happen next.

What my children do when they are bored

There is not much to do when you move to a  new place and live in 1300 square feet of space.  We have been trying to get out and go to parks and take bike rides etc.  But today my children found something fun to do with their time.  They were laughing so hard it was contagious.

Strange things happen when you live in an Apartment

Bryon drives a beautiful red Toyota pickup truck.  One day when he was parked in the garage, he found a note on his truck.  It said, "If you are married, throw this away, if you are single, please email me." and it left an email on the note.  What we are trying to figure out is if she saw the truck and wanted to date Bryon or saw my fine specimen of a husband and wanted a date!?!  I think it was the latter.  The truck is cool, but Bryon is Sweeeet!

The other thing that happened was not sweet.  Bryon had his bike stolen from inside the parking garage.  The person who stole it must have known bikes because he got a good one.  The police do have a lead thanks to help from others in the apartment who saw someone taking pictures and loitering.  I hope that we can catch him even if we don't get the bike back.  Thank heaven for insurance.

In Minnesota,  there are trails everywhere.  We have found some of the greatest trails and parks.  Tonight we went to Weaver Lake park and shot off rockets.  It was so fun and the kids just laughed and laughed as we tried to catch them as they came down.  Thank you to Nolan and Camille that found them in the first place and showed us how fun they could be.  This time we stayed away from the trees and we didn't bring any soccer balls or footballs. (Inside Joke)

I almost Cried!!!

Today was a really hard day.  We went to the library and it was not as cool as Waukesha.  I went to the grocery store and I couldn't find anything, We went to the community center to sign up for soccer and I didn't know anyone.
I am a creature of habit.  I like familiar things.  I love it when I know the checkers at the grocery store.  I like having things that are ordinary to me.
So today the reality of the move set in a little more.  I need to make all of these things familiar for me.
Bryon came home and could tell I was in a funk so we went on a bikeride. We rode down to our lot where we are going to build and found some really cool bike trails.  It just lifted my spirits.  I love my husband.  He has already made that transition from unfamiliar to familiar and he knew just what I needed.  And so it goes.
Tomorrow will be a better day!  I hope!