This is Our President!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53MPFsgkgEY

Our FUTURE President.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoFwDTZccBU

Duluth

Shane and I took a break from parenting July 14-16. We took the motorcycle up to Duluth. We had a wonderful time in Duluth! We stayed at the South Pier Inn. It is right on the Canal. We had a jacuzzi and a fire place. It was in walking distance from Canal Street and we did a lot of walking. We also rode the motorcycle up to Split Rock Light House.

We ran across some of Brian Andreas' art in Duluth. I LOVE it! He is definitely my favorite artist. (Not Shane's though). Someday I want to buy some of his art!

We have had a lot of daycare changes again. Of course I HATE changing kids and I really want to feel settled. I have two openings again. I really don't want to share the stories. Child care is a really frustrating profession. Either I get along great with the kid and have problems with the parents, or the parents are wonderful, but there are problems with the kid meshing with the other kids in my home. There seems to be very little consistency right now and it is hard to get by with less income. I don't want to do daycare forever!

Reading & Contentment

"She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful & life was so short." - Bittersweet by Brian Andreas

I've been reading a lot this week. Which, a lot with kids is not really all that much.

I have been trying to enjoy NOW and not get upset that I am going to die. There are so many things that I want to do while I am alive. I want to travel to everywhere and read books on all subjects. I especially want to study science!

I am also trying not to plan too much for the future. I firmly believe that what we are doing right now is what we are supposed to be doing. DISCLAIMER: this is true as long as we are being moral and true to our self and spiritual/life leading. Really no matter how crazy our life looks we are on a journey and need to accept where we are at. We have the power to change some things, but not others. Right now I am daycare provider. That is not my life long goal, but as a parent of little children it works very well for now. I am really enjoying it! I want to do more crafts and preschool activities come fall. I am hoping that when my license capacity increases in October that I can find some preschoolers! The two babies will be toddlers in September and all the other kids will be preschool age. There is so much more I could do without having infants!

Today we went to the park and had a picnic. We got rained out, but it was still fun. My sister, Deborah, is in town for the week and we have been spending some time together. Sometimes I get envious of her life. She is single and has a fabulous job at a College in PA. She has the time and resources to do many of the things that I would love to do, like read. I love coming from a big family! My little brother, Joshua, is coming into town tonight with his girlfriend, Kiki. She is from Amsterdam and is visiting for a month (I think). They will only be in MN for a week though.

Tomorrow is Independence day. We usually go to Shane's dad's cabin for a party, but we may skip the party because my sister and brother are here. I love being busy, and hate it at the same time. I hope you all enjoy your Fourth of July!

Finally - Our Vacation

I never really posted about our vacation. It was SO busy, but very fun. Here is the lowdown.

• Monday: Minnesota Zoo with Grandma (Shane's mother). We brought a picnic lunch with and stopped at a rest stop to eat. It started pouring while we were eating, but stopped shortly after. The zoo was a blast. I REALLY enjoy zoos!
• Tuesday: We slept in and left for Foley after lunch. We went to Foley Fun Days and went on the rides. I got a little sick. I really hate rides that spin, but Calvin LOVES them. I went on the Spinning Strawberry ride with Shane and Calvin and then we went on the Scrambler. I LOVED the scrambler when I was little. I HATED it this time. Shane and I talked about it afterwards and found that we both thought we were going to die on the ride. Shane said he could read the headlines: Man, Woman and toddler die on ride at Foley Fun Days leaving twin brother and baby sister. I had a huge bruise on my leg from being squashed. Tuesday night we slept in our tent in Grandma's back yard. I had a blast! The kids thought it was really cool too!
• Wednesday: We went shopping with Grandma. We took the kids to the Foley Public Pool. That evening it stormed and we had hail the size on tennis balls and golf balls. The kids thought it was very exciting! After the storm we went to the parade in Foley. We went home that night.
• Thursday: We went to the outlet mall and got new sandals for the boys. Carrera got a hat and really cute stuffed bunny.
• Friday: We went on a motorcycle ride with my new bike and Shane's bike. Grandma babysat. I can't remember what else we did.
• Saturday: Grad Party for niece Robyn.
• Sunday: Tried to play catch up in the house.

Vacation was very fun, but not super productive. The kids really enjoyed it.