#14 Visit a Farmer's Market

Our 1st Farmer's Market of the summer.

The boys picked out some potatoes, cucumber, zucchini & a giant bag of sugar snap peas.

#1 Attend a Parade

This morning we took the boys to the ND State Fair Parade. The weather was absolutely perfect, sunny with a slight breeze and a few clouds. Sam loved all the tractors and trucks but didn't quite care for them sounding their horns. Joey liked seeing the fire trucks and race cars. And of course, the highlight of any parade is the candy and there was no shortage of that. I realized Sam has no willpower when it comes to Frooties... much like his mother.

Joey and Khai waiting for the parade to begin. 

Sam... with a sugar high.

Joey enjoying an apple from the Applebee's float. 

Tractors & balloons... 2 of Sam's favorite things.

Too loud!

Sam and Little E waiting for more tootsie rolls to come their way.

#25 Go to the Fair

This past weekend we took the boys to the fair and they had an absolute blast!

Sam was JUST tall enough to go on the rides. 

Joey loved the pony ride.

Sam loved the pony rides too (although you wouldn't guess that from the expression on his face). 

The Swampmaster Show was Joey's favorite part of the day. He thought it was SO cool when this guy "caught" an 8 ft. alligator with his hands. He was still talking about it tonight. 

Sam's favorite was watching the bear exhibit. He could not believe that bears know how to play basketball. 

Sam won a huge inflatable TMNT bat and insisted on carrying it with him everywhere. 

Thanks for the cool toys Grandma Shayne! 

Sam LOVED the rides and Joey was the best big brother. He kept telling Sam not to be scared and that he would protect him. They can be so sweet when they want to be. 

#27 Pick Berries

Yesterday morning we took a drive to Red Barn & Berry Farms to pick some raspberries. I knew Joey would enjoy it because he really likes to help with our garden at home but I wasn't sure what Sam would think of the experience. As it turned out, he did better than expected and is a pretty good berry-picker too. The owners of the farm were great. They brought us out some ice cold water and snacks for the kids and even answered some of our gardening questions. We will definitely go back again but will probably choose a cooler day. 

Taking a break to count his berries.

Our official taste-tester

4 pints for smoothies and 2 for a yummy dessert.

#4 Make S'mores

One of our favorite summer treats are s'mores. While they are best made over a fire, we've learned to improvise. Josh and I were recently watching The Food Network and came across a recipe for Indoor S'mores Sundaes. They were super easy to make and really good.

Indoor S'mores Sundaes

Of course, we also like to make them the old fashioned way and lucky for us, we live next to some fun neighbors who like to have bonfires.

Patiently waiting... 

Delicioso!

Safety Town

Joey recently participated in a program called Safety Town. It's a 2 week program that runs Monday thru Friday for 2 hours/day. The program is designed for kids who will be entering kindergarten. They go over all age-appropriate safety issues -- crossing the street, talking to strangers, what to do if you get lost, bike safety, using seat belts, etc. They also had some visitors show up -- police officers, firefighters and EMTs. He had a ton of fun, learned a lot and even met a few new friends.

This police officer helped hand out their certificates. 

Joey with one of the teachers.