Woodbury Days!

Here is Benjamin sitting in a Saturn Sky with Daddy!

He had a blast "trying" it out.

Benjamin staring down a Pygmy Goat.

Going for a cruise.

Joshua was happy to see the animals too!

A full picture of one of Daddy's dream cars

Saturday again

It's Saturday again, and since I've been procrastinating at posting lately, I figure now is as good a time as any to do it. :)

Work is still really busy, I logged 54 hours this week, and probably have another 2-4 weeks of that ahead of me while we get the machine running. It's good work, and I enjoy it, but it's still some long hours to be spending in the plant and such.

We went to the Woodbury Days fair last night, it was pretty fun. They had a cover band playing that was pretty decent, they were called Boogie Wonderland, very Disco-riffic, if you get my 'vibe' :) We played some carnival games, won a few stuffed animals for the boys, had some fresh-made doughnuts, and just generally enjoyed getting out and enjoying the nice little fair. The Minnesota State Fair is going now through Labor Day, so we'll probably head over there later this week. I hear the food is fabulous.

Today our Company had thier annual summer picnic. It was great. They had a big drawing for prizes (everything from a 20" Flat screen TV/DVD combo to a cooler was in there), lots of food (Boston Market catering, yum!!), a volleyball competition between the shop and the engineers, and a big inflatable bouncy room for the kids. Needless to say, Benjamin and Joshua thought it was the greatest thing ever. :)

(That's Joshua crawling around on the entrance)

And Benjamin bouncing around inside :)

Other than that, life has been going well. Ben is working his way through potty training, it's a bit slow at times, but he's had two dry days so far, and we told him once he had 10 he would get a bike. So he's got his chart on the fridge with stickers over the days that he stays dry. He's very excited about it, so it shouldn't be long before he really gets it.

I'll post a story or two about France tomorrow on here (same bat time, same bat channel), so tonight I'll end with a few random family pictures, and a video we took from the top of the mountain we hiked up while in France. The tiny houses you see in the trees are Camp des Cimes where we were staying. We hiked up a few thousand feet to get this view. Very amazing. :)

Our Pool out back

Our Graham Cracker monster

Ben about to squirt the camera with his shark...

Ok... so I can't figure out how to post the video on here... Any one have an idea? I'll keep trying and hopefully get it up tomorrow. Have a great weekend everyone!

Missing Camera....

Hmmmm.... Somehow I have misplaced our camera... It would be a key item to have if I wanted to post pictures...

I am busy cleaning today so hopefully I'll find it and post some pictures.

And one of these days we'll get out our update letter to those wonderful people who prayed and supported us financially on our trip to France! We didn't forget about you!

Not much going on.

The lack of posting has been mostly due to the fact that we have just been so busy. Will has been working a ton of hours for his project at work and I have been trying to keep the boys busy and am still working on Potty Training Benjamin.

My Cookie Lee weekend was wonderful! I had an awesome time with my friends. Emily picked me up from the airport and it was wonderful to get a chance to catch up with what has been going on in her life. Then I got to room with my good Friend Katie and two other cookie sisters. We honestly had a blast that weekend! It was so fun to be with other women who were super excited to be there. We even walked over to Disney land and had dinner there one night! We wanted to go Shopping as well but that didn't work out as we talked so much we ran out of time! Here is a link to a picture we had taken that night after a hurried five (And I mean FIVE) minuets of getting all dressed up!

http://www.printroom.com/ViewgalleryPhoto.asp?userid=kidston7730&gallery_id=477106&image_id=50

From Left to Right it is: Me-Angela-Jill-Katie

Angela is one of my friends from Appleton as well and it was good to get to know her better that weekend. Jill is very cool as well. It was fun because we hung out together most of the weekend and we were rooming together too so it was nice.

Well that is it for now... More pictures later I am sure!

Me and the boys...

So after another busy week at work, I come home and realize I haven't posted all week... Sorry 'bout that.

So CarrieAnn is in Irvine, California this weekend, at her annual convention for Cookie Lee. I've talked to her a few times on the phone, and she's learning a lot and having a great time.

With her out of town this weekend that leaves me at home with the boys on my own. Which has been an adventure! :) Some good friends of ours watched the boys during the day Thursday and Friday so I could still go to work, but let me tell you, I have a new respect for single parents after this weekend, it's not easy!

and though it's hard work, I love the boys, and am enjoying the extra time with them. :)

We'll get to pictures of the boys in a minute. First, I must give a few shameless plugs for one of my favorite bands of all time. Stavesacre just put out a new album in April, and it is truly amazing. If you are a fan of melodic hard rock, give them a listen, and let me know what you think. For a few samples, check here for their latest video, and check out www.howtolivewithacurse.com for a chance to listen to their new album in its entirety!

Without further ado, the boys!

The one that eats his vegetables

And the one who doesn't... :)

Here's Benjamin conquering the climbing wall at a local park

and Joshua having deep thoughts :)

Until next time, Goodbye from the Red Wagon! :)

Working today

After a pretty fun weekend, it’s back to work today.

Benjamin was pretty busy, watching Sesame Street, still working on potty training, playing with Joshua, taking a bike ride with mommy, and building with blocks. He also made up a new game, very much like bowling; he sets up his blocks and tries to knock them down with another block.

We woke Joshua up at eight thirty, he was still sound asleep... He ate well today, worked at saying "no!” climbed down the stairs a few times, and tried to keep up with Benjamin all day. (Although it was hard to do when I kept putting him down for his naps...)

I woke up to Benjamin saying something very loudly in the hallway this morning... I couldn't figure it out until he pointed to his face and said "There's a little boy under there..." It's one of his favorite things for us to say after we have wiped his face with a washcloth.

I am working to get ready for my at home business convention in Sunny California. I am leaving on Thursday and Will is going to have the boys all weekend by himself! I will miss them but am planning on having a ton of fun with my good friend Katie! Plus I am hoping to learn a ton and really start to get my business underway here in Minnesota!

I'm sure Will is going to post more photos soon so keep checking back for them!

~CarrieAnn

What a week & More about France

Sorry it's been almost a week now since I first posted, I've been rather busy this week. I am supervising a machine installation & startup for work right now, so I have put in 50 hours already this week, and I'm even thinking about logging a few more tomorrow.

The hours aren't all bad, as I enjoy this job far better than my old one at KC. The biggest reason being that they treat me far better here. And they do their best to recognize a job well done. (*gasp*) :) For example, I get paid for all the extra time I put in, because now I'm hourly and not salaried. In addition, I get a bonus check twice a year based on my performance, and what kind of profit I'm making for the company... Wow! Imagine that, showing a little appreciation to your employees... I know a certain other company that could learn a little from my new employer. :)

I guess that sounds really negative, but honestly I'm not bitter or anything. My first job was good, and I am thankful for it. Now I am just really enjoying my new job, and happy to be living here in Woodbury.

So, more France stories! Last time, I just posted a few general pictures of the camp, so I thought I would start telling a few stories this time. And where better to start then the beginning?

Originally, we were planning to attend our favorite festival, Cornerstone this summer, with our good friends Troy and Meleah. Back in February, they told us that they would not be going to with us, because they felt God was calling them to go on a missions trip our church was planning for the summer. We were disappointed at the time, but after some prayer, we felt God leading us to go on the trip as well.

After a few months of French podcasts, music practice, and assorted other preparations, we were ready to go. In the end, our group consisted of the four of us, and Jeannine. Troy, Meleah, and us were the music team for the camp, and Jeannine was our leader. She had been to the camp before, and even spent some time living in France when she was younger, so she was a huge help to the group of us traveling with a French vocabulary only slightly bigger than "merci" and "bon jour" :)

We left around noon central time on June 28, and after 3 planes, 2 buses, and a van, we arrived at the camp. All in all, it was approximately 24 hours of traveling. Which was rough on CA and I, as we have trouble sleeping on planes. The only excitement to speak of on the way there was the airlines loosing our instruments and Meleah's bag. It ended up working out really well though, because they were all delivered to the camp in good condition the next morning. In retrospect, it was nice to not have to carry our instruments around all day on the buses and such.

So here are a few pictures from that day of traveling, and the day after, when we got to tour Bourg D'Oisans, before the campers showed up. Enjoy!

Troy and Meleah enjoying the plane ride...

CA and I enjoying our plane ride...

At least someone slept on the flight over the Atlantic... not me! :(

Our fearless Leader... :)

We weren't quite as cheery sitting in the Lyon Airport waiting for our guitars to show up...

But there was some beautiful scenery on the way to the camp

France really is beautiful

And eventually we arrived at the end of our journey (for that day)

And saw a little of the town

In the end, the trip was good, and we arrived safely :)