Outings

Yesterday I took a couple of little pirates over to the nature center. they played on the playground and then we did a nice hike partway around the lake. I definitely don't get as much exercise lately since both boys don't want to be in the stroller the whole time. I biked over, anyway, so we all walked around the lake. Which necessitates a much slower pace on my part.

We saw some turtles, ducks, cardinals, a woodchuck and plenty of gnats, as well as all the flora. The fens are unfurling. Blossoming trees are in full bloom (much to the chagrin of my allergies a few days ago--but they sure are pretty).

Last night we had our first fireworks of the year. They were short, but a good start to the season. Nils, however, is not a fan. They're too noisy. So he buries his head in one of our chests, thereby missing out on seeing the fireworks. It had rained earlier in the afternoon, but the evening was fairly nice. The wind had dried off the ground fairly well, but made it a bit cooler when it was blowing.

The fireworks were part of Golden Valley Days (the arts festival of our suburb to the north). This morning we went to the parade (with a couple extra kids in tow). It warmed up to 45 degrees while we were there. Last year we were in shorts. The youngest two were shivering the whole time. But they didn't want to leave of course. Free candy is too much of a draw. As well as the big trucks, animals and people in costumes. No real floats in this parade. It's really a small town parade bumping up against Minneapolis. The parade has to stop when the traffic light changes so that cross traffic can move.