Fieldtrips

Mom once asked me, what are you going to do when Anderson gets older and wants to play outside? You don't really have a yard."

My answer...weekend fieldtrips! There are so many wonderful, natural beauties here (I'm sure that is hard to believe!). I love exploring new places.

The weekend before Anderson and I went to USA, we all went to a park. It was huge with lots of grassy areas to stretch out. We thought Anderson would love being out in the fresh air. And he did enjoy it eventually...he just slept through the first 20 minutes! :)

Yesterday (Independence Day), we took Anderson to the lake. We spent some time walking on the trails and checking out the waves (sorry Jordan...there was no throwing rocks!).

Hugo's boss let him take the company van home the night before and said he could use it if he needed to. We interpreted "need to" as a trip to the lake! Since it is a delivery van, there were only seats in the front. Anderson loved it! Usually, he sits in the center of the backseat in our car. Yesterday, he could see out the window...and the windshield! He was in heaven! I thought he was going to dislocate his neck! (This is actually a picture of us on the way home as he was falling asleep, but I can't figure out how to move this picture to the end. Silly blogspot!)

Hugo sprung this "let's go to the lake" idea on me as I was getting out of the shower. So, I literally threw clothes on and walked out the door. So...not the most flattering pictures of me. But Anderson sure does look cute!

Attempting a family photo. I couldn't get my arm out far enough to include us all. This is probably photo number 87. Hugo and Anderson both look real tired of the process!

Contemplating life... :)

"Ok Anderson...you see how he has that net in his hand? He is going to throw it out, it will sink to the bottom, and then he will pull it in full of fish."

There were tons of boats at the lake. Some were fishing boats that guys took out at night. Others were for the tourists. You could pay $10 and take a tour of the lake.

Examples of the tourist boats. All the boats were tied up to posts in the water. Passengers had to wade out to the boats to board. And check out the mountains. We were down in the valley. You can't see it here, but off to the left is the "sisters"...two volcanoes that are almost identical in shape and height.

Hugo and Anderson in front of the non-functioning light house. This picture is too small to see Anderson very well. He loves his stroller, but there is a "warning" tag on the side that drives him crazy. He spends half of his time in the stroller trying to pick it off! That is what he is doing in this shot.

Good! You can't (really) see my farmer's tan in this shot. Thank you Adams' Family Labor Day Extravaganza and Raccoon River Park!

Drat. You sure can see the farmer's tan in this one! And look at Anderson picking at that tag!

It was a wonderful day. A bit cloudy, but that was good...the sun didn't have the chance to get angry with my skin (as Hugo would say!). I can't wait for our next adventure. Perhaps the ruins? Or the rainforest? Or the ocean? I bet you all are jealous you don't live here too! :)