Well July was certainly a month of company. Not only did Karyn come for a visit (HERE), but so did Jeff and Shawna! We had so much fun. This was our first time meeting Shauna in person (well, everyone except Ken) which was so exciting.

First off… Shawna’s a wizard at doing hair… and Trinity loved it, Echo also got her hair done. 

We had a few planned outings. First off… the long delayed trip to Fort Snelling. So much to see on a beautiful day. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

The other big trip was all the way to Wisconsin and Ren in the Glen. It was the kids’ first renaissance festival. Much more affordable than the bigger on Ken and I go to yearly, but just as much fun. Shawna did Trinity’s hair for her and I lent her one of my sari skirts.

Echo pulled out all the stops with her fairy wings.

We had a blast.

Grandpa Mike sent each of the kids some money to spend. Trust me those purchases were VERY carefully considered! I do believe we will try and go again!

Unicorn fairy!

The rest of our visit was spent just enjoying everyone’s company. We ate out, ate in, drank a little, went all out with a late night booze fest. It was amazing. I cannot wait until they visit again. Shawna even came to a R.I.P.P.E.D class with me!!! Talk about adventurous! Who knows, maybe before too long we can return the favour and visit them back home? Fingers crossed!

BW3!

Ok so total catch up before the 1st… not likely, but some posts… this I can do.

Well another Halloween is done and dusted. This year may have been the last one the twins trick or treat at. They are growing up so quickly!

Echo’s costume was a combination of a Ren in the Glen (Post to follow on that fun time) purchase, and a tail made by Ken from faux fur we picked up at Joann’s. Bam – an adorable unicorn.

Trinity went smart and asked for a Koala onesie she could then wear as pj’s.

Emanuel went classic as a pirate.

Zander and Gavin did a repeat on their wizard as they humored mom.

This year part of Zander and Gavin’s schooling is to plan the themed meals for Echo. They seem to lean on the side of deserts. We may need to discuss balance next!

We decorated jars for candles.

And of course the pets dressed up too…

We had a lovely light afternoon and then in the evening were off to the Novak’s to trick or treat with Aidan (Stan Lee). It was great fun and a huge haul!!

The whole group

Yoshi

Of course, the evening ended with the big parent candy sort.

Not bad for a Halloween that seemed to creep up on us. We only got the pumpkin carved 2 days before!!

I even dressed up… well sort of. I had bought an amazing hat from a local vender… Three Bears – Fun Fur Accessories HERE. Paired up with a few pieces I had on hand, Ken felt it was very… Russian Mail Order Bride… I felt is was deliciously warm. In fact, I ordered a special order matching Muff from the same woman!!! 

And now for some spare photos!

Sometimes you just need the right exhibit to spur you onto getting that long suggested membership. The temporary Mythical Creatures display at the Science Center was the big draw for us, and well worth it.

We actually made an attempt to go the day before only to realize the museum closed early that day. But our second day choice was just perfect. It wasn’t busy, though parking was scarce due to hockey games nearby. We used my homeschool status for a discount and were ready to go and enjoy over an hour of educational fun.

While the mythical creatures were the main draw we did enjoy some of the other permanent displays this visit. We definitely need to come back and see more of those. Thankfully with the membership it is just a matter of choosing a day when Ken can take a half day.

I have a mountain of pictures to share so will do so. Though first – we hadn’t realized you could do this, but the large astronaut in the center of the building allows you to put your face in the helmet! So some of the kids did!

And of course… if there is dinosaurs we MUST examine them closely.

BUT I know you are all waiting for the big draw – sit back and enjoy the mythical (and some not so mythical) creatures! First off… DRAGON!

And Kraken!

Now all Mermaids were beautiful… though one was.

And here is the creature some think inspired a lot of these… the manatee.

The Unicorn was another favourite.

Here is Echo with a replica horn. Some felt the narwhal was the inspiration for the unicorn’s single horn.

And then there were some animals that were actually a REAL thing…

Or the confusion that came from finding the remains of something.

This skull confused a lot of people making them think it was from a cyclops… it is actually a pygmy elephant skull!

There were multiple types of dragons.

Sir George slaying the dragon.

But my personal favourite is the Asian dragons.

But enough of my chatter… enjoy the last few images!

Roc