Dandelion Days

Even with three adults in the house it is next to impossible to always keep track of Rachel. Turn your back for 5 seconds and she has managed to climb on top of the punching bag (and is very proud of herself.)

Even though there is still no new addition in the family, we have had a great week (well, poor Justin has been frantically studying and taking tests - so this Thursday when he finishes will be great). If it wasn't for Bridget's Dad, Bridget and Rachel probably would have been watching a lot of movies. But, luckily his visit has made us go out and enjoy the beautiful weather. Rachel cannot get enough of being outside and loves picking as many dandelions as she can see. She has been carrying them everywhere and in at least three of these pictures she's grasping her new favorite flower. This one is of Rachel and Grandad at the Roseville Central Park.

Here they are enjoying the gorgeous flowers at the Como Conservatory.
The Japanese Garden of the Conservatory is opened again with the warm weather. It was beautiful and the little gravel on the walkway was seriously exciting to Rachel. She just sat on the path and kept picking up the small rocks.
We also made it to the Natural History Museum at the University of Minnesota. They have a fun touch and see room where Rachel enjoyed the sea shells and building this tower with pieces of a tree trunk. She was also very brave and touched a live toad.
One of Justin's goals is to see a moose in the wild. So, since moose are on our mind, we thought we'd at least take a picture of this huge one at the museum.
We are amazed by all of the wildlife here even though we live in the Twin Cities' metro area. Here is a family of ducks that walked right past our door this week. We also have quite a few rabbits that live around our townhouse complex and there are tons of squirrels, birds, and bugs. It's a pretty exciting place for an animal enthusiast like Rachel.