Minnesota Trip

May 2013

We made the trip up to Minnesota back in May to visit Grandma Becky and Grandpa Jim and go to a Twins baseball game.  Grandma, Kate and the girls made a trip to the Children's Museum which was lots of fun.

Children's Museum

Amelia loved delivering the mail around the city.  Apparently this was one of Kevin's favourite games as a child too.

DIY Face Painting

DIY Face Painting

Bonfire at Uncle Mark's House

Mall of America

Amelia still doesn't know about the shopping opportunities (or the American Girl Dolls).  We just have a blast at the theme park.  Long may it last.

Twins Game

 

We stayed til the end of the game. . . just after 10pm.  The girls got a bit wired :)

Playing on the Ride Home

Gymnastics Meet

October Update:  Here's the video



Amelia did great at her gymnastics meet in front of the whole family including both Grandmas and Grandpa Jim.  Well done for doing your best and tying for 1st place Amelia!

A Note from Kate

You may have noticed that we're not quite as punctual at updating the blog as we once were. If you'd like to see pictures a bit more frequently and are on Facebook, add Kate as a friend (try searching for Kate McLean in Waukee).  I tend to take lots of pictures on the go on my phone and post them more promptly :).

Summer Fun

The girls have been enjoying the summer weather with time outdoors.  Here are a few of our favorite pictures.

England

Kate and the girls were in Southport for the first week of our trip visiting friends and family.

Amelia on the workout machines at the sea front.  The sea is about a mile <---- that way. 

Having lunch at a pub with Gran Pat and Grandma

Amelia watering Gran Pat's garden

Mummy felt very old explaining that "when I was a little girl, this is how we made phone calls when we were out".  Amelia had trouble understanding that there was once a world without cell phones.

Amelia at Farmer Ted's

Mastering the ropes near Grandma's house

Zoe likes swinging just like her sister

The beginning of our trip to Edinburgh...renting a  massive car for all our stuff and to pick Kevin up at the airport. Amelia is shown for scale.

Edinburgh

We spent a nice weekend in Edinburgh with our friend Kate as our personal tour guide. It was a beautiful city.  We saw the Edinburgh castle and visited the Scottish National Museum, which was great for the kids.

Amelia watching some Scottish bagpipes and  dancing near out hotel.

Edinburgh Castle

Zoe had a nice ride on Daddy's back

Bottles on the go!

After visiting the Waukee Jail during Safety City Camp before we left, Amelia was interested in the dungeon's, so here we are.

Zoe couldn't resist the tea set in the hotel room

Center Parcs and the lake district

Here we are at the main event, Center Parcs.  We rented a lodge and rented bikes to get around.  They have loads of activities.  We checked out the indoor pool, playgrounds, and a variety of activities for Amelia (her favorite was Little Chefs).  As a family we did a treasure hunt, which involved a lot of biking as we spotted and solved puzzles along the way.  Amelia was a big help.

It didn't rain until our last day.

Ducks were a regular visitor to our back porch.

Zoe rode in the trailer.  The picture on the left is how she was supposed to look.  But the picture on the right is how she tended to look after a few minutes.  (Helmet was a little big)

On the Family Treasure Hunt

The Center Parcs we went to was very close to the Lake District. On our last day we went to visit the Lodore Falls (where Kevin and Kate got married) and Lake Windermere.

Family pictures at the Lodore with lots of great memories.  

Tea time (or Hot Chocolate time) at the Lodore

After the Lodore we went on a boat ride on Lake Windermere.  

Then the trip came to an end.  Both girls were good on the flight home (as seen below).