Splash Pad, Take 2

I live with (and attempt to manage) David's sensory processing disorder every minute of every day (and night!).  There are a lot of times I can predict how he will react in certain situations.  Sometimes I wrong.  

Last year David wanted nothing to do with the local splash pad.  I reasoned that the way the water beats down on your skin is a much harsher feeling than the enveloping of pool or bath water-- which he loves.  I decided to take him and his sister again just to see what would happen.  This time, I was a happily surprised!

I'm calling these smiles and giggles happy progress!  

And because I would hate for his big sister to feel left out...

Lovin' Lake Metagoshe

One of the things I have missed most about Indiana is the state parks-- namely Brown County State Park.  This summer I was determined to venture to at least one state park in North Dakota.

Enter Lake Metagoshe State Park.  This park is a good two hours from our house, but worth every bit of the drive!

There is swimming available (which we had not prepared for), but we chose to go on a nice hike.

David was a trooper and walked almost the entire way.  

There was a very small island you could hike around in the middle of the trail we chose...

but first we spent a good long time sitting on this pier watching fish and "catching" water plants.

Everything's a gun!

Afterwards we drove around the park trying to find the playground.  On our way we went through the campground and watched a mean woman trying to direct her poor husband into a campsite which his huge RV was obviously too big for.  It just solidified our opinion to not own a huge RV!

After getting stuck behind that train-wreck of a couple for a good 10 minutes, we finally stumbled upon the playground.

Some Main children were a little more excited about the playground than others!

On the way home on this hot, hot day, we stopped for some cold DQ.  I couldn't have asked for a better state park or fun family day!

Here Comes the Parade

* I can't believe I left out our bicycle parade from the original post!*

My friend Aubrey always organized a bike parade in her neighborhood need Independence Day.  Although I waited until the last minute, I decided to try to bring the same tradition to Minot.  My friend Lindsay took the idea and ran with it!  It is awesome to have crafty friends (and it's also helpful to have friends with more energy than yourself!).

I did take the time to make these easy, peasy shirts with my three kiddos.

Lindsay made a great banner for the big kids to lead with...

and she even had popsicles at the "finish line"!

Last year on the 4th, our family was scattered in 3 different directions.  This year we wanted to do something special... together!

We decided to start the day off with a parade in nearby Velva, ND.  The kids loved it, especially the collecting candy part!

David was pretty fond of all the different types of vehicles.  That boys loves his cars!

After the parade we proceeded to a local park where more fun activities were taking place.

And ended with a free swim at the Velva pool.

Last weekend was the kick-off of the North Dakota State Fair, which is in our town.  My Mother's of Pre-Schoolers (MOPS) group entered a float in the parade.  Ruby, Eli, and I also walked in the parade.

These were taken right before the rain started!

There was a lot of waiting for the parade to begin.  I was so thankful I had left David at home with Dad!

The MOPS theme for 2013- 2014 is A Beautiful Mess!

Our little float queen Avery waved the entire 3 miles!

Because our group had not participated in the parade in a good many years, we had no idea how many people to prepare for.  Because of this, we ran out of candy-- fast!  But Eli decided to start handing out high 5's instead.  I love that kid!

Our MOPS Finance person ended up being the coordinator for our float.  Here she is being interviewed by the local news.

And... there goes the parades!