The many faces of Brita (Part II)

Here is a slide show I put together of all the silly faces Brita has made over the years.

Last weekend was fun

Last weekend was really great. On Friday night, the entire family went down to the beach at Lake Calhoun. Leif and Brita played at the beach, while dad and mom took turns playing football with Lars under the trees. The weather was warm and we all had a great night.

The next morning, mom organized a trip down to the Minneapolis sculpture garden. We walked the gardens, looking and playing at the sculptures. Then we walked over the bridge that goes over Hennepin and the highway into Loring Park and played on all the equipment there.

We ended the morning with an excellent lunch at Joe's Garage. The food was excellent, the kids were happy, and the restaurant was really nice to all of us. Then it was off to basketball for Lars and home for Leif for a nap. We hurried out, but made it on time.

Halloween 2007

Halloween came this year and it was great. We left around 6pm with Tobias and Aunt Natalie and hit the neighborhood.

One thing that surprises me about Halloween is that it is probably the one time of the year that I get to see all my neighbors and touch base (if only for a second). Many of the kids that live around us are younger and stopped by before we left.

The night was not too cold (like last year) and we made our way up and down the blocks. Natalie pulled the wagon. I carried Leif up to many of the doors because his costume was just a little too long and he tripped a couple of times. Everything went smoothly and we got a lot of candy.

The picture listed here was taken during 'round 2' after we had all swung home and dumped the first buckets of candy and headed out again. The coats had come on by that time, but everyone was happy, warm and looking forward to eating the candy.

The Ghost Trolley

One of the neighborhood traditions we have adopted since moving to Minneapolis is the Halloween Ghost Trolley. We started taking Lars before any of the other kids were born.

One of the treasures of Linden Hills is the trolley that operates between Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun during the spring, summer and fall. Every year they have a fund-raiser at Halloween where the volunteers who operate the trolley put on a little show that is 50% haunted house and 50% entertainment for the adults.

There is one guy in particular who has done every Halloween show and every year he comes up with another good show and demonstration. This year was 'Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Wye'. I could tell that the guy had read Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde and he had a funny story to tell.

Anyway, the night was warmer than last year and we had a great time walking over, waiting in line and riding the trolley.

SW Minneapolis Halloween Party

We have several traditions surrounding Halloween at our house. There are several events leading up to the big night, including the Ghost Trolley and the big SW Minneapolis Halloween party.

The special treats we have come to enjoy include a magic show from 'Magic Brad' (a little edgier this year, but the kids didn't notice), mixing with friends, the balloon-shaping guy, and the ever anticipated cookie walk. The cookie walk didn't disappoint this year either, with Brita and Leif walking away with multiple cookie bags.

It was really fun.

Before the show, I asked the kids to pose for a picture. Note the unsolicited Power Ranger poses, even from Thomas the Tank! I love Halloween.