Valley Fair Family Fun Day

One day they will be too old and grown up to humor me and stop and pose for pictures with random characters in the theme parks...

But for now, I will take what I can get!

This was our fourth year with Season Passes to Valley Fair...While we find it harder and harder to find free time, as the kids get older and busier with various extra curricular events and social engagements, we do still find it worth it to have passes to Valley Fair. Going just twice and you've recouped your investment. As long as we live in these here parts, I think we'll be renewing these passes.  Does your family have one of these no-brainer things you commit to year after year?

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Valley Fair Sunday Funday!

We do our best to get the most out of our season passes to ValleyFair.

We've had passes for years now, and I really don't see us not renewing them anytime soon.

I am pretty sure they are going to stop humoring me and posing for pictures soon though!

thanks kids!

One day, you'll be glad we have all of these totally random shots!

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Valley Fair for Family Fun ~

For several years running, we've purchased Valley Fair Season Passes.

This year was no exception.

We started out the year strong, going to ValleyFair for a an hour here, 

a couple of hours there, most weekends.

That dwindled off as life got busier.

Going just twice with a season pass and you've more than recouped the cost of the pass.

With the season quickly wrapping up, we decided to head out for one last mini-adventure.

Both kids have somehow shot up in height...

I love that, because then Mom (and/or Dad!) doesn't have to go on all of the rides with them.

I love that they have each other, and they love to buddy up too!

Besides that, apparently I'm really not allowed to ride all the rides anymore anyway.

PFFFFFFT.

No, it's not the last one, though I'm really not TOO old for that one...

But apparently I'm old enough for this one.

Bugger.

Anyhoo, in the season of living outside the box and trying new things, 

we went in search of great adventure, 

and great memories.

Some of the greatest memories are created in an hour here, an hour there.

Memories that will last a lifetime.

*** All pictures in this post were taken with the Verizon LG G2 - Unedited, camera phone shots on these taken from below swing pictures? That's pretty incredible! ***


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Explore Minnesota - Valley Fair Style

We've been busy this summer - mostly with StayCations...

& why not?

There is so much to see and do here!

One of our favs, is ValleyFair!

& we recently had the chance to spend the day there with our (extended) family!!

Bless her heart - The teenage niece posing for pics with Snoopy and her little cousin on a recent family outing to ValleyFair!

I bet she didn't know that picture would wind up here! Sorry M! ;) 

 She was so gracious and humored our girl...

Especially nice since our son has decided he's pretty much over all things ride related.

Bugger...

And the very same season that our girl is finding herself more adventurous?

More willing to let go of her inhibitions?

He'll come around I'm sure...

 And it was super fun to see everyone having a GREAT time!

Ride after Ride...some big, some not so big ~ 

I distinctly remember last summer - when my hubs dared to go on the Steel Venom ride with our young neighbor girl K - and he said, never, ever again...

Well, it turns out, he couldn't resist riding it again with our niece! Thank heavens, because none of us were getting on that thing!

All in all, a fantastic day.

And I even snuck a few shots in for my other project ~ Project Me. Project You!

I can't get over how quickly summer has come and almost gone! I had big big plans, but it's hard to get away when there is so much to see and do right here in our own backyards! 

Where is the summer going!

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Breathe of Fresh Air -

I talk often about how great our neighbors are...

such wonderful friends we have made here in the hood...

What I don't mention, is something that has absolutely stolen my heart...

The neighborhood kids...
This one in particular has had a lot going on lately... one morning, we were heading out to Valley Fair...so we invited her along.

From the minute we stepped out of the car...She was impressing us.

(Yeah, so the Droid X isn't too great for photos...)

The kids adore her, and she them.

Before we went, I told her...

'our kids hang out in the Planet Snoopy Area...so you might be bored, but you are welcome to come along.'

~ to which she replied...

'I would love to go on rides with them! I'll do it!'

And do it she did...

They laughed and they laughed...
They smiled...
They had a GREAT time.

And...as an added bonus...
Turns out little K isn't so little after all -

And she was able (& more importantly, willing!) to go on the big kid rides with our biggest kid!

(For some reason - in my old age - I cannot do these thrill rides anymore - I used to love them - now, simple swinging turns my stomach and I feel like tossing my cookies!)

Rob and Katie getting ready to ride Steel Venom - No. Thank. You!

No. Way.

They had a great time - and the hubs was even a little shook up after that one!

HA!

Yep...this neighborhood...

It's a buyer's market, interest rates are at an all time low...

But there are things far far far more important than closet space and a 2nd working shower.

Now, if we could just get ourselves added into her extra curricular activity schedule - we'd have ourselves one hellava babysitter!

Valley Fair - Take II

We activated our season passes to Valley Fair last weekend...and had such a good time, even though we were only there for a couple of hours...

Knowing that we only needed to go one more time to officially get our money's worth out of the Gold Passes that our family bought - I decided to sneak over there with the kids in between rain showers...


They were thrilled, though you'd never know it by the looks on their faces here...

They often get these looks on their faces when I ask them to participate in
Project You. Project. Me....


Hence the reason I don't make them do it every day as we initially started out way back when...but I do still try and grab weekly or more frequent photos...

They were much happier to be posing with this guy than they were to be posing with me...

We knew we didn't have much time before the rains would hit again...so we tried to hit up a few rides we hadn't done on our previous visit...

Needless to say, they had a blast! (And, just like the week before, we pretty much had this place to ourselves! Awesomesauce!)

He rode the Ferris wheel at the State Fair last year and couldn't wait to go up again...

She on the other hand, wasn't so sure...
but I convinced her, and as you can tell from her trying NOT to smile...she loved it too!

Up up and AWAY!

I love love love these quiet (and not-so-quiet) little moments with our kiddos...and I treasure each and every one...

Pretty soon, they are going to be among those annoying teenage crowds that are out there aren't they?

ACK! Give me the Snoopy section any old time!