**Catching Up** - Second Trip to the Science Center

Next year we are hoping to be in Des Moines to be able to get a pass to the Science Center, the Blank Park Zoo and Adventureland! This trip we went with Grandma Cyndi, Casey Mallory and Keira. 

Lucas's first IMAX movie!

He fell asleep watching the Elephants & Chimps on the IMAX screen

Lucas really enjoyed the "Get Moving" Exhibit. He liked putting the balls of all difference shapes and sizes into the air stream and watch it float (or not). Daddy had to help - and played too!

The kids really had a blast in the "Toying with Science" wing. Mallory had fun shooting off her paper rocket over and over and Lucas couldn't get enough with the lego cars and the ramp. Then they found a train table and both enjoyed playing with the train cars on the tracks! We let them play with that while we did the "Drop the Egg" experiment. Matt ended up winning - cheater, cheater! Ha! 

Memories like this are so fun! Lucas probably won't remember going at this age but thanks to my need to photograph EVERYTHING he will have the ability to look back on this! If you haven't been to the science center I recommend going - There are such neat exhibits and plenty of things to entertain the whole family for an afternoon! Plus there is the IMAX theatre which is cool unless you are like me or my brother and get physically sick from all the motion/sound etc. 

With love, 

Matthew, Heather and Lucas

**Catching Up** - Minnesota Bound

Macie and Aunt Lindsay joined Lucas and I for a quick trip up to Minnesota to see Great-Uncle Scotty and have our eyes checked before Lucas's 18month check-up. We had a great time and made lots of memories and it was really nice for Lucas and Macie to get some quality time together. 

Miss Macie talking on the phone with her shades on

My little "Starbucks Boy" - he actually is obsessed with straws and HAD to have mine when I finished

Macie's picture of her mommy - Passing time!

 We finally made it to Minnesota, and then some to Kendall's baseball tournament, but that was after many "Are we there yet, H?" questions. When we arrived both kiddos had to release some energy and thankfully there was an awesome playground area for them to play! 

 All of the playing wore Lucas out and he needed a nap during Kendall's second game. He napped in their camper like a rockstar with his feet hanging out over the edge! Goofball!

After Kendall's game we loaded back up and made the rest of the trek to their home. 

My Aunt and Uncle's home is gorgeous! It sits in the middle of a corn field and yields complete privacy just outside of town! Now just have to keep helping Matt stay focused so one day we can own a home like this ourselves when he strikes it rich with Verizon ;) 

The next morning we took the kids into get their eyes checked first. Macie's were perfect! Lucas was diagnosed with "Marcus Gunn Jaw Wink". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Gunn_phenomenon)

To summarize what Wiki has to say, basically the jaw muscle and ocular muscle are crossed somewhere. This is nothing to be worried about and is something that should correct itself over time. The only time it is even noticeable is when he sucks on his sippy cup, bottle, or opens his mouth really wide. When we go back next year Uncle Scotty will be able to look at his eyes a little better, but overall despite that phenomenon, his eyes looked great! 

Then we went out for brunch and afterwards headed back to the house to pack up! 

The kiddos enjoyed playing with Hallie, their little Morkie. Lucas liked that she would actually bring the bone back to him once he threw it. Something Jaba wont do with him. 

 To kill sometime in between packing up and Lindsay and my's appointments we took Macie and Lindsay Geocaching for the first time. We ended up finding two geocaches! (www.geocaching.com)

Lucas snuggled his Auntie while I tried to help Macie point the compass in the right direction. And then at the second park they wanted to swing! It was a little hot so we cut that short and headed to the office for our appointments. Lindsay went first and ended up needing two pairs of glasses - one for distance, one for at the computer/reading. I went last and really realized how blind I am!! Oh my. A pair of glasses were necessary for distance and up close all thanks to my astigmatism. Hoping this doesn't get any worse in between this year and next because the glasses I picked out are so cute! See below.

If you haven't had your eyes checked yet this year, I highly recommend it! And if you are ever in Minnesota I recommend looking up Crow River Eye Care Centers in either Glencoe or Hutchinson (http://www.crowrivereyecare.com/).

Love to all, 

Matthew, Heather and Lucas

**Catching Up** - Lake Vermilion Trip

This year was the Dunn's second trip to Lake Vermillion with the Warren Clan, June 8-15th! We left Des Moines at midnight on Saturday to ensure we would have an entire extra afternoon of fishing. 

Lucas sleeping in the car on the way to the lake

When we got to the lake we ran into a few snags.. my dads boat prop was broken and my second cousin's trailer wheel was flat. But with all of that fixed and behind us we put our toes in the COLD water and then headed out on the boat to fish! Lucas enjoyed going for a boat ride despite being forced into wearing his life jacket.

I caught the first fish of the trip! A decent sized Northern Pike - released due to size requirements

Lucas had some down time to play with toys and in the sand box of the resort! He enjoyed being a boy and digging in the dirt!  It was colder there by about 8-10 degrees most of the time we were there and jackets were definitely a necessity. 

 We took a trip to the Vince Shute Bear Sanctuary (http://www.americanbear.org/). Lucas loved getting to see the bears walk around and eat plus the little cubs run around, but he didn't understand why they wouldn't come to him when he motioned for them! I think it's because he was wearing camo and they couldn't see him, but what do I know? HA!

 It was really cute to see him try to interact with the bears - not knowing they were only there for food. 

Momma Bear and her three cubs eating

 Lucas LOVED being on the boat! Practicing reeling his pole, driving the boat and touching the fish that Grandpa Rod and Mommy caught kept him entertained on this particular afternoon!

 (For anyone concerned, he doesn't have his life jacket on because the motor wasn't on and it was too hot for him to be in it the whole time while fishing). 

 More pictures of him enjoying the boat! He fell asleep a couple of times when we "went fast" to get to our fishing destinations. 

To say he is a natural on the water is an understatement. It will be REALLY fun next year trying to keep him from being in the water, staying out of the pole casting areas and to keep hooks from entering his body at any point. Can you sense my sarcasm? 

Oh boy! :)

After a couple of great days of fishing we had enough to be able to enjoy a shore lunch! Lucas is shown below completely enjoying the fish! YUMMM - This is making me hungry looking back!

Well, even though we didn't take many pictures this year, we still had a complete blast and made a lot of great memories as a family! We are saving our pennies to go again next year and hoping that the ice cooperates and melts off the lake quicker than this year so the fish are biting better to yield more limits. Hopefully you all have had a great summer and spent quality time with your loved ones!

With love, 

Matthew, Heather and Lucas