Old pals and splash pad!

I know that I'm way behind on posting pictures from our week, so I better get to it! It has been 14 years since we graduated from high school so a few of us decided to get together for a picnic. It was really nice to see each other again after such a long timeL-R: Fran, Brent, Sarah, me, Laura, Ann, Doug, Alysha and Jeff

Maddie loved helping Grammy water her flowers

I took the kids to the slash pad in Oak Park and ran into my pal Ann! We were friends when we were kids and it was fun to catch up!

Dalen and Maddie had fun playing in the water!

Maddie on the run!

Dalen having a blast!

I was lucky to have Emily with me to help watch the kids. We had a picnic in the park before playing in the water and then spent a little time on the swings!

Dalen loved the swing so Emily stayed with him while I chased Maddie around. The kids really had a good time and then it was time to head home for nap. I can't believe how fast the week went for us!

Home Sweet Home

We have been so busy since we rolled into Minot that I haven't had much time to update my blog. Maddie traveled so well that we only stopped once in Grand Forks, ND and got home around 1:30 am Friday morning. The trip went great and we were on the go first thing in the morning. My sister flew in from Minneapolis, MN and it was nice to spend some time with her. We watched the big parade and headed to the state fair for lunch. It's amazing how many people I ran into that I haven't seen in a long time. Here are a few pictures from the parade.Maddie hanging out with her papa!
Michelle, Mom and I with my sweet niece Shelby Jade!

Here is my Dad's NAPA Float!

Maddie waiting to fill her bucket with candy. She had a load by the time the parade was over. It lasted about three hours and had over 200 entries.

Michelle and I with Dalen and Maddie. They are good buddies and had a great time together!

Lexi is the youngest of the grand kids. Maddie thinks she's a pretty sweet girl!

Maddie and her Dalen! She couldn't wait to play with him and I only wish we lived closer so they could see each other more often!

We are having a good time in Minot and I will have more pictures coming soon!

Maddie Girl!

So here are a few pictures of our girl last week. We didn't do anything too exciting so I thought I would post a few pics....Maddie looked so cute sleeping with all of her "friends"

Maddie was so excited when Trevor and Chloe came over to play! They are great kids and Maddie has so much fun playing with them.


We had a birthday and graduation party to go to on Saturday and I loved that Maddie kept her hair pretty in for a little bit. She looks like such a big girl here!

Maddie loves her chocolate puddin'

Bob took this picture this morning. Isn't it adorable?! I guess she needed a little reading material too to get the job done!


We have a busy week getting ready to go to ND. We are looking forward to spending time with family and have a lot planned. I'm sure I will have a bunch of pictures to post once we get there!

First Swim

I was really excited that it was still warm Monday night after work. I picked up something quick for supper and it was time to try the pool out!We had a blast splashing and chasing each other. Daddy even joined us for a few minutes!

This was the first time that Maddie has really been in a pool other then her baby pool. She did great!! She really like the ring around her waste. She can touch the bottom but this way she could kick her legs too!

I'm not sure who had more fun...me or Maddie??

The neighbor kids came over to try it out too but it was starting to cool off and they didn't last long. I'm sure there will be more opportunities for them to play together again soon.

Fun Weekend!

It has been CRAZY busy around the Hogue house so I haven't had much time to update the blog. Last Friday we headed to Minneapolis after I got off work and got settled into our hotel around 9pm. It was the plan for me to spend the weekend with my mom and for Bob and Maddie to go to Rochester to see his family. Mom flew in early Saturday morning and Bob picked her up and brought her back to our hotel. We were were looking forward to having some mother/daughter time and Michelle's bridal shower on Sunday.Grandma Phyllis is always excited to see Maddie! They had a nice time looking at the pretty flowers.

Isn't she great? She will be 87 this month and is the sweetest lady you will ever meet!



Bob was super excited to pick up his new bike! He got a great deal on it and sold his other bike in less then a day. I guess it was meant to be...



Michelle had been in Fargo for the weekend and we met up with her on Sunday morning. Her future sister-in-laws put on a fabulous shower and we had a lot of fun. Bob picked me up on the way through and we headed back to Duluth.

Sunday night it was my turn to go for a ride on the bike. Our neighbors were nice enough to watch Maddie and we headed to Menards to show some of his buddies the bike. It is a nice ride and I'm sure that we will have a lot of fun with it!

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July! For the past several years we have spent the holiday in Bob's hometown of Harmony, MN. It was a little strange to be at our house but since Bob had to work, his family came to us. Friday night we had a full house. CeCe, Tim and Trevor came for the night as well as Jan and Dani. We grilled out and enjoyed hanging out together. Saturday morning, CeCe's family left for Hayward, WI and the rest of us got ready for the big parade. It wasn't quite like the Harmony parade. There weren't any tractors, dairy princesses or giant corn-on-the-cob floats but we still had a good time.Dani with Maddie being silly






Maddie started out the holiday with a dip in the pool. At least she was wearing a swim suit this time.

She LOVES being outside

Jan and Maddie getting ready to watch the Superior parade.

Maddie and me! She was a trooper at the parade and did a good job waving and clapping for the participants as they strolled bye. After an hour and a half she was ready to go and we picked up sandwiches and headed to the park for lunch.

Bob was home in time to have dinner and watch the fireworks. We took a ride around town and everyone was getting into position to watch the fireworks in Duluth and Superior. We had a prime spot on our roof and could see the Duluth show perfectly!

Sunday was pretty laid back and Dani and Jan left mid-morning. Maddie and I had a little shopping to do and it was time to upgrade her pool. Maddie and I didn't fit very well in her baby pool so we went back to Menards to get a bigger pool. I'm not sure who's more excited...her or me?? I will have more pictures soon.