Family FunFest

Owen and I enjoyed a date today.  A Woodbury Police Officer puts on an amazing event each year for families to come and have fun, but more importantly, to honor fallen officers and their families.  We had a great time and it was a good teaching moment for me to explain why police officers are so important.  Midway through the event, they host a very emotional moment of silence (which is actually very loud!).  About 5-8 police cars had their sirens on and everyone just bowed their heads to think about the officers lost and their families.  It was pretty amazing.

We were lucky enough to get to share a table with 3 police officers at lunch time and O was in heaven!  If that wasn't distraction enough, 3 helicopters landed in the field while we were eating.  I practically had to force his hot dog into his mouth!

Great weather, fun event for a great cause and a pretty amazing little boy.  Couldn't ask for a much better day!

DNR helicopter

 Getting to be a co-pilot

 We got to meet Chase the police horsie.  He was out of the trailer, so we even got to pet him.  Owen asked the police officer if he falls off of the horsie and needs a Band-Aid. :)

 I was shocked that the officer asked O if he wanted to sit on his motorcycle!  He was one of the officers that we had lunch with.  He works in Minneapolis and turns out he knows my cousin, who is an officer for the U of M and used to work for Minneapolis.  Small world!

 Bouncey houses galore!

 There were 4 or 5 fire trucks that we got to sit in.  They let O try on their gear, "drive" the engines, and gave him a junior fire fighter badge.  It was heaven for him!

 Checking out where the hose hooks up to the truck

 Look who we ran into - Sully! 

 Hmm, this is not even a "cheese" face, this is really how excited he was to get to "drive" the fire truck!

 Future fire fighter

 There was even a pirate there!  I thought for sure (I even bet Sully's dad $10 bucks!) that Owen would be afraid of him.  He ran right up to him and said "Arrrrghhh Matey!"  The pirate gave him a gold coin and he thought it was 'SO COOL MOM!'

 Then we were off to the games and ran into a family from our church volunteering at the event

 Sully and Owen picking ducks from the pond

 Then compared prizes

Whistle lips

 K9 demonstration

 He got to sit in the back of the police car, then he even got to "drive" it!

 Another helicopter landing

 And last, but not least, we got to use a real hammer and make a Home Depot project.

 On our way out he convinced me to get some cotton candy.  I don't think this day could have been any better for him - fire trucks, a police horsie, sitting on a motorcycle, watching 3 helicopters land, getting to use a real hammer AND getting to have cotton candy! This is the life!