Minnesota Memories!

This summer in late July/early August we headed to MN to spend several days with my family.  It was such a special fun filled time.  It was fun to relive all the events as I blogged. This is a LONG post with LOTS of photos.  Consider yourself warned!

Tuesday 7/28:
The day before we left I was able to get lots of packing done very secretively.  The kids had no idea what was going to happen the next morning.  Once they went to bed I got even more packing done.  Basically, if we could get it done early, we did.  I ran to the library to get a bunch of movies.  I also ran to the store to buy a new DVD player for the van as ours was acting up.

Wednesday 7/29:
We got up and showered and ate and got the kids ready and fed and THEN we told them about our road trip.  They were not quite sure they liked the long car ride idea until I told them about the new DVD player and library stash.  Once they knew about this, they were ready to go.

We got on the road around 9:00am which is pretty incredible for us.  We were about two blocks from home the first time a DVD was requested.  We usually have them wait for at least an hour of driving before we will play a DVD, but we let them watch one a little earlier on this journey.

We stopped at a rest area and had a picnic lunch.  This worked out very well for us. The kids were able to run and play and eat and use the bathroom.  Sadly, our stops are always much longer than anticipated and tend to be huge momentum destroyers.

M: Daddy, what is this? 

T: I love all the free stuff at rest areas.  Hoarders dream come true!

We got the kids set up with another DVD and we pressed on.  Our first stop was to visit Grandma F in a recovery center type of facility.  My grandma had been having many seizures and needed to be in the hospital and then in a recovery center.  She is still in this nursing home type of place, but there is a plan for her to hopefully be able to go home (with care) very soon.

The stop was a bit of a challenge as it isn't a great place to unleash two kids who have been buckled for hours, have had only junk food to eat, have had two weeks worth of screen time, and don't generally do well in confined places.  We made it through without totally destroying Grandma's room.    Grandma's bed moved up and down, clearly this was perfect for my children. We were able to chat with Grandma and my aunts Pam and Julie.  Grandma's medicine makes her very sleepy.  We were doing our very best to keep her awake.  We didn't have great success, but we did have some good moments.

T: Are you still awake Great Grandma?  Keep reading Pam!

M: Hold on Julie, let me see what this button can do. 

M: Oh yeah, we are higher now!

M: Wow, it feels like I am on a mountain. 

M: I colored this for you Grandma. 

T:  Let's sing Jesus Loves Me!

M and T: We were getting rolled up like a tortilla. 

The best group shot!

Just me and my Grandma!

The girls!

T: Give me a snuggle and kiss please!

M: I want a snuggle too! 

After our visit we hopped back in the van for the last leg of the journey.  We followed the phone's directions and went on many roads I have never been on before.  I thought we were taking the LONG way, but we made it in pretty good time so I am glad I trusted the phone's directions.

We were so happy to see my parents and be done with the driving.  We had a good dinner and then unpacked and got ready for bed.

Thursday 7/30:
Happy Birthday to me!  It was a special blessing to be with my family on my Birthday.  I received lots of extra Birthday loving from my parents.  I came upstairs to shouts of Happy Birthday!  I got to open gifts and enjoy a bit of a slower start to the day.

While some people were showering, Dad and M went on a little bike ride.  I am so glad we brought M's bike.

M: Let's go fast Grandpa Daryl

And they are off!

Once everyone was ready we headed over to my brother Bret's house.  He was working, but my sister in law Joanna and my niece A were there.  A recently received her own little gator toy.  It was a huge hit with my kids.  It was a bit hard to share.  T needs to learn to look where she is driving.  She drove right into a tree!

M: This takes a lot of focus!

T: Whee!!!

T: Hey, what does this button do?  M: Watch where you are going T. 

A has a fun playground area that we enjoyed.  Joanna and Bret have a huge yard with a fenced in garden and a fruit orchard.  It was fun to explore the property.

T: Trace my feet Grandpa Daryl!

Fun for all!

T: We are both swinging!

T: I am pretty good at pushing swings!

T: Let's do Ring Around the Rosie again!

We realized that Brandon had never seen he inside of their house so we went inside for a minute too.  The inverter stretcher thing in the basement was the biggest hit!

M: Being upside down is so relaxing.

Brandon thought it felt a bit strange. 

After our full morning we came home for lunch and a nap for T.  While T was napping my Grandma B arrived.  Bret, Joanna, and A also came for dinner.  It was fun to all be together.  The guys ate outside and the girls inside.  I was glad to be near the tasty food.  We ate many of my favorites!  The kids played outside after dinner.  There were lots of good bonding moments and some funnier moments too.

T: Cuddling with Great Grandma B is fun. 

T: See that pink, that is a fancy dress.  It isn't a blanket.  It is clothes! 

T needed a little quiet time and sat in the chair and created a masterpiece!

T: See, that is me doing the splits. 

M: A just loves my eyes and my hair!

These two!!!

M: Can I give you a kiss on the cheek A? 

One, Three, Five!  (I love this one)

After dinner the girls went to play outside.  The guys were still eating, but the girls wanted to join them and possibly steal Grandpa Daryl's chair.

T: Baby A (yep, still calls her that) can sit on my lap! 

M: This corn is so good! 

Poor Grandpa Daryl had to eat standing up. 

Sweet A LOVED T's hair.  We caught her in the act of loving it a couple of times!  Very funny for us, but it might not have been as funny for T.

T: It is fun to be here with A.  A: Hey, look at T's hair!

T: Is she touching my hair?  A:  I LOVE YOUR HAIR!!!

My parents have acquired some fun playground things.  They have a little park area in their yard.  It is very fun for the kids!

T: Cheese!  A: Hmmm, I feel like grabbing T's hair again.  

T:  We are sailing!!  A: Yes, I really want to touch that beautiful brown hair!

A: Got it!!!!  T:  SHE HAS MY HAIR!!!!!

While an adult was tending to the hair situation, M was busy in another area.

M: I am a construction man!

T:  It is fun to play by myself (Why did this photo flip after being uploaded? )

T: A, I am really into this strainer now, OK A? 

A: Look at that pretty hair!  T: I am smiling Grandma Kathy, but I am keeping an eye on A all the time. 

M: I will catch you A. 

M: She gives great hugs. 

Cousins are pretty special! 

After the kids were in bed and the kitchen was back in order, my mom and I went on a walk.  The sunset was beautiful.  We came home and had pumpkin pie for my Birthday treat. It was such a special way to end my Birthday.

After everyone went to bed Plant Therapy released their post about the final day of the Christmas in July sale.  It was HUGE.  I stayed up late plotting my essential oil order.

The sky was beautiful that night.  

So we took a selfie... and somehow the beautiful sky was not captured.

So we took another photo and it was... hmmm...

Friday 7/31:

M and I were up early as usual.  The days had been so warm at home that I failed to bring a sweatshirt for M.  The guys went fishing early in the morning and it was a bit on the chilly side.  They didn't have a lot of luck, but I think they still had fun.

M: First I practiced casting for a little while. 

M: Grandpa and I are ready to fishing! 

While the guys were fishing I was getting all of my Plant Therapy orders ready.  I was about to use about seven coupon codes and save a lot of money.  What fun! When the guys came back T was still working on her breakfast.  We thought maybe eating outside would motivate her, but it was not successful.

T: I want to eat, but there is so much to look at.  (She is right, the views are lovely.)

Then we decided that Grandma Kathy would try to feed T.  Grandma Kathy is great at making mealtime fun and had success!

T: I will be the baby mermaid and mommy mermaid, OK? 

This is truly the exact moment that T became obsessed with being "a mommy mermaid and a baby mermaid."  I remember thinking it was so funny in that moment... and now it is just every day talk.

Grandma Kathy:  Just one more bite T, you can do it! T: OooooKay. 

After everyone had showered and eaten we were finally ready for our big adventure.  Our plan was to check out the country fair.  We made a little stop on the way.  We drove right through a very tiny town which boasts of having the "World's Largest Twine Ball" so we decided to stop.  It was a great opportunity to take lots of pics and smile a bit about the simple things of life.  

We have arrived folks!

The ball is in a nice protected structure. 

M and T: So, this is it, a big ball? 

It was actually sort of interesting to see all the twine and to think about the amount of twine and all the time it took to make it. 

They also had a real train track flashing light! 

M: This was pretty cool!

M: Hey, how come this thing isn't working? 

We eventually made our way to the fair.  It was Senior Day at the fair again this year.  My dad got in free and got to go on a free Ferris Wheel ride.  M got to ride along with him.  The ride operator asked my mom if she wanted to go too.  She said sure and took T with her.  3/4 of them had some degree of fear to work through, but all of them had smiles as well.

M: I wasn't so sure about it. 

M: It was fun to be up high.  Grandpa Daryl kept me safe. 

T: Don't let go Grandma Kathy.  

T: We were really up high!

It is a good thing we arrived when we did.  There was suddenly a run on the free Ferris Wheel seats!  By run, I of course mean shuffle... these were very senior citizens.

Assisted Living Center residents eager to ride the Ferris Wheel. 

After the Ferris Wheel we decided it was time to see some animals!

We are a family of animals!

There was a new exhibit at the fair this year.  They had a children's museum of sorts.  The kids could pretend to be farmers.  The gathered eggs, picked things from a garden, milked a cow, and sheered a sheep.  It was fun to watch them try things out.  The chickens looked a bit more real than I would have preferred.

M: We could get chickens.  Collecting eggs is fun.  T: Can I collect these chickens? 

M: I wanted to keep my sister safe. 

A milking team.  M: I want to try it by myself!

M: Look guys, I am really doing it!

T: Hey, it isn't working!

T: Why can't I stand back here?  This is a good spot to milk. 

T: See, it works great back here! Good thing the cow wasn't real!

T: This was a nice sheep. 

M: The wool feels strange. 

Eventually, it was time to move on to the real animals. Get ready for a lot of photos of my kids petting various animals.

M: What a sweet lamb. 

T: Aww, he is licking my hand. 

T: Hi there cow friend. 

T: Please can I pet them?  Everyone: NO! 

Nice Cow!

T: Come over here horse!

M and T:  Here Horse!  Here Horse!

T: This guy is pretty big!  Can I stick my finger in his nose? 

M: Do you like being in there little lamb? 

When we were all faired out we headed back to Grandma and Grandpas.  We ate some lunch and T went down for a nap.  M decided it was the perfect time for a long tractor drive/ride.  He was in his glory.  On of my mom's friends came for a visit.  Mary is almost like an aunt to me.  It was fun for us to chat with her.

M: Sit back and relax Grandpa Daryl, I've got this under control. 

JOY!!!

After the ride M joined us in the gazebo.  He was attempting to take selfies with an actual camera.  It wasn't as easy as a phone.

M: I look pretty grown up here!

M decided that he REALLY wanted to try a tarp slip and slide.  We had been talking about it since the summer before.  M was talking a big game.  We set up a tarp and a sprinkler and things started to get intimidating.  First he sat at the top of the hill and nothing happened.   Then he would run and just stop.  We decided that Brandon should put on trucks and demonstrate.  We quickly realized we needed to add a second tarp.  Eventually we got things figured out.  T really didn't like it.  She would just run on the side and slide at the very bottom.  She doesn't like water on her face.  She loves adventure, but this was too scary for her.  Tarps are a lot rougher than slip and slides.  Poor Brandon's tummy was pretty scratched.  The crew was very fun to watch.  We took SO MANY photos.  I truly did try to narrow them down, but there are still a lot of them.

M: Um, nothing is happening. 

T: Sprinklers are sort of scary. 

M and T: We like watching Daddy!

T riding on Brandon.  If they wouldn't have slipped to the side, this would have been brilliant. 

M: Well, I slid a little ways. 

T: It's OK to just walk down the hill.  That is fun too. 

The sliders had a great cheering section. 

M: I got a little further this time. 

T: Running together is fun! 

A flying daddy. 

M: I would run fast before sliding. 

M: And I would run a LONG ways!

After slipping and sliding for a while M decided to play with the sprinkler.

M: Hmm, this kind of tickles.  I think I like it. 

M:  Hahaha this really tickles.  This is great. 

M: Wheeee!!!!!!

After dinner and bedtime for the kids, my mom and I took another walk!  I love long summer days in MN where you can go for walks in the light after the kids are in bed!


Saturday 8/1:

The day started off pretty low-key.  Dad and M watered trees around the property.  The pictures are just so sweet I could not choose which ones to post, but hey, if you have come this far I know you can handle photo overload.

*note the same posture :)  M: I am pretty good at filling up these buckets.  I can lift them too you know. 

M: Glad I let you carry the big ones, this one is just right for me. 

M: Grandpa Daryl, is this tree even alive?  GD: Sure it is, see the little leaves. 

M: You pour the big bucket and I will pour the little bucket. 

M: Can we water all the trees? 

M: You sure have a lot of trees! 

The kids love to play with all the family board games.  They mostly just dump them out and make messes, but they are getting a little closer to actually playing "Guess Who?"!  They don't choose a card, but they take turns saying things like, "Put down all the girls" and then the first one done sees which ones they other one didn't have down.  I think it is a good start to the game and this version is totally non-competive which I appreciate!

M: Put down all the beards. 

Sometime after Guess Who T was finally convinced that getting dressed would be a great idea.  After she was ready to go, Grandpa Daryl took the kids across the road to the cemetery to do a little biking. It is such a blessing to have a nice paved area for the kids to ride so close to my parents home.

T: Thanks for helping me Grandpa Daryl. 

M: The water is going to be here any minute. 

T was feeling a bit neglected in the lawnmower ride club so she finally got her turn.  You will notice my dad is a lot more focused while T is riding/steering! M got another turn too.

T: Pay attention Grandpa Daryl.  I don't know what I am doing!

We celebrated M's Birthday today.  We invited my Grandma B over for lunch and had cupcakes in the shape of a 6 for dessert.  M really scores with the summer Birthday.  In case you have forgotten.  He had a Birthday cake and celebration in Missouri in July.  The candle in the middle of the "6" is a little unique.  My mom bought candles for the cupcakes, but they disappeared.  In the end we decided that blowing out any candle would work.  It was pretty funny.

M: I might have been a little excited about my "6 " cupcakes!

M:  I was about to blow out the candle.

M: I found the BEST one!

Present time!  My parents got him the two gifts he asked for the most.  A watch that can go under water and glows in the dark and a remote control helicopter.  The watch was marketed as a children's watch, but I think it will take a few years from M to grow into it.  He also got some tasty snacks and a card from Great Grandma.

M: Pistachios are YUMMY!

M: It is really a water proof watch AND it lights up!!

M: no way, No Way NO WAY!!!!  Is this really what it is??

M: I was a little excited about the helicopter. 

M: This sign on the box didn't scare me!

The thing about the helicopter was, it needed to be charged for an hour.  We decided to leave the house for a bit and let it charge.  Mom stayed back with T while T napped.  The rest of the crew headed over to Bret's house.  M was so excited that he was finally going to ride the three wheeler with Uncle Bret.  He had been looking forward to it since last summer.

M: Great Grandma wanted me to drive the gator, but I was a little nervous about the dog. 

M: Uncle Bret is so fun.  Moto had such a fun time running next to us. 

M: I love my Uncle Bret!

M:  I even got more presents!  Thanks Bret and Joanna!

After the rides we headed home to check on the helicopter.  It still needed a bit more charging as something may or may not have been hooked up correctly.  Eventually it was ready to fly.  We all went out to the big shed/work room for my dad.  It was the perfect location to flying. We prepared M for a lot of failures, but as usual he succeeded.  It turns out he is a great driver.  There is a steep learning curve, but he caught on in no time!

M: I am so ready to try this thing out.  

M: OK Dad, I can do it. 

M: I am doing it!

The audience was captivated (well mostly). 

Great flying Daddy and M!

He is doing it on his own. 

M: I couldn't believe I could do it!

T: Can I have a pink princess helicopter on my Birthday? 

After the flying was compete we headed inside for snacks.  Great Grandma gave T some fun half Birthday treasures which she was thrilled with!

T: Look at all my new pink stuff. 

T taught Great Grandma how to play the kids version of the game.  They had a lot of fun together! It was so sweet to watch them.

T: OK, I got all the guys with hats down. 

T: 7, 8, 9, 10!

T: I love your tickles Great Grandma!

M had a big night ahead of him!  Grandpa Daryl, Brandon and M all went to the Demolition Derby at the county fair.  They were very excited to go.  When they arrived the lines were long and they didn't know if their would be room, but they ended up having great seats.  The were so close that mud hit them.  I guess it was pretty loud.  M told them it was the most fun night of his life!

M: It is pretty loud!

M:  I sure to love my Grandpa!

M: This is SO COOL!

M: Check out this action!

While the guys were having fun at the Demo Derby, we had fun at Grandma's too.  We went for a walk to a fun park.  The park recently installed the exercise stations for adults.  T was very eager to try them out and to copy the actions on the pictures.  It was so sweet to watch her. It was another lovely night for a walk.

T: You just push right here and look in the mirror!

T: So, for this one you swing on these bars like this!

T: OK, yes actually you push against these with your feet.  

T: I LOVED to run and jump in the air to these rings!  I did it over and over again!

T: I am strong and powerful and brave and beautiful! 

After our time at the park we decided that T needed a bath.  She was pretty dirty.  She was so excited to take a bath in the BIG bathtub.  She had a blast "swimming" in it and pretending to be a mermaid.  She eventually went to sleep.   The guys got back late.  M was very tired.  It was a very full day for both kids.

Sunday 8/2:

We packed up and flied the helicopter and ate an early lunch and were on the road by 12:00.  Well, I think we were anyway.  We made great time most of the way back, but traffic was stopped around a big tourist area in our state and we sat on the highway for a LONG time.  We were finally able to exit and take a long detour.  As we were driving home we started to notice dark skies to the north.  Brandon was frequently checking on his phone for weather updates.  There were warnings all around us. We kept south of the storm for over an hour.  I marveled many times on how close we were to it yet remained dry.  Amazingly it didn't start to sprinkle until we were approaching our community.  By the time we were half a mile from home it started to pour.  Once we got into the garage the skies opened and rain and hail pounded the roof.  God had kept us safe the whole journey home and we arrived just in time.  It was quite a storm.  We unpacked the van surrounded by darkness outside.  The kids were on high alert for sure, but they were so happy to be home during the storm.  We later learned that power was out for several hours that night for a lot of the town.  The line for the outages was only 4 houses from our house so we were very lucky.  We got the kids to bed and tried to get the house back in order before heading to bed ourselves.

We had a wonderful time in MN and enjoyed so much great family time.  We are blessed with a wonderful family to share time with!