Family Reunion in St. Louis

As I write this, we are returning from a family reunion in St. Louis.  Last Wednesday, Daddy drove the girls down by himself since I had to stay for a work meeting.  I caught a ride with Nana and Papa on Thursday.  Once I got there, it was 13 people sleeping at Uncie and Antie's house.  Surprisingly, it wasn't too bad with all the folks and it was great to spend some time with Jenna and Archer too!

While I was on the road, the girls and Daddy went to the City Museum with JoAnn.  Unfortunately the heat was nearly unbearable, yet they still climbed the 10-story slide.  On Friday I went to work at my company's St. Louis office and Daddy took the girls to the Magic House since the weather was so hot again.  Uncle Todd, Aunt Shelly , Jordan and Dylan, Nana and Papa all went too... everyone said it was crowded, but it was fun.  We ended the night with dinner at Uncle Bob's house.

Saturday began with family pictures near Faust Park. There was some coordination, but we will see what the results look like.  Everyone made it so that made the event special.  We let the kids play for a while, then met some of our friends for lunch before letting our kids play with water at Uncle Bob's again.  Then everyone came over to Uncie's for the rest of the night.  

Now we are trekking home.  All of us loved seeing cousins and the relatives we don't talk to often.  I'm happy I got to talk to mostly everyone, including the kids.  Samantha's favorite thing was City Museum and playing with Molly.  Sofia liked getting pushed in the toy car by Archer at Uncie and Antie's house and going to City Museum.  Daddy and I enjoyed Saturday and catching up with relatives.

Thanks to Grammy for watching Ely... maybe next time we'll bring both of them too!

4th of July Weekend

We managed to squeeze a lot of things into the weekend.  There was a progressive dinner with some of our neighbors, lots of playtime with the neighborhood kids, fireworks and another relaxing dinner with other friends.

There was some apprehension from us on how Ely would handle the holiday, but he did great.  He was definitely anxious, but there wasn't any destructive behavior thankfully!

I was humbled by the reminder that it shouldn't be so hard for me to not do anything productive (cleaning projects, computer or yard maintenance) for a day.  I decided to take it as a lesson that I should chill out more often.

Also, we are happy to celebrate one year with Ely.  We hope the best for his original family and sent an update to RAGOM's Happy Endings page...

Camping at Kathio

Camping at Kathio

Antie She and I took the girls camping to try out our new tent with the girls.  We headed northwest to Kathio State Park right by Mille Lacs.  We left earlier than planned, didn't encounter too much traffic and made excellent time in getting to the park.  Checking in wasn't a problem and neither was finding our campsite.  As we backed the car into the site though, we noticed a bog and SWARMS of various insects.  

Uh-oh.

Both kids freaked and I fought the urge to panic.  Antie She's legs were covered in horse fly bites from before we got the DEET applied.  Once the repellent was applied, we settled in and got the tent set up.  The girls helped get things organized inside the tent, Antie She worked at the site and I attempted to kill the majority of bugs that had entered our vehicle.  Then it started to rain, which quickly accelerated to a downpour.  Unfortunately I didn't remember that I had opened a tent window right by Antie She's sleeping bag.  Whoops... she got my sleeping bag that night while I slept under towels.  

Due to the rain, we went to a nearby Dairy Queen for dinner and looked around the park.  Thankfully, the rain stopped long enough to get the girls showered and settled in their sleeping bags.  Sofia was the only one who slept through the overnight thunder storm, but it was fine.  

Saturday was our only full day at the park, so we made the most of it.  We went to a nature lecture on the archaeology of the area, climbed the fire tower, went canoeing, made snacks at the playground and beach (where Antie She showed off her fire-making skills) and ended the night with s'mores.  Everyone slept better without the rain and it was a beautiful day!

On Sunday, we headed home fairly early.  Daddy missed us and we needed to prepare for the upcoming week.  The girls told everyone they had a great time and I made notes on what to bring/do differently  next time.

 

 

Weekend with Ely in Hayward

Our weekend away with Ely

Daddy has been visiting Hayward, WI for his job and found a hotel that will take dogs.  We brought Ely to the town's annual MuskyFest.  There was a carnival and street fair we all went to.  We even took Ely for a short paddleboat ride!  The girls got to swim in the pool twice.  Daddy took the girls mini-golfing while I walked Ely around.  Samantha even got 2 holes-in-one!  She was so proud of herself!

It was awesome to realize we can take him with us on a 4+ hour drive.  We love that he's portable and can join us on our adventures!

International Children's Festival 2013

We got to spend the whole day with our friends at the International Children's Festival.  It's a tradition that we've done for a few years.  The dads weren't able to come, but we made the best of it.  We ended up heading back to our friend's house for dinner and got to spend the entire day with them!

I tried to keep the girls out of the house since it's smelly from all the work that's being done.  I'll completely admit that I'm nervous about the chemicals in new carpet, varnishes and paint.  Thankfully, the paint was no-VOC which was the best possible outcome.

 

 

 

Sofia's last days as a preschooler

Sofia's last week as a preschooler included a playdate at a friend's house (with good manners!) and her spring program at school.  Daddy had been out of town, but made it back to see his girl shine. Nana, Papa and Grammy came to watch her too.

Her smile has changed quite a bit since she lost a top tooth in a scooter wipeout last week.  Yesterday she pulled the other top tooth out herself (it had been hanging since the crash) and was very proud of herself.  I saw the fall and remained calm throughout - I was grateful it wasn't worse, but it was scary for me to watch.  Sofia refused to come home afterwards and insisted that we walk Ely.  It was obvious she was in pain, but she got right back on her scooter and moved on.  I think she enjoyed showing off the various cuts and scrapes too.

It's hard to believe that Sofia will start kindergarten already.  As I took her to school this morning, she said, "Two more days of preschool and then it's on to kindergarten at GH".  Wow... she really does understand!  I'm relieved she seems to be handling the transition well so far!

Samantha's final days in 2nd grade

Last week I went to school to see Samantha's class perform a play to thank all the volunteers from the year.  Her friend got to play me with the Art Adventure program, which was hilarious!  Samantha played Mrs. Braun which was a surprise to no one, I'm sure.  Another volunteer asked if I was her mom and when I said yes, he stated that Samantha is in control of her environment.  I laughed and nodded.  I hear so many positive comments from adults who know her. 

Yes, I think this kid is extraordinary.

There was a school picnic, the final chess club tournament and the bags of schoolwork that made their way home.  I'm proud that Samantha got through ALL of it so it's one less thing to do when summer is over.