Summer Festivals, Holidays and Camps

Summer is passing way too fast for me!

International Children's Festival with our friends and a traditional stop at the candy store afterwards.

It was a good Father's Day!  Daddy loves his new pellet smoker and we are all benefiting from it!

On July 4th we headed to a parade to watch Naamah unicycle and get candy.  I took Samantha to the carnival for rides and a snack.  Then we got to hang with our neighbors which made it a GREAT day!  Hannah especially loved playing with Gigi!

 Fireworks!

The girls have done a few camps this year.  Samantha was so excited for horse camp!  They have gone to Camp Streefland for a few weeks and both went to STEAM camp too.  Sofia loved her week at zoo camp!

S Girls Summer Camping Adventures

I love that the girls enjoy camping.  Antie She has been awesome about getting away with us and up for any adventure we encounter.  I don't know if we would do this as much if I didn't have her along!

Our first trip was back to Whitewater where we hiked, swam in the river, played on the beach and made some new friends. You have to love Antie She's sandman.  The other kids on the beach were enthralled with it!

We then headed south again.  We made a big breakfast my new camp stove (yum!), went swimming in the pool and explored.  Tubing was an experience trying to find flip-flops and watching a bald eagle watch us. On Sunday I convinced everyone that we could bike 4.2 miles one way to Lanesboro.  OK, I bribed the kids with ice cream.  It was a level trail, but I was proud of Sofia for making it (not that she had another choice)!  Thankfully the trip back felt much quicker as I had rewards waiting!

Springtime/Early Summer 2014

Time keeps flying by, but here's some highlights!

Landscaping and cleaning up the yard... they did get some work done in addition to wheelbarrow rides!

Take your kids to work day... they had so much fun they want to come to work with me all the time!

Sofia's Kindergarten class performance

Samantha's Art Walk

A spring time visit to the zoo.

MondoFest with friends... another great show!

Mother's Day... motherhood is really having your heart live outside of yourself.  I'm blessed!

A joyous and busy visit!  Thanks for coming to the show Antie and Uncie!  We miss you!

Sofia's Tea Party

My Hannukah gifts to the family last year was a tea party for Sofia, a slumber party for Samantha and for Daddy to be gone for both of them.  Samantha went with Dad up north (past Duluth along the North Shore) biking and hiking while Sofia and I stayed home.  We went to the school carnival Friday night and somehow managed to watch movies both nights!  It was a nice snuggling time for Sofia and I!

Sofia was all about the goody bags for the party.  I tried to talk her out of it, but it was the part that she was focused on!  We spent most of Saturday shopping and then Antie She for lunch.  Antie She also helped me with the "tea party without tea".  Many thanks to her again!

Adventures with my daughters and their friends

I was gone for a business trip all of last week.  Daddy did great single-parenting all week and there were no problems.  The grandparents all helped out too.  We really are blessed to have all the support we do.  I missed my family so much travelling, but it was good to know they're fine without me.  It was wonderful to have everyone pick me up from the airport, so thanks for making that happen!

I was so happy to be home... I forgot how lonely the road can be.

Yesterday we rode our bikes for a picnic at a park.  It was cold and windy, but we still made it fun playing games.  Then I took Samantha to the library and out to a bookstore.  We spent the rest of the day simply relaxing.

Today we began the day with some relaxation and a bike ride to tire Ely out.  Then I took the girls and their friends to a nearby zoo.  There were 5 girls total and they were all fantastic.  After we dropped the last friend off, the girls and I talked about the challenges and what we'll do differently next time.  I was really impressed with everyone's behavior as well as my own.  We ran out of time, but we all had fun and got plenty of exercise walking around.

Labor Day Weekend 2013

This weekend was awesome!  We ended the summer with friends and family time.  Samantha had a friend sleepover on Friday while Sofia went to a friend's house for a playdate.  Sofia swam at her friend's pool and I took Samantha and Allie swimming.  Then we all went out for ice cream.  When we got home, the older girls vegged in front of the TV for a bit before eventually falling asleep by 11pm.

Saturday began with a big breakfast and a bike ride to a local beach, then to the coffee shop.  Then I took Samantha and Allie portaging and swimming to Lebanon Hills.  The hiking went quickly as I managed to carry the canoe by myself.  I was very proud of myself.

We celebrated my birthday with a trip to the Bad Waitress.  It was a fun restaurant that we haven't been to and went to "that park".  It was a good day for us all.

More Summer Highlights

Here are some other highlights from the past season.  I have an awesome family!

Samantha baking with her cousins.

Block Party

The ice cream truck!

Trips to Farmer's Markets.

Happy Father's Day!

 An impromptu parade with friends.

Dinners with Grammy.

A spring anomaly... yes, that's an iceberg.  I know every year the weather seems crazy, but this spring really was nutty!

Time spent with one kid at a time...

Sleepovers

Ely doing his part in the battle with buckthorn.

And relaxing.

Time with friends.

Teamwork in our community... I should add that no one was paid for their work.

New adventures for our family at the Aquatennial this year.

And ending an era of gymnastics...