Gymnastics meet 2017

Sidney has been practicing hard each and every week in her gymnastics summer program. She's been working on a front handspring on the floor, independent handstands on the beam and some hip circles and other things I don't even know the words for on the bars! She's thriving and we're so proud of her. At the end of the season, she was able to participate in their meet where she placed FIRST in the all-around! This was her goal and she was unbelievably excited to be standing on top of that podium. This meet was sandwiched between an early morning gym session, an all-afternoon play/swim date and then the Twins late night game. I was worried she would be over-tired or unfocused, but she did an amazing job. 

I loved listening to the commentary from both Regan and Ryan throughout the meet; neither who have had the opportunity to watch her over the summer. Ryan kept saying "I didn't know she could do that!" and Regan said on 2 occasions "she's really good! And I'm not just saying that because she's my sister!". Man alive was that pretty amazing. Click HERE to watch the video that Regan took of her on the bars. 

Congratulations Sidney! We are so proud of you and can't wait to see what's in store next for you! 

Twins territory

The girls' softball association happens to have some pretty nice ties to the MN Twins, which we all benefit from being apart of. This summer, we were offered a chance to attend 3 Twins games; of which we are able to see two of them. That's pretty exciting stuff for our little ones! Best part about it, is that the association has an entire section (or 2) and the kids tend to roam about freely while us parents sit and enjoy each others company and the game. Game 1 was a pretty late one on a Friday night, but we had a great time and I'm so glad we got to go! 

Friends for life

Our kiddos are lucky enough to have established some pretty deep friendships starting out at just a few months of age. Sidney went to what I call "diaper day" school with a couple of good ones: Madeline and Natalie. And those 3 are what I hope to be "friends for life". Even with a pretty big move for Madeline, they haven't lost touch and when she comes back to town, it's a must to get them together again. I just love that they can pick up right where they left off! 

And while those three make new memories, these two little ones create trouble and have a lot of laughs too!  

A boys best friend

Our kiddos want a dog, badly. They actually would take any type of pet at this point, including a rodent! But there is no way I'm taking on a rodent, I just can't do it. They've begged over and over again. We've gone circles with excuses about why we can't get a dog (my argument is that we are rarely home and it wouldn't be fair. Ryan thinks he would end up doing the dirty-dog work.). And it doesn't help that my dearest friend at work has one of the most well-behaved service dog. The kids have a skewed mind, thinking every dog is as sweet and well-mannered! Thankfully she brings him over to visit and even lets us borrow him now and again so the kids can get their dog-fix. Oh how this picture pulls at my heart strings. I know they would love up on a dog. And they pretty much have me convinced....but Ryan's newest argument is we can get a dog when he gets a motorcycle. 

Guess he's getting a pretty big Christmas gift this year :) 

Zoo fun

Ryan's office holds a yearly family friendly outing each summer. Once again, this year they took us back to the MN Zoo for a day of fun. We saw the new kangaroo exhibit, rode camels and explored the butterflies. Lincoln was lucky enough to have his face painted earlier in the morning (at a totally unrelated event but it worked out great for him!) as a tiger! 

Love making these memories as a family. 

Duluth summer trip

We ventured north to Duluth last weekend, and decided to just keep on driving. It was a quick getaway, one that would be a surprise to the kiddos (mostly because we didn't want to listen to "when do we leave" for the 400th time), but also because impromptu family vacations are fun!

We clued them in a couple of days prior to leaving, so they could have a say in a little planning and allow some time to get excited to head out for a weekend in Duluth. Ryan had some ideas for what he wanted to accomplish (food, drinks and a stop at the UMD store), I had purchased tickets for Lincoln to ride Thomas the Train, and the girls were open to exploring! After taking some time to think about it, Ryan and I can't recall ever having taken a trip to the Duluth area in the summer. So we had a lot of plans in mind!

After a lunch stop at Gordy's High Hat in Cloquet (one of Ryan's choices), we headed to UMD where we spent far too much money before venturing further north to our first spot of exploration: Gooseberry Falls. As we drove, Ryan and I conversed about the last time we had been there, 19 years ago!, and how we hit a deer after having decapitating the poor deer. It's about all that I can remember from that trip to the Falls. Sad, right!?

check out those tree roots!

The falls didn't disappoint this time around. They sure weren't running nearly as full as in the pictures, but that allowed for some great memories watching the kiddos wade through ankle deep water. We were also able to get over to a few areas that we may have not been able to reach had they been flowing any faster.

We took our time checking out all the nooks and crannies, hiking down and around, finding bridges and stairs. I took what felt like hundreds of pictures to the rest of the family. They were clearly over my requests for pictures: I hollered down to 3 of them to turn around and smile; without skipping a beat, Sidney headed left, Lincoln headed right, and Ryan turned around to smile :) Hilariously perfect shot!

Eventually we climbed back into the truck and headed even further north! We looked at the map and realized we were only 7 miles from Split Rock Lighthouse. It was becoming too late into the day to actually tour the lighthouse, but that wasn't what we wanted to do anyway. We pulled off at a Lookout Point and headed down the path in search of Lake Superior, with hopes of finding the perfect location to view the lighthouse. After a 10 minute hike, we failed to find what we were looking for and opted to travel further north. Eventually, we found the right location, and headed out on a short hike. We passed by a sweet gentleman who pointed us in the exact direction we were hoping for: Split Rock Lighthouse. 

Turns out, this ended up being a favorite part of the trip for all of us. Unplanned, adventurous and beautiful. We were all in awe of the beauty in front of us. 

I couldn't help but think of my dad as we were joined by two men who were flying a pretty decked out drone all the way to the lighthouse and back. Lincoln was in love with watching their "copter". 

And then, it was time we headed back to Duluth's very own Canal Park to locate some late dinner. Thankfully I had a nice bag of road trip snacks packed for us to enjoy as we made our way back. Despite the late hour (it was nearly 7pm), we still had a 30 minute wait for our table. The kids took this moment to enjoy Lake Superior from Canal Park and attempted their hand at skipping rocks while Ryan enjoyed a beer from a local brewery. Win for everyone :)

After dinner we finally found our hotel and it was just a quick sleep before we were back in the city center for day two! The whole reason we decided on Duluth for our weekend getaway was because Thomas the Train was going to be at the Depot and we just knew Lincoln would love it. He picked me as his date for the day and we enjoyed some wonderful one on one time as he leaped around from activity to activity, train table to toys and finally heard the train whistle signifying our turn for the train ride.

While he and I had some much needed preschool fun, the girls and Ryan took a tour at Glensheen Mansion. They were so happy to have gone and truly enjoyed learning/seeing all the things the Mansion has to offer.

Another stop in Canal Park for yet more food, more exploring and we were ready to pack up and head home. We made a quick pit stop at another brewery for Ryan's sake before embarking on what would be a very  long (construction and traffic filled) drive back home: 4 hours long! As we drove, Ryan reminded me about a conversation we had not terribly long ago. We commented that there is so much to see in our very own state and we often think we need to get on an airplane to experience a vacation. We continue to learn that this is really not the case and are getting excited to plan another more-local, weekend getaway! Here's to more family time :)

I love you too!

Nearly every night, I put Lincoln to bed. It's just our thing. And nearly every night, we have the same back and forth banter. Until tonight. 

A typical bedtime routine lasts 20+ minutes; some call me lucky, others say it's 18  minutes too long. Nonetheless, at the end of it all, when he's snuggled into his bed, I hold his hand for a few seconds and he tells me to go to bed and the same conversation happens. Every. Single. Night.
Lincoln: "go up there sleep"
Me: "after I do the laundry" (because who am I kidding, while I could sleep at 8:30, I shouldn't!)
Lincoln: "go up there sleep"
Me: "after I do the laundry"
(why we repeat this, I don't know, but we do. every. single. night)
I then have to give his 3 year old hand two tiny squeezes before letting go and it continues....
Me: "ok, go to sleep. I love you"
Lincoln: "NO!, I love YOU!"
Me: "ok"
Lincoln: "WHAT?!"
Me: "okkkaaayyy".

Every. Darn. Night! seriously, for at least the last 12 months, we have exchanged these words. Until tonight, when he had a smirk across his face while I said "I love you!" and he replied "wait....I love you too!".

As much as I loved his response (finally we can love each other!), I'm going to miss this cute banter :) Love my little boy!