Making the Most of It

Yes, there's still snow on the ground (it's still March after all), but today we had a brief respite before the snow flies again. We spent some time with a friend of mine this afternoon, then extended our outdoor play with a bike ride and some driveway art. Lucy was quite into it, as you can see.

Pre-Halloween Festivities

One of our favorite places, Westwood Hills Nature Center, had a Halloween party this weekend. It was a whole buy-tickets-and-ride-a-bus-to-the-site kind of thing, and Lucy was very excited. Her best friend N and his mom joined us too. The kids had a blast and it was a very fun, non-scary activity for little ones. Face painting, balloon animals, lots of games and prizes, and a trail with people dressed up as all kinds of forest animals. Most of it was outside, so we got to enjoy the crisp fall air. We'll go again next year!

Summer Weekend Warriors 7/27: Camping Fun

Friday afternoon/evening was my company's summer picnic, at Minnehaha Falls Park. The temperatures were cool, and as I shivered in my short sleeves, I was thinking, "I really want to go camping!"

Truthfully, I had been thinking about camping the entire week, because my dad's side of the family was having their annual camping weekend in Lake View, IA. I really wanted to go, but the 4-hour drive in the context of some other trips coming up was not too enticing, and I did have the picnic on Friday. But these cool temperatures made sleeping in the tent sound so good! So instead, I made a last-minute reservation at the KOA campground near Jordan, MN, just a short drive from our house. Lucy was going on her first camping trip! 

It was just a Mommy/Daughter trip, as our tent is really only big enough for two, and we didn't want to pay to board Buddy, so Husband stayed home. I chose the KOA because it was pretty low-maintenance; a few things to keep the kid busy, not too expensive, and an enclosed pool so we could still swim even though it was cooler out. 

So we made the trip, and it was a great time! We went swimming shortly after we got set up, and then roasted some hot dogs over a campfire. I had a little trouble getting the fire started. Lucy "helped" by finding paper in my car, and I say "helped" because we narrowly missed burning my car registration! We ran out of paper and the sticks were in short supply, and the wood was just not taking off. I must have been generating a lot of smoke because one of the neighbors came over and offered me his lighter fluid. Worked like a charm!

She was less than thrilled at having to sit still. Note the absence of flames.

I could barely get Lucy to sit still long enough to eat a hot dog, because the playground was about 30 yards from our campsite, across a big lawn. It was actually kind of convenient, because it kept her entertained, and I could still sit by the fire and keep an eye on her. She tried her first s'more, and was not all that impressed until she found the chocolate...and we discovered she'd probably just prefer to eat that plain!

The first bite, before she deconstructed it.

The playground called...

I really would have loved for her to sit on my lap and snuggle by the fire, but it was not to be. She played with her new friends at the playground until the sun went down, and even a bit of flashlight play after the day was done. In between meeting new kids she was greeting people who walked by and asking anyone with a dog if she could pet it. When she finally settled down, she was ready to go to bed. The firewood was gone, so I was ready, too. From 10:00 PM until about 9AM she slept like a rock! I slept well, but woke up often to make sure she was covered up, because it was gloriously cool - barely 50 degrees overnight!

We finally got to wear the "Laabs University" sweatshirt
passed down from our Laabs cousins!

Sunday we got up and there was more play while I packed up. Before heading home, we made a stop at Minnesota's Largest Candy store. I just love that place...full of nostalgia.

Now Lucy has camping under her belt, and my hair still smells like campfire. It was a really great way to spend part of our weekend!

We crossed something off the SUMMER! list: camping

Here Comes the Sun

This weekend was the first in a good 7 months or so where we saw 70 degrees and SUN, and we enjoyed it to the fullest! Friday night we had an impromptu deck party and grilled some brats and hotdogs for a small group of friends. It was so wonderful to sit out on the deck, adult beverage in hand. Lucy made some new friends - a couple of daughters of one of Husband's high school buddies. They played so well together and kept each other occupied so the parents could catch up.

They all had to sit on the same side of the picnic table.

Saturday, we took advantage of another impromptu opportunity. Some friends from Iowa decided to make a last-minute getaway to the Twin Cities, and we joined them at the zoo on Saturday afternoon. More girls to play with, and more glorious sunshine to enjoy.

The best we could do to get them all at once!

Love this one - these two were having quite the conversation!

Moose!

Unfortunately after this she took a tumble off the retaining wall and hurt her leg. :(

The new black bear exhibit is pretty cool!

 After all the snow lately, hopefully we are on our way to a real SPRING. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did!

7/21 - Brandon's Birthday and Speaking to the Trees

This weekend we celebrated Big Brother's 19th birthday with a party at Grandpa's house on Friday night. The photos are on Husband's phone, but we had a fish fry, cake, and lots of fun hanging out. It turned out to be a beautiful night and it was so nice to finally be able to sit outside without sweating through our clothes!

Saturday morning we went to see Ice Age 3 with Daddy, Auntie Marcey, and Uncle Haver. It was a cute movie, althought I think it was a little beyond Lucy. It didn't hold her attention and she kept herself busy throughout by moving from lap to lap, eating popcorn, and various other fidgety activities.

That night Brandon came over and we headed to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner and to celebrate his birthday with just our little family. Lucy is always excited to see her big brother and wanted to play with him the whole time. We could barely leave the house, and when we came back afterwards she didn't want him to go home!

Sunday Lucy and I went to nearby Westwood Nature Center. We'd been there once before but the actual nature center was not open, and we didn't explore the trails very much. This time we were able to go inside and also walk around a lot more to see what the nature center has to offer.

I'm sure we scared plenty of animals away in this shocking pink outfit!

She was very worried about this tree stump, and we had to look inside to see if the Lorax
was going to come out "speak for the trees!"

Inside the nature center, there were plenty of snakes and bugs and lizards to observe.

We found these friends on the way back to the car!

 This was a beautiful space and there is much more to explore, so we look forward to making this one of our "regular" spots!

Summer Weekend Warriors 6/16 - Celebrating Dad

This weekend was another full one. Friday night we were able to take Husband and my father-in-law out for dinner to a new Chinese buffet that we have come to like. Brandon was also able to come, so it was some really great family time.

Lucy is thrilled anytime her big brother is around!

Couldn't resist the opportunity to snap this 3-generation pic.

Saturday we headed south of the metro for a graduation party for the daughter of some friends. They recently built a house on an acreage, so it was fun to see how everything turned out. Lucy was enthralled by their two cats and of course, wanted to follow the dog around everywhere. It was a nice afternoon with great people, and it felt good to step out of the city for a bit.

Sunday of course, was Father's Day. Lucy and I took Husband out to lunch, and later in the afternoon we went wading in Minnehaha Creek and then had Dairy Queen. We sat on a bench to eat our ice cream, but then had to run to the car because it starting pouring! It was a little adventure. Lucy loved walking in the creek with Daddy.

Might have to find a frame for this one!

Lucy always finds time to give love to her Daddy.

Lucy and I made supper for Husband and gave him some gifts, including this special piece of art Lucy made.

"Daddy...these are the hands you held when I was 3 years old."

Parties, creek wading, ice cream, thunderstorms. Summer, summer, summer!

Snow...Finally!

The last time we actually had enough snow to sled across the yard was back in mid- January...and that was barely enough. We just really wanted to get out there! Lucy had a ball (aside from ending the excursion with a face plant in the snow) and we've been patiently waiting for another chance to get out there.

This week finally brought some decent snow to our corner of the Great North. Lucy and Husband have been outside after work/school nearly every day and today I finally got to share in the fun, too.  Luckily it was nice, wet snowman-making snow. The first day they made three tiny snowmen and a snow bunny, but those melted a bit then got covered with more snow (yay!) The second round they made a big snowman, and on my turn we made another little snow bunny and a "fort." Such fun! Temps of 50 degrees predicted for next week, so we're getting in the snow time while we can.

On a side note, Buddy is not a fan of our snow creatures. He sat in the window and growled at the first trio of snowment, and promptly "christened" the snow bunny on a trip outside. :)

Livin' Leaves

Well, fall is officially here, and there's no shortage of leaves in our yard. Lucy and I raked up a big pile this past weekend and spent about an hour and a half just lounging around in them and enjoying the unseasonably warm October temps. She loved it, and so did I!

 

 

A Welcomed Rest

We just returned today from a week-long stay at Rainbow Resort near Waubun, MN (about and hour south and west of Bemidji). All I can say is, we had an amazing time! This is a smaller resort tucked in the midst of a heavily forested/wetland area with limited development, also located on the White Earth Reservation. The resort is right on Little Bemidji Lake, which is also sparsely developed. The view from our cabin looked something like this:

The weather was perfect all week, high 70s and only a little rain later one evening. We spent one day at Itasca State Park visiting the headwaters of the Mississippi River in the morning, and then Paul Bunyan's Animal Land in Bemidji in the afternoon, but otherwise spent all of our time at the resort. Husband spent each morning and evening on the lake fishing, sometimes joined by me or my dad (my parents joined us for most of the week). I think Lucy and I went swimming at the beach every day except the day we were out - she loved to play in the sand and even waded out up to her chest all by herself, and let me take her out deeper and learn about floating in her life jacket. We took boat rides with Daddy and in the pontoon that Grandma and Grandpa rented on one of the days. My dad kayaked just about every morning and Lucy got her first ride; I also took a kayak out for a spin one evening. In the afternoons we often napped or curled up with a book. In the evenings we always managed to entertain ourselves, even going to a concert at the lodge one night. In between we chased grasshoppers, watched bald eagles, laughed at chipmunks, and listened to the loons. It was delightful!


I couldn't have asked for a better vacation (the only thing wrong with it was that Brandon was not with us). Life moved at a slower pace, if only for a week, and it was nice. I feel like we were able to relax and really just be present and enjoy each others company. Lucy was exposed to many things she had never done or seen before, and the rest of us discovered some new things too.

At night I would lay in bed with Lucy and read a few books, sing a few songs to get her to sleep. She often requests John Denver songs (she is my kid, after all) and "Sunshine on My Shoulders" is a favorite. There is a line in that song that makes me smile just thinking about it:

If I had a day that I could give you
I'd give to you a day just like today...

Every day of this vacation, I could sing those words and mean them. This week was such a gift in a time when it was much needed. Memories were made that will not soon be forgotten.

Feels Like Spring!

Today it was over 70 degrees! We had a fun time playing on the deck in the sunshine. It's so nice to be able to play outside. Lucy loves it.

You mean there's no sand in here?

Action shot, throwing the ball! (which Buddy popped last weekend)

Buddy, catch!

The best part about all that play and fresh air? Great naps!