Wrapping up April.

These past two weeks have flown by! The good news is that I think spring is finally here. We have finally seen some sunshine and warmer weather. The bad news is, I can't get my kids to bed at a decent time because we have had such nice evenings lately.

The week before last was a really busy one. We spent a couple nights playing in the park since the weather was so nice. Last Thursday, we decided to take the kids to the circus for the first time. They loved it. They got their cheap light-up toys, some cotton candy and nachos, and then we all enjoyed watching the circus. The kids were in awe of most of the circus, with all the lights and entertainment. They loved watching the elephants, tigers, puppies, tightrope walkers, and the human cannon ball. They pretty much loved all of it. We looked into doing elephant rides, but it was $20 a ticket, so we decided against it.It ended up getting pretty late, we didn't leave until about 10:00 pm, and we had school and work the next day. The kids did ok will it all, but they were pretty crabby by Friday evening.

Last weekend my parents came to town to visit. On Saturday, John and I hosted a bus load full of people on a tri-state greenhouse hop. Basically, we were hosts on a bust that went to three different greenhouses to allow people to shop and pick out plants. We got to hand out door prizes and tell jokes. Emma also came with us, and was really good entertainment for all the older ladies. She even sang a song for the entire bus. She was pretty cute all day. She also made about $4 worth of tips for the day. She loved every second of it.  Overall it was a good day. We didn't leave any little old ladies behind, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

My parent's watched Elliott for the day on Saturday, so we could do the bus ride. After the busy day, we went out to eat at a BBQ place by Humboldt. It was really good, and nice to relax for the day. Sunday was a nice day at home hanging out with my parents. We flew kites, played sidewalk chalk, and just generally had a good day.

This past week flew by pretty quickly as well. We spent a couple evenings finishing up Emma's science fair project for school. Her project was "How do flowers drink water?". She really enjoyed working on it and was so proud of it. She was excited to bring it to school and show it to everyone.

Friday evening was Emma's play at school. The play was a Mother Goose Comedy and Emma had a couple little parts in the play. She was "Sidney" the goose, and also the cow jumping over the moon. She did a really good job and it was super cute to watch. It was also a book fair night, science fair night, and a supper. It was a busy evening

On Saturday, we packed up and headed to Mankato. The kids traveled really well, and we got to Mankato around 1:30pm. We hit up Schmidt's meat market, and then headed to Sibley Park to let the kids burn off some energy. Rachel and Elena met us at the park, and all the kids had a good time playing and looking at the animals.

After the park, we ate supper at a Mexican restaurant that was delicious. It was awesome. We spent the rest of the evening just visiting and then eventually putting the overtired kids to bed.

On Sunday we celebrated Easter and Elena's first birthday. Most of the extended family was there, and it was nice to see and visit with everyone. It was also Mankato clean up days, so we walked around and checked out people's junk at their curbs. We found Emma a new bike, and Elliott a yellow bat and ball. It was kind of fun to watch all the people with trailers going from house to house.

We pretty much spent the day sitting in the driveway, soaking up the sun, and drinking some beer. The kids had such a good day playing with everyone. They did not want to leave. We left around 5pm and didn't get home until 8pm. It was a late night for everyone, and everyone was so tired and pretty much went straight to bed once we were home.

It was a great weekend, but we were all happy to be home once we got there.

The Circus 

Bus Hosting 

Emma's science fair project

Emma showing off her theatre skills 

Park fun

Me and the birthday girl. 

Elena turns one. 

Easter egg hunt. 

Presents!! 

Record April Snowstorm.

Here we are halfway through April, and there is still no sign of spring. This past weekend, we had a record blizzard that tore through the midwest and dumped 12 inches of snow in Sioux Falls. It was pretty bad. Our top wind speed was also 67 mph. So, it was windy, snowy, and just generally miserable. And there was actually a travel ban in place on Saturday, so we got to spend the entire day at home with two rambunctious kids. It went ok, but we are all ready to get outside and enjoy some nicer weather.

We spent the day playing games, working on Emma's science fair project, and just trying to keep the kids entertained. We ended the day by having a movie night, and we rented Ferdinand, which the kids thought was hilarious. It was a nice end to the day.

Sunday was spent trying to get our driveway and sidewalks cleared. We had drifts that were higher than our fence in some places. It was pretty crazy, and took quite a while to get everything cleared. Eventually, Emma and I went to the Library and Sam's Club just to get out of the house again.

I was lucky enough to get today off since we weren't very busy at work. I got to drop of the kids off at school and daycare, workout, and get some shopping in. It's been a nice day off. Also, it's sunny and 35 degrees, which actually feels pretty nice compared to what it has been.

There have been some fun Minnesota sports to watch lately. The Wild are in the playoffs, so we have been watching their series against the Winnipeg Jets. The Timberwolves are also in the playoffs, and just started their series against the Rockets, snapping a 15 year drought of not making the playoffs. And, the Twins are playing, and doing pretty well, so it has been fun to watch them as well. Yay Minnesota Teams not sucking for once!

In other news, Jim and Barb decided to get a puppy, and they brought him by the house the other day so the kids could meet him. I think he is a mini short-haired aussie, and they decided to name him Chase, which they thought Elliott would approve of. The kids were pretty thrilled to meet him, and I think they will have a great friendship with the dog. He is pretty cute.

That's about all that is new around here. We are all just waiting and hoping for Spring to actually arrive. There are some 60 degree days in the forecast, so hopefully that ends up being true and we can get some nice days and melt all this snow that we have!!

Chase meeting Chase. 

So adorable. 

April Snow

At least the kids like it. 

Mall of America Trip

This past week, Emma had spring break, so we planned a trip to Minneapolis to spend some time away from home. We left our house on Monday night because of the weather. Yes, it is still snowing in April. Boo.

The kids tolerated the ride really well. They watched movies, read books, and stayed pretty entertained. We got to our hotel in Bloomington at around 10:00pm, and basically just settled in and went to sleep. The kids were pretty wound up, but it didn't take too long to settle everyone down.

On Tuesday, we headed over to Mall of America after breakfast. The kids were so excited by everything. We headed straight to Nickelodeon Universe, got wristbands, and the kids were off and running. We did rides basically all day. We took a short break to eat lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, which was a blast. The kids loved it! There was so much to look at, and listen to, they were entertained through the entire lunch. Then, it was back to the rides.

Emma of course loved all the rides. She went to Mall of America a couple years ago and did rides, so she was experienced and had fun. She was also big enough to go on a big rollercoaster, which she loved and went on about 8 times. She also did an awesome job driving the bumper cars this year, she could drive that car all over the place. The only ride she didn't like was the Ghost blaster ride because it was too scary, but she went on every other ride she could possibly go on.

Elliott also had a good time. He was a little overwhelmed at first at all the activity and hustle and bustle of the mall. He was a little nervous on a couple of the rides, but once he got used of them, he loved them and couldn't get enough. His favorite rides were the Fly Boat, the ferris wheel, and the Log Chute ride. All four of us went on the Log Chute ride about 6 times, and had a great time.

It was a long, fun day of rides and entertainment. We were all pretty beat by evening, so we headed back to the hotel to do some swimming, eat some pizza, and just relax.

On Wednesday, we started off the day by going to Sea Life, which is the aquarium in the lower level of Mall of America. The kids were pretty impressed by the sting rays, jellyfish, and sharks. They loved looking at all of it. It didn't take us too long to make it through the aquarium, and then we had an afternoon to fill, so we ended up going round 2 with rides at Nickelodeon Universe. The kids had a great time again with rides, and were really tired by the end of the day. We ended up getting back to the hotel pretty late, so it was pretty much straight to bed when we got back.

We started Thursday off with a trip to Edinborough Park. The park is a giant indoor playground with tunnels, slides, and jumpy houses. The kids had so much fun. There was also a gym with scooters, basketball hoops, and other fun things. They burned off so much energy at the park. We probably didn't leave enough time for the park, and before we knew it we had to leave so we could head to Target field for the Twins Home opener.

We parked at the Mall of America and rode the Light Rail to Target Field. The kids though the "train" ride was amazing, and loved the entire experience. The Twins game was really cold. It was about 34 degrees, with a pretty strong wind. It was chilly. We were pretty bundled up, and still were cold. I couldn't feel my toes by the end. The kids actually fell asleep while we waited for the game to start, which was perfect timing. Although Elliott is getting too big to fall asleep on my lap, and my left arm was killing me by the time he woke up again. But both kids needed a little nap to make it through the day. We ended up leaving after 5 innings since it was so cold. The Twins ended up winning the game against the Seattle Mariners 5-2. It was a fun experience, but it would have been nice if it could have been a little warmer out.

We made it back to the hotel at around 6pm, and did some more swimming, which the kids loved. John went out and picked up some supper, and then we swam some more and called it a night.

Friday was basically our traveling day. We got packed up, and headed out on a very cold and windy day. It was about 18 degrees, and felt like 5 degrees with the wind chill. On April 5th. It's been a miserable spring so far. We stopped at Cabelas on our way home, and the kids enjoyed seeing all the animals and fish.

We got home at around 3:30pm on Friday. After unloading and doing some laundry, we enjoyed just hanging out at home. It was so nice to be home and sleep in our own beds again.

On Saturday, we took the kids to play at the Gym while we got in some much-needed workouts. The kids had fun running around, and we burned off some of the calories we had consumed over the duration of our trip. In the evening, we took the kids bowling. They loved it. They were so excited to knock over their pins, and they really did a good job staying focused on the game. It was fun.

Today, it is a blizzard outside. A literal blizzard. It's April 8th, and it's blizzarding out. I am hoping someday we can see spring again. John took the kids to a bowling birthday party, so I am enjoying some quiet time. First time in over week I have had a little time to myself. And I am loving it.

Overall, our vacation was really fun. The kids handled all the traveling and walking really well. There were a couple of times when the kids got a little crabby from lack of sleep, but overall they did great. It was really fun to show the kids all these fun things on the trip. I can't wait for our next family vacation!

The start of our Adventures 

They got to meet Chase!!!

Rainforest Cafe

Swimming at the pool

Buying their hats with money from Grandma 

Got a little wet on the Log Chute ride

Hotel shennanigans 

Train ride

Emma's first Twins Game 

Family Twins Game 

Ride Home

Bowling Fun