Lake Thompson Camping

 This past week has flown by in a hurry. This past Tuesday evening, we had school registration. Elliott is going to be in Kindergarten this year, so we got to bring both kids to orientation this year. Elliott was super excited to show me his desk, and to put all his school supplies away. He is sitting next to Jacob to start the school year, so we will see how that goes. 

Even though she won't admit it, Emma is excited for school as well. She enjoyed seeing all her friends again and getting all her things organized in her desk. I just hope Elliott and her can get along. They will be sharing a classroom for this year, so they will have to learn to tolerate each other. 

Overall, orientation went well. It's crazy to think that school starts in 2 days. Where the heck did the summer go?

On Wednesday evening, we went to Wild Water West. We hadn't had a chance to make it there this summer yet, so this was basically our last chance to go. The kids had an absolute blast. They are finally big enough to go down some of the slides, so it was a lot more fun to bring them. We also did the lazy river, wave pool. bumper boats, lily pads, and mini golf. We squeezed a lot of fun into the three hours we were there. We grabbed some supper on the way home and then put some really tired kids to bed. 

This past weekend, we went camping at Lake Thompson, which is by DeSmet, SD. It was a really nice campground, but the lake was really scummy and gross. The kids did a little swimming the first evening, and after that we avoided the water. 

It was super hot this past weekend. Like so hot and humid it was just miserable to be outside. So, it made camping interesting. We spent a lot of time in the shade, and some in the air conditioned campers. 

Saturday morning, John, Jim, Elliott and I went out fishing. We fished for about 2.5 hours. We caught a few fish, but nothing crazy. Elliott actually did surprisingly well in the boat. He kept himself pretty entertained for most of the time. However, he got a little antsy toward the end when it was getting really hot and buggy. And I didn't blame him, I was ready to be done by then as well. 

In the afternoon, we took a trip into DeSmet to eat lunch at DQ and then check out the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum. We walked the grounds a little, but we missed the tours, so we will have to go back and do that another day. 

We didn't have any fires, or spend much of the evenings outside. It was way too hot and buggy. We made the best of our trip, but it would have been much more enjoyable if the weather could have cooperated. 

The kids stayed out at Grandma and Grandpas last night and then tonight. We had their last day of summer care and daycare be one Friday. So, they get to spend Monday and Tuesday with Grandma and Grandpa. I'm sure they are all having a blast. 

I actually ended up with today off from work. So, I spent the day cleaning out my closet, vacuuming, and just organizing the house before the craziness of school begins. I also went to the gym, and did some grocery shopping and a library trip. It has been a successful day!!

Tomorrow, it's back to reality, and then the kids come back home so we can take them to school Wednesday morning. It's going to be so crazy to bring both kids to school every day. I'm so excited for them!

Newton Hills Camping

 This past weekend we camped at Newton Hills. I forgot how much I like Newton Hills. The kids had a blast, and the weather was beautiful. We pulled in Friday evening, ate a nice BBQ supper, and then Jim and Barb took the kids to one of their friend's houses who have a lot of pets. The kids got to see horses, miniature horses, baby goats, a donkey, a potbelly pig, kitties, and dogs. They loved every second of it, and I don't think either kid wanted to leave when it was time to go. The Tomczak kids were also camping there with some family friends, so the kids got to play with them after they got back. There were lots of happy kiddos. 

On Saturday, we kind of had a crazy running around day. John took Elliott to a daycare friend's birthday party, which had an inflatable and it sounds like Elliott had a ton of fun. To make things fair for Emma, Jim, Barb, and I took her to Inwood to swim at the new pool there. She begged me to swim with her, so we swam in their nice pool for a couple of hours. It was a pretty fun afternoon. 

Once everyone was back at the campground, we played some games, and then made some foil packs for supper. We had shrimp boil packs, which were amazing. After supper, the kids found some friends at the playground and spent the evening with them, while us adults had a fire and relaxed. The weather was a perfect 82 degrees and sunny during the day, and then just a little cool in the evenings. It was perfect. 

Sunday was another beautiful day. The kids rushed over to the playground to play with their new friends again, while we all enjoyed a peaceful morning. We ate some delicious beef stew for lunch, and then we worked on getting packed up and pulled out. 

There was no rest for us though, and once we were pulled out, we got home, unpacked, and then headed to Bethel for the annual Bethel bike ride. It was a hot afternoon for biking, but everyone had a great time. John stayed at the school and helped set up for the picnic after the bike ride, I rode with Elliott, and Emma went with Mrs. Tomczak and Rachel. Elliott did really well with the long bike ride, but we turned around at 5 miles, which was good, since he got really tired by the time we got back to the church. Emma did the entire 10 miles, and did really well. She was a champ. I was super proud of her. 

After the bike ride, we had a picnic and games at the church. The kids had a water balloon toss, frisbee golf, and of course the playground to play on. The adults had a bean bag tournament. Jen and I were on a team and came in second to Pastor and Kristen. It was a hot, sweaty, fun afternoon. But, man were we all shot after the busy, busy weekend. 

This week continues to be busy. We have school registration/orientation tomorrow night, planning on Wild Water West Wednesday night, and then we are camping again next weekend at Lake Thompson. Oh, and working all week too. I'm not sure why we do this to ourselves, but we know how to keep busy!

Here's to another great week!

10 Years!!

 This past Friday, John and I celebrated our 10 year Anniversary. It's pretty hard to believe that we have been married for 10 years already. Where does the time go?

10 years ago, we were sweating it out in a small country church in Minnesota. It was a heck of a hot day, and our little church had no air conditioning. So, we sweated. But what a beautiful, wonderful day it was. There were a few bumps in the road, but overall everything went pretty smoothly. 

The reception was a ton of fun, and I am so happy that we decided on a live band. That made for a really fun evening. I think I danced pretty much the whole night, and my feet hurt so bad by the end of the night!

Being married has been pretty amazing as well. I am lucky enough to be married to a handsome, sweet, sensitive, caring man. He may not always remember where he put things, or to pick up the house, but he always cares about my feelings, makes sure I know he loves me, and is willing to help me with anything I need. And he gives the BEST foot rubs. 

I'm also lucky to be married to someone so adventurous. He is always willing to try new foods, travel, go see a broadway show or musical, go to a concert, and attend basically any sporting event. I don't think there's much of anything he isn't willing to try or do. He's also a really good sports-watching partner. We have watched a lot of Twins games together, and we enjoy cheering them on, and bitching about them when they drive us crazy. Ditto with the Vikings and Jackrabbits. 

We are also blessed to have two wonderful children that we love to death. Even when they are naughty. Like tonight, when our kids played with paint in the neighbors driveway tonight and ruined their clothes and stained the neighbors driveway. So, they got yelled at and put to bed. We still love them, but man can they drive us crazy!

What I'm trying to say, is that it has been a great 10 years. I definitely married the right guy. We have our moments just like any other couple, but overall we are pretty level-headed and love being married to each other. 

We didn't really get to celebrate yet. We went camping with the kids and Jim and Barb this last weekend, so we had a lot of good family time together. But, Emma and Elliott will be on the farm next Monday and Tuesday, so John and I are already planning our date night get-away. 

Cheers to many more years of wedded bliss. Love you John!

Mitchell and Rachel's Wedding

 Well, it's been almost a month since I have blogged, so I guess we have been busy! The major things we have done in August so far is camping, Canaries games, finished up softball,school shopping, and Mitchell and Rachel's wedding. 

The kids got to be a part of the wedding by being the flower girl and the ring bearer. John also shot the wedding. So, we were very involved in the entire wedding day. 

It all started the weekend of August 8th. Rachel, Carlos, and Elena came to town that Friday evening. Rachel, the kids and I all went swimming at the Midco from 6-7:30, and then we headed back to our house to eat some tacos off the grill. It was delicious. The kids played really well together, and we finished the evening off with a fire and some beer. 

On Saturday, my parents and Ryan came to town. We grilled some food for lunch, and just enjoyed some time outside playing with the kids and visiting. For supper, we went to the Groomsmen supper at Johnny Carinos since the kids were in the wedding. We had a very nice salad and pasta buffet, and got to visit with the bridal party and parents of the bride and groom. In the evening, we had another fire, some more beer, and some great company. 

Sunday was a busy day. Because of Covid, Rachel and Mitchell had to reschedule their wedding from Memorial Day weekend, and the only day they could get it to work was a Sunday. So, we had a Sunday wedding. We had to get to the Blue Haven Barn at 11:00 so Emma could get her hair done, get dressed, and then pictures started at 12:30. Both kids did really well throughout the day, and both were really good for pictures. 

The wedding started at 3:00pm, and it was outside by a gazebo. It was really hot, but luckily the wedding only lasted about 12 minutes, and then it was all over. There was a great social hour open bar with delicious sangrias, beer, mixed drinks, etc. I definitely enjoyed myself. The meal was also amazing. It was a buffet with roasted chicken, prime rib, veggies, and salad. It was really good. 

They also had a DJ for their dance. Elliott was such a character and did not leave the dance floor the entire night. I mean, like not at all. He had dance moves all night long, and the rest of the wedding party loved his moves. He was the hit of the night. Emma also danced quite a bit, and requested multiple songs. 

It was a pretty small wedding. I think the traveling and having a wedding on a Sunday was really hard for some people. But we had a great time, especially the kids. They were hamming it up and dancing the night away. It was definitely a memorable  night.