MN Zoo

On Monday of Memorial Day weekend we checked out the Owatonna parade in the morning.  Trevor loved seeing the 'hi ya' guys as well as numerous fire trucks!

Ashley thought the horses were pretty cool!

After that we headed to the zoo.  Uncle Jim and crew were going to meet us but Sam and Elena were both sick.  So we got special time with just Nana Jeanne and Papa Steve that was also nice.  Sometimes it seems we always have a project going on when Papa Steve is around so to just hang out the 6 of us was nice! 

After our picnic lunch we checked out all of our favorite parts of our old zoo.  Trevor was one with the penguins!

Daddy was one with the goats!

After a few tries Trevor got to feed one goat!!

Ashley was a bit too cool for the goats!

After checking out everything outside we went inside to see the new aquarium.  And just as we hoped Ashley liked the fishies just as much as Trevor did when he was little!! Although he still loves them just as much.  We could have stayed here for hours!

We hit up the Minnesota Trail before leaving and it was so fitting to see an American Bald Eagle on Memorial Day!

After the zoo, Nana Jeanne and Papa Steve took the kids back to Owatonna with them and Sara and Brian had an early dinner with their friends Andrew and Laura.  Brian will be in their wedding next May and we couldn't be happier for the two of them!  After that we wanted to see Jeff, Dawn and the girls again so we stopped by their house for a 25 minute visit.  It's almost like we had dinner with them, we just didn't eat!  As always, it's nice to see them even if for a short time.  And with that Daddy was off to the airport.  So glad Daddy could come for the weekend!  It sure made our time back in MN even more special (and sure broke up the 10 days we were going to be a part!!)

Kelly BBQ

It's been a tradition for quite some time now that around Mother's Day Sara's parents host a BBQ at their house for all of Sara's Mom's side of the family.  This year the timing worked out for Sara and kids to attend which was just what Sara's soul needed.  She's missed this event the past few years.  Brian has missed it too and found a last minute flight for the minimum points and surprised everyone!

He flew in late Friday night and stayed at Sara's brothers because Trevor was having a sleep over with his cousin Sam after that crew came to Sara's parents to spend time together.  When Trevor woke up in the morning he left the room to use the restroom and Daddy said 'Hi Bud' well, Trevor continued out the bedroom door only to turn around and run to Daddy's bed.  He was most definitely surprised!  Later that morning Mommy and Ashley headed up to Uncle Jim's and Ashley couldn't get enough of Daddy.  Lots and lots of cuddles before we surprised Leah and family by showing up with Daddy for her birthday party!

After Leah's party we headed back to Sara's parents house which is about an hour from the Cities.  We had a wonderful dinner for those relatives that were already in town!  Ashley and Trevor sure loved eating at their little table!

After dinner we heard the 'ice cream truck' music playing and Trevor ran out to see a snow cone truck!  How cool!

On Sunday while 23 adults and 7 kids were arriving, Daddy and Trevor took a spin around the house on a bike with no training wheels.  No success yet but he has some time :)

We played a little frisbee golf.  Is that what it's called?  Hmmm...in any case, Trevor was getting pretty good at throwing the frisbee!

And of course boys will be boys....the weather was perfect.  Ah, green grass and breathable air.  Very different from AZ.  Now this weather we miss!

Grandma Kelly's sister Alice participated in the festivities.  It is always so good to see her.  She reminds us so much of Grandma Kelly whom we miss dearly.  Sara took a 'selfie' with Aunt Alice.  She thought that was pretty neato.

Just like back at home, Ashley was perfectly content pushing her shopping cart around.

 She also loved pretending to drive.  A big thanks to Nana Jeanne and Papa Steve for saving all of these old toys.  This one brings back lots of memories for Sara because she remembers playing with it at Grandma Kelly's!

The weather couldn't have been more perfect for Max, Trevor and Sam to stretch their legs and run around and boy is that what they did all afternoon!  They played cops and robbers although robbers in this case were called criminals!

Ashley on the other hand was a-okay exploring every single piece of fun!

Which included playing all by her big self at the table.  When did she get so big and independent??

Although there were some times when she just couldn't get enough of knocking Daddy over in the grass.  Better watch out!

We tried to grab a quick family photo but diva wouldn't give up her ring pop!  Or should we say brother's ring pop that he graciously shared!

We also tried to get a pic of the cousins....silly ones!!

And just the boys!  Best buddies!

The heart just smiles being back in with these two fellas!

After everyone left and Ashley was in bed we took out Sara's old playdough snack shop!

Trevor made ice cream cone after ice cream cone.  

 A few banana splits too!

Another fun day for the record books!  Thanks Nana Jeanne and Papa Steve for hosting such a wonderful get together.  We're so glad to have such a loving and fun family!  XOXO

Leah turns 4!

On Saturday in Minnesota we headed to the Cities for Leah's 4th birthday party!!  She had a bowling party with friends and family and everyone had a great time!  It's so fun to see her growing up!  As part of her present we gave her real big girl jewelry...a necklace and bracelet that she couldn't wait to put on!

 

The cupcakes were a hit!

 Our kids were without naps so it was a little touch and go at moments throughout the party (like when we tried to get a picture of all the party attendees) but they came around and we got a quick pic of the cousins together.  Lauren is such a good helper with Ashley!  They are best buddies!

 We also were able to snap a quick pic of Ashley and her Godmother!  Very cute!!!!

 And something we want to remember to capture is how Miss Ashley is going on the big girl party.  Yes, at 18 months old!  Such an overachiever.  She's been telling us for a while when she needs a diaper but now she'll go to the potty lift up her dress (yes, she usually wears dresses) and waits for you to take off her diaper cover and diaper and then sit on the toilet.  She usually always goes but my goodness does the whole process just take forever!!  Mommy isn't quite ready to fully potty train her so we'll just go with the flow and when she wants to go we'll accommodate.  Might need to switch to pull-ups during the day though to speed up the process!

St. Louis, MO

The kiddos and Sara flew to St. Louis to see Sara's Aunt and Uncle.  Trevor woke up before we even had to wake him up...he walked in ready to go all proud in his 'I love my Papa shirt!'  We hadn't flown since last August so we weren't entirely sure how they would do but they did great.  Luckily Trevor is a good seat sharer so we all had space and Ashley wasn't a true lap baby.  We read books, watched the ipad, sung songs and ate lots of snacks and before we knew it we were landing!

 Nana Jeanne and Papa Steve drove down from Minnesota to meet us and of course they brought things to keep the kids entertained.  Ashley was in love with the doll that had a nuk just like her!

 We were so excited to see Francis and Faye!  Trevor said he remembered them from two years ago...he certainly settled right in and enjoyed hanging out and eating the delicious pork meal that Aunt Faye prepared.

 When Ashley got tired she climbed up on Papa Steve's lap and fell asleep.  Not sure there is anything more precious!!

Faye got us a room at a nearby hotel that is also a casino.  It was SO nice!  It even had a game room for the kids which kept them busy while some of the adult watched the American Idol finale before they went gambling all night ;-).  

 Both kids slept like champs which was awesome!!!  Hopefully it was a sign of good things to come because we have 9 more nights of our trip and Mommy would really love not to be super sleep deprived like she usually is traveling with the diva.

Trevor isn't one to play favorites so he was sure to wear his 'I love my Nana' shirt on Thursday.  He loved the view of the river from our hotel room and wanted a picture to remember it!

 We headed over to Francis and Faye's for breakfast before hitting the road for our eight hour trip to Nana Jeanne's and Papa Steve's.  Once again, the kids were great travelers.  Nana sat in the back with the kids for the first leg of the trip....little did we know that the first leg of the trip would last 6 hours without one stop!!!  They played and slept and before we knew it we were six hours in and we were hungry (and needed the bathroom) so we stopped to stretch our legs and have a bite to eat at Applebee's.

After that it didn't seem long and we arrived at Nana and Papa Steve's.  Trevor was so excited to show his sister all of his favorite toys there.  We played for a bit and then headed to bed.  And what do you know?  Everyone slept through the night without a peep!  YAY!!!!

When Daddy's away....

Daddy has had quite the week...he left Sunday for Syracuse, drove Tuesday morning to meet his work crew in Boston, flew home late Wednesday only to unpack and repack because Thursday he left for a boys golf weekend with his high school friends in Iowa.  Busy!  Busy!  Well so were Mommy and the kiddos...we tend to spend a lot of time playing and eating :)

We were lucky enough though to be able to drop Daddy off at the airport and we all had dinner together there.  Trevor thought it was the coolest thing ever to eat at an actual restaurant at the airport!  He also learned to slurp up spaghetti!

 Pretty cute!

 After leaving the airport Trevor wanted to go to Dairy Queen.  Well it doesn't take much arm twisting for Mommy to go there so away we went!  Ashley (like her Mommy) love the chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard!

 The whole reason Trevor wanted to go to DQ was for the 'star popsicle' (how does he remember that from like one year ago??) but this DQ didn't have them so he settled on cherry dilly bar.

 That is until he got a taste of Mommy and Ashley's blizzard!  Then it became a free for all with everyone sharing!

 Ashley agreed!  DQ was yummy!

 Mommy did good not breaking into a glass of wine all week, but Friday called for a glass. (As did Saturday and lucky for Mommy she had a last minute visitor to keep her company and so that she didn't drink alone!!  Thanks Julie!  Always a fun time!)

On Saturday we attended our monthly bagels and brew and then later on Trevor got to pick where we were going to eat lunch.  Well, after driving by a few places Trevor insisted that Mommy turn around.  He had seen the Subway sign and wanted to go there!  What 4 year old chooses Subway over McDonald's??  Ours!  Ashley loved it as well!  They both polished off their sandwiches.  Seriously, every bite gone!

 So of course they got cookies!  Don't want to be too healthy with Daddy away :)

 Case in point...our favorite donut spot was visited on Sunday!

 We had fun just the three of us but boy was it great to see Daddy at the airport late Sunday afternoon!  We have to soak up the next few days before the kids and Mommy leave for MN!