Banana, Please?

You know it's going to be a busy week when it starts off with dentist appointments at 8am on Monday for both kids. From that moment on, it seemed like the entire week was rushed and a bit crazy. Good news, though, both kids have good choppers!

G continues to work on the potty training, but this past Friday, he was a bit more, um, runny, than usual, so he was sent home in the morning. We need to see how it goes today, as yesterday was still a bit challenging. 

He did have fun on his field trip to the zoo this week with his class. He was pretty excited to see the monkeys. And to ride a bus. I love that he's getting to do new, fun things in his new room at daycare!

Ava had her end-of-summer baton show on Friday night. Scott was in attendance, as I had previous plans, and G was hanging out with Grandma Deb and Grandpa Whitey. It sounds like the show went well...it'll be interesting to see if Ava decides to continue with it, or if she'd like to try something else. She mentioned dance a few days ago...

He got a cute little car on his face when he went to a car show on Friday night

 

Ava's 9-year check up went well on Saturday...she's 56% for height, weight, and BMI for her age. She's still not tall enough to ride without a booster seat in the car, but she's just a few inches shy from that happening. She can't wait for that! G provided colorful commentary during Ava's entire check-up...

I was in Indy this week for work. I had never been to Indiana before, so it was neat seeing a new part of the country. It's very...nice, there. The people are nice (they make Minnesotans look less friendly...and that's very hard to do.) The downtown area was nice. The building are nice. Everything was nice! That's such a bland adjective to use, but in this case, it's applicable!
 

Monument Circle in downtown Indy

This was my view from my dinner on the patio in Indy on Wednesday night...I never quite figured out what was in the glass thing.

On Friday, I also had the chance to check out a local Minnesota vineyard and a beautiful park by the river. After a crazy week, it was a great way to chill out and de-stress for a bit. I've been to a lot of new places this week!

On Saturday afternoon. Scott and I debated on taking the kids to the Science Museum or the MN Zoo. The zoo is so easy for us, plus, as members, it's "free." We decided on the zoo, but made an effort to go to different parts of the zoo that we usually don't see. This time, we hit up the Tropics, the Minnesota Trail, and Discovery Bay. We ended the afternoon with treats outside. Ava wanted ice cream, and I kept asking G what flavor he wanted. He kept saying no. His choice? A banana! Ok, easy sale for Mom!

The Butterfly exhibit just opened on June 17, so we checked it out. SO pretty...there were butterflies everywhere!

Hanging out in Discovery Bay

Today is the first day where we're all going to be at home, and we don't have to run a million different places. I'm so excited to catch up on things and hang with my family today. It's going to be a Sunday Funday for sure!

Berries and Cream

What a good summer week, full of plenty of outdoor time, treats, and activities. Both kids have had busy weeks reaching some pretty impressive goals.

Just like the last several summers, Ava is taking swim lessons through the Y. Last year she tested to move up from a red to a yellow, which means she could go into the deeper waters. This past week I asked her if she was thinking about testing to be a green, and she immediately said no. Imagine my surprise when I got a call from her THAT night (I was at work late) and she excitedly told me that she passed the green test! Ava explained everything that she needed to do to pass into the green group (treading water, front float, etc.,) and I asked her what changed her mind to test for the green. She sheepishly smiled and said that she had forgotten she told me she wasn't going to test for it, and did it anyway. We're so proud of her!

Her baton twirling class is also going well...it's been fun watching her learn new tricks, and I think it's helping with her coordination...at least a little bit.

G has also had a big week. He moved into the 4-year old room this past Monday at daycare. New room, new cubby, new friends! He has been so happy to be reunited with his friends that had moved on before he did. Plus, his new teacher is the nice woman who always manages his breakfast related tantrums that we face every day when I drop him off. So, he has had lots of experience with her in the last year. He gets to go on a field trip this week...they're going to the MN Zoo, and will check out the splash pad there, too. He's so excited! He's only been on one field trip before...they went to the apple orchard this past fall.

Even more exciting is the potty training! His new teacher said no more diapers...bring in some underwear and shorts. So, this past week, we've (really HE, I'm pretty well trained at this point) been peeing a lot in the potty. I spent the day with him yesterday, and he only had two accidents. He announces when he has to go, and he's so excited to go to the potty and do his thing. He's still wearing diapers for naps and overnights, of course, but it feels like we're finally getting somewhere with this milestone.

I'm heading to Indy for an overnight trip this week. Should be interesting... I'm already looking forward to the end of this week! Scott worked for 12 hours yesterday, so he's hoping for a quiet day around the house. Not sure how quiet it will be, but at least he'll be at home!

Our blueberry plants from our neighbors have produced some fruit!

This lovely strawberry, so close to being ready to eat, was gone the next day...some lucky bird enjoyed it!

He looked like such a little man sitting here...apparently guys learn at a young age to sit with their legs like this. On the other hand (foot?,) I do recall Ava, at a young age, sitting with her legs crossed, just like a little lady...

Such a pretty sunset...pics never do it justice

We went to an ice cream shop in Farmington after dinner on Friday night. G is enjoying the Superman ice cream.

Ava got some chocolate, Oreo, marshmallow goodness! And, a chocolate mustache.

We went to the library yesterday so the kids could pick up their prizes for the summer reading program. In the first pic, G's Puppy is the star of the show...in the second one, they used puppets to put on a display.

#9

To top off the craziness of June, we also celebrated Ava's 9th birthday with her friends less than a week after we got back from NYC. She had so much fun at Rockin' Jump that we decided to try out their party planning skills. I give them an A+!

I was so stressed out last year having all of those little girls at our house for Ava's 8th party...the chaos, the noise, the mess, etc... What a different experience to take the party elsewhere and know that everything is taken care of! And, everyone had fun...even G! He was a little scared to try the trampolines, but once he did, he loved it!

The kids jumped for an hour, enjoyed a pizza lunch and some cake, and then opened gifts. They spent the last 15 minutes of the party in the arcade, having a blast winning points and redeeming for tiny little toys. It was so, so easy...all we had to so was send the invites, bring the cake and candle, and make sure the birthday kid showed up. Check, check, and check!

Checking out the Under 6 section...perfect for this little guy!

Having fun knocking each other off the beam

Just before their private dodgeball game...

Girls vs Boys! I'm not sure G was much help, though...lol

Ava's request was for a red velvet bundt cake...yum!

She's either scared or angry...

Great gifts from great friends!

Even G had fun in the arcade!

One of Ava's favorite gifts was a hatchimal...we had so much fun getting it to hatch!

What a cute little purple penguala! And, I have no idea what kind of animal that is.

We also squeezed in a few other fun activities over the last few weeks...

On the way to the Saints game with some co-workers...Sarah and I were being chauffeured by Ryan!

Ryan made it out of the chauffeur's seat to enjoy the game, too!

Great seats!

Me, Grace, and Bunny Ears, courtesy of Sarah, I believe!

 Last weekend, we had an adult night out to celebrate Scott's birthday a bit early. We hit up Surly for a few hours, and then enjoyed an excellent dinner at Mancini's in St Paul.

On the way home, we found a perfect place to watch the sunset...overlooking the Minnesota river

Earlier this weekend, Ava and I had fun with her perfume making kit. Here, she's on step 1 of the extraction process. She's shaking a water/pulp mixture to pull the liquid oils from the solid perfume pieces. We ended up with a perfume with base notes of mint, and middle notes of jasmine. Ava named it "Jasmint" and it actually smells pretty good!

We are seeing an early showing of Despicable Me 3 this morning...I had no idea movie tix were cheaper for the early shows! After that, we're hoping to enjoy a lunch out and then hit up an ice cream place for some treats. Should be a good way to end a nice weekend!

New York 2017

Where did June go?! These last three weeks are a perfect example of busy times! There has been trips to NY, visits with friends, multiple birthdays, and even a few fun adult nights! I love the color, fun, and excitement of summer, but I think there's a reason that people are happy to see autumn come...things slow down, get a bit more cool, and routines are established again. BUT...that's still a few months away! For now...it's summer!

Our flowers have bloomed so beautifully this year. We lost two daisy plants, but we gained a gajillion lilies, and now have a good idea for how things will look, year to year. I'm so pleased with all of our plants this year (annual and perennial) that I'm going to take pics so I can reference how things should look next year!

We've had several very good strawberries from our plants this year!

Just one of our many lilies...we also have them in deep red, dusky pink, and we planted a bright gold one today!

Enough of that plant stuff...here are pics from our trip to New York!

Day 1: Thursday, June 15

Ready to take off from MSP

Our very scary cab ride into Brooklyn

Her place!

Amazing pizza for lunch...and her very first Coke. She loves it!

View from the 24th floor (roof) of our hotel in Brooklyn

Love these little art pieces throughout the city

This sculpture was very realistic

Amazing views into Manhattan from the 26th floor at the Ms. Foundation in Brooklyn. Thanks to my Aunt Steph for this access!

Heading out to Coney Island...and taking a break to read

Multi-generational pic...Ava, me, my aunt Steph, and my mom

Not too long until the Nathan's hot dog eating contest!

Yuck.

Amazingly yummy and simple dinner in Coney Island

 Day 2: Friday, June 16

We opted to do a hop-on/hop-off tour so we could see Manhattan with ease.

Love the tall buildings

Patiently waiting in line for the bus to arrive...and someone didn't want to be in the pic...

Still waiting...

The Flat Iron building

The Charging Bull in the Financial District...can you see him through all of the tourists?!

I liked the colors of this building...lots of yellow

The rain let up, so we moved up to the top of the bus...such a better view from there!

Best photo bomb ever - clown-nose kid! 10 seconds later, the nose came off...

Beautiful ads on the buildings in the lower east side

The United Nations

The German Embassy

NBC / Rainbow Room

The American Museum of Natural History

The Peace Fountain: a triumph of good over evil

Cathedral of St John the Divine

Grants Tomb (ok, ok, the tomb is on the other side of the street...this was the view into the Hudson River)

New Jersey, maybe? We were coming into Harlem at this point

Hilarious! "Live Poultry"

And right across the street: "Krispy Krunchy Chicken"

The Apollo Theater

The Guggenheim

The Met

Back in Brooklyn...I loved these lights

And a little fella cheesecake from Juniors, for dessert

Day 3: Saturday, June 17

Back to Manhattan we go...

Steph giving Ava a tour of the subway system screens

Bunny ears x2!

We walked to the High Line for a leisurely walk in the sky

And then it started to rain (right as we got to the end of the High Line,) so we hustled over to Macy's, did some shopping, and then ate some lunch!

The rain let up, so we walked over to the American Girl store, where Ava bought a new outfit for Annie

This is a balloon...wow!

At Rockefeller Center

Closer to NBC / Rainbow Room!

Where are the Rockettes?!

We made the trek to Central Park, and took a break

And then we decided to do a pedi-cab ride through Central Park...what a great tour!

The fountain from Friends

Proposal Bridge in the background

I can't remember what this bridge is named, but it was where the Pigeon Lady was in Home Alone

Watch out, NYC...this little lady is on the move!

Day 4: Sunday, June 18

BIRTHDAY DAY!!!! Yes, this day, our little Ava turned 9 years old...we had a great day celebrating her!

Ava wanted to go back to Coney Island...so, we went!

At the end of the day, we celebrated with a wonderful birthday dinner out in Brooklyn. We met some of Steph's friends, as well...a lovely way to end the day!

A red velvet birthday cake for our sweet girl

That's a chicken in the middle of the cake. Don't ask. It was also accompanied by "Happy Birthday" sung completely in chicken squawks!

Modeling her sparkly pizza purse...Steph for the win of the gift!

Day 5: Monday, June 19


Time to head home...we had fun, NYC!

Just kidding! Bad storms along the East Coast kept us in NY for an extra night...ack!

While we were waiting for luggage to come back off of the plane, Ava told the female state trooper that her hat was cute. And her partner let Ava try his on! LOL 

Back to our friendly hotel in Brooklyn...with this extra night, we had a chance to try out the hotel restaurant on the 24th floor. Even with rainy weather, it was fun!

The restaurant made a kid-friendly version of nachos, just for Ava!

It's a bit drizzly out there. Glad we didn't have to fly out in it.

Day 6: Tuesday, June 20

Look at that beautiful weather...let's walk to the Brooklyn Bridge!

A fantastic art piece: "Descension"

Down by the East River, on the Brooklyn side

Cooling off from the heat!

There she is: Lady Liberty!

Waiting for the transfer to La Guardia...but this time, we made it home!

It was an amazing adventure, and so glad we could check New York off of Ava's bucket list. 

More to come on the fun times that we've had since we've returned home!