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Ships! Lakes! Ducks!

We've been running around like crazy, so it's nice to have this one weekend where the plans are low key and we have minimal commitments. (And I can do laundry at my normal routine times...trying to find time to do laundry over the last three weeks has been my biggest challenge!)

The weekend after we got back from Chicago, we had friends come in from out of town, so we spent some fun catching up and watching the kids play at our neighborhood pool. The next morning, Ava, G and I got up early-ish and headed west into the cities, and met up with another group of friends/kids and we spent several hours at a wonderful lake/splash pad. My friend Dana snagged a spot under a huge umbrella on the beach, so it was very pleasant for us moms to hang out and chat, while the kids were all splashing around. Dana told them the first kid who caught a fish (not using fishing equipment) would earn $5...it kept them busy for hours!




Once we got back home from the lake adventure, our neighbors asked if we wanted to join them in their backyard to watch the kids play in their blow-up pool. Of course we said yes! But, boy, by the end of the day, we had our fill of playing in the water.

The next night my friend Emilie and I went to see John Mayer. I hadn't seen her in a few months, so we had so much fun chatting about life and then watching the concert. Plus, we had a great seats on the floor!



Last weekend we headed up to Duluth to watch the Tall Ships come into the harbor. We had never been to the festival, but it was something different and interesting to do. We drove up Saturday afternoon, and decided to take the kids to see the new Dora movie, and then top off the evening with a dinner out at a Mexican restaurant. Yum!



The next morning we headed down to the harbor, and parked ourselves at a great spot to watch the ships come in. And then we waited...for almost two hours. We made friends with our neighbors and did our best to keep all children entertained. :) I did run into a friend from my last job so that was a bonus treat to the day!

The ships finally started to sail in and we enjoyed it the most when they came right by our spot so we could see the detail behind the ships. Two ships set off their cannons, and I think everyone jumped when that happened - it was so loud! We had tickets to board the ships to explore them, but the lines were so long that we just couldn't bear the thought of waiting any more...so, we skipped that part.






Photo bomb by the duckie!



This boat wasn't even part of the festival, but we were all fascinated by it. It's a car! It's a boat!



We explored the ship festival that was taking place in canal park, and admired the big rubber duckie. Imagine that floating in your tub! We grabbed some lunch before we headed out, and everyone but me zonked out on the drive (I was driving, so...) All of that fresh air and sunshine wore us out!




We had a busy week, as well. G started his Bridge to Kindergarten class, so he's now a bit more familiar with how Kindergarten works, and the layout of the school. Plus, he met a few new friends that will provide friendly faces on the first day of school.

Apparently our neighbor across the street is also starting Kindergarten, so it's fun to have a new friend in the neighborhood to play with. She and G played together once earlier this year and I learned that now she's always yelling for G when she sees him outside playing (because she wants to go outside and play, too.) Cute!

Thumbs up for a great 1st day at Bridge to Kindergarten!


This weekend really has been blessedly low key...we watched a movie on Friday night, Scott worked yesterday while I tidied up the house and did laundry, and then we had a bonfire with the neighbors to enjoy the beautiful summer evening. There won't be too many more weekend nights like that, so we're trying to enjoy it while we can.

Having fun at Carbone's Kids' Night! That's a sparkly fish for Ava and a planet with a rocket ship for G



Today we're going to head over to check out my parents new place, but still keep it calm and relaxed. We have a big week coming up with school assessments, Kindergarten parent meetings, and back to school for the middle school. I can't believe there are only two weeks left before school starts!

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