So Long Summer

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer.  Sure, we still have some sunshiny days ahead of us, but we know they are nearing the end.  With Labor Day comes back to school and back to a routine.  I don’t have a school age child, but I can relate to having a looser schedule in the summer.  Bed times get pushed back because we want to get as much outside time as we can.  Dinners are a lot more low key and spur of the moment.  Cold sandwiches one night, a box of mac and cheese the next, and throwing whatever can be grilled on the grill.  The chore list that we so diligently stuck to during the winter has gone out the window.  Who has time to sweep when there are new playgrounds to discover? 

I consider myself a summer time girl so it’s always a little sad to see Labor Day come.  I think mostly because I know what’s ahead.  Months and months of cold, dark days.  Snow that comes up to my waist.  Driving on icy slick roads.  All things that I get so sick of by the time March rolls around.  That’s why it’s so important to me that I make the most out of summer.  I feel it goes by so quickly and I don’t want to look back and think “What the heck did we do this summer?”  Mike and I created a Summer Bucket List to make sure we got the most out of our summer and we accomplished almost everything before Labor Day…

1.Visit Como Zoo 

2. Splash Pad in St. Louis Park

3. Roast marshmallows in our backyard (When I wrote this, E was not yet mobile. Realized fire and a 1 year old, not a good idea.)

4. Sit in the driveway and drink a beer  (I think we can triple check this one.)

5. Grill as much as possible  (Every chance we get, sometimes for lunch and dinner!)

6. Plant a tomato and pepper plant  (I didn't plant a pepper plant but my tomato plant is going strong.)

7. Grow fresh cilantro (I'm crossing this one off because I attempted fresh cilantro, it died)

8. Drink morning coffee on our patio

9. Walk to Caribou with E and Josie for morning coffee

10. Take Evan to one of Minnesota's many lakes (Lake Superior)

11. Visit Itasca State Park

12. Go Fishing (Mike went but we didn't make it as a family)

13. Go to the Farmer's Market as much as possible (only made it once)

14. Golf

15. Eat at Sea Salt

16. Adele's for frozen custard 

17. Take E to a playground (This is pretty much a daily activity for us)

18. Take E to a parade (We went to the 4th of July Parade in Spicer)

19. Pull E with the bike

20. IA or MN State Fair

Now, as sad as I am to see summer go, I must admit, the weeks following Labor Day do bring some excitement.  So, in order to put a positive spin on the unofficial end of summer, I've created my Fall Top 10 List (in no particular order).

1.       College football season kicks off

2.       No more summer reruns and the anticipation of new shows for the fall season 

3.       Peanuts and candy corn (If you’ve never tried this delicious mix, you must try it!)

4.       Chili and corn bread, this is a fall favorite of mine

5.       Carving pumpkins

6.       The leaves changing colors

7.       Sleeping with the windows open on a crisp fall night

8.       Apple season…apple cider, apple crisp, carmel apples

9.       Daylight Savings, fall back to get an extra hour of sleep.
10.    Oktoberfest beer

The Great Minnesota Get Together

Despite the 90 degree weather and 100% humidity, we ventured out to the Minnesota State Fair.  I love the fair!  Of course I’m partial to the Iowa State Fair, but the Minnesota State Fair is a pretty close second (never mind I've only been to two state fairs).  I mostly go for the food, but I also enjoy looking at the award winning vegetables.  My sister-in-law, Andrea, had an exhibit this year showcasing old postcards, so I had to check that out.  She took home 3^rd place in her category and won $2! 

This was E’s first fair experience and seeing his reaction to all the sights and sounds was the highlight of this year’s trip.  Just getting there was an adventure for him.  E’s really into trucks, cars, planes; basically anything that has a motor and moves.  We took the park-n-ride which meant he got to ride on a bus.  He thought that was pretty cool and now “bus” is in his vocabulary. 

When we arrived at the fair, our first stop was the Miracle of Birth Barn to check out all the baby animals born at the fair.  When E saw the goats he was screaming “Baa Baa” and I thought he was going to jump out of his stroller with excitement.  I’m sure he was confused, at Grandpa’s house he can walk right in with the goats, but I think they would frown upon that at the fair.   Another big hit for E were the misting stations.  There were water misters set up throughout the fair to cool off fair goers. E loves anything with water.  All the live music at the various stages caught E’s attention as well.  He busted out some great dance moves. 

And of course there was E’s first experience with fair food, which is my personal favorite.  He sampled corn dogs and cheese curds, chicken tenders and a turkey sandwich.  He took advantage of the all you can drink milk and ended his trip to the fair with a stop at the Dairy Barn where he helped Grandma, Mom and Dad eat their malts.  When we boarded the bus to get back home, he wiggled around between Mom and Dad for a while and then as soon as we took off he passed out on Dad’s lap and woke up barely enough to get a new diaper on and PJs and then was back to sleep.

I loved watching E’s reaction to everything, it made this fair experience so much better.  I was proud with how well he behaved.  He went with the flow and didn't fuss once even though we were out past his bedtime.   I know E won’t remember his first fair, but I’m hoping that somewhere in that little mind of his he’s developing sense of a happy childhood. 

Evan in the misters

Goats!

Checking out the chickens.

    

Loving the Fair.

           

Mike with his pork chop on a stick.

Ice Cream!

Coming Full Circle

I haven't read a book in a while that I really connected with.  I just finished reading So Much Sky by Karen Weir-Jimerson.  The book is a collection of short stories about living in the country in Iowa.  This book brought me full circle.  It reminded me of how I grew up.  I could relate to so many of her stories; shearing sheep in the spring time, bottle feeding lambs, being able to go out to the garden and pick our food for that night’s dinner and all the splendor of the Iowa State Fair.  

The book also made me realize how much plans and dreams can change as we grow up.  I couldn't wait to get out of the country and out of a small town when I was in high school.  I was determined to be a city girl.  In fact, I actually remember telling my parents that I wanted to live in a city that had a traffic report.  When my best friend got a job offer in Minneapolis and asked if I would move with her, I jumped at the opportunity to move to a big city.  

I bought my “single girl in the city house” just outside of Minneapolis and thought I was set.  Then I fell in love and got married and eventually had a baby.  Now that “single girl in the city house” just isn't cutting it.   I long for the privacy of the country and want to have space for my child and dog to run free.  I want to have chickens scratching in the yard and pick their fresh eggs.  And I want to be able to use the phrase, "Go into town."   

It's amazing how this book really got me thinking. What I ended up wanting in life in the long run, I had the entire time.  It made me sad the more I thought about this.  But then I realized if I hadn't  pursued my dreams of being a city girl, I probably wouldn't have appreciated what I had growing up and realized that my heart is in the country.  I also wouldn't have met my amazing husband and had the best kid a mom could ask for.   

I know that eventually my family will end up living in the country because that's where we're meant to be.  Whether it's in the country I know so well in Iowa or I discover country living in Minnesota, that's still up in the air.   For now visits to the country keep me satisfied and help keep my dreams alive.   One day, I will be able to look out my kitchen window and see a sea of corn fields and look up from my yard and see so much sky.  

Feeling Like a Mom

As much as a I hate to admit this, there are times when I don’t feel like a Mom.  I think part of it is being a working Mom with an at home Dad for a husband.  Since E and Mike are together pretty much 24/7, it’s only natural that E would gravitate to him more.  It's not that I doubt E's love for me.  He greets me at the door when I come home from work, usually with a book or toy to show me and always with a smile.  But it’s clear that Mike is the primary care giver.  He knows E’s likes and dislikes better than I do and knows E's daily routine inside and out.  

When we’re all together, I find myself asking Mike questions.  Like what E should eat or when he needs his nap.  It’s those moments when I don’t always feel like a Mom.  He’s my child too, I should know these things.  But the reality is, I work outside the home and Mike is an at home Dad.  Sure, I wish it were me that got to stay at home and be a full-time Mom.  But for now I’m just grateful that we even have the option to have one of us be an at home parent.

I've learned that if I do things with E on my own, I feel a stronger bond with him and have that "Mom" feeling.  I realized this a couple of weeks ago.  A friend asked if E and I wanted to meet her and her niece at an indoor play area. We went and had a blast.  I actually felt like a Mom.  I can’t explain it, but it was a feeling that just hit me.  It had been a while since E and I had done anything just the two of us and it’s just want I needed to reaffirm my feelings as a Mom. 

I love doing things as a family but it’s important that I have my own time with E.  Mike has plenty of 1-on-1 time with him and I want E to experience that with me as well.  It also gives Mike a break from being in Dad mode 24/7.  There will be many more Mommy and E dates in our future.  Well, at least until he hits the teenage years, then I'll give him a break.  

Settling into the Toddler Stage

Expressing that he doesn't want the banana.  

We've reached the toddler stage and from what I've read and heard, the toddler stage lasts quite a while.  The Terrible Two's are also just around the corner.  E is only 14 months, but I think we're rounding that corner.  E isn't throwing tantrums or anything like that, he's just becoming more of his own person each day and learning to express his thoughts and opinions. He is also very curious about his world and with that comes testing boundaries. He knows when something is naughty because once I tell him "No", he'll turn and slyly smile at me and try to do it again.

Being a toddler also means not sitting for more than a minute at one time.  Mike and I used go to a restaurant and E would be content sitting in his carrier watching the world go by.  Now we bring plenty of toys and crayons to keep him occupied but we usually end up taking turns walking him around the restaurant.  We're getting more and more take out on those days when we don't feel like cooking.    

Mike and I are trying to figure this discipline thing out.  It's hard with a 14 month old.  I don't want to squash his curiosity or his spirited opinions, but at the same time I want him to learn manners and the proper way to behave.  Not to mention some of the "No's" are for his own safety.  I also don't want to be the mother that's constantly harping on her child chasing after him yelling "No, no!.  That's not fun for either us.  Mike actually saw one of those at the library the other day, he said it wasn't pretty.

We do our best to redirect E when he's in the "naughty zone" and remove anything that could possible hurt him.  I've learned that childproofing is an ongoing process.  We've got some time to figure it out though. Mike and I are settling into this phase because we'll be here for a while and the fun is only beginning.

 

Our First Family Vacation

Life has been busy lately and I haven't been writing as much as I would like.  But then again, when isn't life busy?  Let me rephrase, blogging hasn't been a priority lately.  I love writing and I have all these topics I want to write about, I just need to make time to do it.  When I started this blog, it was for me, meaning when I have the time and desire to write, I write and when I don't, I don't write.

Anyway, so last week we went on our first official family vacation.  And what I mean by official is that we actually went somewhere and stayed in a hotel (well a condo in our case) for the pure sake of taking a vacation.  Not visiting friends or family or going to a wedding, just a good old fashion family vacation.  We invited my parents to come along because I enjoy my parents and also to help with E so Mike and I could spend time just the two of us.  My Dad couldn't make the trip, something about too much work at home...blah blah blah.  I just said "Whatever Dad.", but my Mom came and it was great having her along.

We went to Bayfield, WI which is about 4 hours away and right on Lake Superior.  We rented a condo in Port Superior Marina.  A condo was the way to go.  Especially with E, things were just easier.  We had plenty of room for him to play, a full kitchen to cook meals and a deck right on the water.  The only bad thing was the deck had limited railings so we didn't spend too much time out there.  My fearless child would be jumping in the water within a matter of seconds.

We spent 4 glorious days at different beaches, checking out different playgrounds, eating ice cream and Ruffles with French Onion Dip (a vacation must have!).  We took the ferry over to Madeline Island and spent the day at the beach there and checking out the quaint beach town.  We had perfect weather, little rain and plenty of sunshine.

On the way back from Bayfield, we stopped in Duluth for lunch and to walk around the lake shore.  It was a great first family vacation and we all agreed we'd go back.  I think E enjoyed the water the most.  I loved seeing him playing in the waves and sand at the beach.

It was a simple vacation, we didn't visit anything historic or particularly famous or eat in any great restaurants. It was just time spent together doing things we love and a chance to get away.  It was pretty much perfect.

Our view for the week.

Day at the beach.

Mom and Grandma having fun at the playground.

Ferry ride to Madeline Island.  E was ready to jump in!

One of several ice cream stops.

Stop in Duluth on the way home.

Summer Bucket List Check In - And Other Fun Summer Things

In my mind, the 4th of July marks the middle of summer.  So that means summer is already half over! Summer is my favorite season and it always seems too short, especially in Minnesota.  A while back Mike and I created a Summer Bucket List in order to get the most out of summer.  Here's how we're doing so far.

1.Visit Como Zoo 
2. Splash Pad in St. Louis Park
3. Roast marshmallows in our backyard
4. Sit in the driveway and drink a beer  (I think we can triple check this one.)
5. Grill as much as possible  (Every chance we get, sometimes for lunch and dinner!)
6. Plant a tomato and pepper plant  (I didn't plant a pepper plant but my tomato plant is going strong.)
7. Grow fresh cilantro (I'm crossing this one off because I attempted fresh cilantro, it died)
8. Drink morning coffee on our patio
9. Walk to Caribou with E and Josie for morning coffee
10. Take Evan to one of Minnesota's many lakes
11. Visit Itasca State Park
12. Go Fishing
13. Go to the Farmer's Market as much as possible
14. Golf
15. Eat at Sea Salt
16. Adele's for frozen custard 
17. Take E to a playground (This is pretty much a daily activity for us)
18. Take E to a parade (We went to the 4th of July Parade in Spicer)
19. Pull E with the bike
20. IA or MN State Fair

As you can see, we've crossed off quite a few things on our list but still have many things left to do. Thankfully we still have some summertime left.  Even though we've still got things to check off our Summer Bucket List, I think we're having an awesome summer spending as much time outside as we can.  This may mean my floors have a few more dust bunnies and little less laundry gets folded, but it's worth it.  

         

Evan's First Scratch cupcake.

       

Bubbles on the Farm.

       

Checking out Grandpa's goats.

Loving the swings at the park.

       

It looks like we're at a lodge up North...we're really just at Famous Dave's for lunch.

 

     

Splash Pad Fun!

            

You could say I'm having a pretty great summer!