family camping, at last

Since the Bear incident of last summer, I have not spent a night in our tent.  Between pregnancy and just plain being too busy it has just not happened.  This past weekend I finally got my chance.  We spent the weekend with a three other families who are dear to us at Lake Elmo Park Reserve.  It was a wonderful time!

All the kids at the beach!

Little E was not so sure about the cold water on his toes.

Little E loved the tent.  It took him forever to stop watching the bugs on the ceiling and actually go to sleep!

There's nothing like time with Dad.

what a combination

Seth's Littlest Fan

This summer Seth had his first experience with Summer Parks and Recreation. We signed him up, alongside a number of his friends, for T-ball /Soccer Combo.  I wish I could say that he loved every minute of it and learned an amazing number of skills, but I can't.  However I am glad that we gave it a try and he does throw and kick a ball much better now! 

Always the eager beaver.

My t-ball player.

Seth (kneeling) in front of his best friend and then his favorite Coach Ken.

Nailed it to...the pitcher. 

one last trip

Life is never dull in the J mom house.  We were once again uprooted the first week of August to drive to see family, this time in Nebraska.  The drive went rather well considering there was a baby in the car and a four year old.  However we left our doorstep at 6 am and did not arrive to our NE destination until 6:30 pm that evening.  That is a LONG day of traveling, even considering the stops and breaks along the way!

Our time was spent mostly hiding from the outrageous NE heat.  (Not that us Minnesotans don't know what that feels like lately.)  Little E and I enjoyed the air conditioning at home while Seth and Jason ventured out the most.  Our favorite spot to venture out to was of course the pool!  Everyone got some sun regardless of the layers of sunscreen but it did feel invigorating to get wet and play in the water.

Seth and Nanny going down the water slide at the pool.

The Great Grands and Grands!

Little E amazed at his first sight of the farm. 

Our little Jumping Bean thought this was great!

 On our way home we stopped to see our friends the Smiths.  It was so fun to see them prepare for the little girl they are expecting this winter.  Pink and ruffles, now there are things you do not find in the J mom home.  I have to say it was fun! 

Our upcoming adventures include camping and of course, back to preschool.  Stay tuned...

boys only camping

The campsite...

The first annual boys camping weekend has commenced. My boys were gone for three days! It was pretty quiet in my home without them. I enjoyed my clean house but the guys I love were gone! It was not the same. They survived the severe weather but did have about three inches of rain to combat. Fortunately the tent held up with no trouble! I am sure that there will be many years to come. One day Eli will get to join them too. Fun for us all!

The boys ate the fish they caught for lunch on Saturday. Seth was pretty excited about that. When I got a phone call from the wilderness it went something like this:

Seth: "I caught a big fish. Well, dad reeled it in. Oh, he cast it too. But...it was my rod!"

Boys get to swim in their clothes when Dad's are in charge.

Jason's favorite moment...watching our son sit by the fire in the morning.

it's more than a zoo for animals

I swear that turtle shrunk! Okay, so maybe my son is just that much bigger...

This morning I told Seth we would go see the Polar Bears at the Como Zoo. They have a newly remodeled exhibit that we have been waiting to see. We tried to push our way through the throng but really could not see a thing. It was an overwhelming disaster. I hate crowds and my son likes them even less than I do. It's called a zoo not just because the animals live there, but due to the crowds too. We hung onto each other as if our lives depended on it!

Seth declined to be in the photo so that is his hand that Eli is staring at suspiciously.

After a short walk around and learning the tiger was gone, Seth proclaimed it too hot and time to go home. I couldn't complain so we left after what seemed a long hour and a half. At least we could enjoy the butterflies...they only let so many people in at once. Maybe next time we will actually get to see the polar bears...if we are lucky...or bring dad to help us through the crowds...

My "pirate" identifying butterflies. (We actually got a few gang related comments concerning the dude rag. I may not be allowing it in public again for fear of being shot at.)

I am not a huge fan of caged animals but I LOVE to sit among the butterflies. They are such a reflection of creation's beauty!

the famous fertile fair

J and I had our photo taken by this exact sign when we visited the Fair together before we had kids. This photo...not so easy to take and not so happy for the tired, hot kids either...

Yes friends we traveled to the Fertile County Fair and shared the weekend with friends and family too. The weather was horribly hot but the long awaited fair food and time with good friends made it all worth it.

My boys got the four-wheeler stuck in the ditch. Too cute waiting for a tow!

Oh and why you are out in the middle of nowhere why not get some shooting practice?! This gun was awesome and I actually hit the target 100 plus feet out there! (No photos of me shooting the Bereta but that was really fun too!)

Seth was old enough to go on the Fair rides this year. He pulled this off all by himself and love it.

Hold on tight! A little nervous of the first ride on the carousel.

Family adventures have been going on the whole month of June and now into July too. It's time for a much needed break from traveling for this mother of two. Hopefully we can relax for a few weeks now...

more family vacation action

Our second vacation of the month took us to a cabin in Iowa on Silver Lake. It turned out to be a family adventure of "firsts" for Seth. There was fishing, jet-skiing, tubing behind the boat, a four-wheeler and much more!

Seth loved the jet-ski. Yes, he went with mom or dad.

My child turned into a water baby! Here he is with Dad on the tube. They went slow enough but did go under water once. However the fall didn't slow Seth down any, much to my surprise!

The four wheeler was another fun thing to drive. He had to talk dad into taking him on that though...

It wouldn't be a vacation without a s'more by the fire. The downside was this one happened around 10 pm - way too late for our little guy!

Little E was a great traveler once again. He has mastered the art of going with the flow. That ought to be very helpful since our summer is mostly about keeping up with his big brother!

Little E and his Papa.

Little E and Great Grandma Una. Eli's middle name, Richard, was her husband's name. Boy do we miss Grandpa!

Getting the worms ready for fishing! These worms came from our backyard in MN and made the trip thanks to Seth and Jason.

Catching a fish with Papa - still a little unsure of those fish.

Catching fish? No problem - we've got a pro!

The little guy learned from the bigger one. Here's Jason with his 28 in Northern!

Three generations of fishermen waiting for the catch of the day!

vacations are in season

June has been a month of travel for the J mom family. It all started with a trip to my home town to visit my parents and sister...

Seth loved running around the back yard. Funny, I remember when I was taller than that tree...

Eli loved trying out Grandma's high chair, or my old high chair for that matter. Now we just need to start some solid foods.

After a few days together we all went to my Aunt and Uncle's Lake cabin. Well, if you could call it that. They live there year round now that they have retired and it is a beautiful home...

Check out that sunset!

Seth and J mom driving the pontoon. This would be how I got my worst sunburn in years. Good thing the kid was covered in a third layer of sunscreen and better protected!

My favorite spot to relax - Eli loved it too!

The storms that cost three people their lives came just around us at the lake. The weather was scary but we were safe - praise the Lord.

The cutest boys ever!

Practicing a little casting for the BIG fishing trip.

We also went into Battle Lake and memory lane for J mom. We made a quick stop at Granny's Pantry. It's this old fashioned ice cream and candy store. I have fond memories of it as a child. Bringing Seth there to pick out candy was a bit nostalgic.

How can you not love that outfit!?! I heart you too Eli!

Traveling with kids is always an adventure, especially in summer road construction season. Seth and Eli were real troopers. In hopes of getting out some wiggles we spent some play time at a rest stop. It always feels good to get out and walk around a bit!

Seth and Grandma playing at the rest stop play structure.

Eli has to look around and get some relief from the car seat before nursing. It requires stops to be a bit longer...

Then it was back home for a few short days before we got back in the car for another adventure. More vacation photos to come...

we love the toys

I have grown up loving the Toy Story movies. Honestly, they are my favorites! I love the toys, I love the humor, I love the plots. Did I say I love Toy Story?! I do! It was an automatic for me to want to see this one in the theater. I am almost embarrassed to say that is has been over a year, maybe two since I have been in a theater. We just don't waste money on something we are unsure about. Also, watching at home means cheaper and much taster snacks and bathroom breaks without missing the movie.

This time around however, I wanted Seth to enjoy the movie theater experience. On Saturday I headed to a matinee with Jason, Seth and my dad in tow. (A little Father's Day celebration.) It was wonderful! Seth was totally awestruck by how big the screen was. His eyes were HUGE the whole time. Other than a quick potty break he sat great through the whole thing, taking a few turns on laps too.

We all loved Toy Story 3 and I highly recommend it even for your four year old. I wasn't sure they could pull it off but they did. It is very well done and makes the trilogy, or whatever they will call it, a huge success. I even shed some tears at the end. Sitting there next to my dad who enjoyed the first movie with me in the theater back in 1995 and now holding my four year old son on my lap to watch the third movie in 2010. Wow, has a lot of life happened in those 15 years!

The toys are certainly back in town!

our official time

Since this post it's official, we're doing it our family completed the Book It@ 5K Walk/Run. Just today I received an email with our official times and scores. If you take a look here you will see our names. I have to admit, times and scores are important, but more important to me...we did it! Seth, Eli and myself had been taking long walks whenever possible. We walk to the store to pick up a short list of groceries, we walk to school, we walk to the park, walk, walk everywhere! I had hoped to do more jogging outside of that but walking forty-five minutes to an hour a day together turned out to be just the ticket.

As a family we all did great for our very first ever walk/run. Eli rode in the jogging stroller and just watched the trees and people pass by with a smile. Seth and Jason got us all jogging for awhile which felt so good! I thought Seth night need to hop on the stroller too but he made it the whole way on his own two feet, minus one carry over the Hamline Ave. bridge. I was so impressed! We have a runner friends...

For you race junkies here is the official info:
J mom and Seth's official time was 46:45.00, a pace of 15:03 per mile. We finished 99th out of 224 women and 28th out of the 41 Women 30 - 39.

Jason and Eli's official time was 40:55.80, a pace of 13:10 per mile. They finished 54th out of 112 men and 14th out of the 24 Men 30 - 39. (They raced us up the hill and we never caught up!)

We are looking forward to our next running adventure!

it's official, we're going to do it

Yes, friends I have signed up thereby making it official. We, as a family, are participating in the Book It! 5K Walk/Run through the Roseville Library. I had hoped to be practicing for this event for months now but am sorry to say, that has not happened. There will be minimal jogging and mostly walking - that I have practiced. In fact, the boys and I have been walking the neighborhood every day and enjoying it too. Eli will love the stroll and I imagine Seth will beat me to the end of the race with no trouble. You should join us!

signs of spring

These are some signs of spring in the J mom family...

Little E outside with his sun hat and a onesie on.

Our first family picnic in the backyard - steaks, potatoes, garlic bread, corn, and strawberries - yum!

Time at the park. Little E napping under a tree.

My Seth up in a tree!

We know the weather is just a teaser but it sure has been nice to enjoy the outdoors in sun and seventies for a few days at least.