Family Fun Night @ MarketFest

We had a nice Family Fun Night at MarketFest in White Bear Lake.



The kids couldn’t wait to get there and start spending their money on treats and rides. Tara sprung for some crazy yummy ice-cream sandwiches (they used hot cookies and some great ice cream)… amazing.





Emma wanted to do the bungee ride, which initially scared Jake. I was pretty impressed that Emma would try something like that at 4. Jake got over his fear pretty quickly, but had already missed a place in line.





While Emma was waiting in line (long, long time), Jake got to play some kind of ducky game, shoot water balloons, and run an obstacle course.





It was a ton of fun!

Sawyer Wedding

Jason and Erin got married this weekend at the American Legion in Somerset.

The wedding was beautiful. They asked me to take some picutures and got a bunch of practice with the camera.

The kids had a fun time playing.




The vows were Doctor Suess based. Here's a sample
Pastor: Will you love her when you're fit,
And also when you're feeling sick?

Jason: Yes, I'll love her when we're fit,
And when we're hurt, and when we're sick,
And I will love her when we're rich
And I will love her in a ditch
And I will love through good and bad,
And I will love when glad or sad,
And I will have, and I will hold
Ten years from now a thousandfold,
Yes, I will love for my whole life
This lovely woman as my wife!


The party went on into the night and the kids got to dance. I tried to talk Missy into a epic karioke version of 'Total Eclipse of the Heart', but to no avail.

Tara is 33!!

We had a really fun day Monday, despite some disconcerting news from home about mom.

We took the day off and relaxed. In the morning I took the kids to Karen’s and let Tara sleep (she’s running at 4:45 am these days, so it doesn’t count as “sleeping in” per se). Afterward, we went to Best Buy to scope out Tara’s gift: a new camera lens with a higher aperture (for portrait shots).



Then it was off to brunch at one of our favorite restaurants: Victor’s 1959 Café, which is the only place in Minnesota to get good Cuban food. We sat at the table below which has a lovely portrait of the Terrorist Che Guevara.



Then we saw The Hangover at the Rosedale AMC. Very funny movie, if not way inappropriate.



Afterward, we played with the kids at Teddy Bear Park.







Then met up with Grandma, Papa, Shelly, Adam, Emily and Kelly at Acapulco’s in Stillwater. Karen took the kids overnight, freeing us up for a little date at another of our favorite spots: Ingredients.

Abby's First Steps

Abby took her first steps on Friday… and finally it was for daddy. Jake and Emma both took their first steps at grandma’s house.

It’s funny when you can see those little wheels turning in their heads and this was clearly one of those situations. She was upstairs behind the gate with me when Emma came to the top of the stairs. She was standing and wanted to be closer to her big sister. You could see her contemplate the dangers of taking a step versus sitting down and crawling. Too cute.



Later, she took several steps for Tara. Even a couple multiples. This is clearly a baby on the go and she has no intention of being left behind in the fun.

Mom's Health

Got some bad news this weekend. Mom had some bad chest pains very early Saturday morning and called the squad.

She spent the next few days in Riverside undergoing tests. Virginia and Julie were great about keeping me in the loop, and I spoke to mom several times.

The net result appears to be that she has a pretty clean bill of health. It wasn't a heart attack (not really sure what to call it). They did a heart catheterization and confirmed that that two areas of blockage that they knew about from before were basically the same.

We're looking forward to seeing her in August for Odepalooza with Uncle Jim and Aunt Julie.

Abby's Feats of Daring

Monday or Tuesday of this week Abby started to stand-up unaided. I'm sure she'll be walking soon.

Emma & Abby in Trouble

The kids have a way of keeping us on our toes. We slipped up a little this week with funny results.I suppose that the pictures speak for themselves. Emma’s issue was Sunday right before church… thank heaven for washable markers! Jake colored his hands and Emma did her face. They told us that they wanted to look like Jedi. I don’t remember Obi Wan having war paint, but oh well.

Abby was this morning. The downstairs is fairly well baby proofed, so we let her run around while she has her morning bottle sometimes. This is the result of not putting the tissues up. She was so proud of herself! There’s a real passion in her for taking things out of things these days.

Sunday's Picnic

We had a nice little picnic after church this week, which worked well with Jake’s lesson at church: celebration (which was apparently taught via a heavy dose of the Kool and the Gang song – as he came out teaching it to Emma). So the theme of the picnic quickly turned to Celebrating Christ.





Tara found some little Lunchables (a favorite) that were make-your-own pizzas. Big hit.

After lunch, I took Jake and Emma on a little hike while Tara and Abby hung out. Jacob was worried about poison ivy and skunks. I had them concerned about elephants for a little while as well before I let them off the hook.




We had a stick race in a little creek that came to an abrupt end when Emma’s stick (which had just started to take the lead) was pulled out by a fisherman. Jake was elated to win, and Emma took it in stride (which is so like both of them).

As an aside, I’m on a work trip to Tampa today (mid-flight). It was a year ago that our close friend Greg Jones passed (leaving a young daughter and a pregnant wife behind). Greg and his family are on our minds and hearts today. I’m thinking a lot about how fleeting life is and how thankful I am for all that God has given us.

Family Fun Night

What's family fun night? It's one night a week that we take just to do something fun as a family. It's a great way for us to always focus on slowing down and taking time to enjoy being a family. This has been something that Daddy has been suggesting for years and we finally instituted it with great success this past spring.

Tonight's Family Fun Night theme was family movie night. It started with Jake & Emma drawing movie posters. Everyone got to make a treat movie mix. This consisted of a variety of candy choices (Rolos, M&Ms, Fruit Chews, Starburst, Pringles & Cherries) that they got to pick and put in a little baggie to enjoy during the move. The feature movie was Bugs Bunny. Everyone enjoyed it! We finished the evening with make your sundaes that included daddy's favorite magic shell. Abby was mostly oblivious, but enjoyed a lot of high fives and crawling all over and exploring.





Last Week Family Fun Night: We enjoyed a great evening at Market Fest. The kids got to play in 2 bounce houses: a giant slide and pirate ship obstacle course. We got some fresh squeezed lemonade and a few treats. It was a great summer evening in MN and we made it back to the car just in time for the rain to start. It's really great living in White Bear Lake. Market Fest is just one of the things that makes White Bear Lake a great little community. Of course the lake is awesome, I have been luck enough to go running by the lake almost every week day at 5am.

Firsts for Abby and Other Fun Stuff

Abby cut her 3rd tooth this week. It was her first top tooth. We are learning that we can't take our eye off her for a minute...we did this 2 times this week and it resulted in her getting all the way upstairs. She's a girl on the move.





Jake had Lego club and book club and went to Jack Skare's Birthday. He's been really shy at first at them as of late, but quickly warms up. Emma went to story time at the movies.



Invites went out for the infamous Odepalooza...the do not miss party of the year! Jake & Emma also received new books in the mail from Mom-mom which they LOVED! Emma's new book was 'Lllama Llamma Mad at Mama' and Jake's was a 'Choose Your Own Destiny: The Way of the Jedi'.

 

After the Holiday

After a long weekend it was back to work and daycare as normal! Abby had an exciting 1st this week: she figured out how to crawl up the stairs! She is so cute and determined! I have a feeling she is going to give us a run for our money! Abby also spent time doing one of her current favorite pastimes - emptying anything!! She loves empty bags, boxes, drawers and cupboards.



Emma spent as much time as possible on Monday night swinging in the back yard. She learned to "pump" her legs, so now she can swing for hours on end. She also spent some time as the Odebrecht Photographer and Videographer. She took some great video of Abby climbing the stairs.



Jake was a little under the weather getting his 6 year molers this week. Yuck! Jake loves to learn. He is such a sponge. Today he learned about the Greek and Trojan war. He can re-tell those stories so well! It's amazing to me.

More 4th of July

We had such a great weekend at the Trabin. It was great time with Grandma, Papa and Shelly. We have really learned to relax and enjoy our time at Stugeon lake.

The weekend was truly filled with all of the fabulous things that 4th of July should be:

• A Parade: The perfect way to start the weekend. We loaded the family into the car at 8:30 am on the 4th and drove directly to Moose Lake for the parade. It was a great small town MN parade. Lots of candy which makes the kids happy.


• A Kiddo Bike Parade: We decorated the kids' bikes and the had a parade with the other camp kids around the campground.


• Time sitting by the lake enjoying the kids and the sun. Abby got her first lake experience. She loved playing in the water and feeling the wet sand in her hands. Of course, her big brother added some mud on top of her head for good measure! The kids love just playing in the lake.

• Great Food (Buttermilk soaked fried chicken & lemon raspberry pancakes)! So yummy! Cooking the chicken was fun (albeit long). Probably came really close to starting a grease fire. Larry's not good at frying yet, and there was a good ¼ inch of grease on the stove in the morning.
  


• Fireworks...a must for the 4th of July. We have the perfect spot in the campground since we are the trailer right before the big field where they set them off. The fireworks lasted for an amazing 60+ minutes. For a little camp ground, they sure have a great show.


• Games: The kids really enjoyed all of the great kids games that were organized by a fellow camper. She did it last year and does a great job with the kids.
  

We ended the weekend with a pontoon ride and a little fishing on Sunday afternoon before the drive home. No fish biting, but that's okay it was still fun for all. Jake and Emma both got to drive the boat. They love that. Captain Grandpa is in charge, but even the captain needs help driving every once in a while. Although Abby didn't like the life jacket, she managed to fall asleep 1 minute into the ride.

The weekend ended nicely too...grandma drove the kids home and mommy and daddy got to sneak in a mini-date at ingredients. I am told that Emma let go of the table while she was standing next too...looks like she it preparing to walk...mommy and daddy aren't quite ready for that. Abby & Emma eating a freezy!



More highlights:

1. Took Jake to the bar (you kind of have to see this place to understand why it’s okay… but trust me, it’s more family friendly than a normal bar) in his Superman pajamas. A couple bought him and Emma some ice cream, so they were thrilled.
2. Sitting on the beach yesterday and catching up with grownup time while the kids played.
3. Watching Abby fall asleep on the pontoon.
4. Getting kicked out by Karen for doing too much cleaning.

Lowlight: Tara left her laptop. We figured it out after we’d been on the road for an hour. Fortunately, grandma and papa were nice enough to go back for it.

What an awesome weekend! Happy Birthday America!!