New Rollerblades for the Kids!

The kids had both been skating around in my rollerblades, but it was hard taking turns and also keeping balance in skates that were much too big for them.  Todd and I picked up some old, adjustable size rollerblades at Play-It-Again Sports the night before, as well as some new elbow and knee pads and wrist guards for Owen.  After skating around in my rollerblades, it was a little difficult adjusting to skates that fit properly.

Owen's rollerblades are Spiderman and have four wheels to go fast.  Like adult blades, there is a brake on only one foot.

Chloe's are slower, with only three wheels and brakes on both heels.

Owen was excited to get out on his blades, but was frustrated with how fast they moved...his wheels are much newer and not used nearly as much as mine.

Chloe did little baby-shuffles back and forth on her skates.  She followed Owen's previous lead of using shoes to protect her hands.  The shoes she grabbed are Owen's absolute favorites.  He painted them with puffy paint last summer when he was up here in Minnesota with his Grandma Sharon.

The girl child needed a break to pout.

Owen fell down a few times, but like when he was learning to ride his bike without training wheels, he got back up and kept on going!

Chloe was less inclined to get back up and keep on skating after she fell.  I think she was in need of a nap....and it was barely even 10:30am!

I had fun watching Owen rollerblade.  My boy is determined and persistent once he makes up his mind to learn something new.  I love that about him!

Day Four in Minnesota

Another early morning where it was just Chloe and me having breakfast together.  She took advantage of the fact that her brother was still sleeping and snagged his Cookie Crisp cereal.

The kids played out in the driveway for a little while and Owen had fun skating in my rollerblades again.

Then we went to the House of Bounce so the kids could burn off some energy.

This was a fun one that you strap yourself into a vest tethered to the back and then run as fast as you can before it snaps you back.

You hold onto a little velcro pack to put on the median to compare to the person on the other side to see who made it farther.  Chloe had problems with her vest and didn't have a velcro pack to hold onto, both of which caused a few tears of frustration.

Love the girl child's flying hair!

Chloe tried climbing on Jacob's Ladder, but it kept turning over and she would fall.  That was a hard one to balance on...I didn't see any other kids make it across the whole ladder without falling.

We met Grandma Vicki and long-time family friends Jim and Nancy Barber out for lunch at Applebee's.  It was very nice seeing them and catching up.

After naptime, we drove into downtown Rochester for another retirement celebration for Grandma Vicki. 

Grandma Vicki is really good friends with Joelle and is planning on giving Joelle her old Ford Focus once she buys her new Mazda M3.  She is very excited about both of these car plans.

It was a little chilly sitting outside and the kids were glad to have their sweatshirts to wear.  Chloe was also pleased with herself for snagging the tassly toothpick from Owen's cheeseburger.

Grandma Vicki's Retirement

Monday afternoon we drove over to the Mayo Clinic to join Grandma Vicki for her retirement party after putting in 23 years.   For the last ten or so years, she worked in the furniture department and helped people set up their cubes/offices with ergonomic solutions through specialized chairs, chair settings, wrist rests, computer placement and many other nuances.  I know she found it very fulfilling knowing she was helping others to work more comfortably and without pain.

Her boss Rick stood at the front of the conference room and talked about how much Grandma Vicki made a difference in the department and how much they would all miss her.

Then Grandma Vicki spoke about how she started working at Mayo and the different positions she held.

Her coworkers gave her cards and flowers.

And the largest German Chocolate cake I have ever seen.  It was delicious!  The kids helped hand out plates of cake to everyone in the room before they sat down to eat theirs.  It was really nice seeing them behave so helpfully and grown up.

Before it was time to go, Chloe chilled in Grandma Vicki's lap while the adults reminisced about past work experiences and how they all survived.

Monday Morning with Friends

We had a perfect start to the week when we went over to my friend Heather's this Monday morning.  Grandma Vicki was supposed to be done with work, but still had things on her desk to clear off...so she was at the office.  Todd had more work calls/emails coming in, so he planned on driving over to the local coffee/internet cafe to get some work done.

Heather and I were originally friends on Twitter and then blog followers and Facebook friends.  We met for the first time last summer Up North in Walker, Minnesota.  We hung out briefly at a little ice cream shop while my kids scarfed down ice cream and then begged to leave so we could continue shopping.  This year, she invited us over to her home for our Second Annual Meeting.  My kids had fun playing with her three.

They had fun taking turns playing on the World's Best Tire Swing.  Owen played with the K-Man most of the time we were there, even though he was five.

Chloe had fun playing with Miss M, who is eight years old.

The kids also had fun searching for little frogs and toads like this one.  They were all over!

Can you see the excitement in this boy's face as he is running to show me?

See Mom?

Chloe also caught frogs, but I think she might have pinched a few of them to death in her excitement to find them.

Then the kids started putting all the frogs in "The Habitat" and enjoyed watching them hop around in there.

Chloe led Baby D (two years old and a complete cutie patootie with her little pig tails!) on a Bear Hunt next to the woods.

Heather's middle child liked carrying her camera around and got some group shots of the rest of us.  But my favorite was this one, where he was standing at me feet shooting up at me.

The kids had fun eating macaroni and cheese for lunch, riding bikes, playing ball, catching frogs, running and swinging while I enjoyed hanging out and talking with Heather.  I don't get to hang out with many other moms and just talk, so this was a nice change of pace.  None of us were ready to leave when it was time to go!

Sophia's Baptism

Sunday morning we drove up to Wayzata, Minnesota to go to the baptism of Todd's cousin Anna's baby Sophia.  It was a long drive close to two hours long, but the kids were good in the car and calm when we finally got out at the church.

Anna and Daniel proudly held Sophia during the ceremony.

After Sophia was baptized, the pastor walked her around the church as part of the ceremony in including 'the village' in watching over this baby and in linking her to a life with Christ.

And then she was handed back to her parents.  Sophia was a good baby and in a good mood throughout the ceremony.  She never cried.

Afterwards, Chloe hung out with Anna to stay close to baby Sophia because Chloe absolutely loves babies.

We took family pictures of Todd's Aunt Stephanie, cousin Martin and his girlfriend Nicole.

After cake, Uncle Jeff opened up the door to the courtyard and our kids were out in a flash!  Chloe had been asking and asking to go out there to explore.

Afterwards we drove over to Uncle Jeff and Aunt Lenore's house for a big family picnic.  It was also a birthday celebration for Lenore.  

There was tons of delicious food and the kids gorged on fruit.  Owen had a blast playing soccer out in the backyard with Daniel (who is in the states from England on a soccer scholarship).

Daniel didn't even change out of his church clothes to play soccer with Owen!

Owen had to climb into the neighbors' bushes to get a few balls.

When Owen wasn't eating, he was playing soccer and petitioning others to play with him.

Chloe moved around from one group to the next at the party.  She was comfortable eating with the grownups and answering their questions.  She talked to all the teenagers and college kids.  She played with other kids close to her age.

And she chilled with baby Sophia.  How sweet does my Bean look all snuggled up under her favorite blanket?

I love sleeping babies!

And happy babies!

There were a few sprinkles earlier in the day, but the sun peeped out around clouds throughout the picnic.  It was such a gorgeous day!

Todd and I really enjoyed getting to hang out with his cousin Martin.  Plans were made for Todd to fly back later in the year for a weekend with Martin and their Uncle Jeff to attend multiple hockey and football games together.

This was a long day out, but oh-so-much fun!  We had a wonderful time getting to hang out with Todd's aunts and uncle and many cousins.  It was a day for picking up where we left off a year ago in face-to-face conversations, the giving of hugs and stealing of kisses and celebrating the life of a new baby, just beginning.   I can't imagine a better day with family than this :)