Lake Fun 4 Us

The kids are having a ball at their grandparents for a few days so Ron and I went to our friend's family "cabin" in Wisconsin for the weekend. We met some of their extended family and had a great time.I'm definately starting to see the allure of "going to the cabin" They were gracious hosts and we were able to be on the lake Saturday; we were able to jet ski, watch Mike wakeboard and do a flip!!!!. I even received a boat driving lesson. It rained Saturday night nixing the bonfire we had planned.That did not dampen the fun however. We hung out inside talking until 1 am! I can't wait until we can bring the kids back next summer.

H2Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

We had a week filled with all things water.Summer made a comeback for August(so far) and I am THANKFUL.We took our jet ski on it's maiden voyage to a nearby lake. Went pretty smooth and were happy that it was a Monday so it wasn't that busy. I was also excited that we were finally able to meet up with my friend Sarah and her three boys. They came over to our neighborhood pool and were able to bring any pool toy imaginable...which at the YMCA pool is a big no no.Along with taking pics of your kids...glad I'm not a member;sounds annoying. All the kids played wonderful and we ran into some neighbor friends too. I'm loving this age where everyone gets along.they had a jump in contest and we were there for 3 hours. We also stopped by our dear friends and neighbors house for a happy hour that turned into an impromptu dinner. We have not seen these guys in a month so there was a lot of catching up to do. The kids did the slip and slide and played in the yard. On Thursday,we also met some friends at our outdoor pool at our gym which for some dumb reason I've never used. Well, it ROCKS! It's huge so it never feels crowded and they have a snack bar. the kids loved it and I will definately be back before summer's end.We managed to get a few boring things done too like going to Land's End and ordering uniform pants and shoes. Still working on organizing and cleaning the house but I'd rather be at the pool or the lake.Today I'm driving the kids to Morton MN(where Jackpot Junction is located-duh!!)to meet my mother in law. We're meeting halfway and the kids will get to spend some time with their grandparents and cousins. They are super excited.

Just Beachy

We also spent a week in Destin Florida with my extended family(my dad's sister and her family)from Louisviile Kentucky. Ron also flew in and met us for a week of relaxing on the beach.Every day involved boogie boarding,floating in the waves, and hanging out. Evenings involved dinners at our condos. Each family took a night to cook for everyone.One night,some of us went to Pat O'Briens(which is a branch of one of my favorite places to go in New Orleans)and had Hurricanes. It was great to see all my cousins and spend time with everyone.It's been two years! I have hundreds of photos.... here are just a few

Louisiana:Family, Friends, and Fun

To say we had a great time visiting friends and family in my home state of Louisiana would be an understatement. Beautiful sunshine, swimming almost every day, shopping with my mom and girlfriends,it was a whirlwind.We went to a waterpark,had friends over every evening for cocktails on the patio, and the kids played baseball and soccer in my parent's backyard. The kids also spent time with their cousin Bailey and even though they haven't seen each other in a year,they picked up right where they left off. They have such a close bond even though they don't see each other too often.
Of course it's good to back home and have some routine back in our lives.I'm sure my parents will enjoy some peace and quiet too.

Just a Few

photos from our trip to Louisiana and Florida. These are all from my Dad's camera so I'll have lots more to post once I download my gazillion photos. we took some great beach pics. It goes without saying that we have had a blast. We've done lot's of swimming. The kids are bronzed cuties. We've enjoyed many get togethers with family and friends. I've had many dinners out with my girlfriends and shopping at all my favorite boutiques. One night we even stayed out until 2:30 just talking!!We went to Lafayette Louisiana to visit family and and had a swim party/cookout. We also spent a week in Destin Florida with our family from Kentucky. Ron flew in for the week at the beach and we were happy to see him after ten days apart. We have two days left and they are filled to the brim. Even Cooper having strep throat didn't slow us down too much. Scheduled a massage through my friend Selitha's masseuse and then one last day of shopping and then swimming tomorrow. Thursday it's back to Minnesota where we are happy to see all our friends. Three weeks being gone makes me feel a little out of the loop. Good thing we still have one more month of summer so I can catch up. Plus, I'm ready to sleep in my own bed and get back to our routine because the last few weeks have been anything but!!

Lazy Blogger

I have been lazy about blogging. Too much other fun stuff to do while summer is here. I'll give a bullet list because my brain is on vacation already

-the kids spent all last week at YMCA camp
-they came home with that "camp" stench every day(sunscreen,Off, sweat and dirt) and clothes filthy
-saw a movie
-no scrapbooking for me though-bummer!!
-ran errands child free
-squeezed in a couple of runs with friends-seriously slacking!!
-wished I could have seen more of my girlfriends ;everyone is sooo busy this summer-feel like I see y'all more during the school year.
-laundry laundry laundry
-watched the Today Show uninterrupted(too bad there was so much Micheal Jackson coverage)and even some Regis and Kelly
-spent the day in Hudson, Stillwater, and White Bear Lake with my friend Kathy- shopped and had lunch
- spent a great weekend hanging out in the backyard playing badminton
-drinking wine with friends on our patio for an impromptu Friday night happy hour
-going to another friend's house to watch the 3M golf tournament, but socialzed the entire time;didn't see ANY golf
-bought a jet ski and had the in-laws haul it up here(a big thank you!!)
-looking for a truck or a jeep to haul jet ski
-wondering if we will be able to take it out this summer at all
-Ron attended a wedding where the majority of the people were from England and had a great time-Cheerio!
-sad I missed the wedding beacuse all my babysitters have busy social lives-bloody hell!
- the fam went to a Twins game while I went for a run from hell with my pal who's running a half marathon this weekend. It was her "easy run" day it was my "kick your ass" run day!
-Ron had today off so we went and had lunch at McCormick and Scmick's and did a little shopping and saw a movie while the kids were at their school summer day care
-now I'm packing everything but the kitchen sink in preparation for our 3 week Louisiana/Florida trip-yep I'm driving this year.1000 miles......insane or adventurous????

End of June/4th of July

It's been a fun filled five days. Cooper wrapped up his 2 1/2 weeks of Summer Academy.Kids from a bunch of different school districts are selected from their schools to attend. It's an enrichment program for "high potential students"ha-whatever that means. All I know is that he had a blast. A sampling...writing haikus, understanding hieroglyphics, story circles and poetry-his course was a language arts session. Hopefully he's still a "high potential student" next year so he'll be invited back next summer. They have even more cool course offerings as he gets older. It was a pain to get up so early in the summer, but luckily we carpooled with a group of people.We also headed to South Dakota for the 4th of July. Ron had his 20 year high school reunion plus it was an all school reunion so his hometown was flooded with people. Two street dances, a golf tournament, a parade, a picnic, a 4th of July festival, Papa's birthday, and a fireworks show at the casino. Plus, visiting with friends and family. The kids also swam alot and blasted through a ton of fireworks. Cooper seems to be a pyromaniac just like his dad and uncle.Today, the kids are off to YMCA day camp for the week while I'm home cleaning and doing laundry and getting ready for our trip to Louisiana and Florida(11 days away!!)

Off to camp.....