Mid-June Jumble

The kids got to hang out with Nana, Jaxxon, and Jameson on Juneteenth.  They went to a great spot in Otsego, Orono Park.  They have a beach, splash pad, and playground in pretty close proximity to each other.

The following Friday I took the kids to Applebee's to redeem a free kid's meal Esme won.  Between that and happy hour I fed us all for $22!

I finally got around to making a cardboard cutout of our kids ministry director from church that I had been joking about making.  Esme painted a unicorn piggy bank one night.

I finally got my second tattoo that I have been considering for a couple years.  I went back and forth on what I wanted the final design to be, but went with this.  It's the same leaping cow that is on my custom fabric tags I put on things I sew.  Cows are my favorite and my mom's mom (Grandma Jensen) was a dairy farmer.  Grandpa Bette loves birds and bluebirds are her favorite, so this is a tribute to them and the legacy they have left.

My work had a fun social outing at Upstairs Circus.  You get to choose a craft project and they provide all the supplies.

I chose a jewelry holder and had a great time building relationships with co-workers.

Father's Day Weekend 2024

We started the weekend with #dinnerwithRick. Tuna noodle casserole was on the menu.  Another dish he'd never had. What  kind of Minnesotan are you?

On Saturday we took a trip to Mall of America.  I had an order to pick up and the kids rode a few rides.

Jimmy and Parker on the ferris wheel.

Esme was disappointed her camel didn't go up and down.  I didn't think of that when helping her choose.

On Sunday we stopped by my parents before church to take our annual tree pictures with Grandpa.  This is the 13th picture for Parker and it's getting harder to see changes in the tree year to year.

2024

2023

2012

Picture #9 for Esme.  This year's rainy start is really helping her tree look good!

2024

2023

2016

We finished the weekend with a dip in the pool and a nap on the deck for Jimmy.

Happy Father's Day!

Buffalo-Niagara Falls-Pittsburgh: Part 3

On our final full day of vacation we departed the hotel on the mission for donuts!  Near the donut shop we found a free charging station and tried it out with our hybrid Pacifica.  It was a pretty simple set-up.

Peace, Love, and Little Donuts offers customizable, made to order mini donuts.

Parker chose the chocolate frosted and Esme grabbed Oreo.

We also happened upon a car show and saw some pretty sweet rides.

They even had a DeLorean!

Our next point of interest was Duquense Incline. The cable car, funicular open in 1877 and takes guests and commuters up 400 feet.

The view from the top takes your breath away and the perfect cartoon like clouds capped it perfectly.

We drove about 30 minutes southwest to Washington, PA, home to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum.

We checked out the some displays before getting on the trolley for a ride.

Parker loved showing Daniel Tiger the sights.

They had an adorable trolley playground that was everything for Parker.  So many things to spin!

There was a large building across the tracks with lots of trollies.  They were also having a model train show.  Parker did great just watching and not touching.

Washington is also home to Jimmy's favorite, Krispy Kreme!

After that quick donut break we made our way to Parker, PA.  That's right, a town called Parker!

Holy Sundae is an adorable restaurant and ice cream shop housed in an old Catholic church.

Twist cone for me and hot fudge sundae for Esme.

Even Parker found a treat he liked, a sort of dole whip fruity thing.

Before leaving town, we stopped at a local park. You can find that post here.  We ended up have to take a bit of a backroad detour because of a car accident, but we made it though.

We grabbed another Little Caesar's on the road for the kids and Mexican for us before checking in to our Buffalo hotel about 9:00.  Esme was wiped from our adventurous day and slept hard!

One more swim then off to the airport for home.

Our first solo family vacation went great considering we had 650 miles on the road.  A few minor annoyances, but that's every day already.  Can't wait for our next one!