Family trip to the Children's Museum

We got out to the Children's Museum again last weekend.  We went early and beat most of the crowds.  This was the first time we checked out the Scramble, a new 4 story vertical adventure.  We made it all the way to the top, but Parker was not a big fan of being up there.  He most enjoyed the big spiral slide.

Both kids love playing in the water.  Esme got drenched!  I usually have a change of clothes, but will have to make sure I bring one now that it's getting colder.  Luckily she mostly dried off by the time we left.

The outdoor spaces have been closed the last few times, but we were able to get out on the roof.  It was crazy hot on Saturday, so we didn't stay there long.

They have these really fun seats you can spin around in.  Parker loved them!  I thought I got a video, but can't seem to find it anywhere.

We ended with the car wash.  Parker could probably play there all day.

I am trying to get the most of our membership, but it's tough when you work all week.

Celebrations, Goodbyes, and Hellos

I don't think I have mentioned my new friend Rachel.  We met in late June at a Norwex party.  We instantly hit it of and knew we were going to be best friends.  We texted like 13 year olds for a couple months and even have the husbands in on the fun now.  We went to Benihana for my last birthday freebie last week.  You'll probably see more of her as time goes on.

 Adding to all the changes we've had in the last two months, we switched daycare providers this week too.  We have been with Miss Christine since Parker was 6 months old.  We have known she would be retiring for over a year, but were waiting to find a house to look for a new provider.  We probably would have changed even if she wasn't retiring since she was so close to our old house, but a little inconvenient for the new one.  It was hard to think of an appropriate way to thank someone who has cared for your children so long.  I decided a photo collage may be the best gift.  I included a picture of each of them around the age they started, a current picture and one of them together.

 She will always be a very special woman to our family.  We had a play date with a couple of Parker's friends on Saturday.  It had been way too long, but all of us are so busy these days.  It was a big fun mess getting together with them.

On Saturday night we went to a small gathering to celebrate Jimmy's cousin Jen's marriage.  She and her husband got married in July, just the two of them, at the courthouse.  They had a celebration that night at a local bar and her mom hosted a party to celebrate.

It was a fun chance to get of bunch of the little cousins together.  Jimmy wasn't feeling well, so just Esme and I went. 

 She had a ton of fun playing with Tess.  It will be fun to see them again for the holidays.

Esme June - Seventeen Months Old

Esme is 17 months old today.  She is becoming more and more animated with each passing day.  She has such a silly and fun personality and loves to egg on Parker, Jimmy, and me.  She continues to be a bit of a picky eater.  I can get her to try stuff with a spoon, but she won't feed it to herself.  She is trying to eat more with a spoon and fork, so maybe that will help with trying new foods.  Her language explosion continues and it seems like there is a new word every day.  She understands so much of what we say as well.

She is still in 18 months clothes, but we are sprinkling in some 24 month and 2T.  I was hoping not to have to buy winter clothes in both sizes, so I am going to try and make it work.  Luckily she can wear a lot of leggings and stretch jeans and we can roll up sleeves if needed.  She is in size 4 or 5 shoes depending on the shoe.  She is getting faster each day to and loves to chase Parker up and down the hall.

One of my favorite things she did this month was when we were at Target.  She turned around in the cart so she could see where we were going.  As we walked about she was saying "WEEEEEEE."  There were several employees that got a big kick out of it.

First Week of Kindergarten

We started Parker's first week of school with our traditional Labor Day breakfast at Panera.  The two old ladies behind Esme were loving all the attention she was giving them.

We also ended up all wearing red unintentionally.  #GoBigRed

 My friend Shannon requested my assistance and technology to make shirts for her son Simon and another friend, Mitchell.  I had thought about making something for Parker, but was feeling very unmotivated.  This was the push I needed!  The back will have hand prints for each year.

 It is (hopefully) big enough that he will be able to wear it all the way to graduation.  One year down and he actually posed for me!  Only 12 more to go.

 He is going to adventure club in the morning and I decided to just drop him off there the first day to start a good routine.  I was much more emotional that I thought I would be.  We've had 3 other first days of school, so this should be easy, but it wasn't.  He is doing great before school, but is having some struggles during the day.  I hope it just take a bit for him to get back in a good routine.

 The only hiccup so far was the second day.  He came home with two huge bandaids on his wrist and neither Jimmy or I had been called.  It turned out he had a couple of cuts from the motor room and there was a misunderstanding about who was going to call.  They weren't that bad, but long enough to warrant the giant bandages.  He didn't seem too bothered by it, which made me happy.  Hopefully it's the only incident this year.

Minnesota State Fair 2017

It was a kid-free trip to the fair this year.  As usually, we arrived early, about 8am, on Saturday morning.  The fair is so calm and quiet this early.

One of the new attractions was a giant ferris wheel.  We didn't ride it, but it was SO big!

Hey Charger...

Hey Miranda...

Hey cows...

Hey KARE 11...

Hey butter sculptures

The best part of the fair this year was getting to be a part of KFAN's Power Trip Morning show.  They play a game called initials on Fridays and I love.  They were playing single rounds with fans at the fair and I got chosen.  It may or may not have been because I was jumping out of my seat.  I didn't win, but it was a fun experience.  I even has a couple friends text once they heard me on the radio.

If you want to listen to our interaction you can do so here.  I grabbed AJ after to say hey and take a picture.  He makes the show bearable and cleans it up, which I appreciate.

Jimmy's favorite part was the food!  We tried a lot of knew stuff this year and may have to try to do the same next year.  cheese curds, sweet corn dog, big fat bacon, roasted corn, scotch egg, monte cristo, pork chop on a stick, mini donuts, and BBQ baked potato.  So yummy and not too much when you share it.  Can't wait to be back next year.

Kindergarten Open House

Kindergarten.  It can't be time for Kindergarten already!  This year has been a crazy summer of changes and this is the next one.  Parker's open house was on Thursday.  I met his teacher  and a whole team of folks in the spring when we first started preparing for his transition.  Parker got to meet his primary special ed teacher for the first time.  It was Parker's first time in his new school and he did great.

 He has his own cubby in the room instead of a shared locker.  There are 7 kids in his K/1 class, many of which he has been in school with over the last 2.5 years.  

 He also has a spot in one of the mainstream classes, but will be spending most of his day in special ed.  I was so excited to see his name included on the list and a spot for him at the table.  Both of his teachers are wonderful and I know Parker will love them.