We originally planned to kick off our staycation week with a day at the State Fair. The forecasted temp kept rising as it approached and we made the choice to go another day. We needed to get out of the house and headed to one of our favorite winter spots, IKEA. I love how much they love this place.
We got a cinnamon roll snack at the main eatery.
And remembered they have more things the kids like at the cafe after checkout. They were not serving pizza at the time, but Parker got a pop and Esme got a hot dog.
Between the two pictures below we went to the splash pad and park in Hopkins. The ice cream hit the spot after sitting out in the heat.
Esme asked for a garbage can for her room. We couldn't find one in the color she wanted, but she was more than happy to paint it herself. On Tuesday we had Esme's school open house. Parker loves the tire swings at her school.
She also helped Jimmy wash the cars earlier in the day.
I'll be honest, we came for the splash pad and I am counting it as a park visit! The did play on the structure a bit, but it was so hot they really just wanted to splash. This was also a plan B as the one I originally picked out was closed for maintenance.
Key Features
It was a really cute structure and I loved this space shuttle spring rider.
Esme found a bar to flip on and Parker braved the hot slide!
Back to the splash pad on the 95 degree day!
The playground would normally get a 7, but I gave it a boost to 8 for the splash pad.
The last couple weeks of summer are bittersweet and a little chaotic sometimes. I will miss the sunny days of swimming, but look forward to the comfort and routines brought by school back in session. Our child care situation is usually up in the air as well. This year Parker did not have any care the last 2 weeks and Esme didn't have it for the last 7 days. Parker spent last Monday with my parents, Tuesday home with Jimmy, and Wednesday home with me.
We were able to take some break time scooter rides which helped keep him occupied a little.
They spent Thursday and Friday with my parents which they loved.
I started replacing gutter covers this weekend since the helmet style didn't seem to be working anymore. I found there were several wasp nests inside the gutters as I was removing them. It took a couple days to finish with the wasps around.
Esme joined me as I worked the tractor pull for the Corcoran Lions.
Sunday afternoon my work had a family picnic at French Regional Park. Parker really enjoyed the bounce house and I won tickets to the Vikings game this season. Esme has been asking to go for a while and is so excited!
On the way home from camp Esme decided to collude with my mom to make Jimmy and me a bithday surprise. She stayed with my mom Sunday afternoon. These pictures were sent to me after the surprise was revealed. She made a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.
Jimmy also suprised us with confetti blondies and out friend, Chuck and Phyllis, stopped by with cards and Oreo ice cream sandwiches.
She brought the cake home in a covered bowl so we couldn't see it.
She chose this design becuase green is my favorite color and blue is Jimmy's favorite color.
This is the first year she was really excited to do something and it made us feel so special!
39 for me and 44 for Jimmy. Hopefully it only gets better from here.
It's that time of year again! We originally planned to have all of us go again, but the date got changed and Jimmy had to work. Once I found out about that I questioned weather I wanted to try to go on my own with the kids. Esme was very excited to go so I signed us up. Just after that my mom asked about joining us and I was so excited for the help and company. Jimmy did contribute with two batches of cookies for us to share.
We arrived just before supper on Friday night. While it was a little rainy and overcast, there was no lightning so of course they wanted to swim! Not surprised we were the only ones here.
Parker remembered the slide and wasted no time climbing up.
My mom took Esme to the kitchen to help prepare breakfast on Saturday morning. She loved helping.
My mom loved helping too and became an expert on the dishwasher.
Esme invited her friend, Ezri, to our cabin to play some Switch.
We did our first swim session of the day before lunch. Esme went tubing on the boat while Parker rocked the slide again.
My mom tried paddle boarding and didn't fall in. Esme, on the other hand, took a fall from the slide ladder. It looked like it was going to be pretty bad at first, but was completely faded by lunch and didn't bruise.
Another swim session after lunch. Esme spent 4 hours straight in the water. Parker took a short break, but was probably in there for close to 3.
It's nice that they can play with supervision from a distance so we could relax.
The Saturday night campfire is usually a highlight for me. I played my guitar and lead worship again. That may have been the first time since high school that my mom heard me play.
My attempt at a s'mores picture. She doesn't like the flash!
The kids and Nana crashed in bed and I hung out with friends in the main hall. I started this puzzle way too late, but was determined to stay up and finish it. Morning comes early when you go to bed at 1am.
Parker had a bit of a rough morning so we had to leave earlier than I would have liked. It's a really fun weekend, but the meal schedule doesn't align with our every day life which can be tough for anyone. We took a park breather on the way home and that seemed to help everyone relax.
