Journey to 100 Parks #13 - Nature Canyon Park - Plymouth, MN

Now that quarantine is over, we can get back to some park visits.  We'd typically taking an afternoon nap at Grandpa and Nana's about this time on Thanksgiving, but we went out to burn off our lunch today (post to come with our other festivities.  I chose this park because it was closer to my parents house.  They met us here for a short visit and to exchange pie and bars.  I also packed up some of our leftovers so they could have some traditional Thanksgiving food.

Key Features

This is another park smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood.  The houses were really close which was a huge distraction for Parker who just wanted to go check out the air conditioners.

Spring riders are climbing the list of favorites for both Parker and Esme.  This one even had a two seater car.

There were so many climbing structures, which seemed to fit the tiered vibe.  Esme is still working up the courage to climb all the way up.

It took a small army to get Parker playing on the structure just a few times.  He normally loves to swing, but barely sat down before running away.

There were no wheels to spin on the playground, but he found some yard art on our way out to spin.

This park loses one swing due to its proximity to the homes around it, but still takes a respectable 7. We would definitely come back if it was in a different location, but probably won't. 

Quarantine Round Two

Today is the final day of our nearly two week quarantine (the second for Parker).  Both Esme and Parker had close contacts at school with people who tested positive for COVID.  Esme was done last Friday and Parker today.  With both kids home, it is nearly impossible for me to work in any sort of full capacity, so I was off work last week.  It allowed me to help with distance learning, play with the kids, and get some house projects done.

Esme was so sad the first day she didn't get dropped off.  The video below starts with how sad she was.  Luckily, it was a quick rebound and we had a fun time.  She had video speech on Monday and Friday as well as a daily meeting with her preschool teacher.  She thought it was great and kept asking me to go away.

Her sign language is really blossoming and she's been showing off her skills daily.

I didn't take many pictures, so there are none of Parker, but he had fun too.  The biggest highlight for me was seeing him ride his bike independently for the first time.  I took his training wheels off in the spring and he's been asking me to "fix" it all year.  He's been working on balance a lot and finally put his feet to the pedals on the first try on Saturday.  

Esme's highlight was Peppa Pig and family moving in to their new house, the Millennium Falcon.

I was also able to complete some projects in the kitchen.  I had previously replaced our cabinet hinges that had been painted with some new nickel ones.  It looked a lot better, but a lot of paint had come off when removing the old ones, so I dug up the paint in the stack left by the previous owner and touched them all up.  I was also able to touch up some other areas and it looks a million times better.  I also installed the fourth spice rack that's been floating around since I put the others up.  I didn't have enough brackets at the time and finally got around to it.

The lower pantry got an overhaul as well.  It was long overdue for some organization, so I grabbed a pan and lid organizer from Target and it made a world of difference. I don't think I've ever had an unplanned week off.  Still had plenty on the schedule, but made the most of it.

Grandpa Buxton Turns 60

My dad turned 60 yesterday.  Esme and I sent him a video this morning to wish him well.  In a non-pandemic year, we would have at least gotten together to celebrate and maybe even had a party.  Instead, we got to gather virtually.  Case numbers in Minnesota and nation wide are surging.  More than double from just a couple weeks ago.  So, we are back in to our deep hibernation from the spring and have lost the small bubble we had.  My mom called to see if we wanted to have a virtual birthday dinner.  She dropped of the makings of a 5 star meal, so I decided we should make a cake for us to enjoy as well.  When I asked Esme what kind we should make, she suggested rainbow.  So, we broke out the food dye and went to work.

I ended up a bit more rushed than expected at the end.  In addition to the chicken, steak, shrimp, and crab my mom brought over, I prepared some rice pilaf and cheddar bay biscuits.  I intended to have salad as well, but it didn't make it.  Kind of a riff on Red Lobster based on the entrees.  Jimmy let me have all the crab and I made sure there wasn't a bit left!

We sang "Happy Birthday" and enjoyed cake before signing off so my dad could watch football (it's his birthday after all.)

We opted for chocolate frosting since that's his and Parker's favorite. It ended up over baked and dry, but the kids aren't harsh critics.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Journey to 100 Parks #12 - North Tyrol Park - Golden Valley, MN

 Winter is returning this week, so this may be out last one for a bit again.  This is another spot tucked in a neighborhood just north of 394.  It was a lot busier than I thought it would be when we first arrived, but cleared out pretty quick.

Key Features

This was a very small play structure that didn't have a ton a variety, but did have a few hidden gems that we discovered.

There was only one regular swing, which made it tricky when both Parker and Esme wanted to swing.

6 out of 10 swings. Its hidden gems bumped it up from 5.