MN visit: family, lake walks and coffee

I'm finally getting our trip to the midwest documented :) I have a lot of pictures, so instead of showing them all at once....I'm going to do mini-installments for a while :) I definitely won't be short on things to blog about for the next week or so ;)

SO...first we landed in Minneapolis on Wednesday, June 22. I broke out with shingles that night (ooh, that stuff HURTS)...apart from that, it was fairly smooth sailing ;)

We stayed with Nick's mom (thank you, Ardyce!)...

 ...and spent ample time with family. We also got to spend some time with Nick and Alan's bestie, Dan (can you use "bestie" when referring to male friendships? well I just did).

We made a few trips to the lake and partook in the tradition of Caribou Coffee. West coast, you are missing out. That's all I can say.

Here some are pics from one of our walks to the lake...

I can't tell you enough how much fun we had in MN with family and how sad it is that we aren't still there! Thank you again, Ardyce, for being so gracious with the early mornings :) and sometimes uncooperative sleepers! :)

Stay tuned for our zoo trip, time with Ray and Ellen, my cousin's wedding, and fun at the park with Ella! :)

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midwest happenings

So we have been back in the Great Midwest for the last 3 weeks. We flew into Minneapolis at the end of June, drove down to IA at the beginning of July and are still here. Nick was back in Cali last week for work, but the kids and I didn't have anything else to do, so why not stick around?? ;)
I have LOADS of videos and pictures, so I won't be wanting for post topics for a long time :)
Here are some snippets of what's been going on:

I broke out in shingles the minute we landing in MN (let me tell you, it sucks and it HURTS)
Mason is crawling like a maniac and is nearly 8 months old!!!
Mason got his first tooth and is working on his second
Adelyn has many new phrases, such as, "are you kidding me, mom?"
Adelyn LOVES boat rides....
...specifically fast boat rides AND fast car rides....you frequently hear her in the back seat hollering "faster!"  (Thank you, Ray, for letting us borrow your car!  Thank you, Mom, for letting me commandeer yours as well!)
Mason LOVES the walker
Mason's favorite hang out spot is under the kitchen table. Never fails...put him down, he beelines it for the table

We have been getting loads of family and friend time...my cup is definitely overflowing :)
I can't wait to share all the pictures and video with you!
The kids and I fly back late Tuesday night (my littlest bro is braving the toddler/infant effect and flying back with me...thanks, Jake!)....I'll try and start posting the goods when we get settled again :)

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