Q1
We
kicked off the year determined to make the most of these times and Minnesota
winters. We went on a ski trip to
Lutsen on the North Shore of Minnesota with dear friends. We got in lots of snow shoeing too. The kids enjoyed participating in the
Skijammers program where they skii with friends every Saturday at a different
Minnesota area ski hill. (yes, there are
several within 90 minutes of the twin cities). Krista also signed up and participated in a
"Frosty Fat" charity bike ride.
It turned out to be one of the coldest days of the year at 22 below zero
windchills.
Spring
Break took us to Kentucky where we did a day trip from Louisville over to
Cumberland Falls and Natural Arch Scenic Park.
Drew
loved introducing the twins to the amazing milkshakes he discovered during his
Appalachian Service Project at the Dairy Bar in Whitely City.
Q2
Like
many we raced for COVID-19 vaccines as they became available. Spring was incredibly busy as outdoor
activities commenced, cub scouts activities in particular. We had the Pinewood Derby, where the kids
discovered a baby turtle they named "Shell-y". Shelly lived on our front porch for a couple
of months before she escaped back to nature.
We also had a cub scout camping trip to Whitewater State park, it was a
beautiful part of the state down near Rochester we hadn't spent much time
in.
We
had to say goodbye to our amazing dog Libby in early May. She was a great running partner in her youth,
a great doggy mama to the twins and a great eater of all crumbs that hit the
floor. She had a great almost 16 years and while we remain dogless for now,
that likely won't last for long. Both
kids have been bringing home books like "worlds cutest puppies" home
from library day at school almost weekly.
We
kept up our family camping with a memorial day weekend trip to Jay Cooke State
Park up near Duluth, Minnesota. We ended
up getting flooded out our last night of camping when a series of thunderstorms
rolled through and we discovered we had some small holes in the tent.
We
rounded out June with our annual week at Breezy Point and another cub scout
camping weekend over near Stillwater, Minnesota.
Q3
We had a fantastic summer! Once again it was full of outdoor time- bike rides, hikes and summer soccer. We trekked out to some beautiful sunflower fields and the kids went to sleep-away camp for almost a week, so we got in some great date nights. We spent the day we picked them up on a pontoon boat in Pelican Lake with our friends- it definitely felt like a Minnesota summer, jumping into the lake off of the boat. Blake got braces in August and is making great progress, which is good because he's missing chewing gum and popcorn a lot!
Labor day weekend we did another family camping trip to Flandreau State Park in New Ulm, MN. Luckily Drew had repaired the tent because we did get rain on the first night, but we stayed nice and dry.
Krista checked off a bucket list item in September with a girls weekend in Chicago seeing Ani DiFranco and The Indigo Girls live at Ravinia. After mothering in a pandemic and working full time it was an amazing weekend of connection with friends - including cruising Lake Shore Drive in a Mustang convertible.
Q4
Its
been a beautiful Fall in Minnesota. We
took advantage of a teacher in service day in September and packed a lot in-
the morning at the zoo and the afternoon at a local orchard.
Fall
Soccer for both kiddos took up Saturdays, and swim lessons too. Cub scouts kept them busy preparing for the
Egg Drop, Rocket Day, selling and delivering Christmas Wreaths. On Thanksgiving day a cold front came through
and despite the 14 degree temps we participated in a Turkey Trot as a
family. By far the most exciting part of
fall has been the kids getting their COVID vaccines and mom and dad getting
boosted!
