Mother and Son Scholars

Cameron's school project

It's official!

Proud to be Cam's Parents

Our Cameron is getting to be so grown up...it's amazing how he has changed since kindergarten.  Cameron has become a wonderful boy and we get little reminders of this quite often.  Since the start of the school year Cameron has done homework nightly without fuss and is becoming a great reader!  It's so exciting to hear the new words roll off his tongue and see how exctied he becomes when he's figured out something new! Cameron has also been doing his best to be a good big brother and knows that helping out Coop earns some BIG points from Mom and Dad!  We have no doubt that Cameron will have a lifetime of adventures and each day we love seeing him work hard towards a fantastic future.

Heart Attack...

Homework time at our house...and this is only 1st grade!
Cameron-"Uhh...Ow...!"

Me-"What's wrong?"

Cameron-"Sometimes my arm really hurts when I'm coloring...it's like a little heart attack in my arm. Right, Mom?!"

Me-"No..."

Cameron-"Yep, I just had a heart attack from coloring..."

First Grader

Cameron enjoyed his first day of 1st grade.  We asked Cam what he did during the day and he told us that they played games, read books, and played outside...sounds like they're getting the students off to a good start!  I think it took Cameron about five minutes before he was asleep tonight-even though he told us that he wasn't tired at all. Hope everyone had a happy and exciting start back to school!

Taking a Trip Down the Yellow Brick Road...

We had a wonderful day at the Children's Museum with Kelly, Larkin, and Bennett.  The kids (and Mamas)  really enjoyed checking out the Wizard of Oz area, as you can see above.  We had a busy day and the boys were WORN out when it was all over. 

Celebrating My Mom

As many of you know my mom retired in June after a wonderful career in teaching.  We were lucky enough to celebrate this achievement with my Mom and Dad, my brother, sister-in-law, and niece on the North Shore.  We had four fantastic days cozied up next to Lake Superior. 

Bryant, Cameron, Cooper, Me, Dad, Mom, Shannon, Lucy, and Andy

Hanging out in Grand Marais

Our Boats

Cam and his boat

Coop and his boat

Here's the top 10 best/most entertaining events from our vacation:

10. Taking a dip in the Temperance River

9.   Bryant and Andy using their hunting skills to take down a bat in our bedroom

8.   Beautiful weather to sit and make boats out of sticks and leaves

7.   Dinner out at Blue Fin

6.   Kayaking with my brother

5.   Bike riding with the WHOLE family

4.   Watching my boys snuggle with their grandparents

3.   Shopping in Grand Marais with my Mom

2.   Seeing my boys light up at the sight of Lake Superior

1.   Knowing that my Mom had a wonderful time and thankful for special time with family

Becca's Bachelorette Party

The start of the evening at Green Mill...

Becca ready to celebrate with champagne on the party bus...notice the shiny stripper pole to the left?  Yes, I did make a couple attempts to find my inner stripper, but I think she was unavailable.

The end of the evening at Rollie's...which included a ride on the bull!  I've always wanted to try that and now I can check it off my list!

Becca complete with boa (from the lead singer in the band at Rice Days) and filled to the brim with lots of various beverages.

What a fun night!  I didn't know I still had it in me to party it up, but I guess there's a few miles of crazy left in this old lady!  Good drinks, good people, stripper poles, bulls, a bicycle ride to Perkins at 2:30 in the morning (with a coyote running in front of us), and waking up feeling not so hot (not enjoyable, but a little reminder of my youthful days)!  Looking forward to Becca and Joe's big day in October!

Big Lake Buddies

Cameron, Bennett, Larkin, Taylor, Addison, Brayden, Cooper, and Ben (in the middle)

Cam and Ben

We were lucky to get to spend a day with some of my wonderful BL friends and their kiddos this summer.  It's so fun to see all the kids play together!  They had a blast and the mamas/friends enjoyed some chat time in the shade.

No More Golf Cart Rides...

The First Night

On our way back to the doctor...day two.

Afternoon of day three.

What a night for us last Monday the 9th of August...we spent the evening swimming in the river with the Legatt kiddos.  After our swim the kids took the golf cart back up to the house, with Missy and I following closely behind.  We reached the top of the hill and the kids got off the cart...with Coop being the last one.  Coop hopped down right ONTO the gas pedal and began a ride down a hill that was luckily stopped by a trailer in the way.  If it hadn't been for the trailer I'm not quite sure where he would have ended up!  He fell forward, bumped his eye and neck, and luckily still had his life jacket on which protected his chest and most likely stopped him from being knocked out.  We rushed him into the house to put ice on his eye and decided that it was best to get him to urgent care because I could no longer see his eyeball...I was calm on the outside, but FREAKING out on the inside!  Steve's parents stayed with the kids while Missy drove us to urgent care (it was just the moms with the kids, the dads were working), and I called Bryant on the way.  Luckily, the doctor said that it looked worse than it actually was and that the bones around Coop's eye were very strong.  I spent the night sleeping with him to make sure that he didn't have a concussion and took him back to see the pediatrician the next day.  All in all he simply needed to rest and ice his eye consistently...his smiles and mischievous personality were back in less than 48 hours!  I can only imagine the injuries left to come....I hope they are few and that I can continue to keep my composure!

Our First Twins Game!

We were about 20 feet from first base...pretty awesome!

We were impressed at how well the boys did...we made it until the end of the 8th inning and then decided to bug out before the crowds hit.

Cuddling Twins fans!

Cool Dude!

This is what our boys look like after a fun day at the Target field!

Our first Twins game was a success!  Not only did the Twins beat the A's 4-2, but our boys loved it and so did we...definitely a do again.  We decided completely spur of the moment to try and get tickets this morning and low and behold we were able to get seats in dugout box 3, row 3...just to the right of the camera pit and the Twins dugout!  The boys were able to see their favorite, Joe Mauer, up close and personal!
 Go Twins!!

Sports Sampler

4th of July

Lucy, Shannon, and Andy

Our Family

Buddies

Cousins...getting their water fix! :)

Another wonderful 4th of July in Bemidji...fun, sun, water, food, family, fireworks, fishing, and more!

Splashpad with Lucy

All smiles!

Crazy cousins!

Andy, Shannon, and I stood by in the cold rain watching our crazy kids run around the splashpad and park...nothing will stop these kiddos from getting their groove on when water is around!

I'm DONE!!!!

I officially finished my Masters portfolio and classes on the 8th of July...commencement to come in December.  The monkey has finally jumped off my back!!!  I enjoyed celebrating the evening with my Mom, Stacy, Ann, Missy, and Holly...good food, delicious drinks, and entertaining conversation!  A wonderful way to end a long journey!

Beautiful Babies!!!

Cooper with his cousins, Brielle and Brody

Cooper went with me to visit my cousin, Heidi and her new twins, Brielle and Brody.  He was thrilled to hold them and especially liked Brody...because he's a boy, of course!  They are so sweet and tiny and we can't wait to watch them grow!

A Day at the Beach

We had the most perfect day at Cedar Lake today with Holly, Alex, and Dylan.  The sun was shining, the water was cool (but not too cool), the kids had a blast together, and Holly and I were able to enjoy some relaxation and get some color!  This is what summer is all about!