4 years old...

June 7 marks Nathan's birthday.  We had a houseful, taco bar, and Batman ice cream cake from DQ.  It's good to be 4!

Minnesota love

We are taking full advantage of our summer - and it's only the beginning of July!  I'm so thankful that my back has healed and I can ride in the car, hike, and actually enjoy things without being in pain.  Amen!  Jake started with a week of baseball camp (awesome), Scott is coaching his team again this year (they are having a blast), and we've spent a good amount of time up north already.

On our first road trip of the season we took the boys to the north shore.  It was so much fun.  We stayed at a hotel with a pool/waterslide so of course that was awesome but we also packed in all of the north shore favorites.  New Scenic Cafe, Betty's Pies, Gooseberry Falls (I was a little tense exploring these falls with the boys), Splitrock Lighthouse (both of my boys aren't big fans of heights...tall skinny staircases to be exact) and if you go there be sure to watch the 20 minute film... along with plenty of agate hunting and rock skipping.  We had one rainy day when we headed even further north to Naniboujou Lodge.  We had a terrific lunch, caught up with family,  found a cool agate (which I am having made into a necklace), and scored one of my Aunt Nancy's famous cinnamon rolls.

Jake then spent a week with Grandma and Grandpa Jake (and learned to ride the 4 wheeler) until Nathan and I joined him again for a long weekend.  Scott spent the weekend in Iowa helping Grandma and Grandpa Sinclair in the moving process while Nathan kept me on my toes in the north woods (he's got a lot of land to explore and this kid is fearless).  We stayed busy collecting and feeding monarch caterpillars (Jacob would make the milkweed runs thanks to his new 4 wheeling skills) and had a fun time exploring the Mississippi headwaters.  Scott joined us early week and got in a good workout bailing hay before we headed south to Sarah and Mike's cabin where we celebrated Lydia's 3rd birthday, enjoyed swimming, fishing, and paddle boating and took in a 4th of July parade before heading home.

The boys are having a blast this week at Vacation Bible School and we've got plenty of time in the next couple of weeks for trips to the outdoor pool and some local excursions before a week of swimming lessons and a week at Hidden Haven to round out July.  Man, summer rocks.

Thanks for checking and hope you are enjoying your summer!

This kid surprised me...normally very cautious he was determined and fearless moving across those rocks!  

Way too close to the edge of the falls in my opinion.  

He pretty much had this pool to himself.  I wonder how many times he went down this slide.  

Naniboujou Lodge

That's just Nathan sitting in the Mississippi.

One of the best things about hotels...watching cartoons in bed.  

Minnesota at it's finest.  

A trip to the MN zoo - we took the kids to watch Flight of the Butterflies at the IMAX theatre.  It was awesome.  

Jacob's got this one figured out.  

The field before.

On the way to bale hay.  

Fall is in the air

Although I absolutely adore summer, there is something about fall, right?  

Jacob is at the end of his second week of school and loving 1st grade and everything about it.  His teacher is truly fantastic.  God bless her and all of the teachers out there.  We've eased back into the routine pretty easily.  Nathan knows when it is homework time and he joins in to do his homework as well.  It's pretty darn cute.  

The first weekend of September is our annual block party.  With a giant dog bounce house, a visit from Hasting's finest and their K9 pup, Ozzy, riding in the street and lots of good food and catching up with neighbors...what could be more fun!?

The most interesting news of the fall is Jacob's future with the orthodontist.  He's unfortunately got his mom's ample teeth and small mouth.  He's having three baby teeth extracted in the very near future to make room for his permanent teeth that are trying to come in.  In about a year or so he will start an expander and then eventually have braces when his teeth are in.  He had a great visit and seems to like the idea of getting his teeth straight and together.  He also knows his older cousin Noah had braces so it's kind of cool.

I hope you are enjoying the season.  Thanks for checking in!  

That was August

As I sit here and write  - it is 1:26.  I have 1 hour and 5 minutes before the school bus pulls up in front of the house and who knows how long before Nathan wakes from his nap.  I'm hoping to see a giant smile on Jacob's face and hear about some good things.  He was quite nervous this morning.  Not a huge fan of transitions, it definitely wasn't hit favorite morning.  He was quiet and his normal 2 bowls of Cream of Wheat was a 1/2 bowl this morning.  Oh I feel for him.  I still remember my early days of school (traumatized apparently) but am so thankful for his wonderful teacher and class.  Stay tuned for the update, but before we jump into all things fall let's take one last look at August.  We really did try to pack it all in!

I was able to enjoy some lake time before heading home.  The boys got to stay on at Grandpa and Grandpa Jacobson's and do all things northern Minnesota.  With the boys gone I got in some rest (my back continues to do better but still patiently waiting for it to be 100% again!) and a dinner date (yay!).

When meeting my parents to pick up the boys, we stayed a couple of nights in Brainerd to take in a water park, mini-golf, bunk-beds, air hockey, and a frog rescue.

Then Jacob and Nathan got to head south to Grandma and Grandpa Sinclair's.  They were busy!  They played, fed ducks, swam, went to the tractor pull, delivered meals on wheels (apparently Nathan was in charge of handing the milk to Jacob...he couldn't be trusted with the food), and Grandma Sinclair has set the bar pretty high for sweet corn.  Every time I serve it Jacob responds..."This is good.  But not as good as Grandma's from the farmer's market."  Somehow in the midst of all of this they paved the way for Nathan in his potty training.  He came home with a container of marshmallows, skittles, and M&M's and ready to receive his rewards for doing his duty.  Happy to report he's wearing his Incredibles undies today and knows how to keep his big boy pants clean and dry!  We're also happy to report that with the boys away we finally got Scott's pottery studio up and running!  I guess the next time we send the boys away he can start making some stuff.  ;)

 Mater made an appearance at the Hastings Car show!  

Our Labor Day weekend involved our first trip to Minnehaha Falls.  We had a great time playing at the park, hiking to the falls, letting Dad get a good workout on the bike, splashing in the wading pool, and eating fab lunch at Sea Salt.

I told you we packed a lot in!

Time to shift gears again.  Nathan is up and ready for a snack.  Thanks for checking in and I will give you the school update soon.