We Swim With Ducks

Caponi Art Park 7/13/10

I'm still playing catch up with my photos. These were taken a few weeks ago at the Caponi Art Park. The program was about French Canadian history in Minnesota. This was definitely one of the better performances - they were funny, engaging and had the kids involved and up on their feet. Sophie and Calvin got up and danced at one point and Max and Alec tried the oar dance.


After the program, the kids ran wild. There are acres of park to explore and hundreds of little frogs to catch. We brought lunch and spent a few hours enjoying the park.


Sophie is this great combination of girly girl and tomboy right now. I love this age.

Como Zoo Field Trip

Field Trips four out of five days last week. If you have not made it up to the Como Zoo to visit their butterfly gardens, put it on your to-do list. It is larger and has more variety than the one at the Minnesota Zoo. We did not visit Como town on this trip - too many people at the zoo!

We Love Summer

Thank you Susan, for bringing your inflateable water slide thing over on a hot day!
It took us about an hour to get the thing set up but the kids thought it was worth the wait.

Max Spring Soccer 2010 and Life

Why hello there. I did not fall off the face of the earth - just had a really, really busy week. We are finally, finally moving forward with the divorce and last Wednesday I had a three and a half hour mediation session. On that same day I had my surprise re-licensing visit from the state and the car died and had to be jumped by one of the daycare dads. It was not my best day.

Summer is half over and I want to make it stop - I feel like it has rushed by me in a blur of too many children and a mountain of laundry. My own children leave in a week and a half for an extended vacation with my family. They are flying into Denver (alone!) where my parents will meet them. From there they will camp in Colorado, visit my brother and his family in Southern Utah, play with their cousins and some pet chickens, drive up to Salt Lake to see my sister and meet their new little cousin Oliver, drive to Idaho Falls to see Great Grandma and Great Aunt Ann and her family, go fishing with Grandpa, meet up with my brother Scott who is coming down from Montana to take them camping in Yellowstone and many other fun adventures.

It should be a great trip for them though I know I am going to feel really, really lonely while they are gone. On the other hand, I may actually clean out the garage and the basement and read a book or two. Calvin started packing on Sunday and already has two bags by the front door. He is really excited!

All of the above has nothing to do with these photos.

Max loved soccer again this spring. He is still the most comfortable on defense and could use some practice in offense. His team this season was supportive and fun and also really unsuccessful - I'm not sure if they every actually won a game, but they had a great coach and enjoyed the season!

Celebrating the End of the Season at DQ

Warm summer evenings and ice cream - a recipe for really happy children! I am so happy that the season is finally done. Having soccer four nights a week until 8:30 for several months was rather exhausting. We now have a full month of no commitments most evenings - doesn't that sound nice?

Kindergarten Soccer

The spring soccer season wrapped up last week. Even though we decided not to start Calvin in kindergarten in the fall, I had previously signed him up for fall soccer - so he will get to play kindergarten soccer for two years in a row.

Calvin loves soccer. He is enthusiastic, energetic and most of all very, very happy. Thank you to his coach Ken for picking him up and taking him to every game as I was not quite done work when his games would start. He had a great season!