Quinn Gets Her Boat Ride

The weather forecast for the 4th of July did not look great. We kept hoping the forecast would change, but we woke up to a very dark sky and a less-than-ideal forecast. If this story sounds similar to last year, it was. And just like last year, we had another GLORIOUS day at the lake. As the cousins get older, it just gets better and better. And - we finally got to ride in the new pontoon. Quinn was so so so excited! Of all the kids, she was the most disappointed last year when the boat broke.

We got there just in time to board the boat for the flotilla. I can never decide if the kids enjoy the boat ride ... or the easy access to snacks time. But either way, it was a fun spin around the lake. The kids barely let us tie up the boat before they were in the lake. We had the kayak again, as well as several floaties. It was just the best to hang out at the water and watch them do their thing.

Eventually, we made our way up the hill for lunch - which never disappoints. And the dessert game remained strong. Then it was off to do the pinata. We had played baseball the night before and kept telling Fiona to swing like she meant it. Apparently we just needed to tell her the ball was a pinata, because holy smokes, she smacked that thing! Once the pinata broke, they did a great job of sharing the loot and making sure everyone got good treats. Such sweet cousins.

We went back down to the lake for my favorite part of the day - the cousin "pie"-eating contest. Anna hid 5 gummy bears under a pile of whipped cream on everyone's plate (ages 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2) and they all dove in to try to finish their gummies the fastest. It was so funny! Fiona won, but all three of mine had a blast getting their faces messy. The girls happily pie-faced themselves when it was done. Milo was a little less enthusiastic about the pie-face moves!

Conveniently, we could just sent them back into the lake to clean up. And we picked right back up where we paused for lunch ... swimming, floating, kayaking, and general merriment.

Quinn charmed Mike J into a second boat ride right before a quick dinner. We piled a lot of people in that pontoon and the kids yet again enjoyed the snack options. Then we ate a light dinner (mostly fruit, potato salad, and dessert), spent a little more time in the lake, and headed back to Gma and Gpa's at bedtime. The kids mostly held it together and we hurried through the routine to get them in bed. It was very quiet down in their room!

Friday morning, we hit up a park at one of the elementary schools. It had a few ninja-warrior-like obstacles that were rather difficult - even Q and Mike had trouble with them. We ran some obstacle courses until we decided it was too hot and then grabbed Subway for lunch. Then it was back up to the cabin for us. We brought Auntie and it was just our little group. It took the kids a few minutes to remember how to play without their cousins, but then they settled into their groove and had a great time.

It was the first day Q was allowed to put her head back underwater, but she decided not to. I think she was still a little gun-shy from how painful the infection had been. The rain that had been forecasted for the whole week finally came ... but it was just sprinkles. Since we were already wet, we didn't mind too much. But it was definitely chillier, and our non-storming-loving children were a little freaked out by the dark sky. Since it was late afternoon anyway, we decided to back up and head back to Gma and Gpa's.

I got everyone showered, we ordered our favorite Sammy's pizza, and then chilled out by watching a couple episodes of Spirit (that Gma had bought last summer and we are working our way through whenever we are up). I got "cool mom" points by agreeing to a second episode (because the first one ended on a cliffhanger). Dec thought he'd try one more time when that one ended and I said "no." All small Vs accepted that answer ... but I got a very sad "Why not?" from Grandma and Auntie. Sigh. So I agreed to one more. Good grief.

Once the kids were in bed, Mike and I met my friend Bryan and his partner JT at one of the local breweries for a couple beers. It was fun to catch up with them. Usually we meet at Bry's parents' house and it's a trick to complete sentences around managing the kids. This was nice and laidback and easier to actually visit. We were glad for such a good couple days, because as much as we wanted to stay, Mike and I were committed to making the smart (and less fun) choice and heading home the next day.

Happiness Is ...

Anyone ever watched the play "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"? I was the Little Red-Haired Girl ... and I'm doing my best to not get on my soapbox about typecasting ... Anyway, one of the songs in the play is called "Happiness" and it's all about finding happiness in the little moments (happiness is finding a pencil, pizza with sausage, telling the time. happiness is learning to whistle, tying your shoes for the very first time).

If our Fourth of July vacation had a similar song (and it really should because there was a lot of happiness), it would go something like: happiness is riding a kayak, catching a fish, trying to dive. happiness is seeing your cousins, sharing a jeep that you all get to drive.

Despite the very late night on Monday, we were up and at 'em as usual Tuesday morning because short Vannestes named Declan do not ever sleep in. They couldn't wait to play with their toys that stay at Gma and Gpa's and Grandma made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Vacation was started out well. Mike worked remotely for the morning and then we packed a picnic lunch for the cabin. We got to see all the cousins, test out the new kayak, learn how many cousins fit at one time on a kayak, perform a few kayak rescues, and generally just enjoy the beautiful day.

Quinn did a great job playing in the water while keeping her ear dry. Dec barreled off the end of the dock multiple times. All the kids tried the kayak. It really clicked for Bugs that day and she spent a lot of time paddling all over the bay. Even though life jackets are mandatory on the kayak, I wouldn't let her go out too far on her own. Between Mike in another kayak and Auntie swimming, she kept her exploration partners busy.

We were back at Gma and Gpa's for dinner, some pretty outstanding fashion shows, and an early bedtime. Everyone was cooked from a hot and sunny day at the lake - and we knew there was lots more to come on Wednesday!

Mike's Wednesday morning was not as pleasant as the rest of ours. The whole network went down at the theater and he spent hours getting everyone back up and running. Meanwhile, Auntie, Anna, and I took the gang of SEVEN cousins to the park (too hot), the candy store (too much sugar), and the Children's Museum (AC and containment ... just right!). As always, they are just the sweetest together and played so well. But with seven children, including a baby and two potty-trainers, all three of us were very needed!

After a quick lunch, we headed to a new lake to see Auntie Tracey's new lake house! It was even better than we could have imagined and we are so excited for them. This was the day Declan figured out the kayak and had a great time paddling around. We also learned that our kids are very spoiled with sand beaches and didn't quite understand how to navigate a rocky shoreline and no beach. We even got to see Nate and Ben ... so all the GR cousins in a single day. Those are our favorite kinds of days!

After another afternoon in the lake, we ended our day with some baseball with Gpa in the yard and learned that a) I can hit the ball over the shed and b) Fiona can accurately throw left-handed. Who knew?!?! After the kids went to bed, Grandpa taught Mike how to play backgammon and Mike is totally not obsessed now trying to perfect his strategy because he didn't like repeatedly losing for the rest of our vacation ... ish.

Up North Prep

During the last week of June, Quinn wandered into our room in the middle of the night to complain about an earache. Since Q has a pretty high threshold for any form of pain, I made an appointment first thing the next morning to take her in. I suspected it was swimmers' ear and a quick trip to the doc confirmed we had a pretty significant case of it. We left with a prescription for antibiotic ear drops and a ban from swimming for 10 days. Basic math showed the ban ending right at the end of our trip up north for the 4th of July holiday. In the four days prior to the diagnosis/water ban, she had been swimming at least once every single day. So we were pretty much killing this parenting thing. Because Quinn has excellent control of her body, we did adjust the "no swimming ban" to a "no putting your head underwater ban."

As we watched the weather forecast fluctuate daily (hourly), we were a little worried as well. There was a lot of rain in the forecast for days on end. Nonetheless, we remained optimistic, packed all the bags, and pointed the car northward Monday evening with full intention that we would hit the lake - even if it was only between rain showers!

I worked from home Monday afternoon and was able to run the last couple loads of laundry through while I finished things up. Then the girls and I finished packing. Our plan was to empty the fridge by eating the remaining hodgepodge for dinner, go to Quinn's gymnastics, and head north. So imagine our surprise when we pulled into the parking lot for the gym to find the whole place dark. Apparently they were closed the week of the 4th ... and we should have read the fine print. So instead, we turned back home, grabbed our Yogi, threw the final things in the car, and headed out a bit earlier!

The kids were troopers in the car, but no matter what, it's a long drive and we pulled into Gma and Gpa's driveway around 10:45. We had stopped about an hour earlier for one final bathroom break so everyone was immediately settled into bed and we were soon to follow them. Because as expected, Declan was up bright and early the next morning. [Teenage Declan, we will delight in waking you up on vacations and weekends at 6am]

It was all worth it though, because as the sun shone on an absolutely perfect Tuesday, we were already in Rapids -- ready to see the cousins and hit the lake!

When Work Life is a Lot of Fun

I've worked for Emerson for 13 years. While I enjoy working there, the overall company culture is maybe not known as the most fun or laidback. I've always been lucky to have really great co-workers - but we've been spread out across the country. So the "home office" life has been less exciting. Yet there I was in the last two weeks of June with four fun work events lined up! That almost never happens - and it was great because the whole family got to be involved.

When I changed positions in January, I also moved offices from our Eden Prairie building to the Bloomington building. My commute involves the "big road" (freeway) now, which I don't love. But I work right across the street from a lake with a running/walking trail around it. So I am able to get out and run a couple miles several times a week. 

When the group that owns our building sent out an email about a 5k run around the lake, my whole work group decided to do it together. We have several non-runners who elected to do the 3k walk, while a few of us did the run. I was really proud that I was the first finisher of the running contingent. I missed my goal time by just a few seconds. I'll get it next race! We had a box lunch together, enjoyed outside, and then went back to work. At least we were all sweaty together!

Then the day after the 5k, I got to take Quinn with me to the Shakopee office for STEM Day. She was in the 6-year-old group and I was a volunteer in the Demo Room. So for four hours, I explained how a level switch worked to kids ages 6-15. Fun fact: I didn't know how one worked until approximately 90 seconds before my first demo. By demo 24, I pretty much had it. I was rock solid at explaining it at a 6yo level and really prayed that no teenagers asked me any questions! Q had a blast and enjoyed that a few of my co-workers recognized her. We ate lunch at the Emerson cafeteria and she thought she was big stuff!

Then the next week, my work group went to a Twins game together. We had the suite at Target Field for the Thursday day game. The weather forecast was not awesome, but the game was only delayed about an hour. It ended up being an 18 inning game - but since we had carpooled, we only stayed through 10. Everyone had evening commitments and we wanted to get out of downtown before the traffic got too terrible. At one point, a couple of my friends decided to run out to get a pretzel and asked me if I wanted to come with. I declined in order to watch the game. When they came back, they waved their phones in front of my nose. They had run into Tony Oliva and took pictures with him. Dang it!!! 

In case the baseball game wasn't enough, we took the kids to Emerson Night at the local water ski show that night. My co-worker Brian is one of the skiers and we have all been hoping to go anyway. Dec had t-ball, so he and Mike met us at the show once he was done. It was longer than we expected, but the kids had a blast. They especially loved the jumps and the pyramids - and the water skiing dog. The girls even made Brian a sign that I dropped off in his office on Friday. I wouldn't be surprised if we made it back to catch the show one more time this summer. 

Rochester: Solid Vacation Destination

We made a quick trip to Rochester (Minnesota) last weekend to celebrate the marriage of my cousin Parker and his new wife Maggie. Parker and Maggie were married last fall in Santorini - then had a party back here at Maggie's parents' place. When we got home, Declan announced that Rochester was ah-mazing. He basically partied in the country and swam in the hotel pool twice. So now you know the requirements for D's happiness.

It's just over an hour and half to Rochester from our house - so we left right about lunch time, swung through McD's for food on the go, and made great time to the hotel. Grandpa had booked adjoining rooms, so we took one, and he, Gma, and Auntie were in the other. The kids' minds were blown by the ability to wander between the two rooms.

I think I'm about at the end of my run to be able to buy a 10 piece nugget meal and split it between the kids. Fiona and Dec took down a 10 piece between the two of them and Quinn downed a cheeseburger and fries. We also had a pretty intense scavenger hunt going on ... we were looking for a yellow motorcycle, a motorhome towing something, and a vehicle with two man-powered water toys on it (re: kayaks, padddleboards, canoes). We all agreed that had we been driving north rather than south, it would have been way easier. And you've never heard five more excited people screaming "yellow motorcycle" when we finally spotted one ... it took the round-trip, but we successfully completed our hunt!

We were checked in and settled with plenty of time before the party and I'm a sucker for the kids' puppy eyes. So we all changed into suits and hit up the pool. We were excited to discover that their heads are finally big enough for their goggles and they had the best time diving for quarters on the pool floor. After about two hours, we headed back up to shower quickly and get ready for the party (taking full advantage of the second shower in the adjoining room ...).

Maggie's family has a beautiful home with a large yard. They ended up with wonderful weather and it was such a fun evening. There was a taco bar for dinner - and Quinn, Auntie, and I crushed some chips and guac! At one point, Dec wandered into the garage (where a side door was open). I saw someone come out of the garage and shut the door. I hurried over, terrified that I would find him lost, alone, and sobbing inside the garage. Nope - he was happily hanging with Maggie's brother and some other big boys - sitting on a dirt bike and living his best life. They let the girls sit on the bikes too and everyone thought it was pretty cool.

We let the kids stay up later than usual, but about 8:30, we called it a night and headed back to the hotel. We got everyone in bed and joined my parents in their room to chill out and play some games. We tried a new sleeping arrangement, where Fiona got the fold out couch, Dec and Mike shared a bed, and Q and I shared a bed. Neither Mike nor I slept well ... although I don't think it was totally the kids' fault. Mike did learn that D is a Stage 4 clinger when he sleeps.

Parker and Maggie were having a brunch Sunday morning, but we had declined our attendance for that. I figured it would be adult-like and leisurely and maybe not quite what the Vs were going to be interested in. Instead, we grabbed the complimentary breakfast at the hotel and used the pool one more time. We stayed in the pool as long as we could (diving for more quarters) and were checked out at 10:58 for our 11:00am deadline.

It was a pretty uneventful ride home (other than finding the rest of our scavenger hunt list) and we got home just in time for a late lunch. And for D to proclaim the awesomeness of our quick vacation. Mike and I fully admitted that it went much better than we had expected and we all had a really nice time. Parker and Maggie (or Rochester) sure know how to throw a party!