Full Family Twins Game!

We had a GREAT almost full family trip to the ballpark!

It was hat day and we actually got there in time to get one and even more exciting was that Linnea's hat had a purple sticker on it which meant she won a DQ Ice Cream Cake coupon to use at a later time! We decided to use it for our Labor Fish Fry but there will be a post on that later ;)

Rally cap time...unfortunately didnt help and the Twins still lost but we sure had a great time!

And to top it off Sunday is kids day so they got to run the bases after the game! It was pretty awesome to be down on the field! Even when I worked there I never got to do that :)

Two concerts and Game Night!

One day this summer we went to two concerts in one day! The girls and I love Paul Spring and we tracked him down at the New Brighton Library I think it was! So we did that in the morning...

And then that evening met my parents at Woodbury Lakes for some fabulous New Orleans tunes!

The girls loved dancing and playing in the fountain. 

Some of the neighbors and I have been talking about having a game night for quite some time now so I finally just picked a date and did it! And Chris found some Abita Beer for me and others to enjoy while playing! Abita Amber was my all time fav beer found in New Orleans when I lived there. I still haven't found the Abita Amber up here, but the other ones we have found have been quite tasty anyways :)

We had a great time playing games with and without the kiddoes! Some of the kids even played games just on their own.

taking a break from the card game Golf for a picture.

TROUBLE

Connect Four

Some Nintendo was also eventually played...thats a game right?

Carver Beach Day!

We got together with a few of our New Parent Group friends for a day at Carver Beach!

It is so nice to have this clean, free beach right in Woodbury! And grandma and papa live in Woodbury, so naturally we swing by there on the way home to say hello to grandma and pick some goods from the garden!

That evening was our neighborhood ice cream social put on by the city council maybe?? There was of course free ice cream but also great raffle prizes and we won one to Dockside (the new New Orleans style restaurant by Como Lake) and an hour of time riding a Wheel of Fun Surrey bike at any location! Cant wait to use it! Our September date is coming up...

July Date Night!

Chris and I did our July date close to home at the new restaurant on Como Golf Course, then went to get some supplies to make yummy drinks at home while watching Gone Girl.

               However, we couldn't not get Dairy Queen to support Children's Miracle Network! 
                        Fun, fun night! Happy the parents could take the gals overnight :) 

August Races!

I did two fun organized races/run this August, one of them being the Minnesota Half Marathon which raised money for childhood leukemia, a cause near and dear to our hearts. I may or may not have posted in here before about our friends the Andersons who have a son named Jude. Jude has been fighting an aggressive form of leukemia since he was 18 months old. He turned three in April and has been in MN since May for a bone marrow transplant. That went very well but then cancer was found again so the family are now in Seattle trying a new treatment that did not even exist 2-3 years ago. If he was in this situation he is now 2 years ago they would likely be setting up hospice care for him. It is a very heartbreaking time for the Andersons and anyone who know them BUT they have an amazing team of Dr's, caretakers, friends and family who have supported them throughout this fight. They also have amazing attitudes and Jude is so strong! He is going to beat those blood monsters! From Seattle they will come back to MN to celebrate an uncle's wedding and gather their things before moving back home to Tucson, AZ. There will be another trip to Seattle in there too. Okay so I tried to make that long story somewhat short...here are some pictures from the half marathon! Jude's mom and I ran the beginning and end of the run together. 

It was a beautiful day and Linnea got to race too! 

There were a few MN sports teams mascots there for the kids run too :)

Go Linnea!

Daddy Daughter run! Linnea was ahead but I think they finished side by side!

me and my girls post run and before splashing around :)

I took the girls to a new beach after we had lunch at home. 

The other run I did was on my own and it was a 10 mile trail run. Not a crazy trail run tho, a very flat one out and back along the Mississippi in Mendota Heights. It was very small but very fun and pretty! I love the new bright pink shirt I got for running it and would have loved my free beer at Lucky's 13 but since I wasn't with anyone I knew and we were heading out of town asap once I returned home I decided to skip it.

me before

The scenery along the way.

me right before the end with an important message on the sign behind me.

This race raised money and awareness for mental illness and emphasized how important it is to break the stigma and feel comfortable talking about mental health/illness. I have quite a few friends and family members who struggle daily with depression and anxiety and I hope someday they will not feel so alone.