Sorry for being slow at posting the wrap-up of the Minnesota Trip – getting back just in time for Mikaela to start first grade had me a bit distracted. HIghlights of the last few days of vacation included a return trip to the House of Bounce (this time, Jonathan got to come too – last [...]

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We set out for Rochester, MN on Sunday, beginning the more relaxed leg of our vacation trip. Not that it hasn’t been fun – it’s been great. But the pace has been much more relaxed. We’ve spent much of our time hanging out at the “Mouse House” with Steve and Sali and Gabe and Eli. [...]

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Day three of our vacation started with breakfast at Keys Cafe Bakery at the Foshay, a spot-on referral from the Concierge here at The Ivy. As an aside, I really can’t say enough good things about this hotel and its staff. Our room is beautiful, with a great view of downtown Minneapolis from the 19th [...]

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We promised Mikaela on Thursday night that we wouldn’t wake her up at 5 a.m. to leave for Minnesota (she was TIRED Thursday night, after the flurry of packing activities). But we didn’t promise her that we wouldn’t wake her up BEFORE 5 a.m.
In an effort to avoid the local KC traffic on [...]

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We had an activity-packed day this past Saturday. We started with a trip to the City Market, where Mikaela scored that cool frog balloon animal (Jonathan got a dragon). From the City Market, we headed to Crown Center. The plan was to grab some lunch and then let the kids run in the Crown Center [...]

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We got a nice treat when Annie came to town for her high school reunion. We had a fun, casual dinner at Aunt Judy and Uncle Lloyd’s. Matt and Uncle Lloyd talked car repair. Mikaela gave Annie a refresher course in slapjack. And Mikaela and Jonathan provided some extra entertainment when they found Annie’s old [...]

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Fourth of July weekend celebrations started early, with the Kramers getting in town from Dallas the week before the Fourth. It was great to see them – we got to eat a few meals together and the kids got to enjoy time together – like in this picture from our outing to Deanna Rose Farmstead. [...]

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Not to be outdone by her punk-rocking little brother, Mikaela decided to perform yesterday as well. She put on a “costume” and proceeded to show off a dance that she choreographed herself – on the fly. I cheated a bit and added the music in afterward.

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Our Memorial Day Weekend fun started with celebrating Jeff Perkins’ graduation from Pittsburg State University. The party at Marcia and Chuck’s was the usual combination of great food, drink, family and friends. Mikaela and Jonathan had a blast in the backyard, playing tag and hide and seek with Cousin Margo.
On Sunday, it was on to [...]

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Right after dinner tonight, Jonathan asked to play Pla-Doh. But as Miriam was getting down the Pla-Doh, Jon recognized the “Bubble Blower” that we’d stashed because it didn’t work without batteries in it. At that point, his interest immediately shifted to BUBBLES!!! I found a spare AA battery in the camera bag, and we went [...]

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