Trip To MN Part 1

Wednesday June 17th the boys and I headed down to St. Paul, MN to visit our wonderful friends Clint and Katy. "These people" are very near and dear to our hearts and we were blessed to become great friends with them back in Iowa City. We met them when I was pregnant with Jonah and have shared in so many things together. Clint and Katy just moved to MN as Clint just started his residency in emergency medicine down there. We couldn't be more proud of him and ecstatic God led them there! Closer to us!

Despite a minor delay on the way down (a broken windshield wiper during a downpour outside of Fargo that was quickly repaired thanks to my dad's car dealer connections), we made it to their house in 6 hours. They boys were great and I enjoyed some great conversations with my toddler boys on the way down...

Jonah: Mom where are the nuggets in the chicken?

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Elijah: Hey!

Me: What Elijah?

Elijah: Mom, Hey!

Me: Elijah I can't look right now I am driving, what are you talking about? (a truck is passing me and I hate interstate driving when I have to pass a truck)

Elijah: No, mom look...its Hay!

(The truck passing us was full of bales of hay!)

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Jonah: Mom are you going to take a nap on the way there too?

Me: No honey, Mommy has to drive. I am a little sleepy though.

Jonah: Oh, why don't you stop and get a Java Chip Frappuccino?

(I guess I go there more than I thought)

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We spent the first afternoon and evening relaxing with the Hawthornes and enjoying their new home! It is beautiful! They also live right by an elementary school so we were able to go to the park just a few steps away. Clint had lots of work to do for orientation so Katy, Isaiah (her 1 year old son), the boys and I were able to spend some great time together catching up, playing, chatting, and just being together. It was so wonderful and felt just like old times. It was fun to watch the boys playing together. Jonah and Elijah were challenged by a one year old stealing their toys and climbing over them, but they sure miss that little guy!

Here is a fun picture from the next morning...

Thursday we went to the Como Zoo with the boys. Not only is it a great zoo, but it is free! It was bloody hot, but so fun to watch their faces light up each time we saw a new animal! We packed a delicious lunch of pb&j, carrots, apples, and chips and ate our picnic at the zoo. It was Isaiah's first trip to the zoo and since they only live about 15 minutes away, I think he will be there again soon!

Our crew before our zoo adventure began...

Isaiah and Katy checking out the monkeys.

The boys watching the sea lions swim around.

"Fire Power" (from a Night at the Museum 2)

After the zoo we headed home for naps, and attempted to cool off. When the boys were awake Katy got out an adorable Elmo sprinkler for the boys to play with. It was a nice way to cool off on such a hot day.

Isaiah checking out the grass. Isn't he adorable?

After dinner that night Katy and I decided to head to IKEA with my boys while Clint studied at home and Isaiah slept. Fortunately they only live about 20 minutes away from IKEA also! How sweet is that? We made it there an hour before they closed and checked the boys into the fabulous play place and we enjoyed a whole hour of perusing, shopping, talking, and dreaming. This was definitely one of the many highlights from our trip! I picked up some great items we needed and Katy treated me to a super cute reusable shopping bag on the way out for my birthday! It was so relaxing and enjoyable to be there when it wasn't busy and without two little balls of energy (aka my boys). Hurray for play places and potty trained boys!

Friday morning we headed to Lake Phalen which is also only about 10 minutes from their place. It is surrounded by some beautiful trials that we'll have to check out our next trip down. We had another delicious lunch of pb&j, fruits, and veggies. The lake wasn't too busy and it was a beautiful day for it! Jonah headed right in, but Elijah wasn't so sure. After much prodding, pleading and eventually dragging him into it, he loved it! He was even the last one out!

The boys in the lake.

Another adorable shot of Isaiah enjoying the sand.

The boys watching a little batman (shocking I know)

Check back soon for Part 2 of our trip! It was just to fantabulous to fit into one blog post! This one is even a little too long for some people's liking (Richard), but I didn't want to forget anything.