Third Lair Skate Park

The kids received skateboards from Santa this year for Christmas. They were so excited about the skateboards. But in Minnesota, there is no trying them outside for months. So we ventured to Third Lair Skate Park, a really cool indoor skate park. The kids took an hour lesson from T.J. who was very patient and got them comfortable on their "boards". Canyon was excited to come back again "next week". This past Sunday, Canyon also had hockey twice in one day. Between the games, we went to Dairy Queen for a team dinner. They even let Presley sit with them. Nice Red Wings!

Holiday Staycation

For the first time, the kids had off 2 weeks from school and Mom had two weeks off from work. After Christmas was over, Mom and the kids had a full week of playing. Presley got to bake with her new easy bake oven from Auntie. She was nice enough to share her delicious cake with all of us. We went tubing at Buck Hill. I have never flown so fast before. It was so fast that Presley's hat just flew off her head on one of the runs. We also went to Mall of America for a day at the indoor amusement park. The kids were in 7th heaven going on all the rides. This week, we also went to the movies, went ice skating, had friends over for a jammie jam and started getting our basement ready for the basement remodel project. A fun and productive week!

The Holidays Are Here

What an adventurous holiday. We enjoyed the holidays with Grandma Harriet, Grammie, Uncle Don, Aunt Roz, Laila, and Aunt Kimmy. After detours and delays, the family arrived in chilly MN. Grandma Harriet got to see Canyon and Presley play hockey. Canyon pulled out another tooth on the way home from church. We did LOTS of puzzles as a family. We had a pizza party where everyone made their own pizzas. We enjoyed Juicy Lucys at Matt's bar. We went swimming at the gym where even Grandma Harriet went down the water slide. The sink and dishwasher broke (just in time for the holidays). Ron, Grandma Harriet, and Grammie tried to fix the sink but to no avail. Mariana and Sam joined us for Christmas dinner and afterwards Sammie rocked out on the alligator xylophone while Daddy played the guitar. Santa stopped by with lots of presents. We did some Christmas day sledding. And we ended with a bowling adventure where Mom perfected "her form" to score a high 180. We had a final dinner at Buca and said goodbye to our family. Whew!!! What a whirlwind!

The Holidays Are Coming

The holidays came up this year like a speed of light. We tried to catch up but always seemed to be in catch up mode. This year was Canyon's year to put the tree topper on our Christmas tree. Since Dad's back has been an issue this year, Mom took the honor of lifting Canyon. We did it!!


Presley went on an obstacle course at her gymnastics center. At the end of the course, Santa was waiting for her. However, she was very surprised because "Santa didn't remember my name".



Canyon is playing hockey on the Upper Mite Red Wings. Before the holidays, he received the "Choppin Wood" award (the hustle award) and got to wear the Choppin Wood jersey to one of his practices. That made his day!

Thanksgiving in Cambria

We had an amazing Thanksgiving in Cambria along California's central coast with our very good friends Eric & Audrey and their two girls in a beautiful rented home on the coast. Our kids hit it off great. We were able to enjoy lots of great walks along the coast, play in local parks, and visit some amazing local wineries. Canyon even got to practice his spanish at a local Mexican restaurant. Dad stretched out his aching back daily but was still able to help Eric prepare an amazing Thanksgiving dinner. It was a very relaxing trip, even with a broken table (right before dinner started) and a 90% completed 750 piece puzzle that Dad managed to transport back to MN in a semi-completed state. Way to go Ron! Thank you Audrey & Eric for making our Thanksgiving week so special!

Visit with Auntie Annie in Santa Barbara

After LA, we headed to Santa Barbara to Dive into our Imaginations with Auntie Annie for 2 days. The kids were in heaven searching for "treasures" on the beach. We saw amazing sunsets with beautiful views of the Channel Islands. We helped Annie throw a Thanksgiving dinner party. The kids got to learn how to snorkel with Auntie Annie in her local dive pool (while Mom and Dad started getting refresher scuba diving lessons). We had a nice lunch on the pier with her colleagues. And we ended the trip by chasing Pelicans on the beach. A fast but fun-packed 2 days!

Thanksgiving Week in California

Canyon had the entire week of Thanksgiving off from school. We decided to take a family adventure to the west coast. We kicked off the trip with the first 2 days in LA, visiting Grandpa, Grammy Liz, and Aunt Kasie. The kids had an absolute blast playing in their new pool and hot tub. Presley even when down the waterslide into 11 ft. deep (and very cold) water on her own. Mom watched cautiously but Presley did great. Even Mom and Dad went down into the waterside. The visit was also highlighted with nice visits with Aunt Amanda and their cute cousin Dylan. The kids can't wait to go back!