lake weekend continued...

After our swim at the hotel, we headed back to the lake for a little while, and then headed out to dinner.  Andrew had a blast throwing rocks into the water, as usual!

I couldn't get over what a beautiful day and evening it was.  It is really starting to feel like fall!  I hope the weather stays this way and we are done with the heat!

These next few pictures just crack me up every time I look at them.  He has been walking like this occasionally, and we could never figure out what he was doing but we were always laughing at him (which only encourages him to do it more, of course.)  This particular day I finally asked him where he got this from...

Any guesses??

He just kept on walking silly, looked right at me and said "Rango!"  Ha!  I laughed and laughed.  That has got to be the weirdest movie ever made, but Andrew loves it.  I can't get over that he is immitating Rango!  What a funny kid.

After strolling with Rango along the lake, we headed to another favorite place for dinner- The Other Place (aka The OP).  We love their pizza.  It is seriously the best.

And the funniest part of this experience was watching Craig playing video games with all the kids!  I thought he was being so nice and helpful to take Andrew for us since Andrew wanted to go and play.  Next thing I know I turn around and he's over there, totally engrossed in this game.  Ha!  I laughed and laughed.  My favorite is Andrew and the kid in the seats next to him, just staring at him!!  Haha!

Andrew got spaghetti (his favorite) and also ate pizza!  He loved every bite!  And that huge cup next to him?  Yeah, that's milk.  I questioned them when they brought it because I had ordered him a "kid's milk."  Yep, it is really that huge.  Ha!  Andrew drank it all too!

This has quickly become a tradition anytime we stay in a hotel with Ga Ga and Papa.  Papa is known for bringing his old fashioned popcorn popper and making popcorn for us.  We usually try to find a good movie on TV, but we also bring Andrew's portable DVD player in case there is nothing on (which was the case this night).  Popcorn and movies just go hand in hand.  That is Andrew's philosophy!

I love the way he is looking at Papa in this picture.  He just adores him.  These pictures show just how excited he was about this popcorn thing!

Enjoying his bowl of popcorn and Yogi Bear...

Little miss Kerigan has started giving us some smiles, too.  She did so great the whole time- we just love bringing her along with us!  She is a great little addition to the fun!

When we woke up the next morning we had a delicious breakfast at the hotel, and then headed out on the lake because it was absolutely gorgeous!

We put Kerigan in her car seat so she could be shaded most of the time.  I only got her out for pictures!  She just loved the boat ride.  She was content the entire time.

She just relaxed and smiled at us a lot...

For those of you wondering, we do have a life jacket for her- it is Andrew's old one and it still fits him (if that tells you anything!  Ha!)  It is the smallest one they make, for 30 lbs and under.  It basically swallowed her up, so we didn't torture her with wearing it for the whole boat ride.  We had it right by her in case of an emergency!  We weren't really worried about her going anywhere, since she bascially can't move yet!  Ha!

My little boaters (the sun was shining in Kerigan's eyes!  She opened them right up when she was in the shade!  I think she needs sunglasses!)

And just to top off this perfect day on the lake, when we got off the boat we heard the ice cream truck coming up the street!  Andrew thought it was the coolest thing ever that you could buy ice cream from a truck!

We took the boat out of the water and it is already back home nestled in the garage waiting for next summer.  I always get sad when summer is over and it is time to take the boat out.  But I have to admit, I'm not sad this time.  I simply cannot wait to celebrate the upcoming holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas) with my family and new precious daughter.  All of Kerigan's "firsts" are coming up, and there is just no way I could be sad about that!  I already have her Halloween costume all ready to go!  Now I'm in the mood to put the summer clothes away and bring on the fall!  I finally got my decorations up and we're ready for more special memories to come!

lake weekend {part 1}

We had a great last weekend at the lake over Labor Day.  I feel like we were just putting the boat in over Memorial Day and now it is already time to take it out.  The summer always flies by, but it completely flew by this year due to a certain little girl that was born smack dab in the middle of it!  We didn't get to the lake much this year, but I am thinking next summer we'll make up for it!

Anyway, the lake was pretty choppy on Sunday so we spent the day just hanging out downtown and had a great time shopping, playing by the beach and walking along the lake.  This is our special bench where Craig proposed to me.  We always take pictures by it on special occasions.  I thought a family photo on the bench was a must!

It has changed colors over the years, but it's still the same bench where the love began!  Ha!  This was Craig and I right after we got engaged (don't we look young and skinny!  HA!)  And on the right is us the night before our wedding.

I think it is pretty amazing that we can now sit at our special bench with our kids.  I would have never dreamed that someday we would be blessed enough to have a son and daughter to bring here with us.

Andrew was obsessed with these acorns that he found while he was playing at the park.  The only way to get him away from the park was to take them with me in my pocket!  He spread them all out on the bench and kept counting them!

Kerigan's first trip to the lake!  She loved it!  She's a lake girl already!

She's enjoying the cool fall breeze with Papa.

With Ga Ga and Papa at the seawall.

It was so special bringing my daughter to the place that I grew up and love so much.  Clear Lake holds countless memories for me, and I started coming to the lake when I was about 9 months old.  I am beyond blessed to get to share our love of the lake with my kids.  I am so happy that they love it so much!

Playing at the park by the beach... (Andrew was making faces through the holes!)

Usually Andrew loves to play in this fountain over the 4th of July, and he thought this weekend would be no different!  Ha!  It was super chilly outside- a perfect "fall" day.  I had to literally keep him from running straight into the water!  I was a little nervous he was going to when I took this picture!  Ha!

After spending some time downtown, we headed out for lunch at one of our favorite spots- the Barrell Drive In.  It is one of those neat old places where you actually still order from your table by phone!  Andrew is always fascinated by this.  We have to hold the reciever down because he picks the phone up constantly and says "say hello?"  It is pretty funny.  I'm sure the staff listening to the buzzer go off the entire time we are there are thrilled too.  Ha!

After lunch we headed to check in to our hotel.  We got a bigger room this time that is a suite so they have a separate smaller room attached to the big room so Kerigan waking up in the night wouldn't wake up everyone!  It worked out perfectly for all of us to stay.

I think the hotel is pretty much Andrew's favorite thing!  He loves jumping on the beds and singing "Five Little Monkeys!"

He loves snuggling in bed with his sister too!  If he had his way, he would sleep with her every night!

We bring her into his bed when we say prayers and tuck him in and he always wants her to stay.  It is so sweet. I'm sure someday these two will sneak and play lots of tricks on this mama!

Of course we had to spend a little time swimming in the pool!  I think this might be why Andrew loves the hotel so much!  He loved it when Papa, Ga Ga and Daddy threw him up in the air back and forth.  He kept saying "again! again!"

This little bathing beauty hung out with mama in the pool trying not to get splashed by big brother!  But when she did get splashed, she didn't seem to mind!  I think she's a water lover already!  She is my daughter, after all!

She got passed around quite a bit- she was loving her first time in the pool!

Proof that I was there and I did get in the water!  See, I don't spend the entire time taking pictures!  (Just most of it!  Ha!)

Just some more sweet pictures of my girl.  She has some silly faces!  The one on the right is her "big girl" face that she makes when she gets praised for holding her head up and pushing her legs up like she's standing.  It's like she's really concentrating hard!  Ha!

Those chubby legs crack me up!  I am so not used to having a chubby baby, I love it!  I just hope she's not bigger than her brother in a few years!  Ha!

More to come on our Labor Day fun!!

a trip up north

Last weekend we made a trip to Minneapolis with my mom and Jim.  We needed to go to IKEA (LOVE that place!) to pick up some bookshelves for our family room since we finally got a new TV (ours was seriously outdated- the big box on the back, not a widescreen so our shows were getting cut off on the sides!!)  Anyway, we got one that hangs above our fireplace now and I needed some storage in that room (especially now with another child!  The toys are getting out of control!)

So of course we checked out the Mall of America which is conveniently right across the street from IKEA! 

The princess was very good- she is a good traveler so far!  She pretty much just still sleeps!  I don't even think she knew we left the house!  Ha!  My old roomate sent me her bib, which I think is the funniest thing ever- "Star of mommy's blog"  Ha!  Isn't that the truth!??

Daddy took Andrew on lots of rides while the rest of us hit IKEA.  We figured they wouldn't have much fun shopping with us!  Ha!  (Not to mention I didn't really want Craig coming to that place with me!  He's kind of a "get-what-we're-here-for-and-get-out-as-fast-as-we-can" kind of shopper!)

So I didn't get any pictures of them on the rides because I was doing some serious shopping!  I have to admit, it was kinda hard for me not to tag along and be the photographer!  I always love watching Andrew have fun and go on rides.  He loves it so much!  But I thought I could manage... I mean, I was at IKEA!  Didn't have to twist my arm too much!

Don't turn me in for this... but it was too funny.  So Andrew was instantly being naughty the second we pulled in the MOA parking lot.  He wanted to run right in and do his own thing (find the rides and leave us in the dust!)  It became clear early on that we desperately need a double stroller, mainly to confine him!  Ha!  So, I did come quick thinking and came up with a double stroller out of what we already owned!! (The sad part is that he actually fit under the car seat!)  Andrew thought it was actually quite funny, thank goodness.  We did get a few looks from several people, but I think most of them were smiling because they understood the dilemma!  We actually ended up carrying Kerigan's carseat through the mall and strapping Andrew in the stroller!  We had quite a time.

After our day of shopping, we were thrilled to head to Jack and Brooke's house!  Andrew could hardly wait to see his cousins.  He talks about them all the time and he always says he wishes they didn't live so far away.  It was their first time meeting Kerigan, and Brooke was so excited to hold her.

This photo sequence cracks me up- usually I just pick the best photo to post, but my daughter is screaming in all of them, and it is just funny to see the kids and how they change in each picture...

Not sure if Andrew is pretending he is actually Superman here or what (and please note Kerigan's headband is just starting to slip over her eyes!)

And now she's just totally irritated with the whole photo shoot (Andrew is still Superman).  Sometimes, you just have to take what you can get!  Ha!

Kerigan with her auntie Darlene

This was so cute- Uncle Keith took the kids out on a ride.  He was in front on his bike, Andrew drove Jack's jeep and Jack was trailing on his bike.  They had a good time, and Andrew just loves being with them!

Saying goodbye is always so hard (Andrew cried!)

Of course I had to do a quick photo shoot with my little "dolly" in her pretty outfit she wore for her first trip to Minneapolis!  I just think she looks like a little baby doll in this picture.

This outfit was Lilly's, and it is just my absolute favorite!

We had a great time!  And the family room is coming together with a new look!  I'll post pictures when it is all finished.  I am now getting excited to get my fall decorations out and start decorating the house!  Love this time of year!

We are headed to the lake for Labor Day weekend!  I hope all of you have a great holiday weekend!