Lake Kabekona 2011

We spent the first part of our week long vacation on our 2nd Annual Kabekona trip. The weather was perfect, the kids all renewed their friendship and us parents were able to actually hang out and play games together. The kids are at the perfect age, they just basically needing watching, but can totally interact with each other and play and play and play.

One of the cutest parts of the trip was when we adults were enjoying a few beverages and playing games, the kids all built a kitchen. A kitchen made of random beach items, complete with sand food served on kick boards. The would go around and take our order and then bring us our food. They made the menu up, which was hilarious! You could order from the specials listed: "Qwece" (quiche??) "eney stew" "eney side" "sea souflea" and of course "BACON!" We roared with laughter when we saw it! Seriously where do kids come up with this stuff?!

We literally lived in the water. The kids all swam and floated on tubes, played in the sand and enjoyed the sunshine. We adults finally figured out that the kids are going to wake up at the same time they always do in the mornings, so why not start drinking at noon and go to bed at 10:30?! SMART!!!! It was so much better than struggling to stay awake and getting just a few hours of sleep and then mustering up the strength to do it all over again the next day!
The kids would watch movies at nap and bed times all together piled in one cabin. We would all just stand in the water, which is like 4 feet deep, most of the day and visit. And eat! Oh did we eat! I made the round of Sha Sha Nachos and Teas for every body again this year. It was a hit again! And we all had to make s'mores every day too. The kids loved making them after lunch! No need to keep them up late at night just for s'mores right before bed.
We plan to continue to make this an annual trip. I am so so so glad we girls from college kept up with each other after all these years. It's so fun catching up and letting the kids play. The guys are all so used to us it's crazy! The morning we left (we missed Annie and Nick-since they had already hit the road) we took our group shot. We set the camera up and the girls piled on the hammock and the guys stood behind us. When the timer went off and us girls viewed the pictures...it was so funny to see the guys had all crouched down behind us! We have them totally trained!

"Lake Kabekona 2011"

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4th of July-the 8th Annual BBQ

Slideshows are just a bit too easy...sorry about that, but when you are this far behind on bloggling, it's easier overall to post a show than individual pictures that seem to go on forever!
We had a blast on the 4th of July...as usual. It was our 8th Annual BBQ. I cannot believe this little tradition has carried on for 8 summers. It doesn't seem like we have been in our house that long. I love, love, love this get together. We have such a hodge podge of people and I think that is exactly what I like about it so much. We have roughly 45 people that come to our house. We have "who brings what" down to a science. We waiver a bit from year to year, but it's pretty much the same. One year my mother-in-law breathed that she may not make her beans due to back surgery and most of the people threatened her and couldn't believe the blasphemy she spoke! My mom made them for her that year, just because I think she felt sorry for the poor woman! Back surgery, schmack smurgery...the beans must be made! Peter actually went up to her this year and thanked her for the beans. It made her day. The 4th is after all, all about the food!
The Karsnia families are a new addition to the party...but we do other things with them throughout the year. Easton was just a newbie last year and this year he was doing the bear crawl all over the place.
Ruby made her first 4th party and vegged out in her diaper or Onesie during one of the hottest 4th's I can remember. At least we didn't flood this year!
The Froemke's came down again for the 2nd year in a row. Minus their oldest boy Jake. Who was in Wheaton visiting his Grandma and Grandpa for a week. We missed having him with us for the party and the float! Garret wouldn't do it without his big brother! But he had a blast flirting his big brown eyes at Emma and playing trains in the basement with the boys.
The Bilbens attended...they are after all "family". Regan battled the heat 6 months pregnant and it wiped her out completely. They made for an early night, assuming that we would be down to their driveway for the fireworks. She makes the best popcorn on the 4th for us as we pile at the end of her driveway to get a great view of the big show in the sky.
Chris turned 40 this year. His birthday was in June and we all forgot. Or were late with his card. Or didn't call him or anything! I mentioned it to my mom and she felt awful. Not to mention that it was a big birthday. Birthdays are a big deal in our family. So we turned the end of our 4th party into a 40th party. Mom made Chris his favorite cake and she found sparkler candles and a cute 40 and sporty centerpiece candle. We surprised him with our family rendition of "Happy Birthday" and "Chris has a birthday". He really was surprised and then immediately asked "Whadidyagetme?"...ha ha! Just be lucky that we owned up to forgetting your birthday made good with it Leps!
It was a bit tricky juggling a float, the kids wanting to be downtown, the heat, the hosting, etc...but by the time 3 o'clock came around, the kids had had enough of being downtown and we were welcomed home to a garage full of family and friends who had already made themselves at home...just where we wanted them. It was nice not having the 5k fun run the same day of the 4th. That made the day a little less hectic, but the float sure did add on to the business of the day. It was an awesome day that turned into an great evening...the storm that came scared us away from the fireworks that still went off...we were all tucked in bed when we heard the booms from across town. We all stayed there with eyes closed dreaming about how pretty the fireworks must have looked and how many mosquitoes the rain storm brought out.

"4th of July 2011"

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Kabekona Lake Weekend

Last weekend we spent 3 fun filled days in the sun on Lake Kabekona. It was a fabulous weekend getaway for my family and I. We met up with my girls from college. It was the Chicago trip girls, but this time we invited the guys, kids and dogs.
The weather overall was beautiful. If it rained we went inside for games, movies and snacks. If it was sunny out, we were in the water or on the dock. It was basically free child care-put your kid in a life jacket and let them play on the beach while we enjoyed an adult beverage or two. Or three. My boys got braver and braver as the weekend went on. Parker was jumping into the water off of anything he could. The dock, the paddle boat, daddy's shoulders.
Emmitt had to warm up to the idea of being in the water. He was deathly afraid of the minnows in the shallow end but quickly got over the fear. I'll take full blame for that one. Parker was the leech magnet of the weekend and I made anybody but me pull them off of him. He was a trooper when they were on him though. I would have panicked much more.
We had a campfire going the entire weekend. Mainly to keep warm by when needed and to also dry out our swim gear over and over. All the kids loved throwing pine cones, sticks and other brush in the fire. We had to make the banana boat s'mores and the traditional s'mores over the fire. The kids were a sticky mess but enjoyed all of the sweet treats.
Saturday was sunny and gorgeous for most of the day. The kids filled up tons of water balloons and had a great time tossing them at the adults.
Us four (of the original six) girls from St. Kates.
Carrie, Becky, Mahrya, Annie
Our guys
Sean, Bear, Nick, Andy
We hope to make this an annual summer trip. The main cabin provided us with all the luxuries we needed to make our weekend a little bit easier. The guest cabin proved to be the perfect spot for all of our families. The weather was beautiful, the kids played well together, the adults got to catch up on the times...what a fabulous vacation.

4th of July

The 4th of July, every year is super entertaining for us. It is a busy weekend around here. This year it was just a bit more chaotic. On the first of July the city sewer backed up on our road/block and ended up shooting poop water up through our basement toilet and therefore "flooding" our fully finished basement with sewage. Ick! That is a whole other story that may never be told again. I get a headache just reliving moments of that morning and the days to follow.

We did the best we could with the clean up and the organizing for our 7th Annual Olson Family 4th of July BBQ. Everybody was super understanding about the state of our house (nobody really cares, but I do), all brought food over to celebrate and the pool of water that had accumulated in our neighbors yard proved to be a 2+hour hit with the kids! Bear assured us it was simply "rain water".

The kids spent hours literally picking worms out of the grass. We all just stood there and watched them. First with anticipation of actually touching the worm to putting it in the buckets. Parker, I don't think, never touched a worm with his bare hands. He had a stick the whole time.

The Karsnia's came for a visit and brought a long new baby Easton. I got asked no more than 10 times that day if we were going to have another one. I held him each chance I got. Then when Bear took him from me, I changed my mind briefly to wanting...just one more. Then Jessalynn disappeared with a glass of water to nurse for over an hour and I remembered how isolating it can be. So I drank my sangria and told my uterus to shut up.

The Pavlecks came this year too. Elise napped on Molly in the shade...more babies.

My baby. Emmitt wiped out and I tossed my camera at JP to hold on to and what do ya know? He turned it on and took a picture just so you all would know that I attended my own party.Davina. AKA My "hot 30 year old friend" via my 17 year old nephew. She still 29 bud! And happily married, but I thought it was funny that that is how he referred to her. I passed Easton to Davina and actually got JP to hold him too. They'll be next. Garret. What a cutie. The kids were all dressed in some form of Red, White and Blue.Emmitt is in mid-form to shove more popcorn in Gracie's mouth. She just sat in her stroller and took it from him. She is literally surrounded by boys.Grandma and Emma hanging out on the deck. She's 14 and never too old to sit on Grandma's lap.
It helped that the 5K was the day before the 4th. It was a little less rushed. It also helped that I ventured downtown with just Parker. No stroller. No napping toddler. Just us. We got free cotton candy for everybody because Bear had donated his electrical skills and fixed the machine. Shared a corn dog and just as the parade was finishing up the clouds let loose and the rain came down, we left. We made it back to our house just as our guests were arriving and had a great time!

the best of buds

The three musketeers. Aubrey, Jillian and Parker. All just one month apart. Actually in order! Aubrey will turn 5 in September, Jillian in October, Parker in November. We call these three the "originals". They were our first babies together. Molly, Regan and I were all becoming new moms at the same time. It's crazy to think almost 5 years have gone by already.

We all met at Regan's house today for swimming, playing and lunch. The kids had a blast in the pool together. Parker has to figure out how to wind down and play with the girls all over again. He is around boys 98% of the time every where he goes. He just needs to be retrained once in awhile to be nice to the ladies!

Aubrey. Such a cutie. Molly keeps saying that if she flirts with you she really likes you. She has played hard to get with me for almost 5 years...now she's flirting. This is the girl who used to hate having her picture taken. I am the girl with the camera attached to her head all the time. Finally we have reached a point where she looks at me and flirts! It's awesome.

Aubrey has a new baby sister. Elise. She is a doll. Just shy of 4 months. My boys are super gentle around her and love her tiny toes. Emmitt was kissing all over her today. She had fun just kicking back on a blanket or with momma today.

Emmitt. Took him awhile to remember he really does like the pool. Once he got in there was no getting him out. This was the first of many days in the pool.

Jillian. Parker says he is gonna marry Jillian someday. Jillian says shes gonna marry her Uncle Jonny someday.

Aub

The girl were over at the neighbors picking pea pods for everyone. The neighbors actually planted peas just for the kids to pick!

Needless to say, everyone loves pea pods fresh out of the garden!

The kids had a great afternoon of fun in the sun. With Molly and Regan teaching during the school year it is just my schedule we need to work around to get us all together. I forsee another BBQ in the future this summer.

the little black dress

5 years ago today, our girl Davina got married. She lived in Vegas at the time and Elvis didn't marry her and JP. They simply called to tell us they were getting married the next day. It was going to be a quiet, justice of the peace deal. No big deal, no party, no dance, no parents, you get the idea. But, they planned on having the wedding the next year, on their one year anniversary-which fell on a Saturday. Davina, being an only child, the only daughter her parents would ever have, etc...you can imagine the freaking out that was going on. Once we all calmed down and realized that this is the way Davina does things and it's perfect for her and JP we began to see the perfectness of it all.

Davina asked us girls(gina, jen, gretch and I) to be her bridesmaids. She was so easy to please...pick out some black dresses, find your own black shoes and go with it. I was pregnant at the time she is asking me to be in her wedding in one year. I quickly calculated the months and figured that I would have an 8 month old at the time of the wedding and could surely get my body back by then. What the heck was I thinking! I also told her it would be my last wedding. My last bridesmaid dress and I would go out with a bang. I counted up the number of weddings I had been in and this was like #14!!!

I really think Jen and I picked these dresses on our own. Gretch and Gina just kinda had to go with it. Jen and I drove part way through a blizzard in March to pick these out. Us girls have 4 totally different body types, but it really did work for all of us.

The day of the wedding comes, I lug my breast pump into Canada along with the little black dress and hope for the best. At one point Miss Marvel (whose like 80 and talks real loud) comes up to my chest and has a conversation with "my girls"...stating "my God Becky, I had no idea you were so busty!" Did I mention I had an 8 month old??!!

Anyways. Jen, Gina and I have all had 2 kids and have each struggled with our body image, baby weight, sagging boobs, etc...I got this idea to get us back into this little black dress by JP and Davina's Anniversary-June 24th-and take a picture. Gina lives out of the area, but this is her official shout out-"put the dress on girl and send me a pic! And don't tell me you lost it in the move because I'm not believing you!"

So, Happy Anniversary JP & Davina! Two of the best people we have ever had the pleasure standing up for. Two people who know the true meaning of love, friendship and happiness.

a family so similar...

This is Summer and Jon. 2 years ago, I started getting these emails from Jon's mom...saying that we are related and that their family is moving to Int'l Falls and they needed some guidance. Come to find out that Jon's grandfather and my grandmother are/were brother and sister. That makes us second cousins-who had never met each other.

Jon and Summer and their boys, Jake (6 now) and Garret (4 now) moved to town when Emmitt was just a baby. They moved on the same Avenue as us, just 2 houses away! It took us awhile to get connected. One day we sat down and started visiting and find out that Jon, who is a State Trooper, went to school at Moorhead State with Dave Karsnia! Dave Karsnia is a great family friend of Bear's and mine. Freakishly crazy, I know!

Jon is 33, Bear is 33. Summer is 30, I am 30. They had 2 boys, we have 2 boys. They added a 3rd child, a little girl-Gracie Lyn...we are not. Okay, pretty similar. Jake and Parker are further apart in age but play together the most. Garret sticks with Emmitt. Gracie just follows all the boys around and squeals. Emmitt ripped out her ponytail no less than 100 times on Saturday. Garret is special to me. He likes me. He asks about me. He was just diagnosed with Aspberger's and is a fantastic little boy.Saturday we ventured out during my boys' nap time and I took some family pictures for them. It was quick and painless and they turned out beautifully.

Summer and I have gotten really close. We can tell each other anything and laugh a lot. We parent the same way, we enjoy the same kind of wine...we have fun.

Jon and Bear have gotten really close too. They have a lot of likes and some differences that bring them together. Differences like Nascar versus Hockey and Frog legs versus a steak.

This family is so similar to ours that it is sort of crazy. They are family, real true blood family. It's so cool how things worked out for us to have our kids-third cousins-actually get to know each other!

two of the cutest kids ever!

Gwen and Grif...two of the cutest kids ever. My girl Lisa had these two cuties almost 2 years ago. They were 2 months early and have grown into the two cutest toddlers ever! They joined us Saturday for our walk and were little angels.Gwen

Grif

Gwen. Gwennie. Gwenivere. I call her all of the above and I think I am the only living soul able to do so. Looks just like mommy!Oh those baby blues...

Grif. Grif-man. The Grifster. The boy. I tell her this all the time, but I really think he knows Auntie Becks is a boy momma. He comes to me. I am drawn to him. He really does love me. Looks just like daddy!

Thanks for sharing your cuties with me Lisa!