December 2022 road trip revived!

We loaded up the suburban this morning and pointed it south, with a final destination of STL programmed into the GPS.

The roads in southern MN and northern IA were particularly crummy and we considered turning around when we stopped for lunch in Clear Lake. However, we decided to give it until Cedar Rapids before we turned around. Jake said there were a few slick spots on overpasses, but overall the roads were mostly clear and we were able to drive at posted speeds.

We made a stop in Cedar Rapids for gas and to get shoes for the girls. We discovered about an hour or so into the trip that they only brought their crocs. This wouldn’t have been a huge issue if we weren’t planning some activities that require more secure footwear. Thankfully Target had what we needed.

We have a hotel booked in St. Charles for the duration of our stay.

The girls went for a quick swim before the pool closed for the night. I know I haven’t done much, just sat shotgun the whole day, but I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep. 😴

DSW fashion

My friend J has an amazingly fun style – and my kids know it. The girls found these heeled boots during our trip to DSW today and immediately thought of J. They had me take a photo of them and text it to her. She approved 🙂

Trip to the mall

We went to the mall to make a return and found these sparkling ornaments for taking pictures ❤️

Nissedalen – Day 4 – 2020

Storm after storm rolled through over the night. The sun came out and we enjoyed yet another fantastic day. Kids rode their bikes into town for candy and donuts, the moms did a little shopping (we now have matching sweatshirts :)) and Jake and I had a chance to go visit one of his uncle’s cabins on a different lake. We brought back DQ for everyone and had one last round of s’mores by the fire. (As if we needed MORE sugar. ha!)

Intersession 2018

The big Shecklets are off of school this week (because we opted to not sign them up for intersession classes this year.) Today we had a hand appointment for Shecklet #3, went to the park (until three bus loads of kids showed up,) and then went to MOA to ride some rides and go to the American Girl store.

Fun at Target

Two recent trips to Target were not complete without a stop in the Christmas section.

Shecklet #4 took a few calls from Santa and the elves. (I had to tell her which way to hold the phone – she wasn’t sure why it had a cord!)

The boys found themselves heading the wrong way down the chimney.

Build-a-Bear take two

Auntie Stacie took Shecklet #4 to Build-a-Bear Workshop for her birthday. (She did the same for Shecklet #3 a few years ago.) Afterwards, we went to Panera for lunch. It was nice to have a chance to catch up with this busy lady!

Green

We had celebratory cupcakes for dessert tonight in honor of Shecklet #3’s first day of kindergarten. The color was so bold, it stained lips, tongues and fingers!

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This was Shecklet #4 in her pink tractor cart earlier in the day when we she selected the cupcakes. (We met Nana for breakfast at Hy-Vee after sending the other three Shecklets off to school.)

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Random finds

On our trip to Costco today, we found a Lake Tahoe puzzle that made us think of Jason & Bri out in Nevada as well as a teddy bear with feet bigger than Shecklet #3!  Everything’s bigger at the warehouse stores.

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Family portrait

We did a little birthday shopping for me this afternoon and worked up an appetite.  While we were waiting for our lunch to be served, Little #3 broke out the crayons and drew the members of her family.  (Jake added the initials above the heads so we knew who was who.)  Reminds me of the family portrait that Little #2 drew earlier in the year.

Family portrait by Little 3