Monthly Archives: August 2022

This week was all about back to school week! School didn’t start until Wednesday, but Monday was back to school afternoon/evening. At 3pm, I brought Xander and Augustus to drop off their school supplies and meet their teachers. When we were done with that, there was a family fun festival on the lawn. Inflatables, food truck handing out free freezies, games, photos, etc. Nate came later with KT (upper school back to school wasn’t until 4:45). At that point, the boys ditched us to hang out with some friends on the playground, and we went with KT to drop supplies in his locker and meet his homeroom teacher. Then Nate took the boys home and I went to “new upper school parent” orientation. All 3 boys enjoyed back to school night and were excited for school to begin on Wednesday.

Monday and Tuesday were pretty lazy days for us. The boys spent a lot of time playing with the neighbors, relaxing, resting, and enjoying their last 2 days of freedom.

And then it was Wednesday and the first day of school for everyone! Gussie- pre-K, Xander- 1st grade, KT- 10th grade. Everyone was in a pretty good mood and we made it to school with plenty of time to walk everyone to their classrooms. I think it is going to be a great year!

When I picked the boys up on Wednesday afternoon, I expected them to all be exhausted and that it would be a quiet ride home. Nope. All three of them were talking nonstop, interrupting each other- they all had a lot to say. Xander and Augustus immediately ran down to Sam and Abby’s house as soon as they got home and didn’t seem to be tired at all. They were ready to play!

KT found out that the jazz band class he is signed up for actually requires a tryout. There are 4 kids trying out for 2 spots. He is an EXCEPTIONAL piano player, but he was really nervous. I am feeling surprisingly maternal to a kid I’ve known for 2 weeks, and I assured him we would find a piano for him to practice on for the weekend. Luckily, our neighborhood is amazing, and our neighbor Sean came through right away and lent us a keyboard.

Thursday and Friday were great days too. Gussie only goes to pre-K Tuesday-Thursday, so he and I spent Friday hanging out together. I managed to balance working, a few meetings, and hanging out, and he was ready for a quiet day at home. KT has some tough classes, and he was a little overwhelmed the first few days, but he is so smart and he is used to spending a lot of time studying, so I am confident that once he has a few more days to adjust, he will be comfortable and successful. Xander is in class with his bestie from last year and he likes his new teacher, so we’re off to a good start. He thrives on routine and schedule, and as soon as school started, he was happier and more talkative than he’s been all summer.

Friday night was a fantastic neighborhood happy hour. We introduced KT to the game of bags, which he ended up really enjoying. We hung out until it was dark outside.

On Saturday we headed to the State Fair!! It was overcast and not hot- it rained later in the day, but not while we were there. The lines were short and we didn’t spend much time waiting for anything. It was basically an ideal fair day! We ate lots of good food, went down the giant slide, saw lots of things, and had a great day. Augustus wanted to ride the sky ride and Xander wanted a caricature done. KT was a really good sport and tried lots of new foods. He did make a comment that the fair was “VERY American” and wasn’t really his type of thing, but he tried everything. Both he and Augustus fell asleep on the bus ride home. When we got home, it started raining, so all 3 boys took some time to rest and relax after a very busy day.

Sunday has been a day of rest. I went to brunch with my friend Becky. Nate got some house projects done. Lots of playing with the neighbors. KT practiced his piece for jazz band tryouts. It was a nice day to relax and get ready for the week ahead! Bring on the second week of school!

And just like that, we’re a family of 5. Our foreign exchange student arrived on Sunday night. His mother has requested that I not use his name or face online, so I will be referring to him as KT and if there are photos of him, I will blur his face. Obviously I am going to still take one million photos for my annual scrapbooks (which allow 1000 photos and I always max out), but I want to make sure that I am partnering with his mom to co-parent across the world. He traveled roughly 25 hours from the time he left his home in Japan until he arrived at our house. He was very friendly and chatty, but also thrown off- no appetite, tired, and of course, a little unsure. He was BEWILDERED by the puppies and they were only a little bit obnoxious. The boys said hi and then mostly ignored him. I anxiously showed him around our house, showed him his room and desperately tried to feed him. Night one- just 3 years to go…

On Monday, the boys were with Grandma Debbie and KT was home. Jet lag kicked in hardcore and he napped for a chunk of the day. It was mostly a quiet day as I tried to catch up on work after a week out of the office. .

On Tuesday, Shyanna was with the boys (her last week with us) and they were busy playing. KT was still pretty tired and out of it. He and I made a trip to the Asian grocery store and found some familiar items to have on hand. We spent a few hours at school because it was his laptop orientation where we learned about policies, etc. and then he got his brand new imac (which he is very excited about and Xander is VERY excited to get someday). In the evening, the boys were on their own because Christine and I went to see Wicked. This was the third time seeing it together (we’ve seen it in NYC and Iowa). We went out to a fancy dinner and then spent the entire musical on the edge of our seats, trying not to sing out loud, or burst into tears of joy. It was AMAZING.

On Wednesday, Shyanna took the boys and KT mini golfing. I worked. Nate worked. It was feeling more and more normal after being on vacation and welcoming a new family member.

On Thursday, it was Shyanna’s last day with the boys. The boys really enjoyed having her come and I LOVE her. She goes to school near our house, so she will still dogsit this year and babysit if we need a backup. So it wasn’t goodbye, but I was still so sad she won’t be here every week anymore!

KT’s jet lag seemed to be gone towards the end of the week and his appetite was good. He and the boys finally had a breakthrough when he asked if he could play one of the video games and I told him yes, but I don’t know how to work any of them, so Xander had to help him. Since then, they’ve been playing and talking more and it’s feeling more and more natural. Nate and I had “host family orientation” where we learned about culture shock and talked logistics of hosting. The 3 boys went to Grandma Debbie’s house for pizza. After our orientation, we picked everyone up and headed to a nearby park for the 10th grade back to school party. Every class has their own party and I was excited to go to an upper school event. I found myself feeling very maternal and very nervous- the same way I felt when Xander started kindergarten- silently begging someone to be nice to KT and be friends. Luckily there were lots of friendly kids who crowded around him to introduce themselves. I introduced Augustus to a few cool looking boys, saying, “this is Augustus, he will be in pre-K and he wanted to meet some new friends”. The first boy gave him a fist bump. The second boy offered high five, but when Gussie went to high five him, he pulled his hand away and said, “too slow” which Augustus thought was HILARIOUS (and then did to me about 5 more times through the night). I was grateful for the big kids being so sweet to my boys as well as to KT.

On Friday, KT spent the day at school for exchange student orientation day. He walked though the schedule and learned about the school. Xander and Augustus had their last swim lesson. Xander wants to try out for the swim team and his teacher was complimentary about his swim skills! Augustus has been riding a balance bike for 2 years (even though he has a pedal bike) but on Friday, he finally decided to make the switch and he basically hopped on and started riding! KT started getting used to our routine of going outside after dinner every night. The first night we did it, he was very hesitant, explaining that he isn’t really an outside guy, but even a few nights into it, I can see that he was enjoying himself.

Saturday was a busy day! Augustus got his hair cut. Xander went to a birthday party for a friend from his class. KT and I went school supply shopping. After all of that, Sean and Rachel organized a neighborhood (plus a lot of other people) party. There was a lot of pizza, a lot of snacks, drinks, hanging out, ping pong, and more. The kids came up with a very clever game of real-life Mario Kart. They designed and built their own carts completely on their own and then raced around. I was very proud of them for being so creative and independent. We ate pizza and snacks. At some point, the kids turned to me and said, “will there be cocktails” because when you grow up happy-houring every week, apparently you grow accustomed to kiddie cocktails. It just so happens that I keep 7up, grenadine, and cherries on hand. Another super fun, way too late night of summer fun.

Another busy day today as we headed to my uncle’s cabin for a summer-fun day. KT was very unsure and he’s not a fan of water. I told him that in the next 3 years, I would eventually get him in the lake, but for now, I was happy he was willing to come along on a pontoon ride and just hang out for the day. The boys LOVED being pulled on a tube behind the boat, jet skiing and wrestling Uncle Danny on the water mat. We paddle boarded, and there happened to be a parade just around the corner and Grandma and the boys collected a GIANT bag of candy while watching the parade. My win for the day was when KT asked if he could drive the pontoon! Nate taught him how and he was a natural! We’re going to make him “outdoorsy” eventually.

It has been a very busy week (our last full week of the summer!). We are adjusting to life as a family of 5. We are learning a lot about Japan, about KT, about ourselves as a family. KT is very talkative, asks great questions, offers to help often, is very polite, and seems to be getting used to us (and all of our loud chaos of puppies and little boys). I am looking forward to school starting and giving us back a stricter routine and a little less nonstop fun (this summer has been awesome but I am EXHAUSTED!).

Whoa buddy, this is going to be a long post. We just got back from family camp and I have so much to share!

The YMCA family camp Du Nord has been so popular that in 2018, the Y bought and opened a second family camp- Camp Northern Lights, which is where we spent the last week. I had high hopes and high expectations and it exceeded every one of my greatest hopes! Camp NL is also one of the camps I fundraise for, so it was fun to see it in action, spend some time with the Executive Director and gain some personal experiences to use in my future calls.

We checked in last Sunday night. Our cabin was very centrally located right on the edge of the beach- a prime spot! The first thing we saw when we pulled up was the giant water trampoline and the boys (especially Augustus) were VERY excited to get onto the lake and try it out. There were 2 bedrooms in the cabin, a bathroom, kitchen and living room. We unpacked, explored camp a bit, ate dinner and then went to the opening ceremony where we met the staff, sang some songs, got an overview of the week and signed up for activities.

Some activities were at your leisure- you could just grab a paddle board or kayak any time you wanted. There was open art time at the art barn every afternoon. There were 2 playgrounds and the beach. But some activities (certain art projects, etc) had to be reserved, so we did that on Sunday night.

One of the activities Xander was VERY excited about was Big and Little Dippers. This activity happened at 7:45am and involved jumping into the ice cold lake first thing. In 13 years of running camp, I managed to avoid Polar Plunge (same thing, different name) every single year, but if you dipped every day at family camp, kids got a free tee shirt and Xander was ALL IN. And I decided if I was going to walk down there every day, I might as well also jump in (grown ups could earn the right to purchase a shirt).

Monday morning, Xander and I were up bright and early. Gussie and Nate were snuggled in their warm beds and didn’t flutter an eyelid as we left. It was chilly and Nate said he and Gussie woke up when they heard everyone screaming. Xander and I made it to Big and Little Dippers every morning and at the closing ceremony, were awarded our shirts! We are both very proud of those shirts!! Gussie made it down on Tuesday and was NOT a fan. It was chilly and he is not a morning person.

After our morning dips, we ate breakfast and then from 9:30-12 each day was age group time. Xander and Augustus were in the 5/6 group (there were groups 0-4, up to 15-18). Counselors took the kids and did a variety of activities. There were adult activities during that time as well, or you could just relax. I spent some time working on my shutterfly books and Nate and I played a lot of Scrabble. We both wished age group time could be about 8 hours a day! The boys loved it and both of them made friends that we played with all week outside of age group time.

Augustus typically makes friends within 5 minutes of being anywhere we go and camp was no different. Xander tends to hang back and it takes him a while to connect, but this week he made a good buddy named Shiloh and outside of age group time, we would walk to Shiloh’s cabin and the boys would coordinate schedules. I was SO happy to see Xander make a friend and Shiloh’s mom was equally happy to have kids to entertain each other.

After age groups, there were afternoon announcements and then the adults would pick up their kids. We returned to our cabin each day for lunch and then most days, we headed right for the beach! We spent hours and hours swimming, playing in the sand, reading my book on the beach, and mixed in, taking out paddle boards and kayaks every now and then. It was a glorious week of weather and we all loved soaking in the sun!

Xander and Nate went fishing one afternoon and one of the afternoons, Xander and I painted ceramic gnomes. There was so much to do every day that we could have been busy every second from morning until night. But you could also go at your own pace and skip everything to just relax if that was what you wanted to do. It was a really nice balance.

Shyanna did a super wonderful job taking care of the puppies and sending me regular updates. We are so lucky to have her!

On Wednesday, Augustus celebrated his 5th birthday at camp! I made a cake and he was sung to at both the morning and afternoon all camp gatherings. During age group time, they made campfire brownies. After a full day of fun, we headed into Ely to a special candy store and out to birthday dinner. We weren’t away from camp for that long though as the boys didn’t want to miss anything!

It was a nearly perfect week at camp, but there was one incident… On Thursday evening, we were scheduled for a sunset cruise on the pontoon. Gussie and I ran ahead to the dock (we were racing). We were waiting for a few minutes, when Xander and 2 counselors ran up. Xander said, “something bad happened to Daddy!” and the same time the counselor said “Isaac (program director) is with him now.” Ultra calm, super focused, camp director emergency mode kicked in. Xander told me Nate was on the ground and his head was shaking, which made me think he was having a seizure (even though there is no history) and started running towards our cabin. But that wasn’t it (thank goodness!). I saw the program director and executive director on the beach and Nate was in the water! It turns out, that as they were walking, Nate stepped on a nest of ground bees and when the first sting hit the back of his head, he dropped to his knees and Xander ran screaming, not knowing what was wrong. As this happened, the director walked up and saw that Nate was covered in bees and told him to go jump in the lake.

Nate ended up with about 8 bee stings. After we first aided him and he changed into dry clothes, we were off on our cruise.

Shortly after embarking, the counselor who was leading us hit a rock and when we after inspecting the motor (it was fine), it wouldn’t turn back on. The counselor called another staff member for advice while I told the boys all of my pontoon horror stories (turns out, I have a lot). The counselor was apologetic, but I don’t think it’s a complete camp experience without a sketchy pontoon. He got the motor going again and we drank root beers and ate snacks and it was a lovely cruise (not doomed as I was starting to think).

The boys loved visiting the snack bar (conveniently located near the beach) to get ice cream cones every day (sometimes twice a day). We ate so many s’mores and so much ice cream and so many snacks. We swam nonstop. Xander and I earned our dipper tee shirts. We sang camp songs and played camp games and stayed up too late every night. Nate and I played endless games of Scrabble and Yahzee. We relaxed. We laughed a lot. We had the best week! I loved every second of it (except the bees). I can’t wait until next year!

We got home on Saturday afternoon and spent some time snuggling the bulldogs. I loved camp, but it’s always good to be home too.

Sunday is here and today we will welcome our foreign exchange student! The boys have been hanging with Grandma Debbie today and Nate and I have been doing some last minute projects around the house. Stay tuned for more details on his arrival (we are expecting him around 5pm tonight!).

August has arrived. I didn’t take many photos this week, but the boys were busy! Shyanna brought them to the splash pad, the park and the Tamarack Nature Center. Tuesday night was National Night Out. A great night and I didn’t take any photos! It was so hot that all of the kids ended up in our pool and ditching the NNO party. We went out for ice cream on Thursday night. Swimming, playing, relaxing. It was another super fun summer week.

Me and my trainer were featured on the Y social media sites- at least this photo was a little less unflattering.

On Friday, the boys had swim lessons (Xander is almost able to do a flip kick!) and then all 4 of us headed to my uncle’s cabin for a family fun day. My cousin Jason and his family were in town from Texas for the weekend. We had the best day! We spent a lot of time on the pontoon- the boys (and I) jumped off about 1 million times. The boys got to wrestle with their Uncle Danny on the water mat. Nate took both kids jet skiing (Augustus was ok with it, Xander LOVED it!). Xander and Grandma Debbie caught some fish. It was sunny and breezy and we ate great food and hung out with family and it was wonderful!

Today was Augustus’s birthday party! It has been a historically hot and dry summer but today was rainy and supposed to rain all day. Our plan to meet at a splash pad/playground was not going to work. Camp Director mode engaged.

I texted the parents and moved the party to our house. When I said we would be having 10 little kids in our house, Nate reacted as if I’d suggested releasing a swarm of killer bees. “In our house?!?” But I was ready.

I started the day at Dollar Tree- I actually had most of the supplies I needed, but there were still a few things I needed. Then I hit up Starbucks, because my super easy day of just showing up to a playground and letting kids play was gone and I needed a large shaken oatmilk espresso to get me through. I called Nate to ask his drink order and in the background, Augustus yelled that he needed a hot chocolate. Yep. It was just that kind of day. When I got home with drinks, Xander said, “nothing like a hot chocolate on a rainy day.” That kid could not possibly be more precocious.

Earlier in the week, one of our neighbors told me she told her husband, “Natalie and Nate operate within a level of chaos that I just can’t imagine”. Cue my actual laughing out loud and yes! Amen! I felt so very seen. I kept thinking about that as I welcomed a house full of very excited kids.

We started with oreo on the face (you have to move the cookie from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands). Next up was cone smash- 2 ice cream cones had special stars inside and that meant those kids got a prize. The other cones had silly things like, “bark like a puppy” inside. The cones EXPLODED and it was VERY fun.

Most of the parents dropped their kids off, but one dad stayed. I don’t think he was prepared for birthday games camp style, and his eyes were wide and he laughed (maybe in horror) nonstop.

The next game was to get the gummy worm out of the pudding (no hands). Then it was donut on a string (eat the donut off the string without using your hands). We did a blindfolded car drop (dropping cars into a bucket while blindfolded). Next up was a musical chairs style game where they stepped on different pictures and when the music stopped, I drew a card and whoever was standing on that picture got a prize (spoiler alert, everyone ended up getting a prize). The final game had Gussie wearing a shaving cream shower cap and all of his friends throwing cheeseballs at his head.

Everyone ended up with piles of prizes (the key to a good kid birthday party!). The games were messy (but easy to clean up since we were inside). We had cupcakes with hot wheels cars on them. And then the kids played in the basement until their parents arrived. It was pretty much the perfect party.

When everyone left, Gussie opened presents and then we ordered pizza. Xander has already started planning his party (he wants the same kind of party!), so I’d say it was a wild success.

This week, we replaced our dining room table. Our old dining room table was a custom piece (table build by Danny King Sr. and mosaic-ed by a 20 something me), and I was ready for an upgrade. However, in a complete reversal, Nate said, “we can’t get rid of our table!” and then both boys said the same thing. I am the sentimental one, so I wasn’t prepared for their reactions. But we need a table that seats 6 for when our student arrives (my mom comes to dinner regularly). I found a free table (that has leafs that extend!) and Nate fixed the legs and we moved it in on Friday. The new table worked well at the party and I like it. Our spare room is ready and he moves in a week from tomorrow!

On Sunday night, my neighbor Rachel and I met up with Danny, Heather and several of Danny’s friends for the Alanis Morissette concert. Danny bought tickets months ago and while I’m not normally a concert person, scream- singing songs from high school was pretty magical.

On Monday night, we went to Kelly and Silas’s yard for an ice cream party! Our new friends Harvey and Lola (and their parents) were there too- Harvey was on Xander and Sam’s soccer and tee ball teams this summer, so it was a very fun crew to hang with. Since soccer is over, we all decided to celebrate. Like nearly every night this summer, Nate and I looked at each other at 7ish and said, “we should give them a 5 minute warning until we have to go” and then the sprinkler came out and it was too fun and so we ended up staying way later than planned. That sums up the whole summer, but it’s just been SO FUN!!!

We had so much fun on Monday night, we decided to repeat it on Tuesday. This time, we were in our yard- adults relaxing with drinks while the kiddos played in the pool. Swimming, snacks, freezies, and late nights. SUMMER!!

Wednesday was Augustus’s last golf lesson and he was thrilled to get a dilly bar at the end. I have been working out with a personal trainer at the YMCA and our photo is now gracing the walls of the Midway Y. I laughed out loud when I saw it. I am not sure why the camera had to be at the angle to highlight my midsection and chins, but I’m definitely the “before” model. I am enjoying personal training though, so don’t mind inspiring anyone intimidated to try it.

On Thursday, Shyanna took the boys to Snapology and it was a very fun afternoon.

Friday was swim lessons at the YMCA, hanging out at home, and swimming in the afternoon with Emmet and Olive.

Saturday we went to the MN United soccer game and had a blast! We took the bus to the stadium (a highlight for Augustus!). We arrived early to take part in the pre-game lawn games. We won so many prizes! Sunglasses, frisbees, scarves, balls, pens, bags, and so much more. We didn’t need any of it, but it was fun to win. We were very fortunate to have club level seats, which includes unlimited food and drinks. We ate so so many nachos and Xander LOVED the wild rice meatballs. The boys drank more sprite than I would like to admit. We alternated between our seats on the balcony and sitting inside where it was air conditioned. It was a very very fun afternoon. When we got home, we were all pretty hot and tired, so we had a family movie night and early bedtime for the boys.

Sunday has been a BUSY day for all of us. Nate went golfing with Jake. Xander and Augustus spent the day with Grandma Debbie- they went to see “Super Pets” at the theater and they are spending the night at Grandma’s tonight. I spent the day in an organizing frenzy! We welcome our foreign exchange student in 2 weeks and I’m going through a nesting phase. Our spare room is mostly used for storage- the closet is packed! I spent the day emptying the closet and everything else stored in that room. Which also meant I spent time organizing the basement and my office (where all the junk was being relocated). I was on a roll, so I also re-organized the bathroom cabinets, the pantry, and my office. I worked without pause for 7 hours. I was so tired and dirty and sweaty, but I am so happy with the result. I think our house is the most organized it’s ever been!

Nate and I went out to dinner, stopped at Kowalski’s for fancy dessert and are relaxing after a very busy day. I miss our babies, but I know they are having a fun night and will have a great day tomorrow.