Minneapolis Institute of Arts

My good friend, Diane, recently retired teacher, has come up with a new "carreer." She has been training for the last year as a tour guide for school groups at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, a fabulous museum in South Minneapolis which is full of wonderful artwork from ancient to modern times. Yesterday, she practiced her skills on a group of friends . I'm not sure if we were easier or harder than 4th graders, but we sure had a good time and a great tour. Diane focused on "Animals in Art" as we explored works from all over the world. Some of us were a bit distracted because there is so much to see, and since our tour only lasted about 1 1/2 hours, we all need to go back for more.

Here's the group in the outside Courtyard, minus my sister taking the picture. I love the patterns of the shadows.

Of course, we couldn't go on a summer outing without going out for lunch. After our tour, we walked to Christos, a nearby Greek restaurant.

Lunch was fantastic, and I sure didn't need dinner last night!

Thanks, Diane, for a great tour. It was really fun to hear about all the art and not have to read all those little signs. I didn't even need to get out my glasses!

Hanging out with Maddox

Yeah! It's finally summer and the weather is getting better and better. Maddox loves being outside, and the park is his favorite place. He also loves "diggers," and cars are kind of cool, too.

We checked out a local classic car show last week, and he thought this red truck was pretty neat.

The swings at the park were a bigger hit.

Last Thursday, I spent some time with Maddox at the park by his house while Heidi was getting ready for vacation, and we met a little boy who really thought Maddox should be able to scoot right up the climbing wall - not yet!

Hanging is tough, too, although he did manage to get his feet off the ground for a few seconds - way to go, Maddox!

Swinging is definitely the best!

Happy Birthday, Andy!

Wow - Andy is catching up to Jenna when he turns 25 on Friday! Since we didn't know him as a baby, I had to find the very first picture we took of him...

After some digging, I finally found it, and here it is. This was Easter Sunday, 2003, and Jenna and Andy had only been dating for a few weeks. They look pretty happy, don't they? Ah.....young love! He couldn't go home to Pittsburgh for Easter that year, so we included him in our family gathering at Ted and Pat's. He was just a baby at the tender age of 19, almost 20. Who would have guessed that five years later, he would be our son-in-law and financial advisor?

Here they are at Christmas, 2007. I guess maybe they've both aged a bit, but not much (Jenna says "matured" is a better word). Have a great birthday on Friday, and we'll help you celebrate on Sunday!

Corey's Birthday, Part 2

We celebrated Corey's birthday on Thursday night with a family dinner at Sambol Indian Cuisine in Eagan. It was fun to try a new place, and the food was delicious! The weather wasn't so great, though, as we drove through torrential downpours on our way there and on the way home.

Corey actually had a wrapped present this year. He usually gets Target bags or recycled gift bags. Oh well....it's the thought that counts, right?

Maddox was fascinated by the musical card. It played "Wipeout" whenever he opened it up.

We headed next door to Coldstone for dessert after dinner. Yummy!

Happy Birthday, Corey!

June 2, 1979....

Welcome to our world, Corey!

8# 10 oz. , 20 1/2 " long - big boy!!

Corey developed pneumonia when he was only 2 days old, and had to spend a week in the NICU at St. Joseph's Hospital. That little paper cup is protecting an IV in his scalp - ouch!
Finally, we got to take him home. He made a great recovery, and he's been going strong ever since.
Kyle and Corey (about 6 weeks old) - check out the cheeks and the roly-poly arms!

29 years later - Happy Birthday!

Happy Anniversary, Heidi and Corey!

Heidi and Corey are celebrating their 4th anniversary on the 29th! Wow, how time flies. They've actually been together for 11 years, so it's been fun to watch them grow up together.

First big date and Prom - April 1997. Note Corey's signature tennis shoes. He refused to rent those uncomfortable dress shoes, so he bought a new pair of tennies for each of the three proms they attended.
Wedding - May 29th, 2004 (no tennies for the wedding).

Maddox's first birthday, October 2007.

Congratulations, guys! You have a ways to go to catch up to our 35 years, but you're well on your way!

Swimming Lessons

I had some shopping to do in Apple Valley on Monday night, so I stopped by the Wise Swim School to watch Maddox and Corey at swimming lessons. What fun! Maddox is turning into a little fish - he's really advanced since I watched about 6 months ago. It's obvious that he loves every minute of his time in the water, and it looks like Corey is having a good time, too.

Maddox is great at his "scoopers" and kicks.

Pouring water on the tummy really tickles!

One, two, three....

Jump!

They have a family changing room since may dads are there with their little girls, as well as moms with their boys. Corey's method of hair-drying worked really well!

Belated Mother's Day

Since we were up at the lake for the fishing opener last weekend, we got together on Wednesday night at Jenna and Andy's house for a belated Mother's Day dinner.

Maddox spent a lot of time practicing going up and down the steps by the side door.

He didn't sit still for long, but a little cheese snack slowed him down for a minute or two.

These steps are pretty big for a little guy!

It was a beautiful night, so after grilling hamburgers and actually eating outside (no snow!), we took a walk to the park. Look - green grass!
Maddox loves all of the playground equipment, and he has no fear of the slides. He went down frontwards, then on his tummy, and once he got turned around on a curve and ended up backwards. He just laughed!
The swings were fun, too!
The tire swing was a new experience. Jenna and Heidi discovered that they didn't fit quite as well as when they were kids!

Thanks, everyone, for the food, cards, and gifts!