1st day of school

5th and 7th!  Here we go again...

(10 of our street's 22 kids are now in elementary school, six in middle, three in HS and two in college)

D: What was your favorite thing from this summer?
E: Uuuuuummm, probably... Kavanaugh's. 
S: Kavanaugh's. Actually, no... Duluth. 

D: What about 7th/5th grade are you most excited for?
E: Uuuuummm, probably... just getting to have lockers for the first time. 
S: Basketball season starting. 

D: Are you nervous about anything?
E: No.
S: No. 

D: Who's your best friend?
E: Annika.
S: Jack & Gracyn. 

D: What's your favorite book?
E: Aaaaahhhhhh... I don't know. Uglies. 
S: Ground Zero. 

D: What's your favorite food? 
E: Cheeseburgers with ketchup, cheese and pickles. From Culver's. 
S: Pizza from Punch. 

D:What's your favorite thing to play?
E: Basketball. Duh?
S: Basketball. 

D: What's your favorite thing about yourself?
E: Uuuuaaah... maybe that I... I'm good at sports, I guess?  
S: That I'm good at basketball... and softball. 

D: What's one thing that you really want to do this year?
E: Make the A-team for basketball. 
S: Win State. 

D: What do you want to be when you grow up?
E: A basketball player.  
S: Professional basketball player. 

71

Celebrating G'pa Tom's 72nd at Minnetonka Mills Park with some Station Pizza and run on on the Minnehaha Creek.

State Fair

Being on the fence about (Delta) safety, we made this year's State Fair trip a quick, distanced, masked and sanitized one... but, still got in our fixes of baby animals, and over-indulgence. 

Nordic Waffles' fried chicken and hot honey mac & cheese were the new find/ new fave, for E & I at least.  Ate it so fast, we didn't even get a pic!

Duluth

One last escape as a family before the school year's hustle and bustle. We always love Duluth for trips like this, especially with the dog (who, on this trip, seemed to have turned a maturity corner with recall, off-leash walking, and stranger danger).

We hiked an old favorite, Jay Cooke, and tried a new one in Pattison State Park (which wound up being a dud... as the "largest falls east of the Rockies" were inaccessible). We eat at a standby, Northern Waters, and fell in love with a new one in OMC (Oink, Moo, Cluck). We pit-stopped at the crowd-pleasing Spirit Mountain Alpine Coaster and Tobie's for donuts, and found a gem (sort of literally) in agate-hunting at Brighton Beach.

Always a blast in Duluth with this crew.

Gophs/Bucks

We were a household divided for the NCAA football kickoff this year, as the MN Gophers faced off with the Ohio State Buckeyes at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The atmosphere was outstanding, the first mass event for most of the 51,000 attending "post-COVID" (or at least post-2020 COVID). The students showed up en masse and the warm rain added a gritty touch as well.

The Gophs lost by 14, but were in it until late in the 4th. Hoping for an exciting season!

Fun Girl Summer

Lots of girl time this summer... the 6-2 crew, new AAU buddies, the 4-1ers, Nana, La & baby Aubree, Anni, Alayna, Gracyn and then some. 

Thank goodness for Buster and my 'man cave'. :-)

Set the Hook

S, the grandpas and Dad booked another Lake Minnetonka guided fishing tour with Todd of 'Set the Hook' this summer and landed a few lunkers (well, Sawyer did at least).

Fun new annual tradition... and a gorgeous morning on the lake. 

Teammates?!?

For the first time since YMCA Rec 6U hoops, E & S landed on the same team with this fall's 12U Gold PWYSA softball squad. Makes life easier, no doubt, but more... it's SO incredibly cool to see these two as teammates (that I get to coach!).

The team started "hot", going 2-1 their first two weekends. Sawyer's transition from baseball has been fairly seamless, still anchoring in as catcher and using her wheels on the bases. Evie's zeroed in on 3rd/SS, and continues to show great progress in applying power at the plate.

Fingers crossed we'll get an inning of E pitching with S behind the plate?!?