April Things

 April was a super fun month for Nate and I. Here are a few things we were up to!

We went to see Morgan Wallen in Indianapolis with our good friends Dave and Katie. We had the best little road trip and so much fun with them!

We traded in my black 2015 Jeep Wrangler for a brand new 2024 Jeep Wrangler! We were continuing to experience issue after issue with the old jeep, so we knew it was time to say goodbye (although it was very hard for me).

Since bringing it home, it's gotten some upgraded wheels! :)

Jemma's Girl Scout troop did an event at the Apple store where they learned about coding!

Jade's soccer team participated in an out of town tournament in Wisconsin Dells. The team got to stay at the Kalahari resort, so in addition to soccer the girls had so much fun at the waterpark and arcade! Unfortunately, Nate and I were leaving that weekend for our trip to Costa Rica (separate post to follow) so we were unable to be there for the tournament. I brought Jade up there on Friday night where we met up with Grammy and Grampy who facilitated both girls the entire weekend! We're SO beyond thankful for them and their willingness to do this. 

The girls made it to the championship game, but couldn't quite pull out the win!

Jade is TWELVE

We kicked off Jade's birthday celebrations with a pink themed family party. On the menu was Jade's choice of baked mostaccioli, Dominos pizza and fruit!

Thank you Baum Family!

The birthday girl had to go to school on her birthday, but was super surprised to find her locker decorated by her friends along with a lot of super sweet gifts! Donuts for breakfast helped a little, too. 

Jade opened her presents from us before having to go to soccer practice! Also included in her gifts (but not pictured) will be some much needed bedroom upgrades!

Chic-Fil-A for dinner after soccer practice and Dairy Queen ice cream cake for dessert rounded out the day!

Happy 12th Birthday, Jadey Bug. Thank you for making it so easy on me so far through these pre-teen years. I'm so proud of you and how mature, responsible and helpful you are. You're a great friend and an even better daughter! Can't wait to see what big things you do this year!

Spring Break - Minnesota

 Typically we head somewhere warmer than home for spring break, but this year we decided to head north for a long weekend in Minnesota! Our family loves road trips, so we were excited to hit the road and make some fun stops along the way!

When we arrived in Minnesota on Thursday afternoon we checked in to our hotel and headed out for dinner in Minneapolis at Pizzeria Lola for wood-fired pizza! The restaurant is known for its Korean flair, so of course Nate and I had to order the Korean style pizzas! Everything was so good!

After dinner we drove into St. Paul for an evening at Can Can Wonderland where we spent several hours playing vintage arcade games and doing the most unique miniature golf course we've ever seen!

The next day, Friday, was spent completely inside the Mall of America! The girls had the best day riding rides, shopping, eating and even doing an escape room!

Saturday was our explore Minneapolis day! We started the day with a visit to Minnehaha Falls where we were able to walk around the trails amidst the snowy ground! 

Next was a stop at Matt's Bar for lunch where we had to try the famous Jucy Lucy burgers! Glad we got there early because this place was packed!

After lunch we checked out the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden before seeing the Harlem Globetrotters play at the Target Center.

Our basketball loving girl was super excited about this and even came home with a souvenir basketball!

We spent the rest of the evening back at the Mall of America doing more rides and shopping!

The next day was Easter Sunday! We headed towards home after breakfast and stopped at my parents house in Crystal Lake along the way for a nice celebration. My Aunt Mar and Grandma (GeeGee) were there too!

We had such a fun time on our non conventional spring break weekend! We were so bummed however to not see our Minnesota family members while we were there as they were all gone at the some time on a spring break trip!