Flip, Flop and Fly

Posted on by

Yay for gymnastics! Nishad has been itching to get back to the gym and I’ve been itching to see my firend JG and her kiddos~ a perfect solution…open gym at Gleason’s! Ashish and I have decided to enroll Nishad this Autumn after waiting through the summer. He took a trial class last Spring and loved it. Despite his Mommy’s tap happy feet, he’s definetly a gymnast! Hey, you have to be your own person! 🙂 I adored D calling me “Miss Beverly.” He would run up to me and say, “Miss Beverly…where were you? I was looking for you! There you are!” Followed by a big smile and a giggle. 🙂 We are so happy with 2 boys, but I wouldn’t mind having D- that is for sure! Tiger also tested out everything and was so happy to run, jump, climb and balance! We stopped off at Trader Joe’s (I have a slight addiction to the sparkling pink lemonade they have) and headed home for a nice, well-deserved nap!

Lake Calhoun

Posted on by

This was our first trip to Lake Calhoun, and oh my, did we love it! We enjoyed the time playing at the beach, walking the path (the kids rode their bikes) and gazing at all of the gorgeous houses that surround the lake. Ashish and I have such a better understanding of where we would like our next house to be. Live and learn. We love this area and could “live local.” After we stopped off at an all organic restaurant that comes highly recommended from the locals; Luccia’s. Oh my goodness! We had quite the p0t-luck from their for dinner that evening! Vegetarian chili, moz-basil pizza, black bean cakes, bread, curried chick pea sald (my favorite!) and two del.i.cious sandwiches!

Wild Playdate

Posted on by

The two J’s visited “the country” (aka our house) to party like an animal. After all, it was JH’s birthday (albeit about a month prior!). We made binoculars, went on a safari hunt, created yummy (corn fructose lathered) animal choo–choo’s, had lunch and played in the pool! The boys slept very well after we big the J’s a farewell. Nishad never likes to say goodbye…especially, to his buddy. I assured him that next Friday, we’ll be visiting “the big city” (aka the J’s house) for another wild time!

JH has been such a blessing in my life…she’s such a girls girl! She’s wonderful! Who needs coffee when they have a friend like JH?

4th of July

Posted on by

My Dad called and Nishad picked up the phone and he responded, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” YES! Happy Birthday, America! We celebrated with a bonfire, s’mores, pool action and a BBQ. Life is good! Ashish and I also knocked off a lot off our “to do” list. There’s always tomorrow! 🙂

Time-out

Posted on by

In previous years we would spend a week in Bemidji, a week in Duluth and a weekend stay in Saint Paul for the summer. However, this year we decided to skip the road trips and enjoy the only nice season Minnesota really has to offer- summer! Now is not the time to “go away” but instead, soak in as much of the benefits of having a wonderful backyard. In turn, we’ll save Ashish’s weeks of vaca time to make a b-line for warmth during the winter months (preferably January!). That’s when we all really need a vacation!

The plan was to just enjoy the kiddos last summer without being enrolled in school (Nishad starts his second year of preschool and Tiger will join him, across the hall, in the toddler community this Autumn!). Exciting times for the boys- and for me, as I will have three hours for me in the mornings. Whether it’s going back to school to venture down a different career path into ‘communication studies’ (which coincides with the non-verbal art form of photography and much of the PR I’ve already experienced in addition to my love of writing) or even an exercise class. This will be the first time in almost 4 years that I will have this special time, once again.

…However, I booked us a little getaway. We, as a family, really needed to get away from the stress of things back home. I went from having pneumonia in May (Mother’s Day) to finding out, the last day I was on meds, that my sister passed away. I was in Chicago for the wake and funeral, which all took a toll on me and now I’m still dealing with issues that my sister didn’t take care of. On top of it all, my Dad shared with me that he has a brain tumor. SO. It was time to just take a break- and remember what is really important and value all that is so precious in life.

We headed off to Duluth and stayed at a different place this year; The Edgewater Waterpark and Resort. The kids enjoyed the waterpark, but honestly, I would have rather paid more money and stayed at the Inn on Lake Superior. Being right in the midst of Canal Park is lovely and the hotel is well kept up, has a great staff and so many extra perks that make being a guest memorable. The Edgewater was the loudest hotel we’ve ever stayed at, the rooms weren’t that great and the waterpark was rather dark. However, we were together- that’s really what mattered!

While visiting Canal Park I was interviewed by the local news station about “What it means to me to be American.” Pretty fun! Nishad wasn’t phased at all…he just kept chomping away on his sammy as Mom chatted on and on! 🙂

We headed back home in time for the 4th– with a big “TO-DO” list! Isn’t it always when you own your own house? It’s good to have a house…so I won’t complain.