Weekend: The Good, The Bad, and the Zucchini

Millie woke up with a vicious cold on Saturday. She was a wreck, but one thing always cheers her up: playing in the basement with Daddy. So I spent Saturday making pesto while Tony and Millie played "mad scientist" in the laundry room. You never know what a toddler might become obsessed with next, I guess.


Sunday was a new day. It was beautiful so we decided to get out of dodge and headed to Stillwater. Before going down the hill to Lumberjack Days, we played in Teddy Bear Park. For those of you who have children and have not been there, go, go now!








Lumberjack Days was a blast. Millie got to jump around in a couple of those inflatable jumpy thingies and then we had a little family picnic by the river. Very Norman Rockwell...but with porta-potties.

We also caught the tail-end of the Lumberjack Days Parade. The tail-end lasted two hours. I'm not kidding. Watching Millie's face light up with each new flag-filled float was amazing, and well worth the skipped nap.

Today I tackled a State Fair sized zucchini that our friends Tracy and Scott sent over from their garden. It was a heck of a work-out to grate the thing. I made a double batch of zucchini bread and it turned out to be a heavenly, 300-calories-per-serving-"what-diet?" treat. And I still have two-thirds of a grated zucchini left. I froze the rest in individual baggies so I should be able to make zucchini bread all winter long. Thanks Tracy!

(The pen is for size reference)


Now, I know what you're thinking. "Alex, we know you are a domestic goddess, but how in the world did you get all that done while caring for a sick toddler?" Well, she napped for four and a half, count 'em, four and a half hours. Bliss.

Too...tired...

to...post...

Long day

Life with an over-tired, slightly under the weather, just-being-a-typical-two-year-old toddler.

Five minutes of this:


Followed immediately by five minutes of this:

My angel

Millie is two. On most days, that's a good thing. Not so much this weekend. She woke up too early in the mornings, then fell apart by 9 a.m., making mornings rather unpleasant. At night she has resurrected her nasty little habit of projectile vomiting when we try to put her in her crib. I am running out of sheets. 

I was feeling pretty sorry for myself until I saw a special on conjoined twins. These sweet little girls face a life time of surgeries and severe disabilities, yet greet every day with joy and laughter. 

So we let Millie fall asleep on the couch last night (after she covered her dad with that night's dinner, thank you very much) and I took these snap shots to remind myself how lucky we are to only be losing a little bit of sleep. 

Your parents must be so proud

This is how we walked through Target. Not what I meant when I said "do you want to wear big girls' pants?"

Fun with Saba

I never tire of living where we do. We are within a few minutes walk to the zoo, Como Town, carousal, the lake...People go to Florida for these types of attractions!

We took full advantage of our wonderful neighborhood when Saba came to visit (all the way from Golden Valley). We even ended the day with Izzy's ice cream at Java Train. Top that Minneapolis!

Is it me, or does that giraffe look like E.T.'s cousin?



Taking a short break by the "raindeers".



Waiting for the train. Does Millie look just a little excited to you?




The elusive Midwest Mom is finally captured on film. A bit blurry, but definitive proof that she indeed exists.

Rockin' it at Taste of Minnesota

I haven't been to the Taste of Minnesota in a decade or two, but this weekend we decided to risk it so that Millie can see The Kurt Jorgensen Band. She loved her first big concert and her first taste of cheese curds. Such good parenting.

Here we exhibit more of our good parental sense by placing her directly in front of a Premium Beer sign. Don't worry, she had ear plugs in (thanks Tracy!)



Hanging loose with Dad.



Sparkly pink "peace" wife-beaters are all the rage at pre-school. 



Here she is enjoying one of the 30 or so boxes of free cereal boxes we received. Not that it made up for the astronomical cost of the food there. Am I just old or is three bucks for a wrist band saying you are over 21 is a bit much? Not to mention the $5 beers. And approximately $7 for an ear of corn. Ok, I'll stop whining now. But seriously...