Fireworks, Fotos and Field Trips

I still can't get over the fact that it's actually July. Thursday was the 4th, and we were looking forward to a relaxing, family filled day outside. 

Golf has always been an activity Mitch and I enjoy doing together. He is the one who introduced me to the game, bought me my first set of clubs and fancy bag, and even proposed to me on the golf course. Once we had Harper, our days of hitting the links together have diminished. Since the weather was amazing, and we both had the day off - we scheduled a tee time for 8:20am to play a quick 9 holes at Eagle Lake. Harper enjoyed the morning over at Granny & Pop's while Mitch and I enjoyed our morning date. 

After golf we discussed our next steps. It was decided we'd head down to Canterbury Park to bet on the horses. They were having a few special events for the 4th, and it fit our requirement of being outside. By the time we rolled into the parking lot around 2pm - it was nearly full. We knew we were in for big crowds, and long lines. 

We made the most of our day at the race track. We bet on a few ponies (only to lose) and enjoyed the sunshine and the free hot dogs. I mean honestly, how do you pass up a free hot dog? You can't. They also had free pony rides, and petting zoo for the kiddos. Our past experiences with carousel rides or any other activity going around in a circle hasn't been too successful - so we skipped the pony rides and headed to the petting zoo. She admired the rabbits, goats, sheep, ducks and pony but was too tired to get down and actually touch them. After a few hours, we were all tuckered out from the hot sun and decided to head home for some BBQ.

Mitch's parents BBQ every 4th, and it's tradition to end the night with Bob's Fireworks Spectacular. Last year, Harper was not a fan of the flaming fireworks. This year, totally different story. She would clap after every pop, and scream "WHOA" once the flame ran out. After an hour past her bed time, we finally dragged her inside. It was fun to watch her this year, rather than the screaming and tears we experienced last year!

Friday I had to go back to work to finish up the week, but Mitch and Harper were nice enough to come to Eden Prairie and take me to lunch. We headed to Jason's Deli, mostly because you get free ice cream before you leave. It was a fun treat to have them come down and help break up my Friday. After joining me for lunch, Mitch and Harper headed to Amanda's to take a dip in the pool. Luckily, my work day went fast and traffic on the way home was a breeze. 

When I got home I was thrilled to see we received the CD of Harper's 18 month photos. A couple weeks ago we met Kristen in Stillwater at this awesome farm to capture Harper's 18 month personality. As usual, we are thrilled with the results! She photographed our engagement photos, wedding, maternity and now continues to impress us with the work she does with Harper. Thanks again Kristen for doing an awesome job!

Here are some of our favorites from Kristen Anne Photography:

Saturday was an uber lazy day, which made it feel like a Sunday. We sat around most of the day, staying in our pajama's probably a little longer than we should have. Finally around 3pm, we opted to be adventurous and get out of the house. Mitch made plans for us to have a date night out, while his parents took Harper for the evening. It had been nearly a year (gosh, that seems sad) since I'd been to the theater to see a movie - so that was on our agenda. We grabbed a quick dinner at Mongo's and headed to AMC to catch the next showing of Monster's University. We laughed that on our date night, we were going to see a G rated movie - but it didn't disappoint. Monster's Inc. is one of my favorites, so when I found out they were making a prequel, I was pumped. Little Mike Wazowski nearly melted my heart. It was adorable and funny, and I loved every second of it. I swear I'm 28 and not 12. :)

Sunday was clearly the last day of the long weekend, and we wanted to make it count! We opted to take a mini family field trip to the Minnesota Zoo. It was Harper's firs

t time, and since we pulled into the parking lot with a napless 18 month crabby girl; we weren't sure how it would go. Shockingly she caught a second wind and powered through. She loved all the animals, and even learned a new word - turtle. It sounds more like "tu-too" but it's adorable and we know what she means. :) After nearly 4 hours checking out every single exhibit, it was safe to say our first zoo trip was a total success.

It was such a great long weekend, full of fun activities and beautiful weather. Hope everyone had a great 4th, but now it's time to get back to reality!

Until next time...

The Helleen's