Horses, Pictures and Dancing - Oh My!

It's amazing how fast time goes. I know this tends to be a repetitive topic in my blogs, but it's true. I live less than 20 miles from many of my high school girlfriends and still we go months without seeing each other. We shoot each other texts here and there, plus the occasional email chain - but other than that we get stuck in our day-to-day routines as time sneaks by. It's insane. After a recent string of emails, we've vowed to make more of an effort to get together - as families and a girls night every now and then.

Friday night, Kelly and I decided it's been too long since we've hung out - hubbies and kiddos included. After brainstorming possible family activities, we settled on meeting out at Canterbury Park. It's family friendly, and overall cheap entertainment. Plus Ryan being a California native and a Minnesota transplant, he'd never been.

The boys bet on the ponies and even managed to walk away with extra winnings. We sat outside enjoying the perfect Minnesota summer night, catching up and watching our girlies play in the grass. Harper LOVED Blake. Kelly told Harper to give Blake a hug (for a photo opp of course) and that opened the flood gates. Every three seconds Harper was attacking poor Blake with hugs and kisses. She couldn't get enough of sweet baby Blake (and neither could I!). It was such a fun night with the Stuntz family and I know we'll be seeing more of them soon!

Speaking of girl days, I had our 4th dinner club Saturday afternoon. It was my turn to pick, and since it's mid-Summer I opted for lunch on a patio - it only seemed appropriate. After researching a few places along the Mississippi River, I decided on Aster Cafe in Minneapolis. 

In the heart of St. Anthony Main on a beautiful summer day, outdoor seating was in high demand. While waiting for a table we browsed the brunch menu and gossiped, like usual. After being seated, we realized everything on the menu sounded amazing. We all opted to order something different incase we needed to do a little dish swapping. The chorizo torta caught my eye, and once it arrived I wasn't disappointed. Avocado, egg, cheese, pesto and chorizo all stuffed into a bread bowl? Yes please! Food was amazing and the company was terrific as always. I'm eager to see where our August stop will be!

I was so excited to get the email from Kristen last week informing me our pictures were ready. A couple weeks ago we met her at French Park in Plymouth for our last photo session as a family of 3. She gave us a sneak peek and I was dying to see the rest! She captured some amazing shots, and some special moments between us as a family. 

Below are a few of my favorites, although I could have easily shared all 170 images! Thanks again to Kristen Anne Photography for an amazing session. We'll be meeting her again in a few short weeks to capture our first session as a family of 4! :)

Tonight we wrapped up Harper's summer session at Jete Dance Centre. The 8 week session was a perfect preview into dance class for toddlers. Each week, my heart filled with joy watching her wiggle around. I'm not sure who was smiling more, me or Harper. 

Miss Hannah was an incredible instructor and had some serious patience. The thought of teaching eight 2 and 3 year olds seems terrifying, but she made it look easy each week. Harper was often distracted by her own reflection in the mirror and wandered away from her designated dot from time to time, but overall she followed direction well. 

For the final class, the girls invited the grown ups into the studio to show us all their hard work. As expected, it was adorable. Harper once again wandered from her spot and weaseled her way in front of Mitch and I. It was pretty cute, you could tell she was excited to show us her moves. Since she enjoyed the 8 week session so much, we decided to make dance a reoccurring activity. We'll have a month off, but come September - we're back in the studio and looking forward to it!

Until next time…
The Helleen's