July

July began with our anniversary of 5 whole years already! We left the kids at home and took off for NE Minnesota along Lake Superior. We stayed at Caribou Highlands - right next to a ski resort. Adam wants to go back up to ski, not sure when that would ever happen since the snowy season is consumed with Advent & Lent!

We tried out kayaking on a lake.


This is the view out our condo balcony. The hills in the background are ski hills.

In the background is Lake Superior. We rode a ski lift to the top of a mountain and took a ride (7 times to be exact) down the alpine slide.

The evening of our anniversary we got all dressed up and tried out the restaurant at a different resort! When we got back Adam had it all lined up with a lady to put a bottle of wine, glasses and a new ring on the table in the place we stayed. He had told her where we were eating so we think she called over to the restaurant and bought us dessert because we ordered some and it wasn't on our bill (also the waitress had a smile on her face like something was going on).

Later on in the month we went to the cities and played around at the Children's museum (it was a Target free Sunday meaning Target paid our admission that day - Bonus!). Miriam enjoyed sliding down Clifford's tail.

The reason for going to the cities was for Adam's seminarian classmate's installation, Dan Keinath.

We discovered the fun at the Underwater Adventures Aquarium at the Mall of America. May seem expense, but really, when have you ever seen sharks & stingrays swimming all around you? You walk through a tunnel and are surrounded by water.

A stingray

Adam trying to help Miriam touch the back of a live crab! Her arm was too short though.

We made a trip to my families lake cabin, they enjoyed playing on the beach.

and fishing with Grandpa!

We managed to be there the same time as the East Ottertail County Fair in Perham.

Tessa & Miriam on the Carosel - this was the first ride when we got there, I believe she may have been a bit sleepy at the time, but she loved it!

Joshua holding on for dear life! He was asleep when we got to the fair, he wore his sunglasses for awhile until he woke up more.

Joshua and Tessa went on through this a few times, it was one of his favorites, once he got up the rope ladder.

The 4-H kids had an awesome petting barn - the best I saw out of 5 county fairs this summer! They'd take animals out of cages for the kids to pet/hold and we could even go inside the stalls/pens to pet the pigs, sheep, calf, goats!

Miriam loved this train ride, her little legs were kicking the whole time!