final week of summer break: minnesota state fair, AJR concert, labor day weekend

 last monday we had no plans. thatcher left early in the morning to fly to LA for work. he has a busy travel season coming up after mostly having a break from it all summer. the kids and i hung out at home in the morning. i took azalea to southdale mall and target and also had her practice a little driving. she is still pretty nervous, so we're taking it slow. we made dinner, i walked winnie in the evening, and enjoyed the beautiful sunset from our backyard. the last day of august! 

before bed we saw winnie asleep like this in her bed. she's always cracking us up. 

tuesday morning we met up with anders, nith, moss, and kaia at 'turtle bread' for coffee and a treat. it was the first day of september so when azalea and i spotted a pumpkin bar with cream cheese frosting it was an easy choice for both of us. yum! 

we walked back with them and also hung out at the park for a little bit. it was forecasted to be 90 degrees again, so the kids and i researched which pools were still open for the season. we came across a water park in northeast minneapolis, which google claimed was open, but when we got there, it very clearly was not. boo! so, we pivoted and went to 'highland park aquatic center' in st. paul for the first time. it was an older, not super exciting pool, but the kids still had fun. 

we spent the evening at home with the exception of me walking winnie.

she looooves our neighbor's dog ozzie.

wednesday thatcher flew back from LA. the kids and i hung out at home in the morning. i worked and walked winnie. then my brother came over to take us to the state fair! the plan was for thatcher to drive separately to give him more time after arriving home and because we were attending a concert at the grandstand in the evening. we parked at the 'u of m' park and ride and it was a breeze. we got to the fair a little after 1:30 and got our first food(s) - a turkey leg for brandon and a pronto pup for me! 

we took the kids to the midway where they went on some silly, haunted ride and played a couple of rigged games :) they do not like the big rides. ha!

we also tried fried oreos for the first time and washed them down with some lemonade. 

the kids did the giant slide. thatcher met up with us after that. azalea got a chocolate malt. don't worry - we shared everything. 

it was a very hot day, but thankfully not too crowded since a lot of schools are back in session.

we went in some animal barns including my favorite - the miracle of birth

french fries were devoured by the group.

we knew the crop art line would be insane (and it was) so we did the shorter scare crow line and saw the crop art from a distance. not as satisfying, but oh well.

we got sweet martha's cookies and milk and then brandon headed out. the rest of us ended the day with seeing AJR at the grandstand. i took azalea to see them in 2024 in seattle and it was such a fun show, so i was excited to experience it again. we have all enjoyed listening to their music the last few years (mostly on our road trips for thatcher and me). this show had fewer special effects due to the venue, but it was still so much fun. it was ashford's first concert ever. he seemed to love it. it brought me so much joy as well. 

i love that the state fair does fireworks at the end of every show. 

thursday was a quiet day in comparison. my mom had the kids and me over for french toast brunch. we talked about doing it all summer and realized that time was running out. in the late afternoon we headed to ashford's school for 'back to school' night where he got his schedule and walked around to his classes. he already knows half the teachers from last year, so that's nice. from there we went directly to durant and cheryl's house for anders' 40th birthday dinner! they picked up 'hello pizza' and durant made his french silk pie. we all snuggled kaia and played with moss. their time here is quickly coming to a close and i'm not ready! 

friday we mostly hung out at home for the day. we had a painter out to look at repairing the holes in our living room ceiling caused by the roofers (did i mention that on here? i can't remember). never a dull moment. winnie loves to jump up on our dining room chairs right when we get up from them. it always looks like she's working. ha! 

i made this heirloom tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad for the potluck that night. 

in the evening, we went to 'first friday' at liz and joe's house. their oldest, lux moved into her college dorm this week, so it's been a big week for their family. anders and moss came too, which was fun. 

saturday morning azalea and i went to mall of america. the only way i will go there on a weekend day is right when it opens and i told her i only wanted to stay for an hour and hit up a couple of stores, but of course that didn't happen. ha! we went to starbucks to get coffee and a treat and it took 30 mins for our order to be ready because of all the mobile orders. oof! we went to a couple of stores she requested and a couple for me, then we headed home. we hung out at home the rest of the day besides walking winnie and getting groceries.

sunday was spent cleaning and prepping for a big gathering at our house that night. it was one of the last nights to have anders, nith, moss, and kaia before they leave. we also had durant and cheryl, jack, liz, joe, and brandon. whew! we made greek chicken pita sandwiches, roasted potatoes, fruit salad, and funfetti cake for dessert. it's easy to have that size group in the summer with our outdoor table but certainly would have been tricky in the winter. i forgot to take any pictures - oops. it was a fun night. 

now it's (finally) the day before school starts. the kids will only have two days before we leave for new jersey for my cousin's wedding. what a wild week ahead.