Long Weekend in Minnesota

Summer-time has me MIA from my blog many of days. We have been traveling, swimming, going to parks, visiting with family and enjoying this fleeting life with toddlers. 

Last week my guy was in Belgium for a work meeting, lucky dog!

The girls and I decided to head north to Minnesota to visit the Cottage aka Josh's Aunt, Uncle, cousin's and their home. 

This meant that I drove 8 hours by myself with twin toddlers. 

I started my day bright and early loading last minute items and drinking my Chai Tea Latte. 

We managed to only stop three times. 

Once for breakfast, a potty break and lunch. 

After lunch the Zabies watched Shrek and LOVED it! 

We turned them forward facing for the trip and I am so thankful that we did.

I could see their faces, give them snacks, and control to dvd player from the front so they didn't have to watch any one DVD over and over again because I couldn't reach to turn it off.

They could also see out of the window and loved seeing all of the wind mills along the way. 

Honestly, it was the best road trip. I could not have dreamed it would go better and I actually enjoyed it! 

The girls never cried, whined or complained! 

The road trip was so enjoyable that I look forward to many more girls trip with my duo!

We arrived to excited cousins just before supper time. 

Once we got to the cottage our days were filled with playing barefoot in the yard, swimming, napping, eating, riding four-wheelers, going on wagon rides, playing in the rain and eating lots of push-pops!

The adults spent their evenings chatting, reminiscing and playing cards! 

It was the best weekend!

Don't worry y'all, we went as fast as a snail!

Look at those babes!

Josh joined us on Friday and brought home these fresh Belgian Chocolates. 

I am not a huge fan of assorted candies but this box has been AMAZING!

Kensington and Quinn frequently ate their food and everyone else's too. 

I think they gained 5 pounds while we were gone! 

If you had food then they were your BFF. 

The Zabies loved spending time with their cousin Sydney. 

I have TONS of photos on my camera that will be making their debut on here soon. 

My computer may or may not be telling me that the memory is full! Oops!

Our St. Louis Stay-cation Wrap-up

Last week my parents came to visit us from Georgia.

 It was our annual family vacation time that they insisted we spend at our home since we just moved and have been traveling non-stop. 

Man, do I love them! 

A stay-cation was just what the doctor ordered.

Monday my guy had to go into he office for a few hours so we decided to do some shoe shopping. 

The Zabies were professionally fitted for ballet slippers and regular everyday shoes. 

On the way out of the mall we spotted a play area with lots of rides. 

The girls loved it and Pawpaw was a sucker for "mo" rides!

Every evening the girls played on our new-to-us deck. 

This particular day they practiced blowing bubbles in their water table. 

We finally christened the new table with homemade fajitas. 

More to come on the new table this week!

Tuesday the little ladies had their weekly dance class. 

I cannot get enough of these sweet girls!

Them in tutus is just too much!

Another evening ended on our back deck.

This was the same evening we learned that we have a mama doe and fawn living in our back woods. 

On Wednesday we visited the Gateway to the West!

The pod that takes you to the top is small. 

My Mom and Quinn were a little uneasy as we slowly made our way to the top.

The girls loved looking down at the ground.

They are such little thrill seekers!

You can see Busch Stadium in this photo. 

On Thursday we spent the day at Grant's Farm. 

Grant's Farm is special to us for it's ties to Anheuser-Busch. 

It is one of many free things to do with children (plus parking) in the St. Louis area. 

Meet Rudy. He posed so nicely for us. 

I took no pictures on Friday. 

I had an 8 AM hair appointment with a new gal and no one ever believes me when I tell them to mark off more time because I have lots 'o hair. 

Needless to say, I didn't get home until 1:00. 

Thankfully, I love my color and cut- unlike the first time I had my hair done in CNY! 

We also spent the evening at the pool until the thunderstorm stole our thunder!

Saturday we went to our (everyone except Josh) Cardinals game. 

The girls were trooper to say the least. 

I mean nine innings without the first temper tantrum, fussing, whining, or running away.

They cheered, waved, said "Hey" to everyone they saw, and rocked their Cardinals jerseys like bosses in the 90 degree heat! Mommy, Daddy, Nana and Pawpaw were SO proud!

It was so nice having my parents all to ourselves, 24-7. 

I enjoyed spending time with them but more importantly I enjoyed seeing them bond and make memories with our girls. 

We can't wait to make many more memories and explore our new city more!

Beachin' it!

The week before Memorial Day we went on our

 annual beach trip with Josh's parents + siblings (+ their families).

With us now living in Missouri, we were able to make the drive down there instead of flying. 

We left at 4 AM CST. The girls did great on the drive. I mean they were troopers. 

We all enjoyed a trip to Sonic for lunch. 

It was the Zabies first milkshake experience. 

They loved it!

We got into town later than we had hoped but still squeezed in a fun supper at a local restaurant. 

The girls loved spending time with their older cousin, Emerson, and even brought her a swimsuit to match theirs. If they usually are twinning, is this considered tripling?

Hand holding is a must these days and it was quite the undertaking to get to the beach every day with all of our gear. My brother-in-love was a good sport about the hand-holding while lugging a lot of stuff to the beach.

They could smell the ocean and couldn't wait any longer to see it. 

Taking it all in!

Water totem pole, anyone?

Sweet Quinn playing in the sand. 

Sassy Kensington laying in the sand near the brackish water. 

This is an amazing brackish water area near the house we rent.

 It is where the lake and ocean meet. 

The water is only a couple feet deep and is perfect for the girls to play in without worrying about an undertow. Grandma + Grandpa brought their kayaks for everyone to play in. 

Our sweet girls. 

We enjoyed them so much at the beach this year. 

They radiated excitement which made every moment worth it. 

I mean, I can't even handle the sweetness. 

Toes in the water. 

Beach buggy ride home. 

We also celebrated my sister-in-love's birthday while we were there. 

It was a wonderful trip and we can't wait for next year!