weekend adventures

One of the things I have looked forward to as a mom is taking my kids to museums and exposing them to all kinds of different things culturally. In my head I have kind of reserved 18 months as the perfect age to start this special kind of outing. Well.... Max isn't quite 18 months, it's sprinter (a sad sad word depicting our spring that is actually still winter) and we needed to get out of the house! So on Friday we ventured to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Max loved it! Success!

He ran from one room to the next excited to see what was in each one.

All the excitement wore him out! 

This will surely be the first of many educational/cultural adventures for us. 

It was a full weekend because we also ventured to Como Zoo! We took Max to the Zoo last fall and he enjoyed it then, but he LOVED it now. 

He was pointing at everything and making all the animal sounds that he knows. 

It's so fun to watch him experience new things. Three cheers for family adventures!

where everybody knows your name

For most of my life, or at least since I was old enough to watch shows like FRIENDS, I've always wanted a "place." You know, a neighborhood place, preferably a coffee shop, that I frequent enough where they know me and I know them. Doesn't everyone want that?? It's just so appealing isn't it?

In FRIENDS it was Central Perk

In How I Met Your Mother it's Maclaren's Pub

And of course the quintessential "place" Cheers

Well, I'm happy to announce that I think we finally have a "place"! When we moved here four years ago there were essentially zero coffee shops in our town, at least none within walking distance. Moving here from uptown where there is a coffee shop on every corner made this realization even worse! I'm sure I cried. 

A super cool neighborhood restaurant called Victory 44 added a coffee shop/cafe and it has become our place! I have been taking Max there once a week and we are trying to get to know the baristas and staff. We are not to the point yet where everybody knows our name, but we'll get there. We must. It's our Place!

oscar party

Oscar Party 2013! WOOT!

Party prep included making a hot rum punch and lots of decorating.

It's always so fun to gather, fill out ballots and see who wins throughout the night. 

Nick won for most guesses right on his ballot. Good one, Nick!

I'm pretty sure we are going to have to rent a hall in the future if our party gets any bigger!