Reyes Family Time: Our time in Minnesota

We got back from Minnesota last Sunday night and are finally enjoying some down time that does not involve laundry, unpacking, or adjusting to jet lag. :) The kids and I were in Minnesota for just over a month, and Mario joined us there for the last 8 days. We all had a fabulous time; the weather was beautiful, we had a lot of fun with family, and the kids (and I) enjoyed the water and the boat!

Since I've got so many pictures from our time in Minnesota, I'll post a few at a time with a short about them.

Lake time: When we first got to MN, Miriam was very hesitant about going into the water and flat out refused to swim, and Mathias shrieked and screamed if we so much as dipped his feet into the water. About 3 days after we arrived, Miriam (with the help of her special swimming arm/chest flotation device) didn't ever want to get out of the water. We taught her to doggy paddle and kick her legs, and she swam on her stomach, floated on her back, picked up rocks from the bottom of the lake, played catch in the water, and even jumped off the boat in the middle of the lake! She loved swimming, and we took to calling her a "little fish". We'd practically have to force her out of the water when she started shivering, because she loved it so much she wanted to keep swimming!

Mathias, on the other hand, didn't want anything to do with the water. He didn't want to dip his hands or feet in, he didn't want us to sprinkle water on him, and he didn't want to be held by anyone standing in the water. And then Mario arrived. The first day, Mario took him "wading" in the water, dipped him around a few times...and he was fine! He jumped up and down in the water, was furiously pumping his hands and legs to splash in the water, and would sit on Mario's lap on a floaty in the lake.

My parents got a new boat (a pontoon) while we were there and we enjoyed cruising around the lake, some dinners on the boat (they have restaurants on the lake where you can drive the boat), and some fishing (although neither Mario or I caught anything the whole time we were there). Miriam also loved the boat, asking if she could drive and honk the horn.

Miriam, trying to stay away from the big waves crashing on shore

Playing together in the tent

When I asked her if she liked the kayak ride, she said "I like it a little bit and I don't like it a little bit." :)

Pontoon ride!

Relaxing on the boat

Heading out for some fishing

Miriam gets to drive!

Boo in the water!

Miriam came fishing with us.

She kept telling all of us, "catch something to put in my net!" Poor girl, no one did on that trip.

Swimming in the middle of the lake (about 60 feet deep here)

Family time: For the first couple weeks in Minnesota, it was just the kids and I, along with my parents at their house. We spent time in the mornings running errands, playing outside, visiting the various small towns around us, and then spent most afternoons (after naptime) down at the lake. After my siblings and their significant others arrived, we had a meatball cookoff (I won!), lots of pontoon rides, late night games, and a special "dad's day" that included matching shirts and walleye headbands to be worn during the day's activities: golf, boating, and dinner. The kids had a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa as well as aunts and uncles. Miriam especially loved having extra people around to give her attention, swim in the water with her and play with her.

Dad's day on the boat!

Mario, in the beer tasting competition

Driving range!

Mathias showing his "crinkle nose" face! :)

Mathias' baptism: On August 5, Mathias was baptized at Sverdrup Lutheran Church in Underwood, Minnesota. His godparents are my brother (Nathan) and sister-in-law (Megan), who were able to be there for the baptism. Nathan was actually baptized at Sverdrup many many years ago, so that was a special connection that we liked. We had a private baptism ceremony that morning (just our family) and followed it with a drive through the country (past our old house from when we lived in the area) and then a family lunch. Mario and Nathan were going to attempt the "Chivito challenge", which was rewarded with a free t-shirt if they could eat a Chivito burger (huge with lots of toppings), 4 large tater tots and a 32 oz. beer in 15 minutes. They didn't succeed, but it was a fun addition to Mathias' baptism lunch!

Mathias with his godparents

Miriam, wearing a dirndl (traditional German dress) that was mine when I was younger

He didn't make a peep!

At lunch after the baptism.

Chivito challenge!

The kids: I've got a lot of miscellaneous stories and pictures from our time in Minnesota. Some of the highlights include our visit to the fair (where Miriam rode the merry go round), our ride on the Perham Express (small town "train" that takes a 15 min tour of the town), Mathias starting to use a sippy cup and also starting to crawl, Miriam and Mathias sitting together and playing together outside. They are both so cute and funny and happy and bring joy to our lives each and every day.