Blog backlog – Two Entries for the Price of One

Our Fourth

I’ve missed a little time here.  One reason is due to the fact that last weekend, Friday through Sunday, I purposefully left my laptop at home when D.Jones, Cooper and I headed north for our annual Fourth of July hoopla at my parent’s cabin.

This year, my brother was able to come with his two kids, too, so that was awesome.  A fantastic weekend was had by all, and D.Jones, Cooper and I even pitched a tent and slept in the great outdoors for the first time in our lives together.  Cooper loved it, and D.Jones, from the sound of his ridiculously loud snoring, also had no problem sleeping.  Suffice to say, as usual, I was the one who didn’t get much shut-eye.  However, if there’s anything that I’ve learned during my 3 years as a mom, it’s that sleep is not as important as I once thought, and you just get through you day, have fun, and sleep will come the next night.  Or the next.  Or the next. 

A few highlights were the big Pleasant Lake boat parade, which this year had around 36 boats participating!  It was so much fun.  Some of the adults enjoyed a little early morning coffee and Bailey’s…

Cooper manned the steering of the boat with Papa

Jack, Grace and I were in charge of waving to the parade watchers on land

And my brother Greg?  Well…I think he stood around trying to look cool.  But when doesn’t he do that?  Here’s the whole boat parade crew….

After the big parade, we started getting ready for my parent’s annual Fourth party.  Neighbors and family all gather for a huge feast, some games, and an annual Baggo competition, which this year took on a new life when our neighbor created an actual trophy.  Man, that got the competition heated, and we ended up with an actual scoreboard, and a double-elimination order of participants.  It got intense.  Seriously.  Turns out that the Iverson-Jones crew didn’t take any trophy home this year…but next year it’s on!

Here are my brothers manning the grill

Cooper enjoying a Fourth of July cupcake

My Mom playing in the first heat of the Baggo tourney, and the spectator crowd

My niece Caitlin and her friend watching the action

And my nephew KC and his girlfriend Rachel, who went all the way to the end and almost took the trophy home for the Iverson clan, but lost out in the last round.  Almost, you guys…almost.

I love the annual Fourth celebration and it gets me itching (literally…man, the mosquito bites!) to get back up to the cabin to just relax and enjoy the summer that northern Minnesota has to offer.  The lake, the sunshine, the shopping, the walks in the woods…I love it!  I don’t so much love the mosquitos and the creepy bugs, but hey, what can ya do?

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Cooper’s School and a Word of Thanks

Cooper started his second round of summer school this week.  He has a new teacher who may be his teacher for the school year in the Fall, but we don’t know yet.  Her name is Miss Ann and she is sweet and enthusiastic, just like you’d expect a 3 year old’s teacher to be.  I am still new to this whole school thing, so the great convergence of mini vans and SUVs that come rolling through the parking lot, and then again show up for the great exodus at noon still cracks me up.  Cooper loves it, though, and this 2 weeks focuses on outdoor stuff, which is awesome.  They are decorating their bikes and going over bike safety, they are planting grass seeds and digging for worms, they have a swimming day, a fishing day…it’s crazy all of the stuff these awesome teachers come up with!

Cooper happens to attend school in one of the most affluent areas of Minnesota.  It’s a first-ring suburb that is the home to the CEO of Best Buy, and the owner of the Minnesota Twins.    There is a wonderful shopping district there that I adore and try to stay away from because there are lovely places like Anthropoligie, Sur la Table, Ann Taylor Loft, etc.  This morning after I dropped him off, though, I ventured over, picked up a soy vanilla latte, and headed to a salon to get a manicure.   As I spoke to my technician, she told me that it’s been crazy slow in there this summer because of the current state of the economy, and I guess the local ladies are cutting out some of their trips to the salon for their manis & pedis.  It wasn’t lost on me that because of D.Jones’ hard work, I am able to do such things and not have to worry about the basics when even some of the richest people in the state are cutting back.  I am grateful.  I am thankful.  He’s the best~  On the way home I called him to tell him so, and he said it made his morning.  Such a simple word of thanks.  I’ll have to remember to do it more often…..