Eating dinners out and enjoying the outdoors - our weekend

This weekend I did not feel like cooking, nor was I prepared to make anything. So, Friday after work, and about 10 minutes after a downpour began, we headed out for dinner. We tried a little Italian place not too far from our house and were pleasantly surprised - there was a constant line and almost no place to sit.

Saturday was beautiful so we didn't waste any time and headed straight for White Bear Lake! Some how, Duane was able to convince Liv to put on her new backpack and wear it - all week she has only been looking at it and calling it her purse.

Heading out to our spot

Taking calls

Feeding the ducks with leftover sandwich bread

Hot rock massage for mommy

Getting her fill of cherries

Heading off the lake (this is about 3 minutes before she crawled off Duane's lap and into mine and fell asleep



Liv's short, 10 minute nap on the way back to the dock was apparently enough to revive her until we were back home - she finally fell asleep around 3:15pm. Once she woke up, we whisked her off yet again. I really wanted to go to Stillwater (a town on the St. Croix river) for dinner and to walk around. We had so much fun - even though it was almost 90* with little to no breeze! We had dinner at Nacho Mama's and actually sat outside on their patio. Duane ordered a small thing of guac and he barely got any - Liv was taking a chip, dipping it, and licking it off chip. She literally licked the bowl after it was gone.

Ok, so the guy in the right corner was our server - Liv kept calling him "Papa" and it was cracking us up! He only sort of looks like my dad in the sense that he was super tan and kind of short.

After dinner we walked around Stillwater - Liv absolutely loved it because the town was full of motorcyclists. She was a big hit with her backpack and walked like she was 5 feet tall; she was pretty proud of herself! I think she also knew that practically every person walking down the sidewalk smiled at her and commented on how cute she was. I thought my heart would burst - she was so cute!

Of course we stopped at the malt shop for a treat - can you tell she loved it? Look at those cheeks - I don't think she could have been sucking on that straw any harder!

the Stillwater lift bridge

The sidewalk along the river is flooded but she wanted to walk in the water, so of course her Daddy took her.

By the time we got home and Liv settled herself down enough to fall asleep, it was 10pm!!! Thankfully she slept a little later this morning. We ran to the grocery, had lunch at home, and by 1pm, she was fast alseep for her 3-hour afternoon nap. It was pretty hot and muggy here today but we got out for a bike ride before dinner.

The bike ended smoothly but only because Duane negotiated a wagon ride. Then, while Duane was prepping dinner, Liv and I colored on the driveway with some sidewalk chalk.  

A little plastic baggie from the chalk blew away and Liv said, "Uh oh. I get it." Ok, maybe it wasn't that clear but I knew exactly what she was saying! ;)

here she is telling me, "no, no, no, Mommy"
Believe it or not, but Olivia is a HUGE daddy's girl - HUGE! Who wouldn't be,
though, when your Daddy is a big teddy bear?! 

Have a lovely week!