Summer Fun in the Sun!

This has been the BEST summer ever!!!
We kicked off our summer break with a trip to our favorite Minnesota destination - Crosslake! Our dear friends Steve and Aleen invited our family to their gorgeous cabin for a week in June. We fished, cruised the Whitefish Chain, danced, had a dock party, ate lots of delicious food and laughed...and laughed! Every summer we have a theme song (which is a fun way of saying the girls play their favorite song over and over again!). This year it was Love You Like a Love Song by Selena Gomez.






After a week at the cabin-we came home,washed clothes,repacked, and hit the road to the Black Hills! We rented a 28' camper - fully loaded - what a way to camp!!! We left town like thieves in the night - 3am to be exact. By the time the girls woke up we were in Souix Falls, SD. The girls were SO surprised to wake up on the road and couldn't believe we carried them to the truck while they were sleeping - so sneaky!


Our first stop was Wall Drug of course! That place is so neat! We did a little shopping, had lunch, and took lots of pictures posing with at the props.

We traveled through the Badlands to Rapid City. What a BEAUTIFUL drive! We settled in at Rushmore Shadows Resort. It was a nice family resort located just minutes from all the sites we wanted to see and it had a Swimming Pool - SCORE!

Mt. Rushmore was AMAZING!

We also checked out Old Mac Donald's Petting Farm, Reptile Gardens, and Bear Country USA. We spent times shopping, eating and site seeing in Keystone. We finished our visit with a Cowboy Dinner at the set of Dancing with Wolves at Ft. Hays.
We also had a "theme song" on this trip! Tonight Tonight by Hot Chelle Rae!

The rest of the summer has been filled Bike Rides to the park,

Swimming lessons and lazy days at the pool,

Weekly visits to the Shakopee Library, Ice Cream Cones at Minnehaha Falls, Shopping at the Farmer's Market on Nicolett Mall, Exploring at the Works Museum,

Eating hot dogs at a Twins game,

BBQ's in the back yard,

Hanging Out With Friends,

Enjoying dinner on our patio,

and a National Night Out block party that was through the roof ya'll!

Now we're off to go school shopping...First and Second Grade - Here We Come!!!

Spring 2011

Sleeping Beauty

Fishing in Crosslake, MN


Toothless Cutie

Sister Love

Jamaica Mon'


The More You Read, The Smarter You Get!

Piper's Artwork displayed at the Shakopee Library

Lucille Graduated from Kindergarten!!!

Winter 2010/2011

Fall 2010

Piper started first grade and Lucille started kindergarten. Lucy has the same teacher Piper had, Ms. Tobias. She is wonderful! The girls love school and are both in accelerated reading groups. The girls are taking piano lessons again with Miss Kate. They can play a mean Hot Cross Buns! Piper is in gymnastics again this year and Lucy has started taking Ballet and Tap lessons.
Trent is staying busy with work and home improvement projects. As I mentioned in my previous post, I started a Special Ed Para position. I also keep very busy running the girls around to all their activities and 'play dates'. Why are they called play dates? It sounds goofy. When I was a kid, you just simply played or hang out. Now parents have to call each other, make a plan, and schedule a play date. Ridiculous.

Whoa - Remember Us?!?!

I know you probably thought we bought a yacht and set sail in the Caribbean - we wish! No, life has just kept us all very busy. I mean WAY Super Duper busy. There have been new jobs, school and homework, dance and piano lessons, and having fun of course! I will start by saying, I had a job change last fall from an administrative position at the school district to a Special Ed Paraprofessional (classroom assistant/teacher's aide). Being in the classroom has kept me away from the computer-the internet machine. I have to admit, I did all my blogging and on-line shopping during office hours...shhh! I have the summer off - I'm not bragging-just informing, so I will continue to blog in the mornings with my coffee. I will catch you up to speed, upload recent pics and let you know what is in store for the Stern Clan this year.

With much peace and love,
Angie, Trent, Piper and Lucille

Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer

We had an AWESOME summer!!!!! We are usually traveling here and there and everywhere during the summer, but this year we had lots of out of town visitors and had a blast entertaining and exploring Minnesota with our guests.
Here are some of the highlights~

Trent's brother Lance, nephew Jake, niece Jordon from Yuma Arizona.

Trent's niece (Lance's oldest) Kiersten and her daughter Kierah from Tamecula, California

Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America

Spam Museum in Austin Minnesota

Grandpa Stern from Colorado Springs, Co.

Firetruck Super Soaker at National Night Out

Maintaining the Greens at the golf course with daddy.


Grandpa Joe from Sedona, Arizona

Piper's first day as First Grader

Lucille's first day as a Kindergartener

WHAT A SUMMER!!!!!

Summer Updates

Time flies when you're having fun!
Piper had her first visit from the tooth fairy. The fairy left her $1 and sugarless gum. Apparently our fairy is a little more frugal than others in the neighborhood. Piper's friends were all "I got $3 and I got $5". Seriously - for a tooth?!?!?!

They have been taking swimming lessons and swimming at the neighbor's pool A LOT. At the beginning of the summer they wanted life jackets, floaters, inner tubes, goggles and towels at hand to dry their faces in case someone near by was actually having fun and accidentally splashed them!!! Fast forward three weeks, and now we can't get them out of the pool. They are doing cannon balls, jack knives and can openers (don't ask). They are swimming underwater and having the time of their lives!!

We went camping with some good friends in mid June. This was our first camping trip as a family. It was super fun! We went to Kiesler's in Waseca, MN. It is a great family friendly campground with lots of activities for kids. One night they had a hula hoop contest and dance party for the kids. The girls are now hooked hula hoopin' and hula everywhere. In the living room while watching tv, down the street while walking to a friend's house, and all the girls in the neighborhood hula too. You can find groups of girls in yards hula hoopin all hours of the day. They can hula on one foot while clapping, down to their knees and back up, walking forwards and back...it's crazy. And the funniest is watching us moms and dads trying to hula...not too pretty!

We have also had a visit from Trent's dad and a visit from Trent's brother Lance and our niece and nephew, Jordon and Jake. Our niece Kiersten (Lances's oldest) and her little girl Kierah will be visiting us in a couple weeks! Minnesota is a great place to visit in the summer!!!

We are getting ready to head north for a long weekend, so I will post photos and write updates in a week or so.

Peace, love and joy!!!!!