California and The Championship

The Trek Bike I used while in CA

A fruit, granola, acai berry bowl.  So so good.

Dinner in Malibu, CA on way to Solvang

Dinner at a little Mexican place with Mango Margaritas

Solvang is called the Danish Capital of America

Climbing Mt. Figueroa 

Solvang Bakery

Car show in Solvang

More scenery

Trek Bike group

Beautiful landscape

Windmill in Solvang

So excited about the win!

The boys were busy winning a hockey championship while I was gone!

First Place!

Finn helped open and close the door for the zamboni

Euro American 2008 AAA Hockey Team

Tournament was played at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center

Getting ready to play!

One of Finn's new girlfriends, our coaches daughter!

Finn and his girlfriends!

It was a busy week and weekend for us.  I made my first ever trip away from the boys in 8.5 years.  I went with a friend to do a Trek travel bike camp in southern California in the town of Solvang.  Solvang is a city in Santa Barbara County and is known at the Danish Capital of America.  It is a quiet town nestled in the Santa Inez valley.  The city itself is adorable with lots of shops, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, etc...We had such a wonderful time.  We were blessed with ideal weather conditions and we made the most it.  Trek Travel provided the bike along with most of our meals and snacks so all we did was ride and relax.  It was truly a wonderful experience and I am thankful I was able to make the trip.

Meanwhile back home, John was more than busy!  He had two days of school to cover along with packing for a weekend hockey tournament.  This was the first ever travel hockey tournament that the boys have been on.  Luke and Liam are playing on a AAA Hockey Team for boys born in 2008.  They have worked hard to make this team and they were thrilled with the idea of staying in a hotel with friends.  What could be better?  Many of the kids on their team have younger siblings that Aiden enjoyed playing with.  And, as you can see by the pictures, Finn found some girlfriends that did an amazing job entertaining him at the rink.  

Never a Dull Moment....

Aiden had his final game in the spring hockey league he played in during the month of April.  He will take a break and play soccer until hockey starts back up in the fall.

The Bruins final game.

Shaking hands at the end of the game

Ice cream to celebrate post game!!  

Temps got up to 75 degrees!!

Finn showing me his "scary guy" glasses at Kevin's house in our old neighborhood

Despite the fact that Luke appears pretty excited in this picture, it really wasn't that exciting.  He is, however, happy that the doctor said he could still skate in his hockey tournament assuming he is pain free.

Over the weekend, Aiden played in his final hockey game until he starts back up in the fall.  After he finished his regular season hockey, he participated in a small spring league for a few weeks.  I will admit that it was really hard to even consider doing anything hockey related over the weekend because we finally hit 70 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday.  The weather was gorgeous and spending time in a cold ice rink wasn't something that any of us really wanted to do.  Aiden, however, was excited about his tournament and his spring hockey team so we enjoyed watching him play.  Next up for Aiden is soccer beginning in May.

The remainder of our weekend was spent enjoying the warm weather!  We enjoyed dinner and ice cream outside, had a bonfire and smores with friends, had a water gun fight, went on a bike ride, and spent more time outside than inside.  All in all, it was a good time with the exception of a little mishap for Luke.

While rollerblading outside on the driveway, Luke's skate caught an edge between the driveway and sidewalk and he went down really hard on his left hand.  He was wearing a helmet and pads, but unfortunately nothing to protect his fingers.  He ended up with a fracture in the second and third fingers of his left hand.

Luke's one and only question after the accident was whether or not he could still skate in his hockey tournament this weekend.  Thankfully, there was no misalignment and the fracture should heal in a few weeks.  Meanwhile, he is clear to skate in the tournament games over the weekend.  He has a splint to wear for awhile to protect his fingers a bit.  He hasn't complained at all about any pain from his fingers.  Luke is a sweet and easygoing kid that never complains so he really has continued to be active and make the most of the situation (we are the ones reminding him to rest!).

Our week with Mimi

Ready for the Olympics or at least the open gymnastics

Finn was able to meet the Basswood Bulldog, Buster.  That was the highlight of the school carnival for Finn

Liam breaking a board at the carnival

Mimi bowling with the boys

Spring snow.  ICK....

We enjoyed our week with Mimi here to visit.  Although Luke, Liam, and Aiden still had school this week and the weather was not exactly springy, we managed to find several fun things to do.  We enjoyed several fun lunches with friends at a few new restaurants that I haven't ever tried.  We also went to a open gymnastics with Finn and Aiden to burn some energy on one of the cold and windy days.  Luke and Liam's elementary school had their annual carnival on Friday night and we went to that with Mimi.  It was crazy as usual, but the boys loved it.  The highlight for Finn was getting to meet the big bulldog, Buster.  Over the weekend, the big boys were able to go bowling with Mimi while Finn napped.  It was super fun for her and something we have not done in awhile so the boys really enjoyed it.

I am certain that Mimi watched more hockey this week than she has ever seen in her life!  Not only did she mention that, but we had two games for Aiden and 3 practices for Luke and Liam.  We skipped a few of these, but she still was able to see her fare share of hockey for the boys.

We greatly appreciated all of Mimi's help this week with our nightly reading homework, baths, cleaning dishes, meal prep, as well as her playing the countless games of War, Go Fish, UNO, checkers, and whatever else the boys came up with!  Thank you Mimi, we look forward to seeing you again soon!

Mimi is Here!

Luke's lego tower that he is proud of

Lunch at the arboretum with Mimi.  We had a beautiful warmer weather day!

Finn is making some "cereal" in the sand

Daddy and Finn eating lunch at the arboretum

Although it looks pretty realistic, Aiden is pretending to nap in the fort that he and Luke built at the arboretum

Reading the signs at the arboretum

Liam and his fort

Trying to balance

Crossing a log with Mimi

Mimi is here to visit!

We are happy to have Mimi here this week for a visit.  I would love to say we are enjoying the Minnesota spring weather, but spring in Minnesota isn't always that nice.  We have had a mix of rain and even a little snow.  We did, however, have one really nice day with sun and warmer temperatures so we made a trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.  This is one of my favorite places to take the boys and out of state visitors.  They have an outdoor play area with lots of sticks, tree trunks, rocks, and random things where the boys can build forts and play with things in nature.  We spent over an hour there watching them play and still had to drag them out to see the rest of the arboretum.  Unfortunately, none of the gardens were blooming yet so we didn't get to see any flowers or fountains, but it was still a gorgeous day.  Despite having to go to school, it should be a fun week!