Minnesota Vacation

Mauer and my journey began on Sunday evening. Daddy had to stay in WA because he had some work travel, but he would eventually meet us in MN. We arrived at the airport about 10 PM. Mauer had eyes the size of saucers while we checked our bags, went through security, and took the train to our gate. Just before boarding the plane, Mauer fell asleep (thank goodness!). Surprisingly, he snoozed the entire flight. Most of you know that I had major anxiety about how his ears would handle the pressure change. It didn’t seem to bother him at all. We arrived at the MSP airport about 6 AM. Uncle Kyle picked us up. Of course, he knew our flight arrived early because, “he had an app for that!”

The three of us drove to Spicer, MN where Uncle Jared had a baseball tournament. We were not used to the heat & humidity! I thought it was wonderful! I had to explain to Mauer what that bright shiny thing in the sky was; I wasn’t sure if he would remember seeing the sun.

After the Paynesville team won 1st place, it was off to Grandma Margaret & Grandpa Greg’s house. We were able to cool off in the pool before it was off to Roscoe to watch Jared play in ANOTHER baseball game. This time it was a playoff game. We watched (with anxiety) as they barely pulled off a win and advanced to the next round.


On Monday, we relaxed and got used to the time and temperature difference! We also tagged along to Uncle Jared’s doctor appointment!

Tuesday Grandma Margaret requested that we go to breakfast with her so she could show off her grandbaby! We took a dip in the pool with Bonnie, a family friend.


I packed up the Mazda and drove south to visit some high school/college friends in Bloomington. Both Allison and Kelly have welcomed new additions to their families too. We had nice picnic at Lake Nokomis and chatted about the babies, careers, and daycare! After the picnic, Mauer and I drove to Maple Grove. We were exhausted from the long day but excited to see Grandpa Steve!

On Wednesday morning, we must have been pretty tired because we both slept in until 10:30 AM! This was the day we would tour office buildings! We went to Walter’s Climate to see Grandpa Steve and the crew, then to Auntie-Great, Teri’s office. We finished the office tour at the Crystal Care Center and visited the residence of the nursing home. Grandma Ginger showed off Mauer to her co-workers and the residence. The residence LOVED him. They touched his feet and said they hadn’t seen a baby in such a long time. We could not stay too long… we had dinner plans!


We drove through traffic to the other side of town and met Grandpa Dave and LuAnn in Maplewood. I had not been to my hometown of Stillwater in a few years so we decided to grab a bite to eat at the Freight House. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect on the patio! We watched the bridge go up and then decided to drive through the old neighborhood. About the only noticeable change in the neighborhood was the size of the trees!

After a full night’s sleep, we went to visit the Revering’s! Todd ran cross-country with Bill and Tami in college. They have two little boys (ages 1 and 2). While we were there, another college friend, Angela, and her two boys (2 and 3 months) joined in the fun. Talk about a house full of baby boys! Later in the day, Mauer got to hang out with Grandpa Steve while I went to pick up Todd from the airport. Todd was SO excited to see his baby boy (and I think he was excited to see me too). Auntie Jenny arrived at Grandpa Steve’s that night. She brought along Uncle Cary and Mauer’s favorite cousin, Lila. Lila is older and wiser than Mauer; she was born a full 4 days before him.

Friday morning we dressed the babies up for pictures. In order to get them to both look at the camera and smile was nearly a miracle. Auntie Jenny practically stood on her head to get their attention! We stopped in Anoka for some yummy lunch and some outside time at Grandma Ginger’s house.
We spent the rest of the day at Grandpa Steve’s house. We got to visit Great Grandma Janet and Great Grandpa George Mountin; they were visiting all the way from Florida! We also got to visit with college friends, long-time friends of the family as well as Aunts and Uncles. It was so good to catch up with everyone but sad because it was not enough time!

On Saturday, Todd and I needed to divide and conquer. He is a God Parent to our niece Lila. She was being baptized in Mankato. I had a family reunion in Bellingham (MN, not WA). Uncle Kyle met Mauer and me in Paynesville where we carpooled the remainder of the trip to Great-Grandma Lila and Great Grandpa Harvey Plathe’s house. Mauer was passed around to lots of family members (eight of my grandma & grandpa’s ten children were there). To avoid driving so far in the dark that night, we slept at Grandma Margaret’s house.

We had to get up early on Sunday morning! Mom, Greg, Jared, Shayla, Kyle, Mauer, and I drove to Maple Grove to have breakfast with Todd. After breakfast, we said our good-byes to that crew before we were on our way to Savage. Grandma Ginger and Uncle Dan drove us to Chris and Teri’s house. They threw a party for Janet and George before they had to fly home to Florida. There were lots of old neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family. Of course, this lent itself to being a photo op!

After a very long day and a very eventful trip, we said our good-byes and headed to the airport. Traveling west is always nice because we “gain” some time in the day! Again, I was nervous for the pressure on Mauer’s ears. Even though it was only 5 o’clock in the evening, he slept through the entire flight, the car ride home, and most of the night. He didn’t seem to be bothered by the takeoff or landing! YES!

It was so nice to visit with everyone. We have missed you all so much! Although it is nice to be home, I wish we could have stayed longer.