A summer visit with my family

In mid-July, my parents and my brother, Matt, drove down from Minnesota to visit us. We had a lot of catching up to do, since we hadn't seen each other in nearly six months (too long)! We had to postpone their visit twice because our family was sick for so long in June. I am so glad that our third chosen dates worked out, thank goodness.

They arrived on Saturday evening, and the boys were thrilled to see their grandparents and uncle. The sky was striking that night.

We all went to church together Sunday morning. And after a lunch of salsa chicken tacos, made in the instant pot, we exchanged gifts for four(!) family birthdays that occurred in the gap between our last visit.

We had a few gifts for my brother (his birthday) and my dad (his birthday and Father's day). And my family gave some very thoughtful birthday gifts to Finn and Cooper: books, pajamas, Legos, and agates. The rest of the day included a family walk and assembling Lego sets, books with Grandma and playing with trains.

We had chicken wild rice soup and sourdough bread for dinner, and that night, we played dominoes after the boys were asleep.

On Monday, Nicholas had to work, but the rest of us spent the day together. We visited one of our favorite local garden parks. The boys played in the water and we admired the gardens. It was a hot day, and after that, my dad treated us to smoothies at our favorite local smoothie place. The boys love a smoothie date and this was so special to do one with Grandma and Grandpa.

Once we got home, my brother made an orange Julius-inspired milkshake (very refreshing) and we had some more lunch. I baked a cake for my dad's birthday, since we were originally going to host them the weekend of his birthday. I opted for the same cake I made for Cooper's birthday, since my dad likes chocolate and my family hadn't tried that recipe yet. It was a hit! Everyone enjoyed it. And honestly, we all agreed that the cake tastes even better the next day.

Later that afternoon, my parents worked on a craft kit with Cooper that my mom brought. We had burgers on sourdough buns for supper that night, and we played dominoes again!

Some favorite little bits of this visit:

Hearing about my dad's high school days (and the logistics of his very small high school class in Northern Minnesota)
Reminiscing about family trips. We did a lot of roadtrips and camping growing up!
My mom's tote bag, filled with library books to read to eager listening boys
Arlo asking to be held by my dad, and wanting to look out the window with him
Hearing about snowmobile trip adventures my dad went on (navigating zero visibility in a snowstorm, etc)
My brother and I talked about the difference between listening to digital files/streaming and what was the norm for us growing up: listening to a physical copy of a CD. Our brains approach these so differently). Streaming often results in decision paralysis for me. Sometimes, I miss the days of choosing a CD and listening to it from start to finish before taking the actual physical CD out and putting a different one in the player. Anyone else feel like this? Missing the more tangible version of something? We do have a boombox from my parents and a small collection of CDs! So this is still an option for us when we want something more concrete.
Arlo took a long nap on my mom after church on Sunday
My dad showed Cooper and Finn under the hood of their car, explaining what he checks on before a long drive.

I love these visits and the opportunity to do a little bit of daily life with my family. The boys adore time with Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Matt, and I enjoy the ease of chatting with my parents and brother across the coffee table rather than across the Midwest. Thank you for visiting us and loving on us! We love you guys.