minnesota

When we found out that the Maxfields were moving to Minnesota last year we were excited to have them within a very reasonable driving distance (6 hours!). Now it's been almost exactly a year since they arrived and we finally got around to getting together last weekend. Now that we both live in the Midwest we'd like to visit at least once or twice a year, but between weather, babies and busy work schedules (call for Steven and travel for Anthony) the second weekend in June was the first time everything fell into place.

When we left our hours Thursday morning it was extremely humid. By the time we were on the north side of town it had started to drizzle. Within the hour it was raining pretty hard and didn't let up for the rest of our journey. We were still able to make pretty descent time, only stopping three times; once for gas and twice to use the restroom and stretch our legs.

We were so excited to see them when we got there!

It was raining quite hard in Rochester too, so we stayed indoors playing and visiting until it was time to eat. Will and Lauren packed some of their dress up clothes so Will was a knight, Lauren was a princess and Wes was a dragon for the hour or so leading up to dinner. Meredith prepared some delicious black beans and chicken in the crockpot and we assembled yummy burritos for dinner. We celebrated Will's "half birthday" with a cake Meredith made after Steven got home. Sidenote: Will knew that he was going to turn 5 and a half in mid-June and has been very anxiously awaiting the day when he could legitimately add the and a half to his age. He decided that he wanted to celebrate this occasion, albeit a few days early, with the Maxfields while we were visiting them.

After we put the kids to bed the adults did some more catching up and then went to bed because kids wake up early regardless of how late their parents stay up to chat.

Friday we were blessed with absolutely beautiful weather. Clear, beautiful skies with temperatures in the mid- to high-seventies with an occasional breeze. We had about a four hour window between the twins morning and afternoon naps and went to the coolest place--Zollman Zoo at Oxbow Park. What is unique about this zoo is that it only houses animals that are native to Minnesota.

The kids had a great time rushing to see each animal. It was while we were here that Will and Weston really became friends. The two of them climbed on rocks and ran around looking for bugs and other stuff on the ground that kids find interesting. Lauren was content to join in on some of the exploration, but stuck closer to the adults to "help with the babies."  We packed food to eat, so we ate lunch in the shade of some trees while the kids played.

After naptime we headed to downtown Rochester to see where Steven works. As usual, it took longer to get the cars loaded up and everyone out of the house so we didn't get to see the museum inside. The complex of buildings was quite pretty and the older buildings blended in rather nicely with the more recent additions.

Meredith filled us in with a basic history of the Mayo family who started the clinics in the 1880s. (From what I can remember) What made the Mayos unique for their time was their acceptance of new and innovative medical techniques. They did not feel that they knew everything and were open to new ideas and asked other doctors for input and to join their team. The collective knowledge and experience of the group was greater than any one doctor could provide and over time their practice grew. They also treated all patients the same, regardless of their race or class.

When Steven was ready to leave we drove about half an hour to a beautiful farm that opens on Friday evenings to sell pizza. The pizza is made with ingredients grown on the farm and is really delicious.

It was a busy night so we quickly placed our order, then explored the farm while we waited for our food. I just couldn't get over what a picturesque place we were in. Meredith packed some bats and balls for the kids to use, but only Will played baseball for very long. Weston and Lauren preferred to wander around and explore the farmstead.

Anthony was excited to find a Scandinavian game set up to play. He couldn't remember the name of the game, but he remembered seeing people play it at parks in Finland during the summer when he was on his mission.

 

It was such a great night and one of the highlights of our trip!

 

It wasn't quite time for the big kids to go to bed when we got home (the twins went to bed right away). Weston and Will played with the wedgits and Anthony and Steven talked about their fantasy baseball teams. Meredith and I were amused at the amount of time they spent analyzing their teams and strategizing trades.

We had hoped to get out of the house and do something outdoors on Saturday, but it rained most of the day. Anthony and Steven played an old school Nintendo with Will and Weston for several hours Saturday. Thank goodness for the internet, they were able to beat several levels of Zelda that would have taken them months back when these games were new.

As much fun as the male bonding via video games was, Meredith and I wanted to get out of the house for a bit. We decided to go to the local mall and try out some of the free play places available there so the older kids could burn off some energy.

We checked out Scheels first. They had a pretty cool play area that a section for big kids and those under three. Our time there was fairly uneventful until Will came out of the playplace sobbing. Apparently some boy told him he was going to put Will in a trashcan. Forever! This was very disturbing to Will and took him several minutes to get over.

Once he recovered he got back in and continued playing whatever it was he was playing with Wes. We were all hungry at this point so we hit up the food court for lunch. Thankfully we were able to fit in a few trips up and down the escalators on our way. It had been awhile since I've eaten at the mall and it was about the same as I remembered. Pretty good, not particularly healthy, and overpriced. But it is always nice to have a variety of options available all in one place that you don't have to make yourself. Once we were filled up we tried out another play area. It was fairly crowded because of the rain, but our kids still played mostly with each other. Will and Weston got increasingly physical over the course of our visit. They were full out wrestling by the time we left.

You can kind of see Will tackling Weston in the center of this picture, just to the right and behind Lauren. Wes never seemed upset, but I was pretty worried that Will would be too rough or hurt him. Boys.

We all had some quiet time after the mall. Lauren and I took a catnap together. When I woke up the boys were back at it with the Nintendo again.

There was a short break in the rain so we rode and walked to an elementary school to play for a bit.

Then it was home again for baths. Will opted out of the cousin bath time and Weston was too engrossed in his game to stop for a picture.

Lauren's always good for a smile.

Meredith prepared another yummy meal and dessert.

The kids played a bit more and then went to bed. Will's lucky his cousins were content to watch him play.

As usual, we had the hardest time getting Lauren to sleep. A few hours after the other kids had fallen asleep she was still up. I thought I could maybe hear someone moving around while we watched a TED talk and my suspicions were confirmed when I found her in the playroom as I was getting ready for bed. She wants to be part of all the action.

Sunday was church. The Maxfields have morning church, which was a pleasant change of pace from our 1pm schedule. During Sacrament meeting I was so impressed (as I was many times over the course of our visit) with how well Meredith and Steven handle having twin toddlers. Just watching them take care of the twins made me tired. They have a nice ward and both of our kids were brave enough to go to Primary.

 

 

We ate lunch and packed up after church. Will and Weston fit in some more playtime and Lauren got in some more time with the babies. I just wanted to keep talking, prolonging our visit as much as possible, but we needed to get on the road by about 3:30pm. Anthony had to catch a flight to Pennsylvania in the morning and I didn't want to deal with the aftermath of the trip by myself with kids that were up way too late. We timed it pretty well and arrived home right around 10pm. Both kids slept for about an hour in the car and weren't too grumpy the next day.

Thanks Maxifelds, for providing a fun weekend! Can't wait to do it again!