My Birthday and the Horsetrack - 13.5 Months

Horsetrack Fun

Ask Jackson what a horse says, and he’ll tell you. He makes me laugh. He’s way too cute. He’s been to Canterbury twice in his young life and loves watching the horses and the tractors spray down and till the dirt after each race, and he loves watching and playing with all the kids. And of course, his favorite thing in the world – he gets to be outside.

At the horsetrack for mommy's bday!

 

I figured out a system by my second trip to the track so I was actually able to enjoy a beer or two. It helps meeting a good friend (Hoover!) and having a helpful brother! And thanks to our brewery tour last weekend, I enjoyed a Summit. Ahhh. Minnesota beer. My older brother spoiled me for my birthday and bought my ticket in and my beer. Win-Win for all. Karl was on call and had a slew of patients to attend to. Boo. At least he was able to experience Jackson’s love for horses the first time we went to the track.

 

First time we went to the horsetrack! Jackson LOVED the horsies

Petting the sweet horse!

 

 

I turned 34! How am I in my 30s? I can’t even comprehend this. I had a great birthday. The sun was SHINING. F-I-N-A-L-L-Y. I swear I feel like we live in London. It was sunnier in Seattle when Karl and I visited. This spring has been so depressing. But my bday came and the sun was out. I saw the darker clouds coming so maybe it was a good thing we were up at 5:00 a.m. So we had a delicious breakfast and went on a walk. Then headed to the park where Karl got paged. Boo. We headed back so Jackson could go down for his morning nap and Karl could get ready. I quickly escaped and ran 2.5 miles. It felt SO good. Sun on my face, music in my ears, fresh air filling my lungs. It’s been awhile since I ran by myself and it was just what I needed. I quickly hopped in the shower and Jackson was up!

Playing with water on the deck. Loves drinking the water.

 

Karl and Jackson made me a special birthday cake bread. Get this: banana, zucchini, carrot, coconut, almond, oats and oat flour birthday bread. Can I say it was excellent? It really was. They sang to me and Karl was off working the rest of the day.

The masterpiece birthday bread daddy and Jackson made for mommy!

 

Jackson and I played. We mowed the grass. Ha. We walked more. And then we went to the horsetrack. I was WIPED by the end of the day, but overall…GREAT birthday!

Jackson and his g-friend, Hoover

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Mother's Day - 13.5 Months

Mother's Day Weekend
(a month after the fact...)

Super fun weekend!!! Anything beats last year when Karl had to leave for his orthotics exam on Mother’s Day - leaving me with a three week old - like I knew what I was doing… I have a better grasp on things this year, that's for sure.

Mom thinks I'm awesome.

 

I was excited we were able to spend time together as a family this year. Sure, it was a little cool and cloudy but for the most part we spent the day outside. Karl didn’t have to work (Yay!). Everyone was feeling great. Jackson was sleeping through the night. (Hence the emphasis on the word WAS.)

I love my trike!!! I could ride this all day long.

 

We headed to the park. My mom and dad came up later in the day and we headed to the park with them. Jackson LOVES the park . LOVES.

Had fun at the park with GLAMA!

I gave Pa-Pa a workout!

 

Poor Karl nailed his head on one of the metal bars chasing after Jackson and swore he gave himself a concussion. Hey, it happens. This kid is FAST. He keeps us on his toes.

Just had to take care of some lawn mowing quick.

Jackson was picked as Baby of the Month at his daycare!!! He's kind of a big deal....

 

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Going to the Park in Minnesota - 13.5 Months

We’ve been busy over here at The Koester household. All good fun though. See below:)

Park Fun!

So as Jackson’s mom, my goal is to introduce Jackson to lots of parks for as long as I can. Karl says Jackson will be burned out on them by the time he is five. Hey, they are free. And FUN. They are fun for me too :). I do push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges...all kind of fun things.

There are tons of parks all over. Another reason I love Minnesota. Below are pictures from all our park adventures this past month.

Here comes Jackson

That was FUN!

Hello, up there!

I LOVE Pink cars!!! Varrrooooom!

Mastering the slide!

Another one to fly down! Yipppeeee!

Look, mom! Big boy climbing up all by myself!

This park has a piano!!! Sweet! My favorite thing to do. Play music!

I kind of like this cute little house. Just for me!

Ohhh! Something else to climb over other than the coffee table!

Come get me, mom!!!

 

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One of the Reasons I Live in Minnesota

Hello Beautiful Minnesota Spring

Winters are brutal here in Minnesota - VERY dark, VERY cold. But then spring comes... The birds begin singing around 4 a.m. The morning sunshine breaks free through our curtains around 5 a.m. and it still remains pretty light until 10 p.m. The lakes look like glass. The healthy green leaves bursting from trees greet the skies and everything looks like a postcard would. The air smells so clean and fresh. I can't help and be anything but happy. Hello, sunshine warming my face. Ahhh.

A morning spring walk in Minnesota

The most perfect morning for me goes like this: I'm up around 5:30 while everyone else sleeps. Coffee is brewing and I have a healthy breakfast cooking. Windows are cracked. I'm able to shower and get a few things done around the house. Jackson wakes and we snuggle. I feed him, then we head out to explore. I bring my coffee and sip it along our cool, crisp walk, slowing to soak in the things I otherwise let pass me by during the week. We watch the ducks bathe in a few of the ponds down from us, we point at cars, we watch the birdies soar in the sky and then let our energy out by playing at a nearby park. Around and around we go. Up and down. Through tunnels and over bars and under metal frames. Down the slides. Up the slides. And we laugh.

It's perfect. It's what keeps me going. Not every morning is like this working full-time or with all the rain we've been getting, but when these days come, everything feels just about right.

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