Friday morning after our bike ride, we were joined by the fam for a kayaking adventure. We took a kayaking trip up the shore and even got to practice a "wet" exit, where you purposely tip the kayak and get back into it. It was freezing, but pretty fun to do something in "honor" of Greg's birthday.

Our kayak adventure took most of the day and we were starving when we finished. We had a picnic packed and found a rocky beach up the shore where we were able to talk, laugh (really hard), eat and throw rocks at rocks.

We were all exhausted from the exercise and fresh air, so it turned into a pretty early night.

This morning, we got up and hit the trails for one last trail run before coming back to reality (oh, and one last meal sans kids at the Co-op).

Now we are home and back to reality. We both commented that we wouldn't change anything about having our two precious babies, but it sure was nice to have an extended break from them to be able to concentrate on us and our marriage.

We had a great time away to celebrate Greg's 38th birthday. We had sitters for the kids from Thursday morning until Saturday afternoon. It was super wonderful to relax, talk and re-connect.

The time away started with a trail run in Chester Bowl, where 5 years ago, Greg asked me to marry him on HIS birthday. At the top of the hill where we got engaged, we were able to hug and spend a few seconds reflecting on what has been an amazing 5 years. It was pretty cool to feel more in love with each other now then we were before. Ahh...life is so good.

When we arrived at our weekend cottage it was hard not to get excited by these HUGE sunflowers. There was also a pumpkin patch in the front yard with pumpkins as big as my head (actually much bigger than my head and I have a huge head).

The cottage we stayed at was less than 30 minutes from our home, but it felt like we were in another place. Waking up to Lake Superior waves crashing on the shore, mountain biking first thing in the morning at a leisurely pace and trail running together was such a treat. We also got to enjoy a lunch without kids filled with wonderful conversation where we solved many of the world's problems. A nap at Gooseberry Falls ended what seemed to be a perfect day.

I love you Greg Scott. You are the best!

Here she is, all on her own, becoming the next female police officer in the City of Hermantown. It's a pretty precious, sweet and funny way to find Chloe playing.

I just wonder how she actually got in on her head. It's pretty heavy for such a little girl.

Then, I quickly remind myself that this is Chloe I am talking about and Chloe's theme seems to be:

"Where there is a will there is a way!"

Greg took me on a date. It was so nice to be able to talk and connect. We ate the most amazing food. It was hard to believe this restaurant is in our town. Typically, we don't have much for variety in our town.

It was wonderful to be with Greg. Sometimes amidst all the chaos, it's easy to forget how amazing he really is. I was reminded on Friday night and for this, I am thankful.

Check out the next four pictures.

Do you think that this little boy loves his life?

Do you think he loves his Oma, who had just pulled into the driveway to pick him up?

This little boy has so much emotion he doesn't know what to do with it. When he is happy, he isn't just happy, he is elated. When he is upset, he isn't just upset, he is furious.

This little boys emotions, whether positive or negative, cause us to fall in love with him over and over again every day.

He is an amazing kid. I wish everyone could really know him and what he's all about. I would be willing to bet that anyone who were to spend one day with this little boy would fall deeply in love with this emotional soul.

This little boy is most definitely one of a kind.

Seriously.

Thank the Lord for Seasons.

Chloe is the beautiful child that we hoped for, dreamed about and prayed for before she was even born.

We love Chloe, we really do.

But we live in real life and this blog can't always make us sound like our lives are perfect...

Chloe knows what she wants. She points to what she wants and cries or grunts and groans until we give it to her. This ends up in her crying almost every second she is awake. We appreciate advice like, "You shouldn't give into her crying" or "Let her cry, she'll get over it". We know that advice is good and we know in a perfect world it would be great advice to follow.

Sometimes though, it is just easier and less headache causing to give her what she wants. This, of course, leads to a nasty cycle. We know.

Chloe has the most determined facial expressions. She sweats because everything she does or communicates to us is so emotional. We asked the doctor if something was wrong with her. The doctor said that Chloe is just frustrated that she can't communicate with us. The doctor suggested we try sign language with Chloe. We're not into that.

So for now, this is a Season. We live in Duluth because we love Seasons. This Season is not our favorite, but we know the next Season will bring something new and exciting. We are looking forward to the change in Season.

God bless you, Chloe. We really do love you just like you are.