The kids had off from school and we hadn't been anywhere in awhile so to the cottage it was. The colors along the way were peaking.    First we picked up a new bike for Meadow in River Falls. Well, new to us. You know we don't buy many things brand new. Theo was super excited to see G.G. and Grandpa at the cottage. We always pass this store in Catawba and I've always been curious what it looks like inside. I finally looked it up on Google Maps earlier this week and saw they have bulk candy. Since the kids did really well at their Parent Teacher Conferences, they deserved a treat. They did indeed have candy. Grab bags, random holiday candy, and lots more.

Meadow had an event at her school on Thursday night so we took Meadow out of school and left Friday morning. We took our old route to the cottage through Taylors Falls. We always drive by this place that sells bread.  Balsam Lake Oven Breads. We decided to finally try it out. Unfortunately the breadshop wasn't open but they also had this garden store full of hostas.   When we say full, we mean dozens of varieties. We had to get some for our work-in-progress gardens. There was even a swingset for the kids to play on while we shopped.    We made another stop to do a potty break/driver swap/playground time in Bruce.  Sometimes  we stop here and don't let the kids play. They were much happier that we let them have a good time.   This also gave Scott and I time to start booking our hotels for a trip we're taking in August. 

While everyone else in Minneapolis closes their street down to traffic on National Night Out, it's a tradition on our block to do so at the end of summer. Because we are on a higher traffic street with a busline the city doesn't like us to block traffic on NNO. 

After Meadow's birthday, Brittany and Chelsea stayed a few days longer. Since they were heading to the cottage they took Theo and Meadow with them. To take advantage of our kid free car ride we stopped at Moon Ridge Brewery for dinner. We actually went out two, count them, two nights in a row without any kiddos causing a ruckus. The pizza was good. The beer was good. What else can you ask for? The beer was also cheap. Might have to stop back here with the kids. I suppose. Our new tradition of biking to the parade. Well, I was going to also, but our new pump broke.  I had to drive and walk, which meant Blake, Brooke and Theo beat me to the parade. Patriotism can be fun. Theo was excited for the parade. We didn't notice it at the time, but Meadow had lost a lens at the cottage. Whoops. Same old parade, good old time. There were donuts of course. The emergency vehicle sirens were too lo...