The Great Minnesota Get Together...

When we moved to Minnesota last year, it was just in time for the MN State Fair and we were asked MANY a time if we were going to go. We didn't head out there last year, but decided that we better not miss the "Great Minnesota Get Together" this year.

On a beautiful Sunday in August we took a trip to St. Paul to see what all the fuss was about...

Of course the fair advertises over 100 different foods on a stick. Here is one sign I thought was fun...a whole dinner, and a bun to top it off. Now that's smart!After driving around for 30 minutes to find a parking spot...yes 30 minutes...we located an entrance and made our way into the fair with the 180,000 other people that decided it was a good day to go to the fair too!

I have NEVER seen anything like it. A sea of people and our boys with the widest eyes you have ever seen. I must admit, their were a few moments of panic for me, but we all stayed close together and had a wonderful day.

After we were able to settle the boys down from the excitement of finally getting into the fair, we fed them and then headed off to the rides.

Here is a cute picture of Gianni waving at the camera on the whale ride!

Another cute photo of Gianni riding the quads. He had a VERY hard time leaving this ride. The poor carnie had to practically rip him from the handle bars...what a sad scene, two small handed people fighting it out!Here is Dominic putting out fires on the fire truck ride. This one took talent. The ride goes up, down and around while the rider shoots water into the windows that have a fire inside. Can you say sick-ville? But of course he LOVED it! As the day progressed we made it to the farm animals. We were actually in time to watch a baby sheep be born in the birthing center and then were able to pet 12 hour old piglets. We then got to visit the horses that were all dressed up to pull the wagons in the parade. Gianni was a HUGE fan of the horses!

While heading out of the fair there was a Lego center that we had to check out. We participated in family challenges, so we could earn stickers to fill our Lego lanyards.

Job well done D'Arpino's.

I guess this means we will continue joining the other Minnesotans every year for the great get together!

Shopping Binge with the Binghamton Ladies

After really "selling" Minnesota to Aunt Sharon and Stacey while we were in Binghamton this summer, they decided to travel out for a few days and check it out here in MN.

Of course I LOVED their visit because we shopped til we dropped, literally!

We prioritized and made the first shopping trip location the Mall of America.

Here is a picture of the ladies with Jr, under one of the many welcome signs at the mall!Because we were planning on being completely exhausted from our endeavours while they were here, Dom and I got a babysitter and planned a night out with the girls on the Wharf at Lord Fletcher's.

So, here's a cute picture of the four of us before we watched the sunset behind us.Overall, I think that Minnesota impressed them and hopefully they went home and talked Uncle Ken and Anthony to coming along for the next trip!

Nana & Tata Come To Town

Hoping to get out of the Arizona sun and have quality time with their grand kids, my Dad and Shelia joined me on the plane ride home from AZ in August.

While they were here, we visited the Como Zoo and Conservatory to see the animals and the summer flowers in the sunken garden.

Of course on our way out to the car at the end of the day the boys couldn't resist a ride on the carousel. Here they are with Tata (he was the only one that could ride w/o getting sick!)Even though we had quite a few rainy days while they were here we made the most out of the sunny days. Here is a family picture of us getting ready to take the trolley around Stillwater.

It is undoubtedly one of my new favorite places. It is a beautiful city on the St. Croix with tons of history and beautiful houses!Finally, another wonderful part of the trip was a visit to the bowling alley. The boys LOVED it and so did all of the adults. Although, Dom wasn't a very gracious loser...to me...probably another reason why I think it was a great day!Although Nana and Tata were here for ten days, they went by very fast and we were sad to see them go, but we know their little girls were missing them very much!

AZ in August!!!

Well...

It's true...

I had to board a plane on July 30th heading to AZ. There could have been two things that would have made me do that at that time of year....Thankfully it was the positive one...A Wedding!

On August 1st, my cousin Rachel officially became a Lagravinese.

I was so glad to make the trip to support the couple and their future together.

The wedding was held at The Windmill in Florence, AZ

It was a beautiful site and we, of course, took advantage of picture opportunities...

Here is my Mom, Teresa and I posing...

Followed by a family picture of us hard at work, making sure the guest book was signed, providing water bottles and being security to keep lookie-lous out of the barn before the ceremony. We did good!

Here is a beautiful, sunset picture of the new couple heading down the aisle as husband and wifeFollowed by Abby and Corey announcing the couple had "Just Married!"The next pictures are presents we as attendees got to take home from the wedding.

While the wedding party was taking pictures after the ceremony, the bride and groom had a digital photo booth set up so we could take pictures to kill the time. The first pic's had to be serious for the scrapbook, but after that it was free reign of the fun hats and props!

Teresa, Jon and I had a good time with it...as you can tell! Lastly, one of my favorite pictures snapped at the reception was of Rachel and David taking a break from the dance floor to sit with each other. What a great sight!

What a beautiful time I had, but I have to admit that I was happy to come home and cool off!

Out on the Range

For our last adventure in Keystone we decided to join some friends and head out on the range. We rode a horse drawn wagon down to a historic farmhouse/ranch and had a real country dinner. Our boys really enjoyed trying their hand at roping a bull and horse shoes. And Gianni drank about a gallon of lemonade they had in a cooler he could work himself! Then they ended the evening at the fireside.

Here are some cute pictures of the boys and their roping experiences.

Dominic actually roped the bull horn after 2 tries.

Gianni worked very hard with the rope, but after a few misses.....

he decided to "grab the bull by the horns".

And here is the final proof that working on the ranch is hard work...thank goodness it was bath night!

Our Trip to the Summit

While in Keystone, we took the 20 minute gondola ride up to the summit. Elevation 12,408 ft. There were lots of people taking their bikes up on the gondola, to ride them down the trails, but we were there for the sights.

Huffing and puffing our way to the top of the mountain was well worth it when we laid our eyes on the view that awaited us.

Dom caught me and the boys with the valley behind us.

Here is the view without us. I think this was the Dillon Valley.
I caught the boys riding the gondola back down the mountain. I guess it wasn't that hard, they were contained!

This is a favorite of mine because of the reflection. I was nervous that Dominic wasn't going to want to take the ride, be he ended up being the most excited. On our way up and back we were lucky enough to see a buck and doe whitetail deer. What beautiful blessing nature is.

I highly recommend Keystone, CO in the summer. No snow needed for lots to see and do!

Southwest...Take Us Away...

In July Dom had a business trip that allowed us to tag along....Ok, maybe I said "You're not going without us!"

We all jumped on the first plane out to Denver, headed for Keystone, CO.

Fortunately there was no snow on the ground, but Gianni tried his hand at snowboarding.

Then we braved the mini golf course, thankfully we got to keep the balls because the boys really liked putting them in the water!
Here is another favorite picture of me and the boys. While Dom was off makin the bacon, we went and took a tour of the Country Boy Mine. The hardhats were mandatory for the walk 1000 feet into the mine, not a fashion statement!On our way back into Denver, we decided to cross the Continental Divide. That day their was also a bike race of people riding up and over the pass...CRAZY....but it made it easier for us to stop and take this picture of Dominic in front of the Loveland Pass sign.

And the Visits Keep On Coming!

This summer we were blessed with visitors; it made for a busy summer but memorable!

We enjoyed exploring most of the time and some days just hung out and enjoyed each others company. I guess Minnesota is now a summer destination and we are very happy with that....I am not sure why people stop coming around September/October though...hmmm??

Anyway, at the end of July my Mom and Jonathan made a trek out here and it was such a wonderful visit...I literally don't have words for it!

We were able to take them to the Spirit of The Lakes Festival, here in Mound, to watch some beautiful fireworks on the beach. As you can see, jackets were needed (borrowed of course, because the Arizonans couldn't quite grasp why a person would need one in July!).Here we are taking a walk around Lake Calhoun in downtown Minneapolis. It was such a beautiful day and it seemed like everyone had the same idea we did for the day.
Finally, Mom and Jon finished their trip here by being initiated into the Lord Fletcher's crew.

Our first trip out to Fletcher's was for their summer Monday night special of $4 hamburgers, but they didn't really get to experience the "real" Fletcher's seating....

So, we went back on an afternoon with no specials and practically no people....
Of course, the weather just held out for us to be able to eat and go...hence...the not many people around!

I was sad to see them go, but I know we will see them soon. Thank you guys for a great visit!

Fourth of July by the Lake

This year we experienced our first Fourth of July over Lake Minnetonka.

What a beautiful sight. It has always been my favorite experience, watching fireworks over water. Of course, I don't think anything will replace my memories of watching them over the Statue of Liberty, but Lake Minnetonka fireworks did take second place. The weather was beautiful and the entertainment and people watching was fun! After setting up a spot on the grass just feet away from the shore, Jr took a group picture. I think I have a future photographer!

The next photo is an annual tradition I try and keep of Dom watching the fireworks with the boys. Of course no matter how hard I tried this year, I couldn't catch a firework in the sky, but this was my favorite one from the group.
After we got home from watching the fireworks, we decided that we better finish the night with the last couple of fireworks we had left at home. So here is TT handling sparklers detail!

What a truly wonderful holiday, a celebration of freedom and freedom fighters, thanks for all the hard work and commitment!

Strawberry Madness

A strawberry picking we will go...

Since we have moved here, Apple Jacks Orchards has been a great place to go and spend a day. Whether it's picking apples in the fall, strawberries in the spring/summer or raspberries in the summer, it's just lots of fun.

This summer we took our TT out to the farm to go strawberry picking with the promise of strawberry shortcake as the reward. We all really enjoyed picking, even the boys. After Teresa and I showed them some prime examples of what we were looking for they were off to the fields.

Here is a cute picture of Teresa and Gianni. TT was able to pull Gianni away from the berries long enough to catch it, thankfully I was quick on the camera button!

Finally, here is a picture of Gianni's grand finale face. Thankfully we didn't have to weigh him before we went in because I am sure he was heavier leaving.... I am pretty sure he ate a couple of pounds of strawberries while we were out picking! But this face sealed the deal for me...strawberry picking will be a tradition we will be taking on.