We hit the State Fair this week.
My husband and I have gone to the Fair every year that we’ve been together.
Pre-kid years.
Newborn years.
Toddler years.
This year was really fun (as always), but it was especially liberating because this was the first time we’ve gone sans diaper bag and sans stroller. I don’t think I need to explain to any parent reading this how monumental that is.
No diaper bag. No stroller. It is a huge parenthood step. Pretty soon, we’ll have to tri-fold our kids’ clean laundry instead of neatly folding their little shirts and pants in half, right?
Most of you know by now that while photography is my favorite pastime, food is probably my 2nd favorite pastime.
Sometimes cooking it. Occasionally photographing it. But mostly just eating it.
And since I haven’t done a food post in a while, I figured I should:
A Freeziac shop opened in Eden Prairie last month and if you haven’t gone yet, you should. It’s self-serve frozen yogurt with self-serve topping bars (one has all kinds of fresh fruit and other has a bunch of nuts and candy). I love their tart yogurts and would go there every day if it didn’t empty my pocketbook quite so much.
But now I’ve found something more cost-effective (although just as tasty!) to tide me over between visits:
I’ve discovered the best combination ever: Stone Ridge Creamery lowfat frozen yogurt and frozen red raspberries (that have been thawed in the fridge).
But you have to get the TART vanilla frozen yogurt.
And you have to get the raspberries that are “in syrup.”
Because together, they make the tastiest, most awesome-est, semi-low-fat dessert you’ve ever had.
Seriously.
The sweet syrup mixes with the tart vanilla yogurt and it’s ridiculously good.
Addictive, for sure. I’ve eaten it in lieu of dinner before (don’t worry, I chase it down with a vitamin).
I say you add it to your summer dessert repertoire. You won’t be sorry!
(and Stone Ridge Creamery, you can thank me for this post later)
We took some photos of this next family before their oldest (the gorgeous one on the left) got ready to leave for college this month.
All three kids are just beautiful.
That is not surprising, though. Their parents are ridiculously good-looking. And how they have a child old enough to start college is beyond me. I would need some kind of special math to make that one calculate out properly in my head.
The best thing about their three kids was that they were just so dang NICE.
To me, to each other, to their parents.
They wanted to make sure I got pictures of each of them with each parent, pictures of them together, a picture of just their parents, etc. I mean, yes, people sometimes ask for specific photos. But usually it’s the parents, not the kids. I honestly thought it was so awesome how much they wanted to have these pictures taken — for themselves, for their parents, and for their siblings.
I really hope my kids grow up to care about each other this way.
The nice thing is that now I can always think of this family as my goal.
A few weeks ago, I had a nice walk around Richardson Nature Center with this cutie-pie and her parents.
We started with a little “I’ll stay with my Dad, thankyouverymuch” warm-up period …
… but eventually everyone felt comfortable and we were able to catch some really nice images.
The next picture is my personal favorite, mostly because I’m kind of in love with the sky and the prairie, which is just so “Minnesota,” you know?
And, of course, there is something about a little girl being carried in her Dad’s arms that is sort of beyond words.
Summer is starting to wind down.
I can feel it.
Stores have put out school supplies. The State Fair will be here before the month is over. And a few of the trees are already thinking about letting their leaves change color.
But we’re just not ready for Fall yet over here. So we are holding on to summer for as long as we possibly can.
