Duluth

We traveled up to Duluth not long ago.  Steve's family gathers each August for a reunion of sorts.  We all pack into his uncles lake house and have a ball.  This was the group shot from this year.  We are all there except for Chris and Jillian who couldn't make it and were very missed!

The newest addition, Lola, joined us and was quite the trooper as were her mommy and daddy. I know how hard it is to travel with such a young baby and they did so with such grace and ease. It was so fun to see them as parents.  Lola is a very lucky little girl. She is not short on love - that's for certain!

This year, Steve and Jeannie finished the "suite" above their garage. They gave that to us which was incredible.  The picture above shows our staircase and porch.  When you head inside, there is a living room with a futon, microwave, refrigerator, and sink.  Then behind that is a large bedroom.  There isn't a bathroom yet but may be by next year.  The great part of this is that when our children cry out in the night (which Norah took up as a hobby while we were there) or get up at the crack of dawn (which we all do when we travel) we didn't disturb anyone.  We got up, made coffee in our little coffee pot, listened to music and just hung out.  It was like we were on our own mini vacation!

A lot of the trip this year was cold and cloudy but that didn't stop Braden from fishing with his Bapa.  This is Braden's new found interest.  He LOVES it and is getting pretty good.  I am not a "fisher" so it's great that his daddy and Bapa know what they are doing.

All the kids got a lot of family time which is the purpose of the trip.  They love playing with their Grandma!  Steve and Jeannie were such wonderful hosts and let us drag our toys all over their beautiful home.

At about midday on Saturday the sun peeked out and both kids took their turn on the Jetski.  Braden is on his third set of ear tubes (poor kid) so had to wear this headband to avoid an infection from the lake bacteria.  They were so much more adventurous than they have been in the past!  It was fun to watch them enjoy the water and the time with their daddy and Uncle Marc.

Daddy took Olivia on the tube.  I am not sure this was her favorite part of the weekend!  After the kids came in, Steve and Marc had a blast playing like they were 20!  They were tearing up the lake, whipping each other around and both knee boarding and wake boarding.  I wasn't the "fun" mommy this year but hey - someone had to hold down the fort on land!

As usual - this trip (despite the long drive) was a highlight of our summer!  We LOVE the time with our family and it's in the most beautiful location.  Thank you Steve and Jeannie for being such great hosts!!  We can't wait for next year. :)