July 3- Journey to the Lake
Packed up and ready to go! The cabin is 8 hours from Adel, so on the way there we stayed overnight in Osage and continued on from there. On the trip, I parked myself in between the car seats and basically tuned into my inner “entertainer” to make the ride go by quickly. In-flight movies included “G-Force” and “Little Mermaid II.”
Arrival! We arrived just in time to grill some hotdogs/brats for dinner and headed straight down to the lake.
After a long day in the car it was great to just play around in the water and relax. Went to bed early the first night:)
July 4- Celebration in Walker
Started the day off with a trip to the grocery store in Longville for Adam and kids while I took my only run of the vacation. Adam also went for a run while the kids and I took a dip in the lake.
The rule was that we had to use the hose to get the sand off before entering the cabin! As always, the kids needed no further encouragement to play with the hose.
Then we headed into Walker for the 4th of July festivities. There were inflatables in the park and a parade…perfect! There weren’t any lines for the inflatables which made it even better. We headed home mid-afternoon to get a nap in so everyone would be cheerful for the fireworks in Longville that night.
And everyone WAS cheerful; until while waiting for the fireworks to begin, a glow-necklace broke in my hands and squirted right into Brevin’s eye! He screamed bloody-murder while I tackled him to the ground and started pouring my bottle of water on his face. Just in time to curb my panic, Adam grabbed the package and read that the material was non-toxic and that the pain would pass. Whew!
Fireworks were great! And it was the first year that both kids sat and watched the whole show.
July 5 - Boat Day
Enjoying some breakfast on the deck
A mamma duck and her three ducklings didn’t want to get real close us; even when we got them some bread.
Adam was the captain of the fishing boat we rented for the day for $55. The kids loved it; but wondered why others were able to ride a tube and go fast on their boat. Sorry kids; ski boats are going for $275, so the fishing boat will have to do. The water was so calm.
Lunch on the boat at the sandbar on Bear Island. His favorite is “mustard sandwiches.” (Any kind of meat with only mustard.) I think this was the first time he had white bread in his whole life.
Jaeley decided to take this opportunity to teach herself how to swim. She swam around the boat with her face in the water, pausing only long enough to say “Nobody help me!” Unfortunately she must have ingested a little too much lake water because she spent the rest of the evening with diarrhea and a temperature. At one point in the night her fever got to 104 degrees, and I found out the nearest hospital was an hour away. Luckily her fever broke shortly and she was fine by the next day.
July 7- Itasca State Park
We started the day at the park with the “Pack a Snack Story Hike.” A naturalist took us on a hike into the forest and then read “My Little Pine River” while we relaxed on a blanket.
After the hike, we took off on the the very hilly trails around Itasca. Brevin rode the tandem behind Adam while Jae was in the baby seat. This is what I heard behind me from Jaeley the whole day…”I want to ride the tandem, I want to ride the tandem, Why can’t I ride the tandem?, I’m too big for this baby seat, I want to ride the tandem.” Who knew that we should have come up with TWO tandems for the trip? She did manage to have a little fun in the baby seat by lifting up the back of my shirt and giving me “zerberts” and laughing hysterically.
Is this the BEST photo opp or what? At Preacher’s Grove I had the idea to set the timer and take a pic with all the trees. There was one member of the family who wouldn’t cooperate.
Stopped specially to take the standard vacation pic
The Mississippi Headwaters were AWESOME. The water so so clean and it was refreshing to swim around in it. It was hard to believe that we were swimming in the place where the mighty Mississippi was just a creek.
July 8- Turtle Races
Longville, pop. 100, has the cutest tradition of Turtle Races every Wednesday afternoon at 2:00. You rent a turtle for $3, and then cheer him on as he races the other turtle to the outside of a circle painted on their main street. This year it was HUGE! There must have been over 30 heats of races. The camera battery was left charging at the cabin, so here are some pics from last year…
Then it was time for a campfire on the beach…
Jaeley carried her Aerial doll around the whole trip. Here she was holding her and singing (from The Little Mermaid) “Up where dey walk, up where dey run, up where they stay all-day-long in the sun…wish I could be paaaart of their woooorld.”
Mmmmm, smores.
July 9- Relaxation
Kids took long naps so we sat on the deck and read to our hearts’ content. Me=Twilight Adam=a football book.
Favorite toys to play with while inside the cabin were the new police badges picked up at the dollar store. Officers Brevin and Jaeley are ready to put us in jail.
We ate at “Fireside” because they had a sign that advertised their “fresh walleye.” This meal was below average, and super expensive….bummer:( But the kids did get to play on the play set in the background while we waited for our food, so that was a bonus.
Kids meals at the Fireside were $9!! But they came with a “free” ice cream bar, so that was worth it…right Jae?
July 10- Packin’ up
Woke up feeling relaxed and ready to head home. Daddy took kids out for a donut and park-playing while I stayed back to clean the cabin. Ahnya met us in Clear Lake to take the kids so they could extend their vacation in Osage:)
Vacation looks super fun!
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