Summer Recap - Part 3

Next stop, Bemidji, MN.

We were busy beavers in Bemidji. It's easier to list this bullet style and toss in a gazillion pics. If you are friends with Erik, he was the honorary photographer and posted a ton of pics on Facebook.

• Monday arrival: HOT day in Bemidji. We hung out at the house. The boys started the exploration of the barn, chicken coop, and of course tractors and the 4-wheeler. Ryan asked Erik to pick up some Michelob Golden Light Draft...we ended up with Milwaukee's Best Premium from the grocery store. Ah...I know what to get Erik for Christmas. :) We shot some pool in the basement to keep cool. Well, I randomly knocked a white ball around and sometimes I got lucky and a solid or a stripe went in. I did have a nice two for one shot that I will remember because it was pure luck and will never happen again in my lifetime.
• Tuesday: met Great Grandma Donna and Aunt Sheralyn for lunch. Then we met Uncle Tony, Aunt Mary, Uncle Steven and Aunt Ann for some Dave's pizza. Yum! The kids had time in between to continue exploring toys from Erik and Sean's rooms and lots of outside time with Grandpa Marshall. Erik also kept the kids busy (or was it they kept him busy?)
• Wednesday: trip to Lake Itasca State Park. We had a nice picnic, did a little exploring but mainly focused on the headwaters. The water was super high so the kids had to wade across the river and couldn't walk on the infamous rocks. Mason was extra whiny since his routine was off. He was tired and naps were NOT happening on our trip. I would have liked to have stayed longer but knew it was worth getting out before the complete meltdown started. Ryan and I stopped by the Eagles to say hi to Brad and meet his girlfriend. Then we met the family for dinner at Great Grandma's. We had the whole crew (Sheralyn and Mike, Sean, Erik, G&G Froyd and us). The kids drove the "tractor" (riding lawn mower). I am pretty sure it was a toss up of who had the most fun-Great Grandma or the kids! We also took a stop over at Sean's to check out his video games and hang in the hammock.
• Thursday: met Aunt Mary Jo and Uncle Terry at their house for lunch. We dug some worms for fishing before heading to their house. Mason was interested in tossing the minnows into the river over actual fishing. Miller was content to play with his toys and socialize with us ladies (just like his mother as a kid.) That night Ryan and I had a date night. Giovanni's pizza and then off to Keg n Cork and Brigid's for some drinks. We met Sean and Ricky P. Later in the evening we met up with Brad. The kids were angels for G&G Froyd. They ate dinner, took baths, and watched The Lego Movie (had popcorn too). I am pretty sure they were happy for alone/down time because this seemed to be the only easy night they went down.
• Friday: the boys went fishing while I ran into town. We had fresh fresh crappies/sunnies for lunch (supplemented by leftovers). Spent the day hanging out and then headed into town for dinner with Sean. We then stopped by Great Grandma's for one last hurrah.

Mason decided he liked driving the 4-wheeler more than the tractor because it was faster. Miller liked driving the blazer in the field. Mason did a lot of tinkering with Grandpa. Grandma kept us fed with lots of homemade cookies and a rhubarb cake for me. I even made banana bread while there. We certainly didn't go hungry on this vacation.

Pics...so many to choose from...here are just a sample.

Both kids were busy the whole time and had a blast. After this long week of fun, we headed to Brainerd.