Weekend Wrap-Up: The MEA in Duluth Edition!

Happy Sunday!

We left on Friday morning for a whirlwind 56 hour or so getaway in Duluth! As you can see, we were all excited to get out of town.

That is Callie's typical first response face for my camera now....it is truly lovely. ;)

Our first stop once we got into town was to go on the PUMPKIN train! It was a 1.5 hour excursion out to a pumpkin"patch" (more like a field where they placed a bunch of pumpkins and hay bales).  It was fun to be on a real train and we got to see some Duluth scenery during the ride.







After the train ride we went to the Train Museum, where there was a fall festival going on with lots of free activities.



Then we headed down to Canal park! We went by the lake and walked out to the lighthouse.  The girls had fun chasing seagulls around too.

I LOVE Maya's scrunchy nose here!

Right after the top left pictures was taken a big wave came and both girls' backs got SOAKED.
Good thing they were wearing their raincoats!

We were finally able to check in to our hotel, the Edgewater Waterpark Hotel (it has definitely seen better days...and that's all I'll say about that) and checked out the arcade and min-golf course.

We had a late dinner (it was BUSY in Duluth this weekend so we did a lot of waiting for meals) and got to bed late.  There was an outdoor movie playing outside our balcony (obviously catering to families who DON'T put their kids to bed early, unlike us) so it took some time for everyone to calm down and fall asleep.  We had so many white noise apps going in our room to combat the sounds of the movie.  But no matter- the girls were up BRIGHT AND EARLY at 6:30am.  There is a spot in the lobby just for parents with early rising children- with a coffee shop and train tables.  So the girls and I spent some time there yesterday morning while Chris slept a bit more.

And then we were the first ones at the water park!

As you can see, it was pretty fun!

We did waterslides OVER AND OVER AND OVER and my Fitbit clocked 67 flights of stairs because
the waterslides started UP HIGH.

There was even a heated outdoor pool and hot tub so we spent some time outside swimming even though it was only 50 degrees out.


Click here for a link to a few videos from the arcade and water park.

After a few hours the water park started getting pretty busy and we were all getting tired and hungry.  So we headed to lunch and then to explore Glensheen Mansion!  The property is beautiful and the girls each got a "treasure book" with specific items to look for in each room of the tour.  

Then we headed to the 7 Bridges trail and did some hiking. It was the most perfect fall day!

And then...we ran into the Helds!



After the kids played we all went all the way up to Hawk Ridge and saw the beautiful views of Duluth below.



Then we headed back to Canal park for a bit of shopping and dinner at Little Angie's so Jenna, her mom Jane, and I could get margaritas (it was necessary after hiking all afternoon and keeping energetic children from falling into cold streams or slipping on rocks)! And they messed up my meal a bit so they brought us two giant bowls of fried ice cream for free.  The kids LOVED it.

This morning the girls slept a bit later (til 7am...hooray!) and then we went to the breakfast buffet for breakfast with a pretty view of the sunrise over the lake. 

Then it was back to the water park for another couple hours before getting ready to check out.

Chris took one for the team this morning and swam again so I could stay dry, just relax and take the pictures.

We hit up Canal Park one more time for a souvenir on the way out of town.  The girls each chose a glass necklace from a local glass blowing shop.


Back at home we did yard work and laundry and tried to mentally prepare for the busy week ahead. And then later the girls and Chris did some playing before bed.

But each girl kept saying how much fun they had in Duluth.  It just goes to show that even a quick trip up north creates wonderful family memories!

#gratitude

Have a great week!

Update: Timehop just reminded me today is Maya’s baptismal anniversary! God bless Maya Leigh!

A Picture Update

Happy Friday! Here are the pictures from the week:

On Wednesday the girls got to go spend the day at Boom's house with Boom, Lucy and Iris.  And
Auntie Cat stopped by for a visit too!

On Wednesday night my friend Taylor and I went to see Sara Bareilles at the Xcel!  It was an
amazing concert and I LOVE HER MUSIC.

Yesterday morning the neighbor boys came over for the morning and we walked to the library.

And some scenes from around the house and outside.  Fall is lovely.

Have a great weekend!

Timehop Tuesday

Today we have all of the FALL SCHOOL PICTURES!! I went through all our pictures (it was a good evening project with Chris gone last week) and found the girls' fall pictures starting with 3-year-old preschool through this year.

Callie:

Maya:

And then we have the cousins each wearing a gold polka dot shirt:

And the Gosselins at Baker Orchard!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Happy Sunday! We had a really fun weekend, DESPITE the fact it was the first snow.  As you can see from yesterday morning, Callie was pretty excited about it.

We were supposed to go to an apple orchard with Boom, Auntie Yoda, Uncle Craigles and Lucy, but because it was so chilly, we decided to head to Como Zoo and Conservatory instead.  We saw the ducks and primates and then all the pretty flowers.







Before heading home, we went to lunch where Lucy enjoyed French Toast and the girls enjoyed some after-lunch Gelato.



When we got home I took Luna for a walk.  Again, it was snowing a bit, but she looked so regal so I had to snap a picture.



The rest of yesterday was just hanging out at home.  Callie is studying for her first round of states/capitals tests, so we did some studying.  And Maya always seems to end up on my lap.



Today our big outing WAS an apple orchard (a different one than we were going to go to yesterday). Pa's friend John owns an orchard in Wisconsin, so we headed out there with G-ma, Pa, Auntie Cat, Uncle Dan, and Auntie Hanna!  Before we got to the orchard, though, we stopped at a cool/strange sculpture garden.

The fire was going at the orchard so we set up lunch and started roasting hot dogs on the fire.

Auntie Cat warmed up Maya's shoes on the fire, too!

We also had to make S'mores, of course.



After lunch we walked all over the big orchard to pick apples.  It was chilly and muddy, but the sun came out and that felt awesome.



The girls even got to ride with John on his 4-wheeler.



Maya was proud of all her apple picking efforts.




It was SUCH a fun day!



For videos from the weekend...Click here!

This week is MEA already, so it is a short one.  I'm looking forward to having a bit of a break.  I feel a cold coming on, and I hope it is a quick one...

Have a great week!

A Picture Update

Chris was in Colorado all week, and the girls and I all made it to Friday!  Hooray!  Here are some pics from the week:

Hanging at home, playing outside, and Callie helping with the trash bin.

Auntie Love: Auntie Hanna went with G-ma to pick the girls up one day, and Auntie Mari sent a
package to each girl with a TIGER TAIL! AND Auntie Cat came over on Tuesday to make dinner and
hang out with Maya while I took Cal to dance, but I didn't get a picture.

Chris sent some fun pics of his adventures (he tried fly fishing!) and we face-timed a few times.
When we talked to him yesterday, he showed us the snow that fell in Denver!

The girls had a fun week at school- Maya got to see a fire truck and Callie had a field trip!

We got the digital copies of their school pictures.  They both look so grown up!

Finally, it feels like fall (if not a bit of winter today!) and our tree is lovely.

Have a great weekend!

Timehop Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!

First up- the gold polka dot shirt:

And then we have the girls outside in fall:

Weekend Wrap-Up

Hey Everybody!  Happy Sunday! It is just ridiculous how fast the weekends go by these days.  We had a fun one.  On Friday night Chris and I met Laura, Craig, and two of their friends for dinner and then the Star Wars concert.  It was a fun night downtown!

The girls had a sleepover at G-ma and Pa's on Friday night, and had Pa's yummy pancakes on Saturday morning.

Later that morning, Callie played with a new creepy clown mask and Maya came with me and Luna to do a very drippy walk. While Cal was at dance Maya's imagination ran wild and she created a whole house out of a cardboard box for all her little dolls.



In between dance classes we met Boom for lunch!



Later the sun peeked out (first time in awhile!) and we went out to enjoy it.



This morning Luna had a lazy Sunday nap.

And we went to church to see Boom play the handbells.  Maya wore her new floral tights for the 2nd day in a row, and her legs were pretty cute sticking straight out on the church pew.



We met Aunt Karen, Uncle Gus and cousin Eliana for lunch and then went to see the show "James and the Giant Peach." It was a great afternoon!




Tonight we just hung out at home and watched some more "Dancing With the Stars." As you'll see later on in the video (click here!), the girls get way into the judging and the scores.  And of course the dancing!

Have a great week!