Monday, September 02, 2013

Labor Day weekend 2013

We spent this Labor Day weekend again with my dad's side of the family at a MN resort. We are so thankful to my parents for giving us this yearly opportunity, unique from anything the girls normally get to experience. With fishing and boat rides on the daily agenda, they are on cloud 9. These two cuties are definitely "city girls", but sure know how to have some lake fun. 

The sunsets are so peaceful on the lake, just breath taking. And they are even more fun when you are actually ON the lake watching the sun fade into the horizon. 

Clearly this isn't your typical boat ride picture. But from shore, I could see both of the girls raise up their arms and giggle as Papa's boat sped faster and faster into the distance. 

Labor Day at the cabin is such a tradition that even Uncles Ben and Jon join us all the way from DC! The girls really enjoy getting to see them and spend the weekend with them. 

And for the most part, not only do Ryan and I get the boot from our typical spots next to the girls at each meal, but so do Grandma Jan/Papa! Lucky for me that means I can sit back and relax during meal times while Ben and Jon get busy adding more ketchup, cutting up food and picking up dropped utensils :) 

Both girls caught PLENTY of fish this weekend; from the boat and the dock they were reeling in fish after fish. Several of them were big enough to keep for the fish fry. When Papa went to clean the fish eventually, Sidney asked what he was doing. I replied "he's cleaning the fish" and she asked "you mean cutting them up or cleaning them?". 
Oh she is so wise :) 

Each and every night we got to sit around this beauty of a fire. Nineteen of us huddled around on our last night, as temps started dipping and the winds weren't slowing down. To keep our minds off the cold, the girls took a lesson in astronomy and loved learning about all the constellations. 

 Just in front of all of our cabins is a big grassy area which proved to be a great spot for everyone to gather and all the kids to play soccer, football, catch and simply lounge. It also gave me a decent back drop to bribe Sidney for a few photos in the bright sun. 

All weekend, these 4 cousins were side by side. They are at ages where us parents can pretty confidently let them wander around the small resort, provided they followed a few key rules. For the most part, they were on the dock fishing with an adult or at the play ground mastering their monkey bar skills. 

Ryan took Regan out on a jet ski for the very first time. She is totally hooked!! It's so much fun to watch your child feel a little fear but quickly turn to excitement as she realizes how much fun she is having. I could hear her squeals from the dock. They secretly switched spots so that she could drive; rule breakers! Apparently she was a wild driver too, quickly turning the handles right then left and drenching both of them! 

And what's a trip to the lake without the annual family photo. Thank you again to my parents for taking our family on this wonderful vacation! It is surely a highlight of our summer and the girls (and us too) look forward to it for months, feeling sad that it's over. 

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