Lake life

Every year over Labor Day weekend, my dad's side of the family gathers for the traditional weekend at the lake. Going back, this has been something we have done since I was a child. I grew up going to various cabins/resorts throughout Minnesota each summer, and I am so very happy that this weekend tradition lives on for my own kids. I cannot thank my parents enough for pulling us together and giving us a long weekend at the lake each and every year. By far, it is our girls favorite part of summer. I do not lie when I say that the moment school ends in June, they are asking when we go to the lake! And there were tears this morning when we had to return back home, knowing it would be another long year before we get to go back again.

This post is picture heavy....consider yourself warned :)

We went back to Idelwild at Lake Osakis this year and Lincoln laid eyes on this mower sitting near the playground and claimed it his for the entire weekend. Thankfully there wasn't much competition for him and he pushed that thing around all. day. long. So much so that the resort owners wished it really did cut the grass so they could put him to good use!

My brother won the title of 'favorite uncle' with all of his offers for boat rides and tube rides. Lincoln was pretty hesitant that first trip around the lake, hanging on to me the entire time. But once he got a little more comfortable with the whole 'we-are-on-water' feeling, he eased right into it and just enjoyed the ride. There's discussion about my dad selling his fishing boat and next year renting a ski/fish boat for the weekend....let's just Sidney is NOT in favor of this plan. The tears streamed down her face as she thought about this idea; and frankly, I mirrored her feelings.  

With having a toddler on our hands, one who moves very fast, we instituted a rule from the start for Lincoln: if you go on the dock, you wear a life jacket. And the boy had no questions and no fusses with that rule. He loved walking on the dock, fishing off the dock, and heading down to the boat so he promptly wore his "life-a-jacket" at any request.  

My poor mother (and brother and cousin-in-law) got tasked with helping the kids fish off the dock many times each day. Let it be known, I don't do well with unhooking fish and I don't much prefer to bait a hook, so I'm just fine letting someone else teach them how to fish! Ryan fully agrees with me on that :)

My mom has been their teacher since they were little, and now, both girls can cast their own line (and do it well!), Regan will bait her own hook and if it's simple, unhook her fish! The kids figured out quickly that if they stayed near shore, they could catch these tiny perch at a pace that created chaos for those trying to take them off the hook. It was pretty comical to listen to Lincoln fish. That boy didn't just catch fish, nope, he was catching shark! Watch him in action HERE.

Regan enjoys fishing so much that she went out on the boat with my parents one afternoon. She has the patience for it and chatted their ears off. When she successfully reeled in her first 'keeper', I guess she squealed in both delight and shock! And there was no way she was getting that fish off her hook; it was much too big for her liking! I guess she squealed and shouted a little too much and caused those boats around her to turn their heads and check out her big fish :)

The peacefulness with water nearby is something I can't even explain. I love that there is always something for us to do, but nothing really that needs to be done. I don't clean, we did as little cooking as possible, and it's all about chasing the kids, finding fun and being together.

 Look at this little boy....between his fingers is a tiny minnow that my brother helped him pick up. EWWW! He came up to me "mommy choch it" aka: touch it.

Um, no thanks buddy, I'm good!

Here is our half of the group, some day I want to take a picture with the entire clan! We fill up 5 cabins between the 21 of us and virtually take over the place. The kids listed this as their favorite parts of our weekend:

Regan-catching her first 'keeper' fish!

Sidney-tubing

Lincoln-camp fires each night

Thanks mom and dad for yet another wonderful memory for our entire family.

We love you!

2013: A year in review

As I look back at the thousands of pictures taken in 2013, I'm caught thinking about how we've all grown over the last year in the fun we had as a family. There were countless adventures, parties and experiences and I can't help but think how lucky we are to have three precious children that make our days full. 

Oh we have our moments, of course. But at the end of the day, as we tuck everyone into bed, we thank our lucky stars to be a family. So, here is a glimpse of our 2013 A year in Review:

January: ice castles. 

This was a unique experience for me and the girls, something they have never seen before. It was cold and awesome all wrapped up into 20 minutes of awe. 

February: Regan's 7th birthday. 

We hosted a slew of Regan's fellow first grade friends for a hair/nails/candy bar/pinata party, during a snow storm nonetheless! I can't tell you how much of a wonderful experience it was. She has some amazing friends, as do I. If it weren't for some great parents' help, I wouldn't have pulled this one off.  

February was also the month we found out we were pregnant with Lincoln. It was a month of secrets and so much fun to share that experience with each other. 

March: Our first picture of Lincoln, at just 9 weeks. Seeing the heartbeat pitter patter away is an experience to remember. Tears of joy were sure flowing between both of us and the u/s tech. She's been with us through some painful days and the joy in her voice is one I will never forget as she announced our healthy baby. 

April: Regan with her amazing teacher and student teacher. 

Holy buckets these two teachers are wonderful. Words cannot describe their patience and love for children. Regan had her music program in April and these two were so proud of their class and all they had accomplished over the school year. 

May: from sunny California we sent our love back to Minnesota. 

A week in California for our family vacation was something the girls will remember forever. From beaches to Disney and pools to zoos; vacations are just never long enough. The girls keep asking when we can go back to Cali. 

June: Hope's graduation. 

I am beyond-words-proud of my oldest Godchild, Hope on her graduation from high school. She is now an adult and enjoying her time in college. She is an amazing role model for our girls and they sure enjoy spending any time they can with her. She held her party at Herman in New Ulm and what kid doesn't like scaling the sides of Herman the German, that view is spectacular!

July: we made a babysitter out of Shane!

Shane spent the summer with us and got to spend an entire day babysitting the girls in July, something I'm sure they will all remember forever. What babysitter lets you throw pancakes in the street?!...or better yet, pancakes at his beloved TRUCK! The bond between him and the girls grew exponentially this summer and the cheers I would hear ("Shane's home!") got louder and louder as summer went on. 

August: another trip to the cabin. 

To put it bluntly, the girls LIVE for this trip. Year after year we have been going to the cabin at the end of August/beginning of September with the Wallner family. They get to play with extended cousins, fish and be kids outdoors. I love the laid back feeling of this trip. There is no cleaning to be done, no laundry to fold and no yard work to do. We spend our days chatting in the sunshine, playing lawn games, swimming and fishing. There really is nothing better!

September: Sidney turned 5

Among pumpkin patches and the start of fall colors, we celebrated Sidney's 5th birthday with a pool party. She invited some of her friends to swim on the hottest day of the summer, I swear. She had so much fun celebrating her birthday with her friends splashing away in the pool. She is one sweet, spunky 5 year old. 

October: Lincoln is born

After a long-awaited 9 months, we were finally given the green light to meet this adorable bundle of joy. Lincoln Ryan was born on 10/28 at 3:28 pm weighing a whopping 9 lbs 6 oz. My water broke at 2pm in the afternoon but thankfully we were already at the hospital, because let's just say that my doctor informed me we would not have made it to the hospital in time! He came quick. I think I'll have to do a blog post on his birth story just to remember. 

He was welcomed with squeals of love to our family. A BOY! 

November: more Vikings losses

Although the Vikings continued to lose, game after game, we continued to support them and tune in week after week; only to be disappointed. 

But having 3 kids decked out in Vikings gear sure makes for a fun picture!

December: our first Christmas as a family of 5

December was filled with school programs, family celebrations and holiday preparations. We enjoyed sitting in front of our fireplace and snuggling up with a movie, all while arguing over who got the best blanket of all....Lincoln :) 

We wish you all health and happiness in the New Year and look forward to new adventures!

Final day "Up Nort"

Yesterday was our last day at the lake. It was a bit more chilly than anyone predicted, including the weatherman. But we found things to keep us busy nonetheless!

We took a family photo on the dock, something we do annually.

Sidney and Lila enjoyed a cookie while watching the kids play

On the left: Regan feeding the ducks in 2009; on the right: 2010. Her form hasn't changed much!

Regan and Carter had a great time playing with the boat lifts. This is something I remember doing as a child. They never did figure out how to get the sides evened out.

Glow sticks were a very cool "must have" around the campfire. I took a flash and no flash picture for the real effect :)

We can't wait to head back next year!!

Not wasting a minute!

Fortunately we get to spend some gorgeous days at the lake. Unfortunately, it only happens once/year. That said, we haven't wasted one single minute having a good time this weekend! What I like the most is reliving my own childhood experiences at the lake through my children; learning all about staying in a cabin (constantly wearing shoes, the bugs, nothing is kid-proofed and not everything functions properly), finding things to keep us busy without toys and electronics, learning about nature and just exploring something new!

Regan started out the morning with her cousins fishing off the dock. Thanks to Shane for filling in and baiting her hook as well as pulling off the multiple sunfish she caught!

Then it was off for a boat ride with Grandma Jan and Papa! The saddest part was when it was over, thankfully we got to go for more throughout the day.

The weather warmed up and the sun was shining so the girls took a dip (daddy is probably gagging right now because yes, mommy let them swim in a lake). When we asked Regan what was in the lake she named the usual "fish, sand, ducks" and then said "fuzzy stuff" as she started walking through some algae/seaweed!!!

Shane took Regan and Olivia for a row boat ride. Good thing he's a teacher; he instructed them to sing "Row Row Row Your Boat" and I'm pretty sure anyone with less patience would've gone nuts with these two singing throughout the ride!

The girls and I left the resort for a few hours to go into the city for a break. We found a fun park (Noonan's Park) with this adorable house. Connecting it to the playground was a little bridge across a pond; of course, the girls didn't stop on the bridge long enough for a picture seeing as though a playground was on the other side.

Sidney loved the gigantic tunnel slide and went up and down over and over again. What a cutie!

We ended the night with another campfire complete with s'mores and a pizza pie fry. Every year on the Saturday of Labor Day, we watch fireworks over the lake. This was Sidney's first real experience with fireworks and she loved it (these started before 9pm so it was perfect!). When they ended, the girls naturally thought it was bedtime and finally, this mommy could relax!

"Up Nort"

Yesterday kicked off our annual trip to the lake with my family and some extended family...minus one person-daddy. We've been going "up nort" to a lake for as long as I can remember, taking a small hiatus when we all took off for college. Unfortunately, Ryan has a wedding this weekend so as we headed north, he headed south. It was a busy first day and the girls are having an absolute blast! Thankfully the adults outnumber kids so I've had plenty of help.

We braved the cool weather and strong winds and fed the ducks, one ate right out of Carter's hand!

We celebrated Sidney's birthday with a present from Uncle Ben...a new doll! It was a hit!

Papa launched the boat with two little girls in tow: Olivia and Regan took a cruise over to the dock.

And ended the night with a good old fashioned campfire along with s'mores! Thankfully the wind died down just in time. Regan was loving the s'mores, I even let her have 2! Hey, we're on vacation!