Watermelon Day

Lots of fun memories and cousin time at Watermelon Day this year!  As our extended family keeps growing, it is so special to be able to see so many on both sides of the family at this time every year. 🍉 ❤️

Lake Bemidji State Park

 We enjoyed two nights at one of the camper cabins at Lake Bemidji State Park.  We had been there tent camping several years ago, so it was fun to visit again.  This is a great park, with lots of fun things to see and do.  When we arrived Monday, we got settled in our camper cabin, then checked out the playground and swimming beach area.  It was really windy, with lots of waves, but we enjoyed wading and playing in the sand.  We cooked hot dogs and s'mores over the fire for dinner, then took a bike ride/walk to Big Bog Lake.

On Tuesday, we got up and had pancakes and eggs for breakfast, then got ready to go biking.  The Paul Bunyan Bike Trail goes through the park, then around Lake Bemidji, and into town.  It's about 8.5 miles to get to downtown Bemidji, and the trail is nice and flat.  It was breezy, so that made for a perfect ride.  The girls enjoyed the playground at Paul Bunyan Park (plus a Dunkin' Donuts treat) before we turned around and headed back.  

After a walking taco lunch, we drove back into town to check out some shops and get some ice cream.  When we got back to the park, it felt great to swim/float at the swimming beach.  It's so nice that it's so sandy with no rocks/weeds.  After swimming and showers, we went to check out the visitors center and did a little loop hike with an overlook of the lake.  Then we headed back for a late supper of pie iron pizzas and s'mores.  Unfortunately, because it has been so dry, the bees were really bad anywhere there was any moisture, so the girls ate in the camper cabin.

We loaded up and headed for home Wednesday morning.  Thankfully, it was dry at the park and for the first half of the trip home, because the second half, it rained the whole way.  It was a great trip, and fun to revisit a park that we had enjoyed before!

Horse lessons

Abby decided to try something new this summer--horse lessons.  So far, she's taken three lessons, and she is signed up for five more in August.  Her instructor is Rachel, and her favorite horse that she's ridden is Lee (pictured here):

She's really enjoyed the lessons, and it definitely requires a lot of core strength and balance to do the techniques Rachel is teaching her!  After the first two lessons, Abby decided that she'd like some riding boots.  Luckily, she still likes to check out Once Upon a Child for good deals...she found pair in her size (in great shape!) for only $1!

Waterfalls and Ice Cream (Willow River State Park)

 Last summer, Kaysie and I took our kids to Minneopa State Park for a day of hiking and adventure.  This year, we wanted to continue the tradition of an adventure day, so we decided to cross over to Wisconsin to visit Willow River State Park.  Dave and I had visited in January, and my sister has taken the girls there in the summer before, so I thought it seemed like a fun place to spend the day.  Brayden was out of town, so it ended up just being a girls' day.  We met up with Kaysie and Addy in Shakopee, then rode together to the park.  We got there at the perfect time, when the park wasn't too busy yet, and there weren't too many people at the falls.  The girls enjoyed climbing rocks and exploring the falls area.

We climbed the many stairs up to the top, where there was a nice overlook of the falls area and a little loop trail with another overlook of the river.  After we took the trail back down to the falls, we made the trek up the big incline back to the parking lot.  We drove to the picnic area and enjoyed our lunch, then the kids played at the playground.  We also took the little loop trail by the nature center before leaving the park.  They do have a swimming beach, but it was closed due to algae in the lake.

Just 15 minutes away (back in MN) was the cutest little ice cream shop called Mabel's.  It was the perfect treat after our hike.  We decided that since we are 2/2 for adventures that include waterfalls and ice cream, we will need to make sure to keep those in mind when planning future summer adventures!

Kristina's cabin

Over the 4th of July, the girls and I enjoyed some time up at my college friend Kristina's family cabin.  We used to go up as college roommates, then with all of our families, and sometimes for a week or a few days at a time with just Kristina, me, and our kids.  It's been a few years since we had been up there, so it was great that it worked out this summer!  It was hot out when we arrived, so we jumped right into the lake after unpacking.  Kristina's husband, Matt, was up there through Monday, so he grilled burgers for supper and then later took the kids fishing.  We all stayed up late to see the fireworks on the lake that first night.

On Monday, it was hot and sunny, so we borrowed the neighbor's pontoon and rode to the island, where we swam, played in the sand, and had a picnic lunch. 

Back at the cabin, we swam off the dock some more and there was a failed attempt to take the kids tubing behind Matt's fishing boat before he headed for home.  Kristina and I drove the kids to the beach in the evening.  We definitely soaked up the sun and nice weather that day!

Tuesday was a rainy/chilly day, so we played lots of games until the kids were starting to go a little stir crazy.  Luckily, it stopped raining after lunch, so we were able to play some croquet and play outside in the afternoon.  We also went biking--the kids did a little mountain biking training course, and then we biked to the beach and a little further on the trail from there.

Kristina and I had a great time (and late nights) catching up, and agreed that we need to make sure that we don't let a few years go by before we make this happen again!