Cabin Vacation

We just returned from a wonderful week at a lake cabin in Minnesota.  Some very generous church members allowed us use of their cabin and pontoon .  We were not quite sure what it would be like, and how the kids would like it, but it was a great time.  On our last day we were really wishing we did not have to come home.

The weather was beautiful--hot and sunny most of the days. The cabin was well shaded so we stayed cool enough and the heat made swimming an enjoyable thing. We had a mix of staying around the cabin and having a few days with outings to surrounding towns.

Our first boat ride.

We went boating almost every day.  A few days we did  a morning boat ride and swim and several evenings we went out after dinner too.  Troy and Timothy swam.  We tried putting Teresa in, but it was hard for Troy to hold her and stay afloat in the deep water.  And she disliked her life vest with a passion!  So the girls played on the boat while the boys braved the cool waters!  Timothy loved that he could swim without daddy's help!

Not so happy about the life vest!

In the afternoons I often took Timothy down to the dock to play.  Troy and Teresa hung out in the cabin and did lots of rolling around on the floor.

One afternoon we drove into the town of Bagley.  We toured a county history museum that had several old buildings to look in.  Timothy liked the schoolhouse.  He wanted to play school.  We had a quick lesson of ABC and numbers since the museum was soon to close.  We stopped at a playground before having a pizza dinner.  We ended the evening by sharing a strawberry sundae at Dairyland.  (Teresa tried a taste of ice cream but seemed put off by the cold.)

Another day we drove to Bemidji.  We stopped by a coffee shop (guess who suggested that stop!?) and then went to see Paul Bunyan and Babe.  We stopped by a friend of Troy's for lunch and nap time.  Then we headed to a science museum.  Timothy got to hold a bunny, and pet a rabbit and snake among many other things.

Enjoying the rocks at the headwaters.

Since MN cooperated and resolved their government shutdown, Itasca State Park was open on our last day of vacation.  We visited the headwaters of the Mississippi.  Timothy loved playing on the rock bridge there.  He probably could have played all day if we let him!  We had a picnic lunch and tried some biking during nap time.  Both kids slept, but it was really hot and hilly.  I was worn out and I didn't even have to pull the bike trailer.  After biking we headed to the beach and Teresa got to experience her first taste of a lake shore.  It was a pretty rocky beach and she kept wanting to crawl on the hard rocks.  Ouch!  But she loved splashing in the water.  Timothy loved the water too.

Swimming!!

For a treat on our last night, we drove back to Bagley for another stop at Dairyland.  If you wonder what Timothy is doing in the picture, he told us he was going to make a face.  I think it was his "can we just eat already" face!

It was really a fun family trip.  Troy and I both enjoyed some time doing things of our choice too.  I had time to read and scrapbook and Troy was able to rest and read and go running.  We'd love to make another trip to the cabin again.  We will see what next summer brings.  For now, we have many happy memories!