Category: Dannie

Since I’m doing some catch up to things we did earlier in the year, this was another fun outing we did this summer. I had been wanting to take the girls to Minnehaha Falls, but until this year, Maddie wasn’t old enough and Dannie is a bit easier to take places since she can walk. So we packed ourselves in the car and headed there on a gorgeous July morning!

Are these two related or what?! I just love how much the girls love their dad! It’s so sweet.

We stopped and played at the park for a while until we were all hungry and tired of being in the sun.

Dannie even found a little friend to play with.

I could seriously gobble her right up!

On the way to the falls, I was telling Chuck how we came here each year growing up for a big Norwegian get-together. My dad’s mom was Norwegian and she loved her heritage so much. She dressed us up for the events and although I don’t remember specifics about going there, I remember how much the event meant to my grandma each year.

So I was floored when we got there and found out that Norway Day was being held the day we are there. It’s one day of the year. And we came on that day. It made me so happy to think of all the fond memories and it made me miss my grandma. I didn’t take any good pictures, but the fact that it was on that day was enough for me.

Over Labor Day weekend, we took our annual trip to Bluefin Bay with the Fishers. Our kids are the same age and are such good little friends. We love going up there with them and we have already booked the same places for next year! Trisha did a really long post with a bunch of pictures and you can find that HERE.

Also, normally I would take a ton of pictures with my phone. But I have been really trying to experience things more and put down my phone. I know there may have been a lot of other photo-worthy moments, but I don’t feel like I missed anything by being more present. And I would just tell Chuck to take a picture with the good camera. I did post quite a few pictures below, but you can look at all the pictures we took if you’d like.

So let’s see…

FRIDAY

We arrived Friday afternoon. We got settled and played at the park and hung out with the Fishers while Chuck made dinner.  We took a stroll down by the lake and threw a bunch of rocks and Chuck took Maddie to have s’mores by the camp fire while I put Dannie to bed. Then we sat and played cribbage, listened to the water crashing on the lake, did some reading, and went to bed.

(The pictures below were actually from our park visit the next morning, but there were lots of pictures for Saturday. )

SATURDAY

We played at the park in the morning and then we took a “hike” to Temperance River and let the kids run around. The falls there are so pretty and there’s a nice place to hang out by the lake and throw more rocks (a theme for the weekend). Maddie and Chelsea have such a fun time hanging out together and play really well with each other.

We went to the pool at some point, I just can’t remember when. The girls really liked the pool, but much preferred the hot tub….I prefer it, too, I just can’t be in it like I would like with this little baby in my belly and all.

Since Maddie hasn’t been napping much, we let her stay up and have a rest time for a while and we snuggled and read some books together.

That evening we went to Grand Marais and walked around/looked in stores, had dinner and got ice cream. We usually go there on Sunday night and the stores are all closing and it’s a lifeless little town. But it’s a little more exciting on a Saturday night and I’m glad we decided to give that a try this year.

At night, we went to the campfire for s’mores again (a nightly ritual when they give you free s’more stuff at the front desk). After the girls were in bed, we played some more cribbage and this time we made a fire. Between the fire and the sounds of the lake…I was in heaven!

SUNDAY

Chuck got us up and moving bright and early and we were out the door by about 7:30 to go hiking/exploring. We went the Temperance River again, but went a different way this time to see different things. Last year the girls were a bit to young for this, but Maddie was at a great age and Chuck rented a backpack from the resort to carry Dannie around (which she wasn’t very happy about at first). It was a bit of an uphill climb, but the views were gorgeous!

When we got back, we headed to a craft for the kids…painting rocks. Maddie cried for the first part of it and then decided she wanted to paint. Dannie loved it. At some point we had lunch and then went swimming. And I don’t remember how we fit it all in, but we went to get ice cream after lunch, too.

That afternoon, Maddie and I took a nap together on the couch. It was the first time in her life (since she was a newborn) that she napped with me and not by herself. It was completely uncomfortable, but cute to snuggle with her.

After nap time, the girls had some kind of dance party…sounds like a good 3-year-old activity to me! They are impossible to take pictures of because they move so quickly. I’m also not certain there was even any music on at the time.

Then we went to the Fisher’s place for dinner. I think I forgot to mention that their room was right next door to ours. After dinner we got some supplies from the rental office (tennis rackets, balls, bocce ball, croquet) and headed to the tennis courts and field. This occupied the kiddos until it was time for a little tetherball and more s’mores.

After the kids were in bed, we played, you guess it, some more cribbage by the fire and read our books for a while before heading to bed ourselves.

MONDAY

We woke up and took one more trip down to the lake after we got everything packed up and threw some more rocks. Then we were off. We made a stop in Duluth on the way home to visit Chuck’s dad and stayed there a couple hours, ate lunch and headed toward home at nap time.

It was a wonderful trip and one that we look forward to every year. We are so fortunate to have such great friends to take this trip with each year.

We went to a Valentine’s Day playdate and I had Maddie help me make valentines to give to her friends (we also gave some to a few family members and friends, too). She did a great job with her own and with Dannie’s.

For Valentine’s Day this year, we got the girls a couple small gifts.

Dannie wanted to kiss her owl…over and over and over.

Chuck, as usual, picked out some amazing gifts for me. Look….a bouquet of kittens.

He also got some custom-made M&Ms.

I got Chuck a Build-Your-Own Internal Combustion Engine. He thought it was really fun and promptly put it together in his spare time over the next couple days.

It was a great Valentine’s Day this year. We all loved our gifts!