Brainerd Journal: Day 5

I feel like I'm continuously behind on journaling, but being a busy Mom, even vacation doesn't guarantee me free time these days. Both boys have been waking up at their normal times while going to bed later than usual, and let's just say that I haven't had time to sit down.

We have had a great time with Kent, Pam and Jess in town over the weekend, even if it was dreary and rainy in the mornings and storming over night both nights.

Kent caught a little rock bass within an hour of their arrival, and Cashel was a little intrigued, even if a little scared to touch it. Cute! Apparently Cashel went on to catch his first ever fish while I was getting Kendrick down for his nap. (I still need to get those pics from Grandma Pam.)

As usual, the boys just loved having Aunt Jess around :) She and Grandma Pam are so attentive to the boys, and I know that makes them feel special :)

The boys have been doing so great being on vacation, and we are so glad they adjusted so well to the cabin. Yesterday was incredible for me as a Mom, to be able to take Cashel tubing and experience that first with him (and Aunt Jess). It was fun to just be so carefree, as so much of the time I feel like I have to have my guard up as a parent to make sure everything is safe. We had SO much fun, and it is a memory I will cherish for years to come. Cashel did so great, even with a little spill at the end, and can't wait to go again!
Photos are also in Grandma Pam's camera.

We went out for pizza last night at Rafferty's on a whim (mainly because it seemed everywhere else was closed) and had THE most delicious pizza! I'm fairly certain I will be day-dreaming about the bbq pork on this pizza for a long, long time. SOOOOOOOOOOO yummy!

It has been nice having them around for sure, although we will be welcoming the chance to reinstate our routine a bit more with it just being the four of us again. For some reason, the boys like to stay up and hang out when we have more people in the house haha :)

They just took off after lunch today. We met Don (Grandma Vi's brother), Carol and their grandson Brock for lunch at Grizzly's at 11:30 and had a great time visiting with them. Afterward, they invited us to their home nearby in Baxter for a short visit, but we couldn't stay long as the boys were well past nap time, and we wanted to be able to enjoy at least part of their nap time.

That's about it for today. The boys didn't nap much longer than on the car ride home from Don and Carol's, so they're up now. Time to get outside and have some more summer fun!

Brainerd Journal: Day 2

It's raining outside right now, and about 6am. A really awesome storm rolled through this morning, leaving us all feeling MUCH cooler. Last night was pretty miserable without the a/c, and reminded me when, as a little girl, I had to go to sleep with my body feeling sticky and my sheets clinging to me.

The boys have been horrible going to sleep at night, but have been sleeping awesome once we finally get there. Kendrick has been up at 4 or 5am, but just that once. The fresh air must really be wearing them out, but the place is still so exciting and new that they don't want each day to end.

Kent, Pam and Jess arrive today, although I'm not sure when they plan to leave. It will be nice to have them here to visit with. Granted, it's rainy, so the appeal of the place is slightly less than it was yesterday. I'm not minding the chance to stay in, cozy up and watch movies all day, but I have a feeling Cashel won't last that long like that. Thankfully, the boys just adore Aunt Jess, so hopefully we get through a rainy day.

Last night after the boys went to sleep, I took the monitor (and some bug spray) out to Mark, who had headed out to fish, and decided to cast my line a few times. He managed to catch an enormous (probably 5lb) dogfish (YUCK!) and I caught a little rock bass. I really hope Mark has better luck. I could care less if I catch anything, but to him, it's all about catching the big one :) It'd be so great to get a Walleye or a Northern to filet up.

I just realized this morning that I completely forgot to bring my camera charger, so I'm trying to decide how to play that. I'd hate to spend the rest of the trip without my DSLR, but with only 1/3 power left, I highly doubt it will last longer than another day at most. Hopefully Walmart sells the charger! (As I'm posting this later, we thankfully had Dad, Pam and Jess stop to pick up the charger, cinnamon rolls, and crib bedding we had forgotten at home on their way up!)

Kendrick and I are up now, and he is jumping in the jumperoo while I journal. I have a large cup of coffee, and he is sporting the biggest bean-smile I've seen :) We are watching a little Ratatouille, and I totally forgot how adorable this movie is :)

I made this really in depth meal plan, and to be honest, it has kinda gone out the window. Granted, I've got lots of stuff to choose from, but I'm not entirely sure it all goes together very well. After spending an inappropriate amount of time (considering I have two little guys) making fresh cinnamon rolls last week, I cannot BELIEVE I forgot them! The good news is that we now have a freezer-full of cinnamon rolls. (Again, by the end of the week, we got to enjoy the cinnamon rolls - THANK YOU for picking them up for us, Dad, Pam and Jess!)

Okay, it's time to go - Kendrick is settling down and giving me the, "Jumping time is over, Ma" look.

Brainerd Journal: Day 1

It's incredible here! I was a little worried after first arriving and finding that Cashel was SO enamored with the water, but he has seemed to at least have a respect for it, and doesn't want to go charging in. It probably helps that it's still a tinge cold right now.

The wildlife is just mesmerizing. The birds are constantly chirping and we saw a gaggle of 35 geese this morning swim right up in front of the cabin. We are about 10 miles from Brainerd, but the drive doesn't seem too bad.

Kendrick has been completely obsessed with the grass, and last night for the first time ever, he randomly just stood up from sitting position without pulling up on anything. We are in for some trouble, I have a feeling! It's a good thing he's still a short stack.

The boys were both up before 7am this morning, and considering they got to bed so very late last night, I'm hoping this afternoon nap they're taking will be a lengthy one, or we could be looking at some rough days. It was so cute to see their reactions when we first arrived: They just kept going from room to room saying, "Wow!" Kendrick was crawling all over with a huge grin on his face.

I love that this place has a little beach area, although Cashel has been just crawling around in it and getting SUPER sandy, although it's nothing a little shower doesn't take care of.

It's into the 80s today, but by the lake with a slight breeze, it honestly feels like paradise right now.

We met the neighbors last night, and they are just the sweetest people. She is originally from upstate New York, and he is originally from Brainerd. He has owned the cabin 30 years. He rented it out for a while when his work transferred him to upstate New York, which is when they met. Their home looks gorgeous!

Kent, Pam and Jessica are to be arriving tomorrow, and I think Mark is getting excited for them to come and maybe give us a chance to get out on the jet ski and tube a bit without having to worry about the boys. I'm excited to share this place with them as well. It's something I've always wanted to do - to vacation with family. We have shared a couple vacations with Daniel and Iryna (and in the past, Daniel and Rechelle), but it should be fun to vacation with others as well, even if just for a day or two.

The sound of the lake is so therapeutic right now - the waves lapping against the shoreline. I think Mark really wants to get out and fish a bit more, but I'm a little skeptical that he'll catch anything from the dock. He wanted to rent out a fishing boat for the week, but for $250 per day, he decided to pass on that. Hopefully he doesn't regret it. But honestly, I don't think anything is going to be able to compare to deep sea fishing in Alaska, so it's probably alright. He probably will attempt to do some fishing off the jet ski, which would probably work just as well.

Vacationing with two little ones isn't horrible so far. I thought it would be harder, but this place makes it super easy. The only downside is that we struggle to leave the doors open since Kendrick likes to pull up and then bang on the screens. The breeze is just incredible! It is going to be hard to leave this place next Thursday! I can't help but wish we had brought our hammock with us, but with how packed full the Tahoe was when we left home, there wouldn't have been a single inch of space left for it!

Yesterday on our way up, the boys slept almost the whole way! They woke up around St. Cloud, and we had Papa John's (YUM!) and explored a little park for a little while. The place had a splash pad, which was SO COOL, and I wish we had one in our area at home. Pools are so scary for little ones, especially at Kendrick's age and size.

I guess that's about it for now.