August Long at the Jeffrey Farm

August Long weekend we headed out to the Jeffrey Farm for family camping. One of the highlights for the kids was tubing down the river. There seemed to be an endless supply of food so we also spent alot of our time eating! Thanks for the great weekend!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Bern!

Detroit Lakes

Our next stop was Detroit Lakes! Right beside the campground was a BMX race track where anyone could join the races. The kids decided to give it a try! Cole wiped out on the first practice round and decided that we has done! After a little chat with Dad, he got back onto his bike and off he went. Both kids did amazing and raced against kids who do this all the time! In the end they both placed 3rd in their age group and recieved a trophy for all of their hard work!

The kids also had the opportunity to go tubing at DL! Mac couldn't get enough of it and went for a ton of rides!

Bemidji

Our next holiday time was spent at Bemidji State Park. If you've never been there it's work the trip - a beautful campground! We did alot of relaxing while we were here - biking, hiking, reading and watching movies.

The kids really wanted to go see Paul Bunyan's Animal Land again. Cole was a little braver this year and actually got close enough to a deer to take a picture. Mackenzie on the other hand could have spent all day feeding and petting the deer.

We found a nice little golf course close to Bemidji and took the kids for a round of golf. Mac was very excited to use her new clubs and Cole golfed the whole course with his little iron loving every minute of it!

It started to rain, actually pour, when we were on hole #8! Cole & Elroy kept golfing - Cole had a blast running around in the rain! Mac & I stayed in the cart where it was nice and dry!

At Bemidji State Park we had the opportunity to try out Geocaching!. Once we had the GPS figured out we set off through the woods looking for treasure. At each treasure we had to answer a nature question and then use our answer to unlock the final treasure box!

Minneapolis

The kids loved the day we spent at Valley Fair. Mackenzie went on her first roller coaster ride and loved it! Elroy and I would take turns taking her on the coasters (we loved it too) since Cole was too short and had no interest in the big coasters.

This roller coaster was more Cole's speed - he went again and again and again!

We also took in a Twins ball game - the kids were impressed by the huge building and all of the people but the actual game was a little long and boring for them.

At the Minnesota Zoo, we had a chance to pet reef sharks and stingrays in the tide pond. Cole wasn't to sure about this but Mac the animal lover was pumped!

Rushing River

For the July Long Weekend we headed East to Rushing River. We joined some friends at Sioux Narrows and spent a day fishing on Lake of the Woods! The kids had a blast and caught a ton of fish! Here's Cole with one of the first of many fish caught that day!

Mackenzie seemed to have the knack for catching crayfish. If you look really close you'll see a tiny crayfish at the end of her line.

Finally - a real fish! After a little coaching she was even ready to hold the fish by herself!

Cole was also brave enough to hold a fish.

We stopped for shore lunch in the middle of the day and cooked our fish, potatoes, beans etc over an open fire! The kids loved playing and exploring the island. Cole was busy feeding the fish guts to the pelicans.

Mackenzie kept busy trying to feed the squirrels - they seemed to like the beans!

The water at Rushing River was extremely cold but that didn't stop the kids from having a great time! They swam to the different islands and played in the rapids.

Spa Day in the Village

Mackenzie recived a mini spa kit in a birthday party treat bag! She put it to good use one morning and set up a spa experience for her and Cole! First - they soaked their feet in a special foot bath.

Next, a lovely facial scrub was applied to both of their faces!

Then, a spa treatment isn't complete without some fruit on their eyes!

Finally - time to soak in the sun and relax!!!!