Duluth

MEA weekend is nearing an end…sigh…  It’s been a great break!  We decided to head up to Duluth for the first time together on Thursday and Friday.  We dropped Madi off at her best buddy Maya’s house on Thursday morning, and made it to Duluth by lunchtime.  We spent the afternoon at Canal Park, throwing rocks into Lake Superior (Abby’s favorite activity on our trip), visiting the little lighthouse, walking under the lift bridge, and visiting all of the fun shops.  After checking into our hotel and resting up for a little bit, we headed back down to Canal Park for supper at Grandma’s Sports Grill & Bar.  Abby enjoyed swimming at the hotel before bed–the pool was amazingly warm, so it was perfect!

On Friday, we checked out after enjoying the hotel’s continental breakfast, and headed up the shore to Gooseberry Falls.  It was not very busy, so we were able to get some good pictures and enjoy the falls.  We decided to take the hiking trail that went to the lake, so thankfully we had the backpack carrier to transport Abby.  Down by the lake, Abby was again able to enjoy throwing rocks into the lake…something she would have done all day if given the choice.  🙂  We made it back up to the visitor center, where Abby picked out a 99 cent polished agate for a souvenir.

After Gooseberry Falls, we went to Betty’s Pies for lunch.  The wait took awhile, and after a mix-up with our order, we ended up being there for almost 2 hours, but the pie was definitely worth it!  Abby decided she liked “Daddy’s pie” the best (Butterfinger pie).

Split Rock Lighthouse was our last destination.  We decided it wouldn’t be worth the money to tour the lighthouse–maybe when Abby’s older–but we had a great time hiking the trails at the park and got some great pictures of the lighthouse.  Pebble Beach was perfect for Abby to throw some more rocks.  🙂

Field trip, apple orchard, and puppies!

Abby’s had a busy week!  She took the day of from daycare (and Dave from work) to take a field trip with Dave and an ECFE group to Ney Nature Center in Henderson.  The weather was absolutely perfect, so they had a great day!  Abby enjoyed the bus ride, nature hike, games, tractor ride, and especially her first Lunchable!

We took advantage of the beautiful weather on Thursday and went to Fireside Orchard in Northfield for a picnic supper and to pick out some apples.  Abby enjoyed picking an apple and loved the apple cider donuts.

This weekend was full of more fun–Abby and I were headed to Rochester for a friend’s wedding, so we met up with my mom and sister at a church friend’s home.  Their golden retriever had puppies a few weeks ago, so Abby got to play with them.  They were SO adorable!  Hard to resist a cute golden retriever puppy, but we decided that Madi is plenty dog for us right now.  Abby hated to leave, though.

Twins game!

We got to enjoy a beautiful day at Target Field this afternoon…the weather couldn’t have been more perfect!  It was my school’s day at the game, so there were several families sitting near us that we knew.  We had a great time, even though the Twins lost.  It was fun to finally see the stadium!  Dave’s parents, sister, and cousin joined us, as well as my brother and his girlfriend.

Since Greg was in town for the weekend, Abby and I met up with him at the Mall of America on Saturday.  We went on a few rides–Abby’s favorite was the Blues Clues ride, but she wasn’t so sure about the ghost hunter ride.  She was treated to a Build-a-bear by Greg and his girlfriend, Carmen.  What a lucky kid!  Greg picked out a Twins uniform to put on the bear, and Abby named it T.C. after the Twins mascot.  Jenny came up to join us all for lunch at Famous Dave’s.

We’re looking forward to another nice week!  As long as the flooding isn’t too bad, Abby and Dave are excited to go on a field trip to a nearby nature center on Tuesday…pictures of that to come later, I’m sure!