Labor Day Weekend Getaway

Each year my in-laws take the kids for a weekend so we can get away.  This year they took them camping over Labor Day weekend.  Chad and I decided to go up to Lake Vermillion and stay in a nice cabin at Spring Bay Resort.  We got a "new to us" truck this summer so we hooked up the boat and drove to a family cabin near Superior, WI for night one.

We got up early the next morning to start our 3 hour drive to the resort.  We went through beautiful Duluth on the way.

We arrived in Cook, MN...a small little town.

and stayed in a beautiful log cabin (aka trailer made cabin in the woods).

We took the boat out.  Did a little exploring and some fishing.

View of the Resort from the lake

Sunday evening we drove to the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Orr, MN to see Black Bears.  It was an awesome experience!  The workers come out each evening and put food on stones or logs around the open area.  The Black Bears come out from the woods to eat and then return back to the woods.  They say bears come from miles just for the food and they continue to feed them until the last bear show each fall.  At one point I could count 23 bears!

The workers walk around with green buckets to place food.

Yeah, there is a bear right behind her!

Baby bear climbing in the trees

Monday morning we headed out early for another fishing session before heading home.  

A bit of the Sickies

Leila wasn't feeling well this weekend.  Poor thing laid around with her "puking bucket" all weekend.  I did let her watch Dora on Netflix but mostly she just wanted to lay around.  Sunday night I had to take her to the store to get more Tylenol since Chad was gone for the weekend.  Poor little thing laid in the cart the whole time we were there. 

Gavin was pretending he was sick too.

After the Tylenol kicked it she was her old self for a while doing things like this...

but it didn't last long before she was back on the couch.  Poor Gavin ended up with whatever it was a few days later...

Grandmas 98th Surprise Birthday Party!

My grandma turns 98 on August 30th.  All the extended family met to surprise her for an afternoon birthday party.  It was a wonderful, gorgeous day!

We met a new baby :)

Leilas godfather became father to his 3rd baby girl...Payton LeAnn.  We went to visit her when she was 2 days old.

Gavins 2nd Birthday Party

After a lot of thought I decided to order him a puppy cake (which he was thrilled with).

We have always made or had somebody make the kids birthday cakes but I couldn't find a cake pan for a puppy or a dinosaur for cheaper than purchasing a cake so we went this route this time.  It was delicious (and cute) and will probably continue to purchase cakes for the kids. And to make my life easier we also purchased 2 - 8 foot party subs!

It was a gorgeous day and we even opened gifts out in the garage.

After presents we had cake.  Gavin loved that we were singing to him and sang right along.  (see him playing with his shirt...I think he does this when he is nervous).

(The best cake picture we have and the cake is cut off.  Daddy needs to take a lesson it taking pictures!)

It was a wonderful day!

21 Months!

Three months until Gavin turns 2!!!  He found my Pound Puppy and he loves carrying it around so I figured it would keep him still for pictures.