On the road again

We usually head to Duluth, MN in August every year, but with a few changes in life, we ended up going in June!  If we would have listened to the weather report we would have been really dismayed because it called for rain EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.  But what else is new?  It has been raining practically every day since the snow melted.  But I digress.  Lucky for us, the weather people were wrong once again!!  Every day was really nice.  Perfect for things like:

Reading about the local history.  "Did you know that Lake Superior is the deepest of the Great Lakes?"  "Did you know that if you emptied Lake Superior the water would cover all of North and South America a foot deep?"  and on and on and on.  Curious little boy he is.  (That sounded a little yoda-like).

And then there was a lot of this going on:

Skipping rocks.  They would do that all day if you let them.  The rocks around Lake Superior are perfect for skipping.  Then there were the contests to see who can get the most skips.  I think the dad one that one. 

Jumping across the rocks at Gooseberry Falls.  Without falling in or getting your shoes wet.  L had the right idea by taking OFF his shoes...

Or just walking along the boardwalk. 

We stayed at the cool hotel again (The Inn on Lake Superior).  I would highly recommend it.  They have this pool on the rooftop that the kids love.  And don't forget the s'mores every night---bonfires by the lakeside, and they provide the fixins'.  Of course the part my kids liked best was the hot chocolate machines in the lobby all day long. 

Finally, I apparently have a ham for a son.  All day long, every day, he would stand in front of something and say, "Mom, take my picture."  I know I have heard that somewhere before, (think Dwain, Joyce).  I don't know if it is the last kid syndrome or what.  I mean I can certainly identify with that.  Regardless, I have many pictures of B in front of just about any landmark in Duluth if you are interested. 

He is pretty cute though.

The Girl with The Pierced Ears

After years of fear and anxiety mixed with a deep desire for sparkly things, she finally mustered up the courage:

I have no idea what made her change her mind, but we were at the Mall of America with some friends and she decided to go for it.  We couldn't talk while walking over to the store or she said she wouldn't be able to go through with it.  When we got there, there was a girl in her early 20's getting her ears pierced as well.  She was VERY nervous.  I gave her the "don't make it seem like it hurts" look and told her that my daughter was nervous too.  She was very sweet and very brave, and gave Miss Jane a hug of good luck after she had her ears done. 

There were a few tears, but many smiles.  She cannot wait to start buying cute earrings to match all of her outfits!! 

Her classic line was, "I wish I would have done this sooner!" 

Really?  I decided to save the the "I told you so" for something a little more important than pierced ears.