four more state parks in the books

Over Labor Day weekend, the kids and I knocked out four more Minnesota State Parks.

On our drive up north, we stopped at Savannah Portage State Park and had lunch.  It was mostly undeveloped, but there was some camping and a nice beach and picnic area - once we found it!

After lunch, we got back on the road and continued north to Lake Vermillion State Park.  This is where we stayed for the weekend.  It has an old mine that you can tour, but they were doing maintenance work on it this summer, so we could only view the above-ground components.

The camper cabin was much newer than the stardard ones we usually stay in. It had a little more space to hang out, a nice counter area for food prep both inside and outside, and huge lookout windows.  No AC though, and it was unusually very hot over the weekend.  The park itself was nice, but no beach.

So on Saturday we drove about an hour west to McCarthy Beach State Park.  It is not near anything except a gas station that sold icecream😋 and bait.  The beach was definitely worth the drive. Nice clear water, sandy bottom, and shallow forever!  Across the highway, there was a fishing pier, which made Reggie happy.

On Sunday, we spent the morning at Bear Head Lake State Park.  It was only about fifteen minutes from where we were staying and had a nice place to swim, fish, and picnic.  In the afternoon, we drove a bit further into Ely and went to the North American Bear Center.  There is also a wolf sanctuary, but admission was $15 each and we didn't have a lot of time so we only did the bear one this time.  

We decided to look around Ely and eventually found a place to have pizza.  The next day it was time to pack up and go home.  I love exploring all the nature Minnesota has to offer, and am so happy my kids still enjoy doing it with me!

happy 14th birthday, Reggie!

 

Happy 14th Birthday, Reggie!  We celebrated with pizza and Nothing Bundt Cakes while we were in Green Bay.

Reggie is 5 ft 9 and 140 pounds.  He is the only family member that doesn’t need glasses - so far!  He has had braces for 3 years, and will hopefully get them off soon.

Reggie is an almost straight-A student, even while taking an advanced math class! He continues to take band and play percussion. Reggie continues to play football, wrestle, and play baseball.  Sports and school keep Reggie very busy, but in his free time, he enjoys playing video games, playing outside, hanging out with friends, weightlifting, and fishing. 

It’s hard to believe Reggie is already 14.  He is a kind and thoughtful person.  He likes to joke around, and values time spent with family and close friends. He is driven and motivated to work hard towards his academic and athletic goals.  I’m excited to see what the future holds for him, but I also want time to slow down so I can savor every day of it!

green bay baby

This year's trip to Green Bay included meeting our newest nephew (he's #18 niece/nephew!)  We stayed at a hotel with a fun pool area, and enjoyed tailgating, Titletown, and Family Night.

40 Years of Training Camp Together

we were independent on July 4th

We parted from tradition on July 4th this year.  We usually all gather with Bryan's extended family at his parents' home.  This year, my parents wanted to take Brett and Reggie on their special grandkids RV trip, and the week of the 4th of July was the only week they didn't have athletic obligations.  So, Brett and Reggie spent the 4th with my parents.  The rest of us went to Bryan's parents, but Bryan and I came home a couple days early and Lydia stayed to have some extra fun with her cousins.

Brett and Reggie and Grandma and Grandpa spent their week in Iowa.  They went to the Field of Dreams, stayed at a working dairy farm, went to a science museum, took in an air and fireworks display, and had lots of fishing, camping, and wiffle ball fun!

Their memories will last a lifetime!  I've also heard some stories about riding Grandma and Grandpa's ebikes that I'm sure they weren't supposed to tell me!

The three cousins enjoyed some extra hangout time with MeeMaw and Aunt Bonnie, made caramels,  went to the beach, and went on an adventure to Hobby Lobby!

Bryan and I enjoyed a night out, worked on house and yard projects, went to the community fireworks display, and did not take any pictures. 😉

workin' hard for the money

I had some life skills goals for our three teenagers for the summer and they started with exploring the world of work and ended with enjoying the payoff!

The first week of summer, we all went to the credit union and opened checking accounts.  I feel like we should replace the word "checking" with the word "debit", because my kids haven't actually written a check yet.  We didn't even order checks.  They each got eight free checks printed, and I don't know if they will EVER use them!  But they've learned how to use a debit card, do online banking, and access their accounts through the app!  

(One of the kids is on their second debit card and a different one of the kids has locked themselves out of their account three times.  When we go into the local branch of the credit union now, we are greeted with a smile and a "hello again"!  And then I joke about how my kids are learning "adulting"...)

The income part needs to be more than the outgo part, so lets get to work!  Lydia got a regular babysitting job over the summer and made some real money!  She decided to buy rollerblades with her first paycheck.  She also bought real air pods, a Packer's ticket, lots of fun and junk food, and saved half of her income!

 

Reggie started his summer in a little financial trouble, learning why we use durable phone cases the hard way.  We had a big landscaping project that definitely deserved payment.  We removed a bed filled with landscping rock from our front yard.  In addition, he helped a friend with her small resale business and walked her dogs.  The payoff was a new(er) better phone and some spending money!

Brett got a job scanning pictures as an employee for my friend's small business!  He was so proud when he finished his first big project and she handed him a crisp $100 bill!  He spent his money on the newest NBA video game (the day it came out!) and lots of junk food. 

I have a feeling next summer we will be learning about the world of income tax...

last day of school

 Here are the obligatory last day of school pics.

Reggie is always the first one up and ready to take on the day!

Followed by Brett, who loves getting an early start and riding his bike to school!

Lydia is more of a roll out of bed at the last minute kind of girl, and there's a good chance this picture was taken after school. 😉