Vacation!

We had a fantastic weekend. We decided to take a few days and head north to one of our favorite vacation spots.

Our first stop was a state park – one we haven’t visited before. We have a “passport” and are trying to collect stamps from all the state parks in our state, and we are now up to 24! When we arrived at the park, it was starting to sprinkle, so we headed into the interpretive center and made it just before it started to pour. Tigger was so excited to see this display about wolves inside; wolves are currently his main interest and he talks about them ALL THE TIME. Anything you want to know about wolves – he can probably tell you. We were treated to a discussion of many facts about wolves on our trip!

After the rain stopped, we headed out to see the swinging bridge this park is known for. It was a solid bridge but had some bounce to it once you got into the middle, which was a little scary for a couple of the kids. Not this kid though – he used his cane and walked confidently across, with Daddy’s help.

We tried to get a picture of all four kids in different locations over the weekend. This is the best one from the state park. It is SO difficult to get them all cooperating in the same picture!

And a couple other pictures from the park:

After leaving the park, we checked into our hotel and then headed out to the beach. This is a rock beach on the shore of Lake Superior. It is SO BEAUTIFUL here. The kids loved collecting rocks and throwing them into the lake.

And look at this guy! Using his cane on a different surface – sand and rocks – and doing it like a champ!

As we walked around later, we checked out this amazing fountain, which has stepping stones for you to walk across. The kids had fun walking through.

And here’s Kellin again, with his cane. I’ll probably say it over and over – but he was AMAZING on this trip!

The next morning, Kellin decided to wake up at 5:30, so I took him outside so the rest of the family could sleep some more. We sat the sunshine by the lake and enjoyed the early morning. Kellin was pretty sure that if he just asked me enough times (by signing), we could find a swing for him (we couldn’t), but once he got over that fussy moment, he had fun.

Later we checked out a different area of the shore. The kids climbed and explored and even put their feet into the COLD water.

We stopped by the well-known rose garden with a fountain, but it didn’t have many flowers yet this early in the summer.

Second attempt at a picture of the four kids!

A few fun pictures from the restaurant at lunchtime!

And Kellin navigating the stairs as we left. Again, amazing!!

At the Coast Guard museum –

The next morning – another early morning walk for Mommy and Kellin –

And a drive up to a park with a tower that offers an amazing view of the lake on our way out of town – and our final attempt at a picture of all four kids.

Overall, this was an amazing trip. We all had a blast, and I was SO PROUD of Kellin! He walked almost everywhere – great exercise – and he used his cane on all kinds of surfaces – sidewalk, sand, rocks, grass, and steps. He’s awesome!!