escape to the northern woods

every trip we go on the girls get to pick out a souvenir.  when i saw this book, it was a perfect representation of how our trip began so i snagged it for caroline.   

the short story is that we had a long and mind-boggling start.  

upon arrival to the airport we learned our flight was delayed 9 hours.  they told us not to leave in case there were changes so we settled in and rolled with it.    in hindsight, it would have been a blessing if a 9 hour delay was all we had to endure.   

after 12 hours, 2 cancelled flights, a plane with no flight crew then a flight crew with no plane we got our luggage and drove back home with some exhausted and confused kids.    

the next day was also a bit bumpy getting on the plane but thankfully we finally got in the air.  and our luggage safely made it to memphis.  but we were in minnesota.   our faith in delta is not soaring.   

but we made it and finally began a pretty darn good time with family who we don't get to see nearly often enough.   

caroline's first time on a boat...loved it at first.  

then she had second thoughts when we picked up speed and it got windy.   

cousin june and hallie (hand holding unprompted)

uncle tommy, sawyer, kinsley and adalyn on the tube's inaugural ride.  

brothers

got a bit bumpy

hold on kinsley!

7 grandkids

this is a fun memory...ben and tommy were like little kids.   

ben's grandparents...sooo adorable riding around the lake together.   

cousin tasney is an amazing ballerina.  the girls were in awe while she gave lessons.   

ben was in heaven around the campfire.  

one of my favorite pictures of the trip.  mother and son.  

even without makeup amber is stunning.  

ben didn't shower for a week; it may be in a plastic tub but at least these girls bathed.   

i got to check 4 wheeling off my bucket list.  so can all my girls.  

jake and alisha standing in the headwaters of the mighty mississippi.  

it was a treat meeting and spending so much time with baby gibson.  happiest baby in the world.  

clearly, caroline has had better moments but i am a sucker for any and all grandpa/grandkid pictures.   

quadruple scoop.  that's my boy.  

the cousins spent most of their time moving at this speed.  they had soooo much fun.   

ben had the greatest time with his family.  fishing and boating are his loves and i'm so glad he got to soak it up.  

this comes as no surprise

little girl with a big smile and adventurous heart.  

a few hours down; 10 days to go with your new boot.   

a peek into our week

i'm not sure why caroline is so sassy in this picture.  maybe the bow?  

 my mom came for a visit and we had the best time with her.   we went to our children's museum which was such a hit that we have already returned less than a week later.  

i love how my girls look outdoorsy in this picture.  just like a recent one of me, you can't tell they are maybe 2 feet off the ground.   

it is a new museum which means state of the art touches.  i am still in awe of the thought behind every tiny detail.   

we have yet been to a race but we can't really escape nascar in this city.   

this girl gets carried away into pretend play.  i love that.  

i try not to think about how many germs are laced in the moon sand.   

caroline being a goof.  

caroline being cuddly.  

now that my mom has left caroline constantly says, "mimi, bye."

kinsley was determined to get through a long book.  so impressed.  

mr. safety himself had zero idea my monkey was doing this inches from him.  it may be my favorite picture of all time.   

this is the only picture i got on the fourth of july.  i don't even know myself anymore.   

this is a chalkboard in hallie's room.  it is the first time she wrote a sentence and sounded it out independently.  i was able to read it perfectly without her telling me.  any guesses?  

The little girl saw a rainbow.   

the fourth of july marked exactly one year since we first rolled into charlotte.  it seemed appropriate that we marked the occasion by unpacking some more boxes.