The Fisci: "Camping"

The first weekend in August is our traditional camping weekend. This year we knew that real camping would not be in the cards, but we didn't want to miss out on the cool weather and relaxation of the North Shore. So, north we went. We did things a little differently this year, but still enjoyed some of our favorite spots 'up north.'

Anna has been asking about vacation and when we were going on vacation since mid-May. So, to help her get a visual of how far off vacation really was, we made a giant paper chain until vacation. However, once we got enough links to vacation, she decided she wanted to go all the way to the first day of school. We labeled some of our fun activities of the summer on each ring, and she got to take one off every day. She was really excited on the morning she got to take one off that said "Leave for vacation!"

Even though we weren't going to be sleeping in a tent, we still wanted to do some of our favorite things. This meant we had to hook up the canoe so we could enjoy canoeing on the lake.

Anna helping Daddy untangle all the straps.

Mommy showing Daddy how to hook the canoe on :)

Anna was all packed in and ready to go!

Claire was packed in too...she looked rather excited about this new adventure here...but I'm pretty sure a few minutes later she was crying because she realized she was being fooled into sitting in that silly car seat!

Ready to go!

Traditional family picture once we were all packed in...Claire didn't quite make the picture this year. Even though we didn't have to bring along our tent or many of our camping supplies, we were still VERY packed in. Not sure what we are going to do next year...

Of course, we had to stop for breakfast at McDonalds.

This is Anna 'helping' Claire smile. And a rare occurrence of Claire's hair lying down!

We drove on through Duluth and made it onto Scenic 61. We had to stop at Tom's Logging Camp...

We had to stop because we had some newbies to the North Shore along with us! Grandpa Randy and Grandma Lori joined us on our adventure this year. It was great fun to have them along, show them our favorite places to stop (or just the silly places everyone has to stop once), and plus we got a lot of whole family pictures because someone was always there to take one of the four of us! It was also great to have the extra sets of hands when trying to juggle a newborn and a three year old!

Stopping for smoked fish at Kendall's.

This was Claire most of the trip...anytime we weren't in the car she was in the Bjorn. She and Mommy were cozy...and often sweaty. This is the start of our time at Gooseberry Falls.

Mom and her girls. (Claire is hiding under the blanket.)

Anna went under this rock and was posing all cute, then when she went to get out she bonked her head. Daddy had to kiss it to make it better. She's kind of our klutzy child--she gets it from her mom...poor girl.

Here's a cute pose!

Hiking with Daddy.

Throwing rocks. Lots of our vacation time was spent throwing rocks.

These four were having a bit of trouble trying to figure out how to cross the water...Claire and I just closed our eyes and went quickly..then got to enjoy watching them figure it out.

Daddy and Anna finally making it across.

Anna heading up the steps! She led the way on the hike.

Family photo.

Family by the falls.

Another cute pose by the rock.

Sweaty family after hiking up all the steps to the top of the falls.

Lunch at Betty's Pies!

Anna was really excited about seeing a lighthouse on the trip. So we stopped to see Split Rock. Brian and I had been there before...so we decided to just take it easy out front with Claire.

Chillin'

Crazy Hair Claire.

Anna went to the lighthouse with Grandma and Grandpa and they had some crazy fun:

Woah, check it out!

Up the big steps with Grandpa.

Lighthouse with the G-parents.

She really loved that she got to have a bracelet to go to the lighthouse.

After all the fun in the first day we were happy to reach Lutsen and snuggle into our new "tent." We enjoyed a campfire down by the lake.

You can see our "tent" in the background here....it was a pretty nice place to stay if you have to skip the real tent.

Claire cuddling with Grandma out by the fire, enjoying the cool breeze coming off Lake Superior.

Smile!

During our time at the cabin Claire enjoyed being cuddled, held, jiggled, rocked, and walked by everyone.

Getting ready for day 2, Grand Marais!

First stop in Grand Marais, World's Greatest Doughnut!

Loving that chocolate frosting!

She's a doughnut maker!

Family shot by the lake.

Lunch at Sven and Ole's. Yum.

Family photo.

Cute picture while rock hunting along the lake.

Keeping Claire warm in the cool breeze.

Daddy and Anna.

Mommy and the Girls.

Walkin the beaches.

Claire was so happy to be back at the cabin to stretch out and smile! Check those dimples...they never cease to amaze me how cute they are!

Anna spending time doing puzzles.

My big girl.

Goofin'

Hiking at Ninemile, our usual camping place.

Family on the trail.

Throwing more rocks.

This is the moment we realized the Claire had some VERY messy pants...Brian is volunteering to walk all the way back to the truck to get the bag if I change her when he gets back...

Anna spent time here looking for wildlife...here she has a tiny worm in her hand she brought to show us.

Pretty face, worm in hand.

The slug she found with Grandma.

Playing with the bark from birch trees.

Hello!

The caterpillar she found.

Getting ready to go out in the canoe!

Ready to go!

Family outing...but not Claire. She's too little.

Our little cabin was fabulous for our evenings spent there. It was a one bedroom with a loft. The loft was perfect for our four to crash. Anna loved that we had to climb a ladder to get to our room.