The last three days have been spent with Grammy, Rosie and Lyla up at their cabin. I've got a lot of pictures and sharing to do, so I'm going to break it up a bit. I think you'll enjoy it.

When we got up to the cabin on Sunday morning it was cloudy and a bit chilly. But of course, that didn't stop the kids from wanting to put their swimsuits on and show off.

Yes, Rory is getting brave enough to jump off the dock, she is just a bit more hesitant, so we always had photos like this one, with Max and Lyla's splash before Rory finally took the leap.

I made the grave mistake of forgetting Max's tackle box and fishing pole, but thankfully Great Uncle Stinky (Rick) and Aunt Sharon had some the kids could borrow and all three of them were quite successful at catching fish while we visited there.

Max even got to help Uncle Stinky drive the tractor around and do a little work. He was so happy. And I think he also enjoyed having another male around.

It was a perfect start to our mini vacation!

Just some fun pictures of the kids and their cousins at the beach yesterday!

We've got a busy few days so I don't think I'll be updating until later in the week. Hopefully these cute photos can tide you over until then!

Today was a beautiful day for a visit to the zoo. We made plans to meet up with Becca, Conan and Remy and apparently every other person in the twin cities area also decided to make plans at the zoo because it was crowded! While we waited for our friends we watched some ducks in the lily pad pond outside. One duck started flapping it's wings and it startled both the kids.

We of course had the mandatory giraffe statues photo. Remy slept right through the whole zoo so we didn't bother waking her for the picture.

After we hightailed it out of the crowded zoo we found a nice quiet area to enjoy our picnic lunches.

Remy finally woke up and she decided to show me her, "What are you shoving into my face?" look. Already showing her Mama's humor!

The kids then enjoyed some games and running around in the park. It really was a beautiful day to just lounge around and get some energy out!

After Conan and Remy went home for their naps, the kids and I continued walking through the park and found a couple fun places to check out.

Next time I may skip the zoo, or save it for later, and walk the park some more with the kids. It's been a long time since I've roamed and the kids seemed to really enjoy it too!

Dusty brought me my camera today and I couldn't think of a better way to put it to good use then to bring it with us on the boat for an evening of fishing. We of course caught some fish, but me? Well I caught a turtle!

Yes, I let it go. And yes, the photo is blurry. You can thank Cecil and Dusty for refusing to hold my fishing pole so I could take the picture. I had to struggle to get the turtle up and snap it. I'm happy with how it turned out given the circumstances.

Max and Rory also got to feed some hungry ducks that swam by the boat. This was a big highlight to the trip.

We stopped on an island for a potty break where Daddy and Rory worked on their sand creations.

Max and Cecil went exploring the shallow waters.

Rory even found a dolphin hidden in the sand. She was pretty stoked about her new toy!

It was a nice evening, even if it was a little chilly, and we made it off the water before the rain hit!

My camera, which was forgotten at a friend's, should be back to me this afternoon and I cannot wait! Thankfully we have my original digital camera still, but when you forget the SD card while out on the boat? Well, your phone's crappy photos will have to do. (I may have hijacked Katie and Andrew's camera for a while too. I couldn't help myself.)

Saturday evening, Dusty and I went to the drive-in for a date night and watched Batman.

We did this together over 12 years ago on our first date (and numerous others) as it's such a fun experience. I can't wait until the kids are a bit older and we can bring them along too. Although, we'll probably go when the first movie is a kid friendly one.

Meanwhile, Max and Rory were having an amazing time with Auntie Katie, Uncle Andrew, Lyla and Nora. (Oh and you know, Randy and Ashley too, because a family outing is so much better with more people!) The kids did all sorts of rides at Mall of America and Andrew and Katie kept me entertained with Instagram photos and Tweets on the various funny conversations. Technology and social media are amazing sometimes!

Sunday afternoon was spent on the water, the St. Croix river to be exact where Katie, Andrew, Lyla and Nora invited our family to join them for a barbecue and some sand play.

Afterwards we took the boat to check out the Stillwater Lift Bridge and got in a little fishing before the sun set.

Today, my kids were still in bed at 8:15am. This never happens, and I can only chalk it up to late nights and busy days but it sure was a lot of fun for everyone!

I don't have a single picture of the kids at vacation bible school, they never had a recital or even a really good spot to take photos but we did get the CD with all the songs they had sang. Try not getting those songs in your head for the day!

After the kids' last day of bible school, we headed to the Washington County Fair. It was 89 degrees and sunny, so we didn't stay all that long. We made sure to visit the animals.

And the kids were old enough to do a few rides. We rode the big slide, Max by his self holding my hand while Rory was in my lap. Then we visited the helicopters where the kids had their helicopter go up and down while it went around and around.

The kids and I then went on the kiddie roller coaster and I took a video with my phone that I am in love with. Those two kids definitely are going to take after their mom and love riding roller coasters. (The video is on Facebook for those of you that are my friend.) Our last ride was the Ferris Wheel, the kids thought it was so cool that we were up above everything else.

After all the rides, and the heat, we were ready to call it a day. We grabbed a smoothie to share and headed home.

 I'm glad we were able to spend another year at the county fair, even if it was a quick visit!

The kids and I visited the beach, because we were missing the water and swimming. Max was diving down under the water, flailing his feet everywhere while he practiced his dive and coming up with sand to triumphantly show off  most of the time. He's definitely my boy!

Rory was excited to have a beach again. She rarely left the sand to swim, mainly to wash off or a quick cool down before covering herself in sand yet again. We tried something new and the kids took turns burying each other.

It was a hit, they both really enjoyed both feeling the sand on their bodies and covering their sibling up!

I thought we'd be sick of the water after our extended stay at the lake but clearly we were all missing it as we spent a lot more time at the beach then usual. It was a lovely afternoon!