On Saturday afternoon, my husband and I drove from the cabin over to Battle Lake to pick up some marshmallows for s’mores later that night.  On our way there, we realized that Henning — the small town where my Dad grew up — was just 15 miles past our marshmallow stop.

After we got our goods, we headed on to Henning (a thank you to my husband for coming up with the idea to go and for being game to do it).  I called my Dad on our way and told him we were headed to his childhood hometown.  I asked him how long it had been since he had visited the town and he said, “About 40 years.”  His parents and siblings have all passed away, so he is the only one left to remember the family’s stomping ground.

Once we got into town, he guided me (via my cell phone) to his family’s old house.  Then to the house where his baby sister was born.  To the large Baptist church in town.  And to the small Lutheran Church — now closed and deteriorating — where his family attended.

I snapped as many pictures as I could.

It was neat listening to my Dad tell me where to go, what to look for, and what I was seeing.  Maybe we can go up and visit the town together next time.  I think that would be very nice.

My husband kindly poked a hole in the bottom of each can, I watered them, set them all on an IKEA candle tray, and put them in the window.

And hey look!… they’ve started to grow.

That dill looks like it’s on a mission.  The thyme and cilantro are just starting to make an appearance.  The chives are a no-show so far.

And I have a feeling that once the cat notices what’s happening on the window sill, I am going to regret this particular herb choice:

I’m so thankful they inherited perfect, freckly noses from their Dad.

It makes me happy.

And those beautiful eyes…

I can see where she gets her good looks, though…

This family has good genes for sure.

Such a handsome devil:

Cute kids all-around.

I had a fun time visiting this family’s cabin for some summer pics.   It’s great to spend time with kids in a place where they feel really comfortable.  Everyone can relax and if the kids need a break, it’s no problem for mom and dad to jump inside and grab a snack for them.

It really makes for an easy-going session.

And before I go, I’m going to post one more of the 3-year-old because she was such a sweetie for me and I have way too many favorites of her…

No?…

That’s weird … I could’ve sworn someone asked.

But hey, since you brought up the topic of fall bags (and you did, didn’t you?), guess what?!:

Oh Etsy.

How I love thee …

Let me count the ways…

After eating dinner together at my parents’ house one evening, my mom asked if I’d take a shot of all of her grandchildren really quickly before the night was over.

And look at these cousins, so nice to humor me and my camera in their grandma’s front yard:

Okay, the picture is done now … everybody UP!

Summer in Minnesota is just too precious to squander indoors at the computer.  After all, we’ve got 8 months of winter to make up for, right?

Right.

Our family made up for a bit of winter by spending the last 8 days in the Brainerd Lakes area.  It was a standard “Up North” Minnesota vacation with lots of boat time…

Lake time…

Some fishing…

More lake time…

Plenty of pool time…

And then some more lake time.

Our kids did great.  They played hard and had fun.

They crashed hard, too.  We found our 4 1/2 year old daughter (who hasn’t napped since age 2) completely conked out on the couch one afternoon when we stopped back indoors to grab a snack.

And one night when my husband and I were in the bedroom playing German Whist, we glanced out to the pull-out couch to see our 7-year-old splayed out in exhaustion (and you can see his sister in the upper-right corner of the pic):

We had a great time.  By the end of the week, our swimsuits had been worn and rinsed in the sink so many times, the bottom of my daughter’s had sagged to the point that Colombians could have used it to smuggle drugs into the country.

And in addition to lots of lake time, we played Bingo (the 4-year-old kept calling my dauber a “stabber”), roasted s’mores, did some crafts (I kept humming the Kellerman’s song from Dirty Dancing), and ate our weight in bacon, bratwursts, and sour patch kids.

It was a great trip.  And a great week for our family to spend together.

I feel blessed.

It’s a holiday that happens during the summer.  No mittens required.

A holiday that doesn’t expect you to cook a turkey or bake a ham.

A holiday that you can celebrate with anyone you want:  your friends, your relatives, your neighbors, or just your own family.  There is no expectation that you “make the rounds” and stop at the home of every uncle, cousin, or grandparent who lives in the greater metropolitan area.

You can grill.  You can swim.  You can have a party.  You can go to a movie.  You can go to a parade, to fireworks, or just stay home in the cool a/c and watch it all on TV.

When you get right down to it, the 4th of July and its variety does a pretty dang good job of celebrating America.

So happy 4th to you … I hope there are brats, bomb pops, and sparklers in your future.

Two things I need to mention:

1. To Katie:  thank you for the tank top.  You rock.
2. To the rest of you:  no, I have absolutely no idea where she learned to stand like that.  It certainly wasn’t from me.

Who would have guessed back then that they would end up getting married…?

And end up having such a wonderfully sweet little girl.

I’m sure glad they did.