The North Shore: Day One

This was on our bucket list of things to do before we leave the beautiful state of MN, and I'm so glad we made it happen, it was pure magic and went by way too quickly.  We talked our friends the Ormes into sharing a "Sea Villa" with us and the kids had a blast throwing rocks, hiking, alpine sliding, eating pie, swimming, staying up super late.  It was one of the most chill, laid back, low key vacations ever.

The first day we drove up when Derek got off work and stayed the night in the Duluth, where we ordered some yummy baked potato pizza and wings to our room. Nora slept in her carseat in the closet happy as a clam.  Henry on the other hand kept climbing out of his pack n play and into bed with me and Annie, and we all kept having giggle fits because Henry is so darn obnoxious and adorable.  I kept telling him daddy was going to get really mad and put him back to sleep, but he wasn't afraid at all. Finally Derek DID hop out of bed and got him to stay in his pack n play.

*I always wonder how he is able to lay down the law so easily- he doesn't even have to raise his voice, but then I realize laughing when your kids aren't listening might be my downfall.  I laugh until I can't take it anymore and then I yell.  To any of my children who may read this in the future: I'm sorry.*

We woke up bright and early the next day and headed to Betty's Pies for breakfast.  We ordered six oversized slices pie (YOLO) AND a cinnamon roll and pretty much ate all of it.  Derek got "Great Lakes" which was a mix of apples, berries, and peaches, and a Raspberry Peach, I got french silk and Apple Crumble, Jack got key lime, and Annie got coconut cream.  After that we got back on the road only for Jack to realize he was missing his book, so we went back to look.  We ran into the Ormes who had stopped for pie too! but no book.  Jack was sitting on it the whole time.  How you can sit on a giant HP number 5 and not realize it?

  Then it was off to Gooseberry Falls for the morning. Each of the places we visited we could have spent a whole day at.  I wish we would have had more time! We played in the water for a long time, the kids climbed all over the place while I tried to keep Henry from drowning and take pictures at the same time, while carrying Nora on my back.  Not an easy task walking over slippery rocks.

We picnicked in the car on sandwiches, chips, and cookies and then made our way up further up the Lake Superior Coastline to Lutsen Lodge and explored the resort while we waited for our check-in time.  I fell in love with this place! Rocks to explore galore and cute little nooks everywhere with swings looking out on the ocean, cute little red shacks with flowers in the windows, a playground, little hidden trails to get from cabin to cabin.  It was insanely cool! Derek jumped right in and discovered Lake Superior is about as cold as you'd imagine!

Derek made us all a wonderful dinner of spaghetti carbonara and we built a fire right outside our cabin on the shore.  The rocks made great chairs and Jake Orme played his guitar while the kids explored and fished.

When it was time for bed we sent them all up to the bunk loft, but Jack decided sleeping in a room with three girls wasn't ideal so he camped out on the stairs landing.  The adults played monopoly, watched the BYU game, and snacked.