Camping 3.0

My heart is bursting from all that was this weekend. It was the first time in a long time that I felt completely away, unplugged and focused on what is most important: my 3 guys and nothing else.

I have to admit that I used to be able to get into unplug mode a lot sooner on a weekend trip. Recently it has taken more time and releasing of all that is on my mind.

Highlights:

-Seeing Gram before she heads back to Florida. It is hard to believe it was just one year ago we were having a good-bye breakfast in their home that became like home to us as well. We shared lunch, face to face sharing of hearts and laughs watching the boys. We treasure this time with Gram more than words can express.

-Somebody's last minute cancellation was to our benefit. Instead of tenting, we tried out the MN State Parks camper cabins. They are heated, with bunk beds, a little table and screened porch. No kitchen or bathrooms which meant chilly trips to the outhouse and cooking outside, but Heath and I agreed that this is the way to go with little guys especially because the temps were so chilly. They were warm, clean and simple. Perfect! We ended up at Bear Head Lake State Park near Ely, MN. What a wonderful area to explore. It has been about 9 years since Heath and I have been up there. We checked out the Dorothy Moelter Museum, The North American Bear Center and found the best coffee we have ever had at The Front Porch. The park had much to offer, I think I would enjoy coming back here in the summer to take full advantage of all the lakes.

-Rowan learned a lot of new words this weekend. He has the verbal skills, but just like everything else with Rowan, he does it when he wants to. We have been trying to get him to say Brevin for months, but nope. He just smiles. But then this weekend he whips out words like: waterfall, let's go, bear and howling like a wolf. We also found out that he loves to hike. A lot. I see so much of myself in Rowan. His roller coaster of emotions, his determination and his love for discovery. This little dude is sure fun to hang out with!

-Brevin is definitely 4 1/2. He has started to be more aware of LONG car rides and letting us know it. He asks zillions of questions and from the backseat is a directing what music should be played at what volume. One of the things I love best about Brevin right now is that he shares exactly how he is feeling with us. Right in the moment. And often times he turns bad into good. One of my favorite quotes this weekend was after he stepped in Lake Superior while crossing to an island. I kind of did the mom thing and was grumbling to him about it. He replied, "WET SOCKS ARE AWESOME!" Now let's be honest, no they are not awesome, they stink and make walking icky. But what I love about Brevin is his ability to pull me out of worrying about the small stuff. He reminds me that wet socks are worth trekking to an island. It is just wet socks. They will dry. Don't let a little blip ruin a great time. What a gift to be taught this lesson (sometimes daily) by your own child.

-On Saturday night the temps were chilly, but the sky was clear which meant amazing star gazing. So we bundled up, grabbed our blankets and headed to the dock for a wide open sky. We saw the Milky Way, satellites and Heath even saw a shooting star. My favorite part of this though was Rowan pointing and babbling...then it got quiet...we turned on a head lamp to discover that he was completely asleep. Is there a better way to fall asleep than snuggled with your daddy, on a dock, under the stars? I think not.

-A funny moment for me was on my way to the right away around 10 p.m. to go potty. I had my head lamp and heard a rustling...I shined my light and was caught off guard by the fact that 7 pairs of eyes were staring at me. 7 deer were just feet away. A few of them ran off when I made my move for the door, but the others just continued staring. Eeeeek!

-The leaf color was a bit disappointing, but the weather was gorgeous. There is nothing like driving in Northern MN on a blue sky sunny day. I love driving on Highway 1. We have a lot of fun memories on that highway (between Finland and Isabella specifically). If you have never driven on it, you should. I love when you come over the hill and see Lake Superior. The sun was hitting it just right so that it sparkled thousands of glitter specks over and over.

I measure a weekend based on how hard it is to come home. This was a tough one. We drug our feet all the way south on 35. It was a special weekend. We had a lot of conversations in the quiet car moments about many married couple things. I think one of the biggest revelations for me was the fact that I turned 30 hasn't necessarily freaked me out, but the fact that a time that is so special to my heart (living north) was 10 years ago. THAT freaked me out. We also talked about no matter what, these weekends are SO necessary for our family. To check out, be everything to each other, laugh and be in the quiet.