Quick Northshore Trip

Dan loves to go up to Lake Superior on the Wisconsin side. He makes it a point to get up there at least once a year if he can. Before the school year started, we decided to head off on one more trip up north to see some waterfalls and Lake Superior. We stopped at Crosby Park as well as Twin Falls on our way out to the Cornucopia area.

Next stop was Dan's plan that took us to Lost Creek Falls. Emma had a tripping incident here. So she was a bit unsettled when we reached the falls but she made it back in one piece.

Here we see Analise trying to cheer up Emma. It didn't work so she resorted to smashing rocks instead. She got a lot of pleasure out of it. Dan went behind the waterfall.

After Lost Creek we continued to head north and ended up at Siskiwit Falls. This was a quick stop. Dan and Ani went in the river. Emma and Erin decided to just watch. Then we explored Cornucopia beach and had a sand fight. Probably not wise on the girls part, but you learn from every adventure. We also got plenty of spring water to take with us from the spigot by the beach.

Here we have the girls battling over a photo redo I wanted them to do. We visited Amnicon Falls a few years back and Mom wanted a comparison shot to see how much we have grown. Based on our behaviors, we may have been more mature a few years back.

This one has Emma entering 5th grade and Analise entering 3rd grade. We stopped at Amnicon Falls for a bit and then headed to Superior Wisconsin for dinner. We had noodles and sweet potatoes. We did a quick walk around the town before we decided to call it a night.

The next morning was rainy. We went out on Superior Point Trail. We walked in the sand but then decided we would take the grassy trail all the way to the lighthouse at the end.

This was followed by a trip to Moose Lake to visit the farm where Grandpa Mark's family lived. Grandpa Mark lived on the farm with his Aunt and Uncle for a bit when he was younger. Their family survived the fire of 1918 by going in the Kettle River and putting wet blankets over their heads. There is a museum in Moose Lake that has lots of details about the fire. Grandpa Mark's cousins still own the farm today. We also went to Moose Lake State Park and walked by the Lake.

Our final stop was in Sandstone and part of Banning State Park. We climbed on the rocks and looked out at the mini falls. We saw a lot of people fly fishing. There were blueberries but because it has been so dry, they were all shriveled up and very tiny.

Sunday is a prep for school day and church in the evening. It was a fun way to end the summer!

St. Croix Prep Welcome Back Night and Orientation

After meeting new families, we were able to meet everyone that goes to the school this past Wednesday at the welcome back night. The girls were able to walk through their schedules and time how long it took themselves to get from place to place. We also practiced opening the locks on the lockers which is a new experience. Liberty had lockers but the girls were never required to lock them.

In addition to welcome night, Emma had a Freshman orientation on Thursday. Here she had the chance to meet just the ninth grade group and again adjust to the new school and meet her teachers. We are hoping that all this initial exposure will help both girls to feel more comfortable moving through their new learning spaces.

Tubing on the Apple River

Emma's friend group had one last hurrah before summer wrapped itself up. They went to the Apple River for a few hours of tubing. Nevaeh, Lily, Lilynn and Tabi joined Emma for the experience.

Erin floated down the river with Nevaeh's mom and got the scoop on what was in store for their family in the coming months. After the group's two hour trip down the river, the girls enjoyed a picnic lunch before heading home. We are thankful that we developed good friends while at Liberty and hope to stay in touch this next year.

This is the after the river experience photo.

Kerfoot Canopy Tour

When we were volunteering at Every Meal, Emma got to talking to Joy about her desire to visit the high ropes course again. Emma loves the high ropes courses but no one else in the family enjoys it much. She has asked many times to go but never has anyone to take her.

Joy willingly stepped into the role this year and she and Emma had an adventure down in Belle Plaine, MN with Kerfoot Canopy Company.

Hopefully, this will fufill the desire to visit high spaces for at least the next few years. A big thank you to Joy!

Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Mark celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary today as well. Glad they are getting out on a road trip and having fun.

At Least One per Summer...Waterparks

What would summer be without a trip or two to the waterpark? Analise made sure we didn't miss out on our opportunity to go in a lazy river, giant pool or down some fast moving waterslides. She planned a trip for her friends to Splash Valley in Apple Valley.

A favorite was the slides where you could ride in a tube. This one below was like a toilet flush at the end where they spun around before coming out. Most came out facing forward, Analise decided to come down backwards. The girls all looked a bit worried before they went down but in the end they all said it was fun and went on again.

Of course many rounds of the lazy river took place as was as multiple trips up to the fast moving tube slide. They also enjoyed a body slide that dropped them off the end.

Surprisingly, Analise was willing to try every single water slide, even the body slides. She said they were all a lot of fun and that she is officially over her fear of waterslides. It took about 7 years for her to be able to say that but we are thankful the day came!

This was one of Analise's last times to have Fiona, Ella and Tessa together with her. We hope the group will still get together next summer for Art Club at Tessa's house. I think Ella had it will all my picture taking by the end. It is hard to believe next week is the final week of summer for the girls.

Getting Ready for a New School

Although it is exciting to be starting a new school, it is also a bit daunting and scary. Both girls attended the new student and family event to get some of our initial questions answered. Analise also took a placement test which was a bit intimidating but she said it was "okay." After taking her test, she had a few minutes and snapped a few photos of the school from her phone. Apparently, someone at the school really likes Charles Schultz and the Peanuts characters.

It has been a lot of emotions as we navigate this next stage of the journey but we are hoping for the best for both girls. We pray they find good friends who they will feel connected with and who will be good guides for them as they move through the next few years. We also are hoping they find activities they enjoy and feel confident in their academic abilities. Both girls are liking their new uniform options and Analise is joining the cross country team for the fall season.

Here the girls are building a new small desk so that they can have separate spaces for studying. It is supposed to be a standing/sitting desk that rolls wherever you want it to be. The company didn't disclose how hard it was to assemble in the online description. Success was felt after getting it in one piece.

EveryMeal

It has been a bit since we volunteered at EveryMeal a few summers back. We thought we would make a return this summer with Erin's friend Joy to do an evening food packing session. Analise's friend Tessa was also able to join us this year.

We were thankful to share some fun volunteering experiences that gave us time to catch up with friends. We packed yellow bags which means easy to prepare food from anywhere. These bags can be eaten as is or with the help of a microwave. Over the course of the night, our team packed 3,324 bags.