vacation – family

So after leaving the Boundary Waters and staying in a hotel, we were driving along when what should we spy, but a real live steam train.  Naturally, just passing it by was out of the question.  Jan thought it was the greatest moment of the whole trip, I think.  It was a museum piece although the museum itself wasn’t open that early in the morning.  We just looked in all the windows and went into the engine.  Jan would have stayed there forever.

Even though we stopped on the way, we were early getting to my brother’s family’s house.  But they said it was just fine so we hung out after lunch and the kids played in the sprinkler.

. I’m not sure what Rhys is doing, but he sure looks pleased about it.

.  Aunt Gail shows Jan the proper way to shoot.  His first experience with guns and of course, he loved it. (Water guns, of course.)

. Daelin and Jan swinging

Daelin prepares to get trigger happy.

Don’t mess with the Mama.

The next day we went to the Mall of America (how’s that for a contrast to the Boundary Waters Wilderness?!) because there is a kids’ amusement park there.  Jan and his cousins rode every single ride it was possible to ride and had the greatest fun ever.  We adults just had to accompany them (actually we did have to) so that was fun too.  Of course we forgot the camera, so we have no evidence of this day.  After dinner out and another night in a real bed, we left the next morning and here we are.

Now we are back to “real life,” which so far has consisted of cleaning and unpacking all the camping gear and grocery shopping.  Tomorrow will probably be the same except for it will be cleaning the house.  I’m not sure what I’m going to do with all these days I have left.  I can’t get too much school work done while Jan is home, so maybe we will work on kicking the ball, throwing the ball and riding the bike.  And pooping on the pot, of course.  Lots and lots of opportunity for that.