Boundary Waters + Soudan Mine

My fuji camera barely saw the light of day at the Boundary waters, so here is a compilation of pictures from both phone and camera:

Gearing up for our canoe trip - canoed for about 3 hours on the waters (not sure what the life jacket is doing in the air):

Oatmeal Cream Pie break (for the kids) while watching a bald eagle:

Lakes sort of... gross me out. HA! I love being near and on them. But in? I have to leave that to the kids. Fish... alive and dead.. that brown thing by the duck? What is that?? Lake.

Soudan Mine was incredible. Mark and I were as excited (maybe even more so) than the kids. It was unreal! Something I never thought I'd get to experience outside of the movie theatre or novel:

Mont making the "ch-chh-ch" noises of the mining carts we rode in: 

Emmy was a lot more nervous than Mont, and wanted to be held almost the entire time. It was pitch black at one point when they turned off the mining lights just so we could feel the utter blackness and depth of where we were. It was insane! 

Mont and Max checking for sparkles on their hands after rubbing some rocks:

At a wolf refuge. Emmy, ever the animal loving Snow White:

Mont aka Mickey Rooney meets Iron Will: 

Our sleeping arrangements. Mark with Mont on the bottom (with access to the fan), Emmy and I above. It was tight, hot, and full of mosquitoes. While we loved the trip. We really didn't love the itching.

Back to North Dakota... home sweet home.

...and the in-betweens

((iphone pics))

Fuchsia (name of a flower, not only just a color! who knew?)

Emmy found these little 'dancing' mushrooms (they watched a lot of Fantasia this Spring)

Giant Poppies in my parents yard:

Fresh, beautiful carrots at Tacoma Boys:

LeMay Car Museum (boy heaven!)

Car art for the Fourth of July:

instagram pics from Washington

Pao's Donuts (said like Po - easy for the kids to remember and they still ask for them - months later!). Best donuts I've ever had! (in Tacoma)

Lots of umbrella weather even with lots of sunny days. This one never made it to IG.. I delete most selfies. Figure if I'm not on my own blog at least, I'm not anywhere! haha

Cutest park after Pao's donuts, and Emmy found a great photo op:

This kid sheer will power and running legs were enough to get this kit off the ground with no wind AND in the drizzling rain. Such motivation!

On one of the many warm and sunny days, Emmy thought she'd take a rest. Such a diva sometimes:

On the ferry boat ride to Vashon Island from Ruston:

Fourth of July:

after racing go-carts, we got a token for the batting cages (my favorite!) so my little Mont man got to watch and he now wants to play pro-baseball. Because, well, I do. HA

My little Norman Rockwell boy:

Emmy got in on the fun with Mont:

northwest summer trip

Hello again! After several months, I get to document a few pictures from our trip to visit my parents in Washington state, back in July - seems like half a lifetime ago now! Looking at these pictures, the kids look so much younger to me. Emmy still had pudgy wrists. Oh, I miss those wrists. Here are a few moments I actually got my real camera out for:

Interrupting Emmy's painting in my mother's studio:

Loads and loads of bubbles, kites, umbrellas, etc. Emmy was the champion bubble blower all summer this year. She never stopped willingly and always asked for more.. every hour on the hour it seemed at times. What an easy girl to please:

Trying for a family picture...

Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie Pass, WA:

Give this kid a pile of rocks to toss and he is one happy camper:

Another try...

The wrist!

At the LeMay Car Museum.. only a few pictures on my fuji camera.. rest were quickies on my phone. When Mark asks Mont what his (Mark's) favorite car is, Mont still says, "The Delorean" (with a little kid voice and missed L-sound of course).

For a kid who doesn't sleep well at nights, this is where he chooses to lie down:

My dad was really excited to show my mom and I this new flower in his yard. I was over the moon excited for it, saying, "Dad! It looks like you created a hybrid!!" Mom was the buzz kill and said, "oh. I saw those last year." ha! Well.. I still think he created this new beautiful poppy hybrid. I couldn't get enough of his flowers this summer!