Two Times The Chaos!: Vacation in Paradise

The North Shore...you have to love it.

We are here again, for our annual trip to Duluth, MN, better known by us as "The North Shore" or "Up North." We are absolutely in love with this place. We've been coming here for over 15 years. And each year is just as good or better than the last. Some wonderful memories have been made here!

This year the memories started before the trip started. It began when I picked "Feisty Girl" up from daycare and within 15 minutes she was crying and complaining that her leg hurt. We got home and I took off her AFO and brace only to find that the lower part of her leg was swollen and it was H-U-G-E. I called her surgeon's office and after an entire line of questioning and a return phone call, the tele-nurse called back to inform me that "Feisty Girl's" surgeon wanted to see her right away in the morning...at 8:30 a.m. Problem was, my husband had to work until 1:30 p.m. so either I had to drive 1.5 hours to her surgeon's office and then turn around and drive another 1.5 hrs home -- and then ultimately the 3.5 hours to Duluth or head to "Feisty Girl's" appointment alone with the two kiddos and then meet my husband in Duluth later in the day. Lucky for us, our best were also joining us on this years trip. So we devised a plan for my husband to work his 1/2 day and then join our best friends on their drive up...allowing me to head to "Feisty Girl's" appointment and then head straight to Duluth without having to do all of the extra driving. Thank you, my dear friends!

So, the kiddos and I arrived in Duluth yesterday afternoon about 1:00 p.m. Our hotel room wasn't available until around 2:00 p.m. so we made our way down to the local park (it is gorgeous!!!) where we took in some fresh air and sun for about 1.5 hrs before trying to check into the hotel again. After that we unpacked, took a walk on the Lakewalk, and then grabbed some Italian Shaved Ice and popcorn to hold us over until everyone else arrived and we were able to go to dinner.

After grabbing dinner at Little Angie's Cantina we took a short walk and then headed back to the hotel for some swimming. The kids had a blast and we hit the bed around 10:00 p.m. This morning was when the fun really began.

You see..."Little Man" woke us up just after 6:00 a.m. complaining that he didn't feel well and that he thought that he was going to throw up. Shortly thereafter -- he started throwing up. Oh the joys. Next, "Feisty Girl" awoke and started complaining almost immediately that her leg was still bothering her. And although not a huge deal, my husband's hand had "re-swollen" in the spot where he was stung by a wasp about a week ago. We woke up, on our first full day of vacation, a sweet, hot mess of a family!

We managed to get up and get everyone ready for the day..."Little Man" hung out on the bed quite a bit though. After that we grabbed a bite to eat before reluctantly deciding to road trip to Split Rock Lighthouse. We managed to make it through the day and even stopped at Betty's Pies on the way back to the hotel for a bite to eat and, of course, pie!

Now we are back at the hotel, resting, and hoping that tonight brings lots of extra sleep for everyone and that we all wake up refreshed and feeling better! Here are some photos from yesterday afternoon/evening and from our adventures today.