Trip to WI, day 5

We got up, ate breakfast with my aunt (a super delicious breakfast!) and then headed for town the gas station. I actually think that's all that exists in Gordon. I think I saw a post office and the gas station. It's a town so small it makes Colfax (which boasts of its population right around 1,000) look BIG! And while we were beginning the process of filling up the tank, Seth couldn't figure out how to get the pump started as there was no credit card swipe on the pump. He was about to go inside and ask when I explained that in Small Town, WI, you just pump what you want and then go inside to pay for it. They trust you. (There's a first time for everything, babe!) I had a bit of a headache so he bought some ibuprofen and pumped the gas while I worked on emptying out the trash and attempting to clean off some bugs. We cleaned bugs off every time we got gas. ! That's something I'm definitely not used to anymore, now that I live in the city.

My parents arrived at the gas station and Mom got in our car and rode with me and the boys while Seth rode with Dad in the truck. (We had to take two vehicles because it's too many people and too much stuff!) We headed to Duluth/Superior (about 45 minutes north of Gordon) to do the two things that they wanted to do with us while we were home. I knew it would be chilly up there, so we dressed the boys in pants and had their hoodies at the ready. And though I remembered to pack along pants for Seth and I, we left our hoodies at my aunt's cabin! Thankfully, Mom and Dad lent us jackets because it was 45 degrees there! Seriously. In June. 45 degrees.brrrr....

The first activity was a stop at the Bong Museum (no, not that kind of bong... it's a war museum!). So the morning consisted of (well, after Seth and I changed into our pants) Austin pushing buttons on talking historical billboards which meant nothing to him, Seth chasing Austin, me pushing Graham, and us changing diapers and feeding Graham a bottle during the informational movie. It was a crazy morning! (So crazy that I didn't take a single picture all morning! Side Note--That's one thing I discovered on this vacation... having two kids versus one requires a lot more out of me--tag teaming it and thus I don't get a chance to even think about taking a picture. Even though I tried really really hard!) I learned that Richard Bong shot down a lot of people and sadly died in a test plane only a few short years after coming home. And that Pearl Harbor sucked. Big time. (Which I knew, but I don't think I had realized the number of casualties before. Nor how planned the attack was.)

Mom and Dad wanted to eat at Subway for lunch but I convinced them to eat at the Perkins across the parking lot because 1) Austin can't eat a sub 2) I thought we'd have better luck getting hot water for a bottle at Perkins than at Subway and 3) I wanted another (I'd already had one on Saturday when we had lunch with Joe & Kelly) Chocolate Chipper. The. Best. Dessert. Ever.

I hate to admit it, but this was actually on my list of things To Do when I got home. YUM!

After lunch, they wanted to take us on a Harbor Cruise, but it turned out that there wasn't one until 3 or something, so we had some time to kill. We drove around Duluth a little bit, including a quick stop at a gorgeous overlook, their bathroom, and then a gas station to buy some Dramamine for the cruise.

The boys fell asleep basically as soon as we got in the car, so when we got to the lookout, Seth got out and took some pictures while I waited with the (sleeping) boys. Then he came back and I went into the information station to use the bathroom. I asked a lady working inside where to buy some Dramamine (I get motion sick VERY easily) and she pointed us to a gas station like two blocks away, so we got that and some piping hot coffee water to warm Graham's bottle so it would be ready come his snack time (which was due to happen near the beginning of the cruise time). (It's super complicated traveling with these two, but we made it work and I think Seth and I grew as a team having gone through those sorts of things.)

So sweet and so tired.

Super gorgeous view from up there. Too bad we had sleeping boys in the car and it was freezing outside!

We got back to the cruise loading place, got parked, and I wore Graham while Seth carried my purse the diaper bag, and Dad walked with Austin to the boat.

I love how the wind is puffing out their jackets!

I hate how he scrunches his nose up when we ask him to smile.

The inside of the boat (on our level) was a big open area with a snack bar in the middle with an open staircase leading down to somewhere. Perfect for a toddler and a crawling baby. :-( There were round tables set up with chairs. We sat at a big round table and then I fed Graham and attempted to contain his crawling while Seth chased Austin for an hour and 45 minutes. It was a nice cruise, I'm sure, but neither of us caught much of it because we were too busy parenting!

I love how Seth caught my mom looking at the camera too!

It's a dark picture, but a bright smile!

Dad went and sat on the other side of the boat from Mom and I and Seth and Austin joined him. For a few minutes, at least.

totally posed. totally faked. But it looks great!

I handed Mr. SquirmyPants to my dad so I could go outside and get some pictures of Seth and Austin.

Super Windy. Super Cold. But great views from up there!

How Seth spent the harbor cruise... following Austin up and down these stairs.

Once the cruise was done, we loaded into the car to head south for my aunt's cabin. We stopped at a McDonalds on the outskirts of town to change diapers and get Austin some chocolate milk because the gift shop was closed when the cruise was done and they both seriously needed a change. It was probably about 45 minutes or an hour to her cabin and we knew we wouldn't make it.

I don't know anything about this big house, but it's cool looking!

Once back at my aunt's cabin, we grilled out, made s'mores and then bathed the boys. There isn't a bathtub, so Graham got a first rate bath in the kitchen sink! Austin got showers both nights, but that's such a mess and I didn't get any PG photos. Once again, we went through the elongated (because we aren't at home in our normal setting where we have everything just the way we like/need/makes it easiest for us/the way they are used to) bedtime routine and then my parents went home. We went to bed shortly thereafter as it had been quite the day.

Rub a Dub Dub. Cute Boy in a Tub.