After our weekend at Lake Lundgren, we headed back to Mom and Dad's house for phase 2 of our vacation, but we did not stay there long. Instead, we headed to Menominee for a few hours with the rest of the family to meet the newest member of the Klingenmaier family.
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| Grandma always has some fun kitchen utensils for Hazel to play with (& chew on)! |
No, we are not the crazies with another kid or pet...that would be my brother and his family. My cousin's dogs had a litter of pure bred Olde English Bulldogs and they were willing to give one to my brother's family. Since they had been considering getting a dog for a while and this particular situation presented some other reasons for the puppies to pull at their heart strings, they prayed about it and felt that this was the right call for their family. Not only that but after four boys, my sister-in-law finally got her girl! :) Anyway, we headed to Menominee to check out all eight of the adorable 8 week old pups so that they could select the one that they wanted to call their own. When we arrived and told our boys what was going on, Asher misunderstood and thought that we were getting a puppy too. He was pretty bummed when we explained to him that we were just there to play with the puppies and meet the puppy that his cousins chose. However, he got over it pretty quick and then we all had fun getting "attacked" by the adorable little bundles of wrinkly puppy skin! :) So, along with the 7 puppies that did not get chosen, meet Lucy Klingenmaier!!...
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| Apparently puppies are like kids and gravitate to Eric. :P |
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| I like how this little one in front looks like he is listening intently to a story Eric his telling him (or her?). |
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| This is Micah with the little girl (Lucy) that they chose. |
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| The Klingenmaier baby girls meet. |
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| I might have to frame this one! <3 |
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Hazel with Aunt Judy.
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After a lot of fun playing with the furry octuplets, it was time for them to settle down for a nap and time for us to grab dinner and head back to Mom and Dad's for the night. We said our goodbyes and then drove back to the house with a stop at Subway along the way for dinner.
The next morning, we (or Hazel mostly) awoke bright and early. Hazel must have been excited because it wasn't just any day, it was my birthday! At 39 years old, birthdays aren't what they used to be, but this one did turn out to be one of the better ones. We didn't do anything amazingly exciting, but I had a great day with those that I love and you really can't ask for more than that! :)
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| Baby Bed Head! |
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| Lol! |
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| Sunrise. |
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| Cousin time. |
Video: Cousins Gator Ride!
After a morning of gator rides and cousin fun, Eric and I took Asher, Avery and Hazel on a little birthday adventure to Iron Mountain. Our first stop there was at an old favorite of mine for lunch: Storheims. It is a little different than it was back when I frequented the place with friends, but it was still pretty yummy and they still had some delicious custard treats!
Video: Birthday Treat!
While I enjoyed my birthday treat (which I shared with Eric) Hazel tried her very best to get her hands on it for her own little taste.
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| Hazel was pretty excited when Eric gave her his spoon... |
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| ...she wasn't so happy when she realized he licked all of the custard and fudge off before he gave it to her though. |
After we were finished with our lunch and made a quick trip for a few needs at Walmart, we headed to the Iron Mountain Iron Mine to take the tour. I had done it once before with my high school BFF and thought it would be something Eric and the boys would enjoy. I was right. We all had a great time and since no one else was there for a tour at the same time as us we got to go with the guide all by ourselves!
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| Geared up for the tour! |
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| As we waited for the train car to come back in some very hot and muggy conditions the boys constantly complained they were too hot and were mad that I made them wear a sweatshirt. Once we got into the mine though they were too cold and I reminded them that Mommy knows best! ;P |
Video: Iron Mine Tour
When the tour was finished we took a few photos together and then headed over to check out the nearby Fumee Falls before heading back to my parents' house.
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| Eric & the kids with Big John the Miner |
At Fumee Falls we had planned on just going there to look at them and take a quick photo or two, but it was such a beautiful and hot summer day that when the boys asked to go into the river we just couldn't say no. It turned out to be my favorite part of the day. They were just so happy exploring and having a great time being the little boys that God created them to be!
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| Good thing we had extra clothes in the van! |
Video: Fumee Falls
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| Our best attempt at a family photo with no tripod. |
From the falls, we headed back to the house where my mom had dinner ready followed up by an ice cream cake for dessert and a few cards and presents to open...a great way to finish out a great day!
Video: Happy Birthday to Me!
On Wednesday (July 10) it was time for Phase 3 of our summer vaca. We enjoyed another relaxing morning in Nadeau and a short visit with my Aunt Carol and then we loaded into the van and headed South to Door County for the remainder of the week.
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| Hazel enjoying a bath in Grandma's sink. |
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| Hazel & Aunt Carol |
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