First Lake Weekend of Summer 2019!

We had our first weekend at the lake last weekend and it couldn't have been better! Phil's mom joined us for this trip. I knew it was just going to be my parents and us so it was the perfect weekend for her to come along. We picked her up on Thursday morning, headed north and arrived at my parents shortly before noon. Leaving for the lake on a Thursday is SO MUCH BETTER than going up Friday after work. There is so much traffic on Fridays and there are always lane closures during the summer due to road construction projects. I'm glad we can use vacation time to travel during off-peak times!

Paul did pretty well in the car. He only napped for about 30 minutes of the 3.5 hour drive but was pretty happy otherwise.

My little book worm

 Grandma Joan had picked up a book that played "The Wheels on the Bus" at Costco. We saved this until the last 30 minutes when he was getting antsy. He LOVED the book so much and kept pushing the button to play the song over and over and over again.

Yay! A new book!

 My mom had a yummy lunch all ready to go for us and then we headed outside to soak in some vitamin D. Paul is still freaked out by grass, so we laid out a blanket with some toys and he was happy to sit there and play. This hedgehog toy is his new favorite toy. I highly recommend this if you have a toddler in your life. The little spikes can be stored in the toy so it's easy to transport. And it's great for fine motor skills.

Wrestling with daddy

Working on that downward-facing dog move

Paul is still pretty clingy and usually only wants to be held by mom. But both Grandmas got him to sit with them for a story.

On Thursday night, Phil grilled burgers and asparagus and my mom roasted some potatoes. I failed to take any food pictures but trust me when I say the food was all so good! Paul enjoyed toasting everyone!

 He also got a kick out of grandma's cool truck utensils!

He was up bright and early around 6am on Friday morning. My mom hung out with us. It was nice to have some company while Paul played with toys. Most of the toys are toys from my youth, like this typewriter, which he got a kick out of!

 It was another beautiful day so we enjoyed more blanket time. In this photo, Paul is waving to the neighbor's dog who came over to visit each day!

On Friday afternoon, we had a late lunch at our favorite spot in town. As usual, Paul did so well eating out!

It had been overcast during lunch but the sun came out while we were eating so we headed home and got our swimsuits on. My parents have something called a "lilypad." It's a huge floating thing - it must be 25 yards long? Maybe longer? We use a smaller one during swim classes so Paul was familiar with it. He LOVED the water. He was not afraid at all. My mom snapped a few pictures of us. He also really enjoyed playing in the sand on the beach.

We capped off the afternoon by going on a pontoon ride. Paul was not a huge fan of the life jacket but he tolerated it.

We woke up to rain and cold weather on Saturday morning so we headed out after lunch and were back at Joan's by 4pm.

Sunday was Father's Day. We had a low key day. Phil slept in a bit and then got groceries (such a glamorous Father's Day, I know!) while I took Paul for a walk.

Starting off his special day by reading to Paul

 We walked to Lake Harriet, about a mile away. There were a lot of ducks and geese on the beach. Paul enjoyed watching them!

We stopped for a little swinging on the way back.

Besides that, there was a lot of adulting - meal prep, laundry, cleaning, etc.

My diaper laundry helper. He likes to hand me the diapers, one by one. 

I capped off the day by making Phil's favorite meal - lentil enchiladas topped with extra olives. Paul was already in bed so we enjoyed this meal without interruptions. We are not gift-givers - enjoying a special meal is more our style.

It was a wonderful weekend! I can't wait to head back to the lake for a couple of days over the 4th of July weekend. I'll be there Wed-Fri with Paul (Phil has to work). Then we'll be up at the lake for 5 days in August which I'm really looking forward to! Battle Lake is definitely my happy place in the summer!

Where is your favorite place to be in the summer?