Back to Blogging

As a lot of you know, Gavyn and I went on vacation for a few weeks, and after that we were moved into our new house in Monticello with no internet, so it has been a while since I have been able to blog! I am still not able to upload pictures with the type of internet we have, so that will have to wait until I can get to a library with wireless internet. So it may take me a while to get them written, but I love sharing the experiences, joys, and stories of our family. I have a lot of catching up to do, so I think I'll split them all up. 

I'll start with our vacation! 

Here is Gavyn checking out the lake the day after we arrived at Black Duck. I think we spent about 40% of our time on the dock...swimming, playing, and throwing rocks into the water. I can't describe the way it makes me feel to see him enjoying this place that is so special to me. I once stood at the end of this dock and looked out into the water in my diaper. I hope his children can do the same. 

Gavyn wasn't so sure about his floaty devise at first, but after a while he was able to sit back and enjoy being in the water! However, he had much more fun running off the end of the dock and jumping into my waiting arms. The weather and the water was perfect the whole time. 

This isn't something we only do on vacation, but we did a LOT of it this vacation. Gavyn helped me cook, bake, and eat! He is an excellent taste-tester and is very good at dumping things into a bowl or pot :). 

This was Gavyn's favorite rock while we were up there. It was the perfect place to sit with his feet in the water, or to reach down and splash, or to swivel his stick. 

Gavyn turned 18 months while we were in Minnesota. It is odd that now I can stop talking in months and start saying "A year and a half". He has gone through a major growth spurt this past month and while he is still just over 22 pounds, he is over 32" long! He is talking, running, climbing, and being such a little BOY! He loves tractors, trucks, boats and airplanes. He also loves animals - especially elephants. Oh and bugs...and dirt...and all things little boys are made of :)

We did a lot of adventuring this trip. We went for walks, fed chipmunks, and visited neighbors. We picked berries and flowers. Gavyn learned that picking a raspberry is a delicate thing. You have to be gentle, yet still pull hard enough, all while not getting pricked by the thorns. He mastered it. 

As I've mentioned, if you have a problem with little bottoms, you should stop reading my blog. There was lots of beloved naked time on vacation. There is nothing more beautiful to me than this little body. It is so perfect. 

This is how Gavyn spent his mornings - eating cheerios and drinking milk in front of the picture window looking out at the lake. Its the way I prefer to wake up too. 

This little guy was a frequent visitor towards the end of our trip. He was after food, of course, and was very bold! We think it was because he seemed very young. Gavyn really enjoyed seeing him and I'm so glad to have a place where bears come into our front yard. 

The last week of our vacation Nana and Papa and Uncle Tommy came up. Here we are at Vermillion Falls - a beautiful waterfall that ends in a perfect place for a toddler to get wet in pools of water. Naturally, he went back to the car naked :). 

My Mom said she got incredibly intense deja-vu watching this scene. Gavyn was helping uncle Tom build a fire, and stuck a stick into the fire to watch the end light up and then smoke. Uncle Tommy used to do the same thing when he was little. Yes, he is only wearing one shoe. This was his choice. 

He may be interested in the fire, but not so much as to not want to sit and cuddle in Mama's lap. 

After Nana and Papa left, the three of us went to the sandy beach and a boat ride. There is something about this place that makes people of all ages feel care-free. There is nothing like getting down to basics and enjoying the sand between your toes. 

There are far more pictures on facebook, of course. Its always hard to leave a place you are so attached to, but I have comfort in knowing it will be there so long as I live. My children are going to make so many memories there. I think we made a good start!