the cabin: through stella's eyes

Life is happy and sad at the same time: a juxtaposition of tragedy and levity. They go hand in hand - a strange world it is indeed. After relaying my sadness about Grandpa, I thought I would share the happier parts of this trip: being able to spend time as a family at the cabin. My mom, Aunt Sara, Susie, and Jesse also went up there. Mom and Sara stayed in the Super 8 because there wasn't a lot of room at the cabin. Stella slept in a little room called the "red room" because it is decorated predominantly in red. Jesse, Susie, Brett, and I stayed in the "big room". Brett and I didn't sleep well because we were up with Stella two out of three nights and had trouble falling asleep at night.

On the way up:

fresh and happy at the beginning

getting antsy!

good ol' puffs to tide her over until lunch

Stella had so much fun in the water and playing in an inter-tube that we put on the lawn. She napped well during the day, which was a blessing. A few days leading up to the trip, she got an ear infection and a viral rash. Through much prayer, she improved significantly by the morning we left. On the way up, we stopped three times so that we could either change her diaper, let her play, or feed her. One of the stops was her first visit to McDonald's. We ordered her a happy meal and she LOVED it. We took the icky fried breading part off the nuggets and let her have just a few fries, but she loved the chicken and the apple slices and her Zoobles toy. We took a picture of the tiny french fries container because it was so stinking cute and little.

outside McDonald's in Rice

And not wanting to neglect the tradition of stopping in at the Motley Dairy Queen...

Followed by stretch-your-legs toddler fun...

Our super nice driver and dj!

Stella immediately loved the water, even though it was so cold!

Great-Grandma Marilyn's toys were so much fun:

She loved playing in the tube the most!

Some of my cousins, who were staying at my uncle Andy's cabin nearby, stopped by, too! (Joanna, Hannah, Burt, Anders, and Erik).

It's always nice to share a strawberry with someone

Scoping out the cousins sitting at the picnic table

Good eats! Stella enjoyed mooching off all our plates - especially at the Great Northern Cafe!

On the way home, we only made one stop, and she napped longer which was so nice. She entertained herself for a long time playing with a little finger puppet that my grandma gave her.

Helping us unpack when we got back. I am the type of person who likes to unpack immediately upon arrival so I can throw clothes in the washing machine and get started on laundry.

More posts to come about different aspects of the cabin and the weekend...so tune in next time. :)