The return trip

On the drive back, we drove a slight different route. We stopped in Iowa to introduce Teddy to a cornfield a la Field of Dreams. 

Then we veered south to Breckenridge, Colorado. We stopped in and visited Teddy's Great Great Great Grandfather and the house he lived in. 

Then a quick right turn to Salt Lake City to meet up with I-80 and a pit stop to look out over the Great Salt Lake. 

Finally, we made it home. Four weary travelers at their destination!

 

Thanks for being a great co-pilot, Mom!

Cabin time

After a successful road trip, we met up with Brian and Grandpa John in Minneapolis. We caught a Twins game at Target Field, where it felt like there was 500% humidity. Teddy enjoyed the game wearing nothing but his finest diaper. After that it was off to the lake. Finally!

Once we got to the marina, we loaded up the boat - 4 adults, 1 baby, 1 dog and lots of luggage. And we were off to the island!

The first week we were there we got to spend a lot of time with our Kelly cousins who had come to have a memorial service for their mother, my Great Aunt Mary. It was wonderful to spend time with them, get to know our cousins a little better, and share memories of Aunt Mary who was a truly beautiful person inside and out. 

Here are all Mary's grandsons admiring their second cousin, Teddy. 

A few days in we were joined by Aunt Jessie and she and Teddy hung out a lot. 

Over breakfast...

and lounging on the porch...

Speaking of the porch... it's the best place in the cabin and we enjoyed it thoroughly.

Meanwhile, Reggie was in dog heaven out there in the yard and in the woods, free to roam. He was chasing chipmunks the instant he arrived, and to our amazement by day 4 he'd honed his stalking skills enough to actually catch one. Sorry little chipmunk :( 

Here he is surveying his domain. Or more likely, staring at someone down the stairs on the dock, but too afraid to go down there because the "wind" might blow him into the lake again, which he decidedly dislikes. 

After hours of island exploration each day, Reggie took some pretty cozy naps and put himself to bed in our room every night around 8pm. If only our other son would do the same.

It was quite warm and humid the whole time we were there, 

so Teddy spend a good chunk of time in just his skivvies. 

 We played lots of games. Cribbage, Monopoly, Dominoes, Tripoley, and Scrabble. 

I was no match for the combined vocabulary of Brian and Teddy. 

We waterskiied and wakeboarded. Well, I waterskiied and wakeboarded. 

Brian got thisclose to doing both. 

We celebrated my birthday. Notice the custom art piece Brian did on my present :)

We went on outings to visit family and friends. 

And stayed in to spend quiet time with family, too. 

Alas, we eventually had to leave. Here's me and Teddy taking our last walk down the dock.

All loaded up in the boat again, ready to go. 

We're already looking forward to next summer, it can't come soon enough!