Catch and Release...Dock Fishin'

This kiddo used to looove fishin' - 

He still does, in a sense, but we don't get the opportunity much anymore...

And this year, he felt so bad for those poor Minn-e-O's that were to be used as bait - 

That we spent a small fortune on some 'gulp' from the bait shop instead.

It still seemed to work just fine, 

for a morning of catch and release fishin' off the dock.

It's not the same without Grandma, but we had fun all the same.

Ah, what a difference a couple - FOUR! - years makes! 

How does it get so late so soon?

2015

2011

I wish we could spend all of our mornings on the dock, surrounded by this peace and tranquility.

He looks pretty good there, huh?

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Stand Up Paddleboard Fun!

We've done the kayaking thing - and we really love it - 

but we thought we'd give the Stand Up Paddleboard thing a try too...

Turns out, it's a tish harder than it looks, but still cool all the same!

Paddleboard Rentals at Cragun's Resort!

This is the stuff that summer break is made of, no?

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Hastings Car Show - Summer Family Fun Night Tradition

One of our favorite things to do in the summer, here in Minnesota, is visit the Hastings Car Show!

We've been doing this for years...and it's always a family favorite!

I love looking back to past visits...

Like when the kids were teeny tiny in 2008!

or Like this visit in 2009!

Sadly, we only made it once this year...

Life heads a whole different direction when your kids get older and the kids' calendars 

are more full than your own!

But, alas, we did make it out once!

Some of the classic cars are pretty awesome...

In their own, unique, special way!

It's always fun to see who and what might be out at the Hastings Car Show, 

Saturday nights during the summer!

Good weather, great food, amazing company.

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The One That Got Away....

Last summer, our kids went fishing for the very first time ~
I'm not sure why we waited so long, except for the fact that we are NOT fisherpeople...

To say that our boy loves to go fishing is an understatement...
We went to visit grandma at her lake retreat this past weekend...

About 11 seconds after we parked the car - our boy was on the dock - spidey fishin' pole in hand.
5 seconds after that...
fish after fish after fish.

Catch.
Release.
Catch.
Release.
Catch.
Release.

Even the teenager got in on the action thanks to the loaner Barbie Fishing Rod! (Note to Santa & or Self; it's time to upgrade the fishing gear!!)

I'm not going to lie - when I'm the one taking the fish off the hook and releasing it each and every time - it was getting pretty old, pretty fast.

Man, those things are slimy...and some of those scales are SHARP!

After just a short time fishing - Derek starts hollering - 'Mom! It's bending my rod in half! I got a big one! I got a big one!' and sure enough - If I didn't see a big huge long Northern at the end of the Spiderman Fishing Rod!
I'm not sure who was yelling more - Derek or myself.

I was screaming because I was excited for our boy - but also because I was the one taking the fish off the hooks and releasing them back into the wild - how was I going to do that with this GREAT BIG GIANT LONG FISH! (AND take a pic of it with our boy as well!). Knowing how wiggly the small fish are...oh boy oh boy oh boy!

Well, it turns out I didn't need to worry, because the damn thing ate our Minne-O and took off. Is this how those fishing stories get going?

You should have SEEN the size of that fish! But...it got away!

Seriously, it was a pretty awesome Northern - and oh how we would have loved to been able to reel it in - not possible on the batman rod without a net - that's for sure...

We did have witnesses, so it's not like it was just Buddy and I telling the fish tales - but I can totally see how they get started!

Grandpa Tim thought it was about a 12 inch Northern - maybe a pound.
Pffffft.

Derek and I think it was at least a foot and a half long - and easily 5 pounds - bwaahahahahaha.

Oh well - So we didn't catch lunch -
We sure had fun catching lots of other Sunnies and 'Church Fish' - AKA - Perch! You know...
'Church Fish Mom!'

And some of them were pretty darn good sized!

Hard to believe this little man is so grown up already - 

In just a couple of weeks he'll be in kindy!

ACK!

He's all of a sudden soo grown up to me!

Showing Dad the ropes - how to bait & hook the Minne-O's.

See that little red bobber under his right hand? BWAHAHAHA!
 Good one honey!

It's hard to believe this summer has come and gone so quickly already.

I had huge plans to do so many fun things, spontaneous camping trips and the like - 

But sometimes, just hanging out and doing 'nothing' is best...

 Here's to enjoying every single second!

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Days of Summer ~

After a couple of fun filled days trekking across the countryside visiting friends & family ~

We made one last stop at a friends' cabin...

oh how we need to get ourselves one of these cabin things...

This kid was in all of his glory with his spiderman fishin' pole

and the lake(s)...

he played catch & release for hours on end...

Nothing terribly exciting if you are all that into fishing ~

Perch, Sunfish, and the occassional crawfish
latched on to his rod,

but when you are four, and you've been waiting your

WHOLE LIFE to try this out...

It's the big whopper and then some!

 

Our dear friends took us out on the pontoon...something neither of our kiddos has had the opportunity to do before...(yes, I realize this isn't a big deal to most people...but for us, this weekend of firsts was something so very very fun...and not something we take for granted!)

And D...was like the 3rd kid to just JUMP OFF THE THING INTO THE BIG OL LAKE! 

He was having a BLAST!

(Incidentally, I LOVE this picture as I captured someone's foot jumping off the pontoon...and there's D....looks like he's about to get jumped on...(he wasn't...) and he's just laughing up a storm!

D has referred to this kid (my friend's nephew) about fifty thousand times since we were there...

"I hope I see my new friend soon, I wonder if my new friend will be there, Remember my new friend?"

He was so kind and outgoing and inclusive...We don't spend much time with those kinds of older kids so this was a REAL treat for my boy...and for me!

Evan & Derek

Dear old friends, raising new generations together!

Another 1st, for Derek...his first ride on a Jet Ski - Kelly swung out to the sandbar & picked up my kid who was having fun swimming around the pontoon - and showed him even MORE fun...

A Jet Ski ride.

Seriously, heaven for my little city dweller...

There was no shortage of fun things for the kiddos to do here...we loved every second and hope we can get back there sometime soon ~

 

 After a long (but super fun, super exciting, super jam packed!) four days, she was pretty much watered out...(city kid here!!) but had a BLAST having marker tattoos drawn on by HER new friends...

D and his permagrin...Four days,

Four major stops...this kid never stopped smiling.

He was laughing, smiling, having the time. of. his. life!

This...this is what summer is supposed to look like...