Helene's Hilltop Apple Orchard

To the apple orchard we go with our friends and Jack's best buddy, North! We stopped at Helene's Hilltop Orchard http://www.heleneshilltoporchard.com for some apple picking and the perfect amount of kiddo fun. 

Beautiful fall day here in the north. All of us had a great time!

Jack and mom on the cow train. Pulled by a tractor around the orchard.

Eating his way through the process.

Hanging out with his best pal, North.

Riding the "horsey"!

Driving the life size tractor on the playground.

Jack was tuckered out!! He not only fell asleep on the way home- he then continued napping at home for a total of 4 hours! WOWSERS!

Grandma B's Birthday Extravanganza

The last leg of our vacation was a first for our family of 3- camping! Grandma B turned 60 on the 24th. We came up with several ideas of how to celebrate and decided to camp out in Herbster, WI. She owns a piece of and on Lake Superior. After a little bit of weed wacking by Pete, we were ready to set up shop with our tent.

Here are a collection of "tips" I have compiled for camping with small kiddos...

- it's the little things. We had many things on hand just in case, but Jack was fascinated by water, sticks, and rocks. And using strange objects to drink water!

- bring the pack n play- particularly if your kiddo sleeps in one regularly, it was familiar and made bedtime much easier!

- have your uncles present at all times to entertain little ones- they were very patient and very fun

- a weed walker is critical for a piece of land you are trying to turn into a camp site. We would have lost our kiddo in the grass.

- after kiddo is in bed, kick back and enjoy the view

Farmers Market

Good company. Tasty treats. Nice little start to a summer Saturday.

Flowers, cantaloupe, sticky buns, green beans, and corn... All from the local farmers market.

Young Men Hard At Work

It's time for some hard work his Sunday. Therefore, all Young men will be wearing Carhartt attire. It's a good day!

The Farm- Door County

One of our favorite adventures this year in Door County was The Farm. We headed there this afternoon. This was a first for all of us and what an adventure it was. It is described as a living museum of rural America. www.thefarmindoorcounty.com

Here are some of the highlights from our day...

Mom and Jack feeding the goats a bottle

More goats in the barn

We probably could have just stayed by the goats all day

Jerry the giant cow

Jack looking out into the field at The Farm

Jack greeting the sheep. "Hi seep"

Checking out the baby chicks that were hatching today

Jack has a current obsession: "ocks" (rocks). He was most confused as to why this one could not be a souvenir.

A tractor ride with dad.

There was plenty of grown up education as well with historic buildings, farming techniques, gardens, and other exhibits. I think we will be back again...

"Bye bye farm"

Door County Get Away

Pete is lucky enough to have a work retreat in Door County every summer for the Wisconsin Association for Justice. So that means Jack and I are lucky ducks too that tag along :) I visited here as a kid and have great memories. There's a great mix in Door County of traditional spots that you can go back to again and again as well as new adventures to explore!

Some of the time Jack and I are on our own. We are always looking for great spots for meals that are kid friendly! First order of business everyday: breakfast. We headed down to Fish Creek for Breakfast at The White Gull Inn. www.whitegullinn.com Perfect for both Jack and I! Pete has always wanted to try Al Johnson's as well (the spot with the goats on the roof) in Sister Bay... So we went there as a family on our way out of town.

Pete an Jack in front of Al Johnson's Restaurant- Sister Bay, WI.

One evening we went to the restaurant on the resort called Carringtons Pub.Jack was the perfect dinner date:

Jack at Carrington Pub- Egg Harbor, WI.

On Friday night (fish fry night- of course) we tried something a little more unusual. Pete found a spot on his bike ride called The Penninsula Pub. Voted the best fish fry in 2012 in Door County- and it was delightful! Located in Peninsula Center you may not ever know it existed- but it sure was good!

But of course onto the adventures! Jack is like a little fish in the pool- he spent time on the resort jumping in, chasing his frogs, and watching the other kiddos. He has no fear of the water- which I have not decided yet if it is good or bad. At least we know swimming lessons are a good investment. I wish I had a photo but if I turned away for one moment- this kid would be on the diving board or belly flopping in the pool.

One afternoon we went to The Farm. What an awesome spot for both little kids (Jack) and big kids (Pete). I posted an entire entry just on the amazingness of The Farm but here's a peek of Jack having a spectacular time.

Jack at The Farm- Door County, WI.

Finally- everyone knows that rules are made to be broken on vacation!! Someday soon I am sure Jack will ask Pete and I for more ice cream, a later bed time, one more ride on the tractor, etc. Today I am thankful that the little things seem to make him so happy.

Nothing like eating crackers right out of the box...

'Til next year DC! We can't wait to see you again!!

Mid Year Resolution

(Written July 4, 2013)

So here I am on the 4th of July in the emergency room for my dads toothache and I think it's a great time to start my blog again. Really, I have been thinking about it for a while now... But suddenly I have the perfect moment. Well, maybe not for my dad but you know what I mean...

Quite a few updates around the Young household but here's the nutshell version:

- Pete was relocated to the Wausau office of his law firm starting this past January

- I left my job in 1st grade at Pelican (Rhinelander Public School)at the end of this year

- I have a new job at GD Jones in 1st grade (Wausau Public Schools) 

- we bought a new house in Weston, WI and moved in on June 12

- we are selling our home in Rhinelander (any takers??)

A lot, I know, but all good things! 

Jack and I are taking this summer to get acclimated to our new environment. So for now, I will just leave you with a glimpse at our beginning of summer fun. But of course, many more shenanigans to come. Until then...

3 Years Later...

And still smiling. Hard to believe it's been 3 years already!

Weekend in Review

What a weekend!

Jack was under the weather last week with a sinus infection that spread into his ears! Not fun at all. But 5 doses of antibiotics lit a fire under us for sure and we were ready to break free from the house and enjoy the Northwoods. Here's a quick recap:

We started with dinner at The Brick in Lake Tomahawk on Friday night. It's a great spot that we love to eat and is kid friendly is well.

On Saturday we were off to Minocqua for "Beef A Rama". This is one of the more hilarious festivals in the area that includes a craft show, live music, and... a Parade of Beef. This year the UW Marching Band came up to lead the parade- it is officially entering the "big times" now! We spend some time with our friends Nick and Courtney, and Jack's little buddy North! North is only 2 months younger than Jack and they always have a lot to catch up on...

Even though Jack was on the mend, you could tell he needed a few extra snuggles and some extra rest. This was one of his cat naps...

It was a fantastic fall weekend. The colors are in full effect here. Fingers crossed that these icky germs stay out of our house for a while this time around!

Saturday Hike

There are some weeks/weekends in the Northwoods where I miss the things a "city" can offer- mostly shopping and restaurants! But then there are days like today where you can truly embrace all the Northwoods has.

I started the weekend out with a bang- or rather a fall- down the steps on Friday. My bruised tailbone was not up for too much adventure, but with school around the corner, I wasn't going to let that keep me down. We decided to stick close to home with a hike on the Perch Lake Trails in the Washburn Trail System (about 10 minutes outside of town). We had both Jack and Fletcher in tow. We had let Fletcher off his leash all last weekend to explore. He needed to be leashed on this trail and was thoroughly upset as he could not "track" all the animals. Fletcher's barking only entertained Jack more! However, now I believe both my tailbone and my arm that Fletcher nearly pulled off my body need a little ice.

Fingers crossed that we will be able to continue some weekend adventures this fall. I was at school 2 days this week, 3 days for in service next week, and the 4 days when the kids return. It's always hard when "good things must come to an end".