Our Spontaneous Weekend

*Just a warning....this post is long and filled with pictures!*

 This past weekend was a holiday weekend so we definately made the most of it. Our plans for Saturday started out with a trip to the grocery store and then a hike. That quickly turned into a day trip across to border to Grand Marais, MN.

 Our day trip, well let's just say that it ended up NOT beign a day trip!! We spent a fair amount of time in Grand Marais, letting the kids play by the water and walking around, then we got in the car and drove up to Lutsen, MN.

 We were planning on letting the kids go on the Alpine Slides that they have at Lutsen Mountain, but decided that it would be better for us just to take the gondola ride up to the top of the mountain and go for a hike around there, seeing as only one parent adn one kid could ride at a time because the kids are still to little to go by themselves!

We will go back when the kids are a little bit older to do the Alpine Slides!

 After stopping at Lutsen, it was almost dinner time so we proceeded to drive to Two Harbors, MN to stop at McDonald's for dinner. At that point Troy was like "We're already this far, why not keep going to Duluth for the night?". . . .

"Um, o.k. But we have to stop somewhere to buy clothes for tomorrow."

So after a stop at Target, we check into a hotel for the night (it was 11pm by the time the kids finally settled enough to sleep!). Sunday morning we went to a mall, Old Country Buffet and then to the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth. We had never been to the aquarium, but the kids had a lot of fun. I think their favourite thing was the slide built into a tree and the Great Lakes water system complete with locks that they could open and close to send the boats through!

  Yesterday was spent in our backyard playing outside in the wonderful, warm weather we have been having!

 At the aquarium

This weekend was good for me.

I haven't felt like blogging lately because, well, I just haven't.

Life has been a little overwhelming.

But this weekend, just going and leaving everything behind, being out there and enjoying the creation God has given us to enjoy.

It was a wonderful reminder of His love and care for me.

Alexandra's prayer at bedtime last night made me smile, it was something I *knew* but had forgotten. She had finished saying thank you for the number of things she says thank you for and had then proceeded to ask God to hold certain people in His arms.

She paused for a minute and than says "God, please hold everybody in Your arms, cuz they are big enough for everone"

And that's my reminder for the week from my almost 4 year old.

That no matter where I am at, God's arms are big enough!