Our NoDak Vacation

The summer passed quickly and before we knew it the new school year was just weeks away and Owen started asking when we were going to visit Nana Bev.  As luck would have it, we had one week in August with no appointments or summer activities so we quickly made plans for our road trip to North Dakota.

Owen is very much a grandma's boy and loves spending time with Nana Bev.  He'd tag along with her to work nearly every morning.  My parents own a grocery store so Owen thinks it's pretty cool to be able to go into the walk-in freezers and refrigerators in the back of the store.  He liked helping Nana put out the produce and milk.  And of course he'd always bring home some sort of treat - usually popsicles or potato chips (two of his favorites!)  A perk of having grandparents who own a grocery store.
 

Owen and Nana Bev fishing moss out of the pond

Owen doesn't like to share his Nana with anyone, especially his little brother!  Luckily my grandma made the drive to Fessenden to visit us and Cole absolutely loves his Great Nana Schatz.  They are two peas in a pod.  Cole will take Great Nana by the hand and drag her this way and that way and she will happily follow along.  And whenever I'd come to check up on them, Cole would quickly tell me to go away.  I guess he didn't want Mom to up a damper on their fun time together!

Great Nana Schatz and Cole watching a movie

So what did I do with all my spare time while the kids were playing with their Nanas?  I caught up on photos and my blog, got my fill of HGTV (we don't have cable so I never get to watch it), whipped up a batch of my Grandma Klein's fudge recipe (so yummy!) and experimented making gluten free/dairy free watermelon noodles (also a Grandma Klein recipe).  Owen loved the noodles, but the rest of us would have preferred the original recipe.  Can you guess which noodle Owen made?

During our stay, the boys got to test drive all sorts of machinery, play at the school playground, eat raspberries off the bushes and enjoy the beautiful North Dakota summer.

Owen and Cole on the forklift while Nana Bev watches nearby

Popi Jerry and Cole on the Caterpillar

Owen test driving the John Deere

Cole and Popi Jerry walking to the playground

Cole going around and around on the same merry-go-round I played on as a kid

Cole enjoying raspberries right off the bush

Cole running in the yard

Owen trying to eat Nana Bev's bubbles

Owen with an exploded purple bubble on his face

Cole loved pushing this old push toy up and down the ramp

Owen enjoying an icy treat

Cole taking a few licks of his popsicle before it ends up falling onto the street

Owen having a night-time snack sitting by the pond

Owen watering the grass

Cole and Great Nana Schatz attempting to put on their pouty faces

Cole dragging Great Nana Schatz off on their next adventure

Owen getting a closer look at something in the pond

We had such a lovely break from the hustle and bustle of our everyday hectic lives.  There's nothing quite like a quiet, relaxing North Dakota summer.