Road trippin' to NoDak

Summer of 2023 was jam-packed full of activities, but we managed to squeeze in a road trip to visit Nana Bev and Popi Jerry in Fessenden, ND. It was the very first time I braved the open road for over 400 miles with all 5 kiddos by myself. Thankfully, the kids did a great job entertaining themselves for over 6 hours in the car. 

We spent 6 relaxing days enjoying the quiet with no activities, no appointments, and no chauffeuring across the city. It was blissful leaving the rat race behind for a short time to have fun and recoup. It had been 7 years since we had been back so the trip was long over due. The kids enjoyed jamming to their own made-up tunes on the piano, drawing and coloring in some vintage coloring books, early morning trips "up town" for breakfast at the cafe, long walks all around town, shopping at what used to be Nana's and Popi's grocery store, and eating delicious pizza from the famous Rosa's Pizza.

The school playground is right behind my parents back yard which the kids loved. While most of it has changed since I was a kid, the old swing set and merry-go-round are still the originals that I played on many years ago. 

 The merry-go-round was definitely a crowd favorite!

Rose and Kate quickly made friends with the girls next door who were at the playground. Not only did they have fun on the play structures, but all the little girls were big amphibian fans and were dead set on finding a toad to hold. Poor toads! They received more than their fair share of pets, cuddles, and squeezes from some very excited little girls.

A trip to Nana's wouldn't be complete without some baking. Rose and Nana whipped up some yummy treats in the kitchen - a new recipe of peanut butter swirled brownies. Boy, were they tasty!

After a big shopping trip at the grocery store, Cole was treated to riding shotgun in Popi Jerry's truck back to the house. He sure thought it was exciting to have a front row seat as he typically rides in the 3rd row of the minivan. I think he asked every day after for another ride. It was definitely a highlight of the trip for him. 

Owen spent much of his time educating Nana Bev on all sorts of random internet tidbits and showing her clips of all his favorite programs.

Owen even took a spin behind the wheel on some quiet gravel roads. Definitely a different driving experience than the busy streets back home!

We all had a splendid time at Nana's and Popi's house. It was the perfect getaway before heading back home to finish up our busy summer calendar.