Camping

So Levi and I decided to go camping the weekend after the 4th of July. We invited Logan and Amanda and on Friday morning we headed out to Ely, MN where the Boundary Waters are. (If you don't know what the Boundary Waters are you should look them up, they're beautiful.) On our drive there it poured rain the whole way! I was pretty sure we were just gonna have to get a hotel room and then drive back the next day! When we arrived in ELY we had to buy sweatshirts because non of us besides the smart and all knowing Levi brought one, but can you blame us!? It was like 100 degrees in Fargo when we left! We decided not to venture into the beautiful boundary water this trip since it was an extra fee per person and no motors allowed. So we rented a four person canoe and strapped it onto the top of our Jeep and went in search of a different camping area. We decided to camp along Birch lake.

The first day we found this great really secluded space and we made our camp. The mosquitos were so bad our night was almost miserable! We put on like a gallon of bug spray each and put on our sweaters and tied them tight around our faces. The chill only lasted a few hours, then it was hot and humid :) That evening we went out onto the lake on the canoe and it was so peaceful and nice. It was such a beautiful experience. While we were paddling around out there we found this little Island and decided we would rather camp there.

So the next morning while I cooked breakfast our camp was packed up and we loaded the canoe up with all our stuff and the two boys, Levi and Logan, paddled and unloaded all of it while Amanda and I waited back on the shore with Jade.

That camping spot was so awesome. It was right on the lake and like our own private little beach. We did a lot more canoeing, we saw two bald eagles and their nest, we saw a loon diving for food in the lake, I fed a little chip monk part of a roll, we saw a bunch of geese, Amanda found this alien looking water bug that changed colors, from bright green to black, and then when we were canoeing one evening we saw an animal cross a shallow part of the water and we weren't sure if it was a baby moose or a deer. A little bit later we came across that same animal which turned out to be a VERY pregnant doe and we drifted to about 10ft way from her. She was eating lily pads out of the water. It was so neat! My camera died right after taking pictures of the eagles or else we'd have pictures of the doe too :(

There were also a lot of ticks out there and luckily i didn't get bit by one but Levi did and a couple days after we were home he had a red mark on his arm that kept changing in appearance. At first it was this little pink blotch like a mosquito bite then the next day it was bright red and purple looking then the next day it was three times its size, red, and had a red ring going around the border of it- which is a classic sign of Lymes disease, so we made a trip to the ER and he was put on some antibiotics and he is all better now :)

Detroit Lakes, MN

Levi and I really enjoy going to Detroit Lakes MN. This time it was a little bit different since I am pregnant. I couldn't fit into any of my pre-prgnancy bathing suits and so we decided to just buy a bikini top, if celebrities can do it I can too, right!? I only got in the water once and I watched a Sun Fish swim around my feet and then it curled around my ankle and freaked me out so I screamed and jumped out of the water and didn't get back it. Levi on the other hand is part fish and loves to swim so he was in the water most of the time. We put on SPF 12 sunscreen and thought we were safe, little did we know we were burning to crisps. It is VERY uncomfortable to lay on my stomach since it is steadily getting bigger, so it was hard to tan my back side until I figured out that if I dug a hole in the sand where my belly was, under my towel, it didn't put any pressure on my little princess so that made it more enjoyable. Im also a little paranoid about getting sun spots on my face since my pregnant skin is ultra sensitive so I wore a shade hat and glasses :)

Ultra Sound Pictures

ITS A GIRL!!!! We are so excited! I can't wait to dress her up like a little doll! Here are her ultrasound pictures!

The Baby Bump

These photos are from 4 months and two weeks. We find out the gender on Monday and will definitely be posting more baby bump pictures soon!

Thomas' Homecoming

Thomas is my little brother. For the past two years he has served an ASL (American Sign Language) mission in the Washington DC area for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In April 2012 he returned. Almost our whole family was able to make it for his home coming. We flew out there and stayed a few days with Levi's family which was really nice and then we went up to see my family and be there for Thomas' home coming. This is also when we told both our families that we are expecting! We mostly played games and ate food good food. THomas shared with everyone his experiences as a missionary and we all spent well needed time with each other.
 

Levi's Eye Surgery

Levi had eye surgery over in Minneapolis, MN in February. So we went for the weekend. While we were there we stopped at the Mall of America (The biggest mall in America) And it really wasn't all that special. They had a lot of repeat stores like 4 footlockers and 3 pac suns and etc.. The coolest thing there was their lego store. They had these huge lego displays that were amazing.
We also went to a mexican restaurant and LEvi ordered a burrito like always but this one turned out to be as long as his forearm. It was huge.
 
Levi's poor eye was so swollen he almost couldn't open it, and a lot of gunk came out. Im glad thats over!
 

Our Place

 
 

Our place has really turned out to be so much fun. It is on 6acres and right next to the river. The river is dirty but its still fun, its amazing how fast the water will rise and fall. I have a huge garden that Levi set sprinklers up for and then Levi built a rope swing and little deck with his brother, Logan, next to the river. We go fishing and have fires, and a lot of our time is spent out side. We have wild turkeys running through our yard and we've even seen a beaver and a total of 8 deer. Everything is green which I love! But everything grows so fast Levi has to mow the "Yard" (6acres) every weekend. I think our next little adventure is going to be getting chickens, we'll see.