After the brief reunion in Des Moines, Lauren, Michael and I drove up to Estherville to have a week of quality time together. They got a chance to have a change of scenery and be away from their parents (remember how exciting that was?) and they got to learn more about their big sister and what it's like to live on your own as a real "grown up". Wait, cable TV isn't free? You PAY someone to take your trash every week? It's HOT without air conditioning! So many little lessons :)
Hanging out at home in front of the fan. Michael is playing his video games and Lauren and I are making Stufflings by Gingermelon! They were so fun to make and they turned out super cute! You should check out her shop and check out her patterns. I want more now that I've tried these! She has so many cute designs.
I also taught Lauren how to make a Wallflower!! After guiding her through the first one, she made a second one all on her own and it came out really cool. I wish I had taken a photo of it! She's a naturally talented designer already and I love watching her work.
Of course, it was too hot to stay away from the pool! They had fun doing tricks, jumping in and posing for the camera. We went twice but I only brought the camera the first time.
PLANKING. Hahaha.
We took the cruiser for a tour around Estherville and took turns riding.
We went out to see the old abandoned train (we didn't go inside) and then went swimming in Spirit Lake! We didn't plan to swim, we were just going to explore the area together, but the water was so tempting and it was so hot out! We made an impromptu trip to Walmart to buy cheap swimsuits so we could get in the lake!
Tomorrow, look forward to seeing the photoshoot we did together on the train tracks and in the streets of Estherville. The kids were great models!





