Laura & Mary Weekend

The girls have anxiously been awaiting our 'Laura & Mary' weekend all summer long.  Asking weekly, if it is Laura & Mary time yet?  Perhaps I should clarify... we have been reading the Little House in the Big Woods books by Laura Ingalls Wilder every night before bed since January.  The books have sparked many interesting conversations over the last several months, and have given us something wholesome and special to look forward to every night as a family.  We decided to make a weekend out of it, and took in several other sites as well.  The drive along both the Wisconsin & Minnesota border of the Mississippi were incredible and the tiny towns enchanting.  We stopped to grab a cup of coffee in the Lake City marina below. 

Appropriately caffeinated, we headed to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN.  It was amazing!  Piper is pictured below with Harriet, their oldest (and yes, really alive!) bald eagle.

We even got to see the Eagle Show, where live eagles eat their meal, and Hadley was asked to be part of the wingspan presentation!  I am not sure who was more surprised that she said yes, us or her?  We were pleased to learn that she and a loon have a similar spread, hehe. 



Quick stop for a little picnic, and then on to Pepin, WI, the birthplace of Laura & Mary.  We enjoyed several little museums and tribute locations in Pepin, and then headed 7 miles out to the actual acreage that Charles Ingalls bought back in the 1860s.  The house is now a replica, but that didn't matter in the least to the girls. 

Then it was back to the hotel for a little swimming, and of course... bed jumping!  It was our first attempt at staying in a hotel room as a family.  Let's just say that the first night may have been thee most sleepless night we've ever had.  Thankfully, the trip (or shall we say the girls) were worth it, and the following night was much better.  Phew.  As usual, this crazy hair picture makes Piper nearly cry, but it is too funny not to post!

Before leaving Red Wing, we took in their River City Days parade, where Hadley loudly proclaimed, "This is the most candy I have ever seen in my life!"  And Piper proudly said to me, "They have our flag, Mama" every single time an American flag came by.  It was a simply wonderful family weekend.