We Came and We Camped

We made our annual trip to Door County the week before school started. This was Isaac's first time camping and second time in Door County. It was Margot's fifth visit and Isabelle's eighth!

Camping Day One - Sunday, August 12, 2018 
We had a long drive to Door County; it probably seemed a little longer because Isaac wouldn’t nap and he kept asking for fruit snacks. The girls only wanted to watch certain shows that Isaac wasn’t a fan of, but we made it! After picking up a few extra supplies in Egg Harbor, we made our way to Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek where setting up the 8-person tent was slightly challenging and it was definitely a 2-person job. Isaac did not want to go in the pack n play and everyone wanted to help. Once it was all set up it was hard to get the kids out of the “bounce house.” Car camping quesadillas were on the menu that night plus lots of veggies, including cucumbers and tomatoes from our garden. For dessert we had s’mores and then let the kids run around and play. Soon it was time for bed and while Tom and I had plans to sit by the campfire, we just ended up going to bed with the kids. They said they were scared, but they kept chatting away until they dozed off.

Camping Day Two - Monday, August 13, 2018 
Everyone slept all night! Unbelievable, right? Its true! Isaac started stirring around 7, but we managed to keep everyone in the tent until 8. We had breakfast, played a bit and then went for a long walk to look at the water and the lighthouse. It was already starting to get warm, so after our walk we hopped in the car to get a few more supplies and ice. Isaac immediately fell asleep when we got in the car, so we went to the little playground in Ephraim for a bit so the girls could play before we had lunch at Wilson’s Dinner and Ice Cream Shop. They have great burgers and hot dogs and a wonderful allergy protocol for ice cream. Everyone left very full! After lunch we went back to Peninsula State Park where I popped over to the box office for Northern Sky Theater and got tickets to the 6pm show of the musical Dairy Heirs. Our next stop was Nicolet Beach. We had such a great time swimming and playing in the sand. The water even felt refreshing on a hot day. After some quick showers we made sandwiches and had an early dinner before the show. The Northern Sky Theater is in an outdoor amphitheater surrounded by trees. Plus, you can bring drinks and snacks. Its first come seating and we were happy to be in the last row. It still had great views and when Isaac needed to wander, it was easy to get him out. The girls loved the show, especially Margot! She wanted a double feature! After the show we had s’mores and cookies by the campfire. Then the kids went to bed and Tom and I sat out by the campfire. A perfect night!

Camping Day Three - Tuesday, August 14, 2018 
We started the day by going to the park in Sister Bay. We had a little time to burn before we went sailing with Sail Door County. Then the plans shifted because the Coast Guard was inspecting the parasailing boat which meant they couldn’t take us sailing at 9:30. They could take us out at 10:30. So we had some more time to burn by going back to the park and popping into some shops. Finally, it was time to go sailing in the 40-foot boat called The North Passage. We had it all to ourselves! Captain Peter was fantastic and only put up the jig sail so we didn’t tip back and forth a lot. The ride would have been really exciting with the main sail up, but this definitely worked out better for the kids. We were out on the water for 90 minutes. Tom and I loved every minute! Isaac was lulled asleep and slept for most of it. Totally opposite of what I expected! Isabelle and Margot were also great out there and talked the captain’s ears off. After sailing we walked to Wild Tomato in Sister Bay. We are out on the patio and the food was all delicious! Everyone was pretty tired after lunch, so we drove to Gill’s Rock for Tom’s favorite smoked fish. Then it was back to our campsite so we could get out swimsuits on and head to Nicolet Beach. It was another beautiful afternoon! Lots of swimming and sandcastles. That night the girls went to bed great. Isaac cried for a bit, but eventually settled down with the help of Tom and I trading off hanging inside the tent. Then Tom and I finally got to relax by the campfire, together. 

Camping Day Four - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 
Everyone slept in again and after breakfast we started packing up a few things and then went for a hike on Sentinel Trail. It’s a two-mile loop and everyone did it! Well, Tom did carry Isaac for about half. Still really great for an almost two-year-old! The kids loved all the signs that described the trees. After our hike we went to The Summer Kitchen for lunch and ate on their front porch. It was delicious! Their soup bar may not scream “summer”, but it was so good! After lunch we stopped by a cute shop in Ephraim for souvenirs and then went back to break down camp. We did let the kids watch a show while we got the dry tent down. Yes, a dry tent! It didn’t rain a drop this time! Then I took the kids for a walk while Tom finished loading up the car. We were done by 2 and that wrapped up our 2018 trip to Door County. Until next summer!

Door County as a Family of Five!

Over Labor Day weekend we went to one of our favorite places, Door County, Wisconsin. This was Isaac's first time there, Margot's fourth and Isabelle's seventh. This trip did NOT involve camping because Isaac wasn't quite walking yet and we didn't want him crawling all over a campsite. (If I'm really being honest, I don't think Tom and I were ready yet.)

Day One - Saturday, September 2, 2017

We started our vacation with a stop at Bookworm Gardens in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. If you're in the area I highly recommend it! It's a botanic garden inspired by beloved children's books, such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Winnie the Pooh, Charlotte’s Web, Little House in the Big Woods and so, so many more! It is such a magical place and we will for sure be back.

Our next stop was Baileys Harbor Yacht Club Resort. We had a one-bedroom suite with a full kitchen and views of the water. Everyone was hungry so we had dinner at at Gibraltar Grill in Fish Creek, one of our favorites. Then we settled in. Isabelle and Margot slept on cots in the main room. Isaac was in the pack 'n play with us in the bedroom. It was tight and he would not stop playing with the built-in dresser. So the next time we moved him to the main room with his sisters.

Day Two - Sunday, September 3, 2017

After a quick breakfast, we stopped by a little art fair in Baileys Harbor. Then we were off the playground in Sister Bay. The kids love this playground and the view from there is outstanding. soon enough it was time for lunch and since it was right there, we went to Wild Tomato Wood Fired Pizza and Grille  in Sister Bay for the first time. We normally go to the one in Fish Creek, but I have to say I now prefer the Sister Bay version. They went above and beyond with the food allergies and it was nice to eat inside for a change. After lunch we got in the ferry line for Washington Island. The line was long and it seemed like everyone in Door County was trying to get on that island, but wait we did and soon we were sitting on the top deck of the ferry heading to the island. We went to School House Beach where the girls played with the rocks and waded in the water. Isaac was just interested in trying to eat the rocks. We also went to another sandy beach that I couldn't find a name for. The kids loved playing in the sand. Soon it was time to get back on the ferry, but wow...the wait was an hour and a half to get back on the ferry. It was insane! We couldn't believe how well the kids held it together! We got back to the resort so late that we ended up having leftover pizza for dinner. 

Day Three - Monday, September 4, 2017
A big treat this day was lunch at Wilson's Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor in Ephraim. Margot could actually eat the ice cream there. The kids were in heaven! We spent a little time at the playground in Ephraim. We also went to Peninsula State Park for some hiking and playing by the beach. We ended with dinner at the Wild Tomato in Fish Creek and then back to the resort to watch the sun set. The perfect ending.

Day Four - Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Our last day was spent traveling home. We had such a great time and love this family tradition!

We'll See You Again Next Summer, Door County!

I have to make this post short, because baby #3 is on his or her way any day and I want to make sure I get this done before I'm in zombie mode. So...

In June we made our annual trip to Door County, one of our favorite places. Like last year, we took the girls camping at Peninsula State Park. We spent three nights there and the first and last night it rained. Luckily after dinner! The girls did great sleeping in the tent, although we did go to bed early because of the rain and we had to mix up our sleeping arrangements. We had brought a little cot for Margot to sleep on while camping and she did not like it. She wanted to sleep on the air mattress with me, so Tom ended up sleeping on the ground by Isabelle for the trip (with a sleeping pad, I'm not that cruel). At least we had options.

Our first day was spent getting there, setting up camp and making dinner before it rained. The next morning we had breakfast and then went over to the Nature Center at the park for a children's program on hummingbirds. The girls loved it! We had lunch at Gibraltar Grill in Fish Creek, one of our favorites, and then spent the rest of the day at Nicolet Beach. It was packed! No surprise since it was over 80 degrees out. We managed to find a shaded spot and spent the entire afternoon there. Not even the freezing water could keep us away. It was maybe 50 degrees. Chilly! That night we cooked dinner at our campsite and enjoyed the campfire. We spent a lot of time at our campsite this year, because the girls loved exploring every inch of it. We ended that night with a walk to see the sunset. It was a great day!

On Sunday morning we had breakfast, hung out the campsite and then went to church. Our afternoon was filled with a lot of firsts. We had a delicious lunch at The Summer Kitchen in North Ephraim. It was our first time there and the adult meals included a bowl of soup from their soup bar. Their French cabbage soup was so good I had to buy the cookbook. Then we made our first trip to the Hands on Art Studio to paint bird houses. Such a fun place! While we waited for the bird houses to dry the girls played on the swing set. We had a hard time getting them to leave. Our next stop was Newport State Park. This was another first for us. Margot had fallen asleep at this point so we strolled toward the beach. I relaxed on a bench while Margot slept in the stroller next to me. Isabelle and Tom made their way along the shoreline and did some exploring. It was a such a peaceful park. I felt like we were the only people there.

That evening the rain held off again until after dinner, but it rained all night. We ventured into Fish Creek that morning to have breakfast at The Summertime Restaurant and to buy more trash bags to haul all of our wet gear home. Packing up was not a lot of fun, but the rest of the weekend made up for it!

On our way home we stopped for lunch at The Log Den in Egg Harbor and even with a private event going on, they were so helpful and attentive.

One last thing before I finish this post. Because Margot has a life threatening food allergy to peanuts and some tree nuts, we planned to make a lot of our meals at the campsite. We packed a ton of food! We also wanted to make sure that when we did eat out it was for breakfast or lunch. In case there was any allergic reaction that gave us plenty of time to notice it and get to the closest hospital in Sturgeon Bay. Normally it isn't that far of a drive from Fish Creek, but there was a lot of construction and it would have taken us 45 minutes. The campsite also doesn't have great cellphone reception, so we spoke with the park rangers and campsite hosts who were all very helpful. The restaurants we went to were also so helpful and with our questions and concerns to keep Margot safe. Such a relief!

We'll see you next summer, Door County!  

A River DIDN'T Run Through It...and Other Adventures

In mid-July we made our annual trip to Door County, Wisconsin where we took the girls camping - it was Margot's first time! We left Monday morning and when we finally made it to Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek the girls were extremely ready to get out of the car. We let them run around the campsite and once they burned off a little steam we got out the pack-n-play to hold Margot while we set up the tent. Isabelle was actually a great help! When she wasn't putting poles together, she entertained her sister. I'm not going to lie, Margot eventually had enough of being stuck in the pack-n-play, but by that point we were almost done and the girls played in the tent while we finished up. It worked out pretty well!

After setting up camp, things were going so well that I broke out my new camp stove (thanks again Eric and Janell!) and made an early dinner. Our plan was to go for a short hike after we ate, but it looked like it might rain, so Tom got a fire going and we were going to make s'mores. That's when the park ranger showed up with a bull horn and sirens blaring. He told us a severe thunderstorm was moving through the area, so we packed up all of the food (we thought), secured the tent and hopped in the car to ride out the worst of it. Margot fell asleep fairly quickly and we tried to find a radio station that would tell us what was going on. Soon the storm came and since we couldn't find any information on the radio AND we didn't have any cell reception, we drove to the park entrance where our phones did work. It looked like it would rain most of the night, but the severe storm was passing. So we went back to camp just hoping our tent was still dry. After a stop at the bathroom with Isabelle - her raincoat kept her dry, mine did not and currently resides in a dumpster - we ran into the tent and all four of us snuggled on the air mattress and read a lot of books while the rain continued to pour down. Isabelle eventually got into her sleeping bag and fell fast asleep. Margot not so much, but halfway through the night we got her to sleep in the pack-n-play and everyone slept in the next morning. We didn't leave the tent until it stopped raining around 8. It rained ALL NIGHT.

It was a crazy night and it turns out the raccoons had a good time right outside our tent. They got into the cooler that had most of our food. With the storm coming, we just forgot about it. I hope the raccoons enjoyed the turkey sandwiches I made! They must have, because all I found were a couple empty bags next to the car.

After that we deserved a good breakfast at Al Johnsons Swedish Restaurant. It was outstanding, as always! After breakfast we decided to hike from our campsite in Welcker's Point to the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse where we took a tour of the lighthouse. Actually we made it halfway through the tour before we had to bail - kids! Our next stop on our hike was Nicolet Beach. It turned into a beautiful day, but still not quite warm enough to go swimming. Instead we took the kite out for a spin, ran around the park, play on the jungle gym and had lunch thanks to the snack shop at the beach. It turned out we weren't the only ones hungry.

I came out with the pizza and Tom left with Isabelle to go the bathroom. Margot immediately ran from me and as I ran after her the seagulls spied an opportunity the score some lunch. They swopped in and I ran back to scare them off. I thought they got one piece of pizza, so I set it aside. Then Tom and Isabelle came back and he was yelling "WATCH OUT!", so of course I turned to him and a seagull flew in, checked me and snagged the piece of pizza I had set aside. It was insane! After that we took our pizza inside and ate in piece. Although we left quite the impression. I had a women come up to me later and she told me I did the best I could.

Wild Animals - 2
Emmons - 0

The rest of the afternoon was rather low-key. Margot fell asleep on the hike back to camp and Isabelle had fun playing in the tent and worked on her fairy garden she had started that morning. That night we went to Gibraltar Grill for dinner where we sat outside on their new covered patio. It was a very relaxing dinner. Something I don't normally say these days! After dinner we went back to camp, enjoyed the campfire and the s'mores we made. Delicious! Soon the girls went to bed (Margot put up a fight) and Tom and I enjoyed a few Spotted Cows by the fire.

Isabelle with her fairy garden!

Everyone slept like a rock that night and we even slept in a bit the next morning. It must have been all the fresh air! We ventured into Fish Creek for breakfast and ended up having a great time at The Summertime Restaurant. We ate inside and the learned it started out in 1910 as an ice cream shop. I'm sure the girls wished it was still an ice cream shop. After breakfast we walked by the docks and decided to come back later for a lunchtime boat tour. We picked up lunch supplies and headed back to break down camp, because later that day we were driving to a little resort called Lake Lawn that is on Lake Delavan in southern Wisconsin, very close to Lake Geneva.

When we planned this trip, we weren't sure how Margot's first time camping would go, so we thought a few nights at a little resort would be a nice way to cap it off. I have to admit, that day I was having second thoughts and wanted to stay in Door County. I even called the resort from the boat dock and found out the resort have a 72-hour cancellation policy, so our plans were not changing.

So long Eagle Tower - it's been condemned!

After breaking down camp and making lunch, we hopped on the boat for our tour that ended up being almost two hours long. Way, way too long for two tired girls, but most of it was enjoyable! Soon we were in the car, the girls were fast asleep and Tom and I were munching on chocolate covered cherries and cheese curds. We pulled into Lake Lawn Resort that evening and settled in. The next day was cloudy, a little rainy and cool. We did manage to go to the playground, swim in the indoor pool, have a delicious lunch and swim in the outdoor heated pool when the sun peeked out.

Later that afternoon we went to Old World Wisconsin in Eagle, Wisconsin. We saw a sign for it on the highway the day before and figured why not check it out. I wish we had gone earlier in the day so we had more time. It is a huge living history farm on almost 600 acres. Their website really doesn't do it justice. We needed at least half a day to really explore, but we only had one hour so we took the tram to the Life on the Farms area. We toured the 1860s German farm, the 1880s German farm and the 1900s Polish home. A highlight was seeing the baby pigs and the beautiful kitchen gardens. We will definitely find our way back to Old World Wisconsin! There is so much more to explore, including the 1880s village, the Yankees area, the Finns area, the Danes area, the 1900s one room school house and the Norwegians area.

That evening, as the rain poured down again, we had a great dinner (and beer!) at Sprecher's Restaurant and Pub in Lake Geneva, followed by dessert at Lake Lawn Resort. The next morning we packed up and made our way back home. We had many adventures that week and we can't wait for our next trip up north!