Froemmings

Last night we checked off another Summer Bucket List item with a visit to Scoop-N-Dough. It's a new ice cream, shake and edible cookie dough spot downtown; it's store front actually faces out to the alley. The large window with the cones on it is an overhead garage door that they can open up for more space. We found a spot on the steps across the alley to enjoy our treats. I went for two different flavors of straight up cookie dough: chocolate chip and milk and cookies, Clara did chocolate cookie dough and Brynn topped two cookie dough flavors with a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream.     Brynn thought some of the ice cream flavors were a little too out there for her, but we all agreed the cookie dough was really tasty. They even offer covers for your cup so you can take any leftovers home to enjoy later which all three of us did. Some fun artwork that we walked past on our way back to the car.

We all had a good time gathering again for our annual get-together at Uncle Carey and Aunt Cindy's cabin on beloved Lake Franklin. It was great weather as usual and we had fun swimming in the lake, enjoying great food and spending time with relatives. (Super cute braids on the girls courtesy of Grandma Holly.)

Last Saturday I was getting ready to head to Chicago for a trade show we were exhibiting at for work. Clara helped me pick some rhubarb in the morning. It was pretty hot out so we made a trip to DQ to cool off. We were at the trade show during the day, but had the evenings to ourselves for the most part. I was usually pretty tired out to do much, but this was my first time to Chicago, so I felt I shouldn't waste it in my motel room. I also took my first ride on the L train or subway. I came home Wednesday night and was glad to see the fam again and sleep in my own bed.  My BFF Amanda invited Clara over for a playdate on Thursday afternoon. Of course they had a good time together. So cute. We got some rain, all day, on Thursday. The fun continued when we got home. Oh goodness! Silly sissies

We came back from the lake on Friday to refluff our stuff before we headed south to check off another item on our summer bucket list. Brynn had wanted to see Laura Ingalls' homestead in De Smet, SD. We arrived to De Smet around 5:00 pm and got checked into our motel, swam for a bit and then got ready for dinner. After dinner we went to the pageant which is an outdoor play that depicts the stories of Laura Ingalls and her family during their time in South Dakota. It was a really nice evening for it, though a little buggy. We only made it halfway through the pageant before the girls started to get chilly and tired, so we headed back to the motel. We were able to go on a wagon ride prior to the pageant starting. Unfortunately, none of us got much sleep in our motel room. The girls were sharing the second bed in our room and didn't seem to want to settle down. That and Brynn had caught Clara's cold or respiratory infection, or something anyway, and was co