A Quick Visit from our Maple Grove Friends

We were excited to have our medical school friends who now live in The Cities come up for the day on Saturday.  After a very crazy lunch (seven kids and four grown ups is a lot for our dining room table!) we drove down to the rocky beach to scramble about on rocks and toss stones into the great lake.  Mr. Sneaky Pants couldn't resist going for a little swim, even though its October and the water is even more frigid than usual, coupled with the not-all-that-warm air.  He was soaked from the waist down, but actually didn't even complain about being cold because we were all having such a busy time playing. 

 

We zipped down to the up and down bridge to toodle through the museum while we waited for a huge ship to depart through the canal.  We walked to the end of the pier (actually, I should clarify . . . the kids ran like maniacs down to the end of the pier) to see the harbor lighthouse.  The kids ran like maniacs in circles around the lighthouse.  Repeatedly.  Then they did some side stepping maniacal dance back and forth from one side of the pier to the other in front of the lighthouse.  Again.  And Again.  They were so gleeful about it that everyone around was giggling.  After about a quarter of an hour of running around and next to the lighthouse, we parents thought we might be successful at getting them to walk back to the other end of the pier.  

No such luck.  They took off like racecars, and our friend Joey had to have quite the stride to keep up.  He finally managed to coral five of them (The Banana and Little Guy Brett were with Christina and me) into a corner next to the gate that the Army Corps of Engineers closes when there is bad weather on the pier.  The five biggest kids were hanging on the bars of the fence happily yelling at the top of their lungs "A CAGE!!!!! WE'RE IN A CAGE!  OUR PARENTS PUT US IN A CAGE!"  This, of course, really made bystanders laugh.  

We had a great time standing under the up and down bridge and watching cars zoom right above our heads through the grate, and of course it was exciting to see the bridge rise so the boat could get through.  We considered trying to eat out in a restaurant, but then thought better of it, especially since the restaurants were all very busy because everyone was out and about traveling due to the nice weather and teachers' convention.  So, we drove back home and ordered in pizza.  After a little more crazy playing, it was time for them to bundle up all of their munchkins and drive back to Maple Grove.  Mr. Sneaky Pants, in particular, was sad to see them go.