Over Christmas break we decided to do a little get a way and explore Northern Minnesota. I found a coupon in the Val Pak to a place called Arrow Wood and thanks to some Christmas $ we were able to make it happen! We traveled about 3 hours north west to Alexandria, Minnesota.
We had a fabulous trip and a highlight for Eli would be driving a mini snowmobile!
They had a course set up for kids ages 6-10 and it was so cool. For $20 he got to ride for 20 minutes. He loved every minute of it and was really tired at the end of the 20 minutes. Emery was not interested in driving but went along to watch.
I was in the room with the little ones napping so I wasn't actually there when he drove. When I saw this picture I thought he looked like a junior professional.
Another highlight of the resort was the water park. All the kids had so much fun there. We basically let the kids lead and went from the water park to the pool to sledding to eating to swimming again. Nothing but fun!
The big kids loved the slides. The water park was small enough that we could let Em & Eli go on the slides by themselves. From the little kid section you could see the whole water park. Eli & I had the most fun on the double tube slide.
Fun with Daddy!
The lazy river was about 10 degrees warmer than the other parts which made it like a hot tub! We went around that river many times.
I had to laugh at this picture...total poser on the kiddie slide!
A shot of Arrow Wood Resort while standing on the frozen lake.
Another activity we tried was ice fishing. While we were out there we got to watch a gentleman unload his fishing house and set it all up.
Eliot was determined to hold the bait...tiny little fish!
Elese got such a kick out of the dead bait out on the lake. They were frozen and she thought that was funny.
Eliot was checking out one of the fishing holes. He enjoyed using the strainer to strain the ice off the holes.
The poles are actually attached to the wall and you roll the line out once you have your bait on it.
Getting the bait ready
This is what it looks like once you have it all rigged up. Inside the house there is a hole in each corner. From time to time they move the house to another location and drill a new hole.
The house is tiny but we all fit inside! It had heat too so we were nice and warm.
To get out on the lake you drive on this cart. That's our house in the background.
All bundled up and ready to go! The cart ride was good fun but really cold.
At the snow center they have a fire pit all set up and a fire going all day. There is also a container full of Smore's supplies for all to use!
A little sledding fun :)
Here I go! I was going so fast that I almost wiped out a little kid...seriously.
Daddy & Elese
Eli has turned into a Minnesota lover. He LOVES it here. Every day when he comes off the bus he plays outside sledding or snowboarding for 45 minutes. He's never cold and enjoys everything about it.
Just a shot of the snow center before we went sledding. Inside they have a cozy fire, couches & a shelf full of games.
Eliot getting ready for sledding action. Funny story about the hat...he saw it right before Christmas at Goodwill and had to have it! I paid $1 for it and honestly I can't stand it. Oh the things we do for our kids :)
I think the only things we didn't try were broom ball & ice hockey on the lake. We stayed 2 nights but just didn't fit it all in!
Listening to her new iPod Nano...a Christmas gift.
I have to share this picture of the room...it was huge! This is a family room and we couldn't believe how spacious it was. That couch made a bed and the little ones ended up sleeping on there together and we didn't even use the crib. It had a refrigerator too!
We had such a good time at Arrow Wood. We are hoping to go back this summer and spend some time there. There are just as many summer activities as there were winter...jet skiing, pontoon rentals, indoor pool, outdoor pool, fishing, playground, shuffle board, hiking trails and even more.