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I was feeling very pissy about traveling up north with the kids but that was silly because they love it up there. The minute they hopped out of the car they were literally bouncing around with excitement and joy. All of the things that scared them last year, like the dog, are now sources of delight.

Jake's parents' house is basically the perfect grandparent heaven for a couple of kids. It's got a lake, woods, boats, a dock, and all kinds of things to explore. They have a little play kitchen, and a sand box, and a lot of Jake's old toys, and other random things that they've picked up from garage sales and such. Nora loves that kitchen and Milo adores the sand box. They both got about 800 mosquito bites but never wanted to go inside.

We also took a boat ride, and went swimming, and ate all kinds of new foods (Nora actually ate tomatoes, and spaghetti, and Milo ate a ton of sushi one afternoon). Being up there sort of feels like being at camp -- the house is basically a cabin, and they usually have a bonfire at night, and you can sit outside and listen to the loons and watch the water.

Most people go to this location for a week or two in the summer, and most of the houses on the lake are summer cabins. Jake's family lived there year round, and this was their full-time home. He had a childhood that was different from most of us who grew up in suburbia. His brother rode a snowmobile to school in the winters.

Tonight after we got home we had a nice dinner and then while I was washing dishes Milo climbed on a chair, fell off of it, and gashed the corner of his eye. Jake and I were so freaked out and trying to see how bad the cut was that this scared Milo and he cried for a long time. I didn't know if we should take him to the hospital to get a stitch. The gash is about a centimeter long and the eye itself is fine, but I guess the fact that it is on his face has me worried that he will get a weird-looking scar. It was a deep gash. If he had the same type of cut anywhere else on his body, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. Anyway, we decided it was silly to go to the hospital for something that probably doesn't need stitches, but still, I feel bad. I swear Milo is so danger prone. He has no fear at all and currently he has not only that nasty gash, but a ton of bruises, cuts, and scrapes on his legs, plus all of the mosquito bites -- he's a mess.

Nora is a little more cautious and so she gets far fewer injuries. I guess in this case Milo takes after me and Nora takes after Jake. I'm just happy we made it through the trip without any major mishaps. That place up north is a kid heaven but for a parent it looks like one enormous danger pit.