Family Trip to Duluth

This family of 3 (soon to be 4 - ahhhh!!!) headed to Duluth for a MUCH needed long weekend. We enjoyed rare moments of relaxation and togetherness without the burdens of dogs, cooking, work, etc. Aside from the arctic weather we had a blast swimming (indoors of course!), eating really good food with no clean up, laughing at Iris (in the same hour she both told a crowd of strangers eating their lunch she had a poopy diaper when they asked her name and then told a woman using the restroom her daddy had diarrhea.) I do have a few comment cards for the Edgewater Resort but if you can overlook the fact that a highway is between your "lakeview balcony" and the lake, and if you generally enjoy a bed that slopes to the middle, an itchy/dirty feeling after a shower, and unsupervised children who desperately need their noses wiped you will have a blast. (Despite my comments we did in fact, have a blast) Next year, however, we may hit the Dells...

Oh! and for those CLOSELY following the Name Game, I owe you two letters: let's take out K and P.

Gone so far: A B C H I K L M O P R S T V X and Z.

"I said NO PONY!"

This is the pony Iris did NOT ride at today's St Anthony Park Festival. I might point out it was her idea to ride it. We stood in a long line in the rain, paid our $5 admission and headed toward the pony only to have her scream "NO PONY!" So we headed toward the exit and as soon as we were out of the pony ring she yelled "I want to ride the pony!" So we had a little talk and she insisted she wanted to ride the pony. We stood in line again, still in the rain, paid our $5 admission and headed toward the pony. She again protested and clung to me for dear life. So once again we headed to the exit. Luckily you get your money back if your child refuses the ride. After we walked away, Iris repeated "I said NO PONY!" a number of times.

Last Day of Music Class

I brought my camera to McPhail School today hoping to catch some of Iris's spirit but turns out no photography allowed. So you'll just have to trust me when I say Iris was the loudest, most animated and outgoing kid in the class. On the flip side she was also the most demanding of the teacher and required the most redirection. She could be headed for theatre, or...for detention, we're not sure yet. Here she is following a fairly successful day at class.

Book March!

At Friday's Windom Park Carnival, Iris's favorite activity was the Book March. She played it again and again and again and took the name of the game quite literally as she did march the entire time. We now own two new books that she won - just so happened she won both times when she was the only kid playing.

Happy (ALMOST) Birthday Grandma DeDe!

Not sure why this picture is turned the wrong way. I have given up trying to edit it.

Forgive the gap in posting! This blog writer has been otherwise occupied trying to manage a new role at work. This entry goes out to Gma DeDe who is celebrating her birthday in a WILD way on Friday - watching two toddlers! We wish you a happy birthday and hope you find some time to celebrate YOU this weekend. You deserve it!

Catching up on letters removed from the guessing game: I deleted F a couple weeks ago, and then B last week. This week I will delete T.

12 weeks to go!