Orlando pictures, part 2!

A lot less narrative, a lot more pictures on this post :)

Early morning flight out of Minneapolis

Day 1: let's swim in the pool!

Day 2, at the park!

In Diagon Alley... a bunch of muggles outside Weasley's Wizard Wheezes

Looking down Diagon Alley towards Gringott's

Inside Gringott's

Knight bus!

enjoying ice cream from Florian Fortescue's outside the Three Broomsticks

Peeking into the windows of Honeyduke's... so many choices!

Then back to the hotel for more swimming!

Park, Day 3 - the Hogwarts Express

We tried pumpkin juice... it was really good!

Rawr!!!!!

Day 4... heading for home.

So much fun! We can't wait to go back.

Busy busy summer

This summer is positively flying by. It's hard to believe we're halfway through it already... but time flies when you're having fun, and we are definitely having fun this summer! Here's a peek at some of the activities that've kept us busy busy busy.

First, Maisie spent a week at Salolampi!

"Maija" - her camp name, pronounced "Maya" - had an absolute blast. She came home saying that she wants to go for two weeks next year! She learned quite a bit of Finnish, and enjoyed making friends and the camp activities. Her counselor's report that we got shortly after she got home said she worked hard, learned a lot, and even won the camp award, a discopallo (disco ball necklace), for being a good student and working hard. I'm so glad she had such a good experience!

It was a long week for us without Maisie! We wrote her letters and got a few in return, and also got to peek in on her camp experience through their Facebook page and their blog posts. (This pic is from the blog) If you look through their Facebook from June 16-21, you can find Maisie in a lot of their pictures!

The girls have both been taking swimming lessons at the YWCA.

Over the summer, the Y runs swim lessons almost like little camps... they're the regular length, but instead of once a week, they're daily for two weeks. Both Maisie and Ella have made GREAT strides in their swimming ability. Ella's gone from being unwilling to get her face wet, to loving jumping in and swimming underwater! Maisie is becoming a strong swimmer too, learning different kicks and strokes.

Of course, there's more to do in the pool at the Y than just swim...


Rollin' rollin' rollin'... as Aaron and Ella watch!

 Maisie, Dylan, and I have also been taking log rolling classes! (Ella would too but you have to be 6 to roll, boo!) It's really fun... I started a few weeks ago, prompted by a friend who's been rolling for about a year. Maisie and Dylan came and watched once and were instantly asking to sign up for the next session. Of course, they're already MUCH better than I am - they're shorter (lower center of gravity) and lighter (so the log doesn't roll as much under them). My P.R. is around 10 seconds, but Maisie's is 16, and Dylan's is 17! I worked much harder for my 10 seconds, though!

The kids took their usual trip up north for the 4th of July on the Range. This year, Laura and I planned the big kids' costumes with an eye on First Prize in the costume contest. Presenting... George Washington and Betsy Ross!

They got SECOND PRIZE! Apparently they lost to two girls who were not dressed up, and just holding a sign that said "Happy 4th of July Gilbert!" We were ROBBED. Dylan and Maisie were less upset about it than I was, though. They won $10 (which they split evenly) and enjoyed getting their picture taken as they walked in the parade. Maisie reported that everyone said they should've won. I agree!

And of course, we went to CONvergence!

Bubbles, Wonder Girl, and Venom acting very silly!

This year Dylan joined us on Saturday and Sunday, after the kids got back from their trip up north.

Steampunk Princess Elsa with Bubbles the Powerpuff girl

We all had so much fun watching movies and anime, doing crafts, checking out the cool costumes, collecting badge ribbons, watching boffing and taiko drumming, shopping in the Dealers Room, and of course eating too much candy.

Spidergirl vs. Venom

The kids are already planning our CON experience for next year!

So that's our summer so far... still to come we've got more swimming lessons, art camp, Chris and Kim's wedding, and of course the State Fair! I'm sure it'll fly by, and before we know it we'll be putting the girls on the school bus. We'll make the most of it while it lasts!

Back to normal

It's been a while since I updated! The holidays were a whirlwind of running here and there, and trying to stay warm. The girls were off school for winter break from December 23 through January 3, so Aaron was home with them trying to keep them busy and happy and entertained. We had a lovely Christmas Eve at Auntie Laura's house, and a cozy Christmas day snuggled up at home.

After a very fun New Year's Eve, when we hosted a sleepover with cousin Dylan, we headed up to the Edgewater hotel/waterpark in Duluth for a little mini-vacation before the girls headed back to school. Then, of course, the extra-long break got extended another two days, January 6 and 7, due to the ridiculously cold temps. On Monday morning the 6th, the wind chill was -51 when I woke up!!

But we're finally, finally back to a regular schedule. School's back in session, I'm back at work, and life is moving along. Everything's back to normal. Which always reminds me of one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite books, Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

"Five to one against and falling..." she said, "four to one against and falling...three to one...two...one...probability factor of one to one...we have normality, I repeat we have normality." She turned her microphone off — then turned it back on, with a slight smile and continued: "Anything you still can’t cope with is therefore your own problem."

Picture time!

Visiting "Santa Joe" at the Midtown Global Market. Maisie was NOT interested in sitting on his lap.

New Year's day... Dylan was rolling on the floor laughing so hard!



Silliness at the waterpark




Fun with selfies



I mustache you a question.

The mustache really adds some gravitas, don't you think?

Vacation!

The past few weeks have been crazy. Nothing particular to speak of... just the regular day-in, day-out stuff that keeps everyone so busy. So when last week rolled around, I couldn't have been happier. You see, it was MEA week!

MEA is the teachers' union here in Minnesota. (Actually, they renamed themselves Education Minnesota a number of years ago, but everyone still calls it "MEA.") Every year in mid-October, Minnesota public schools close down for a few days. The first conferences are held, and then the teachers' union has its annual convention.

This year, I took those days off work, and made us a reservation at Edgewater, a hotel/waterpark in Duluth. (It's about a 2.5 hour drive from Minneapolis.) On Wednesday morning we met with Maisie's teacher, and then hit the road!

We got to Duluth around lunch time. We went to the Lake Avenue Restaurant, where Aaron & I had delicious whitefish and the girls split a pizza. (The first of many pizzas on this trip, as it turns out! The hotel rooms came with a 16" cheese pizza each night, so that's what we had, both days.) The cafe is located in this cute little mall. The girls and I walked around a bit while waiting for our food to arrive.

We found this cute carousel-looking horse and went for a ride.

After that, we went to the Great Lakes Aquarium, which I really enjoyed. The girls were less impressed.

This is what happens when I say "Say cheese!"

Navigating the locks and dams in the Great Lakes.

Finally, FINALLY! It was time to go swimming. The water park is not huge, but it was plenty of fun for all of us. There were slides big and small, a hot tub, activity pools, and a whirlpool that was Ella's favorite - she wore a life jacket and bobbed around like a little cork, swirling around and around.

The water park was open from 8:00 - noon, and then again from 4:00 - 9:00 on the days we were there. We'd get there early and play, and then had a nice break in the middle of the day. On Thursday during the break, we went back down to Canal Park to see the lift bridge go up and a big ship come in.

One-handed attempt at a family picture (with penguin)

After that, it was time to eat. Since we were right there, I took them to Grandma's.


Ella has monster teeth!



Maisie hard at work...

Ella can't find whole words yet in the word find, but she likes to find letters.

I was so happy to be inside! It was cold and rainy out there.

After lunch it was back to the hotel for more swimming. Then an early bedtime, followed by an early morning and even MORE SWIMMING. By the time we got home, Aaron & I were both totally waterlogged and didn't think we'd dry out for a week! The girls, on the other hand, want to go back there this weekend. Ha ha!

Even though it was a lot of fun, everyone was glad to get home on Friday.

Maisie was SO annoyed that Ella kept walking through her leaf piles!

It was a very fun vacation and one we'll definitely repeat.

Stick 'em up!

I didn't listen, and got well and truly squirted... those girls might be little and cute, but don't be fooled. They're little Annie Oakleys with squirt guns.

Ella turns 2!

(or, as my mom said, "How the hell did that happen?")

Ella's actual second birthday was on Monday, and it was a pretty low-key affair. Aaron & I gave her some gifts, there was a candle and a cupcake, and that was about it.

So today, we had an actual party to mark Ella's second birthday. And it was super fun!

We celebrated at Sibley Park, a lovely little park with a wading pool, jungle gym, and sandlot that's not too far from our house. We were joined by a number of awesome individuals: Gramma Liisa; Auntie Laura, Dylan, and Dan; Wally & Mary Jo & their two sons, Jack & Charlie; Rebecca & her daughter Sophia; Nick, Caroline, and their dogs; and Brian Clark and his dogs. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to spend the afternoon with!

So what I love about having a birthday party at a park, indoor playground, or the like, is that I don't have to actually plan anything. As a result, my photos are kind of haphazard - as was the party. I hope this just gives a sense of what an awesome time was had by all!

Dylan, the girls, and the teeter-totter


Ella's lack of a swimsuit isn't going to keep her from enjoying the pool, with Gramma Liisa:


The children kibbutz on proper present-opening technique.


Ella enjoys the slide with Auntie Laura


WOW this is high up!


It's not a complete showing, but it's a good representation, I think. We all had so much fun!

As for Ella, at 2, she's really a wonderful person. Her language is really taking off, and she's regularly coming up with 3- and 4-word sentences. It's so exciting that she can tell us about her observations! I can't wait for her vocabulary to develop further so we can really hear about what's going through her head.

Ella is a sweet, affectionate girl who loves to play, be read to, and to help us out around the house. Whenever anyone's in the kitchen, whether we're cooking or doing dishes, she will be there saying "Ella help you?"

So far our Ella has shown herselve to be a smart, capable, confident, headstrong, loving person. I canot wait to see what the future holds for her!

Free Time

The weather hasn't been ferocious, but it's definitely been warm. We've been nipping at 90 degrees for a couple of weeks, so we've been going to the pool a lot, as well as various air-conditioned venues (Children's Museum, MN Zoo).

Water wheels and gizmos at the Children's Museum.

Playing in the pool at the park (or princess paddling in purple pants)

Both Maisie and Ella tamely submit to their daily sun-blocking, although Ella starts giggling and squirming away once I start lotioning her nose and cheeks.

Maisie after the costume parade at Highland Fest.
"I didn't place daddy! I didn't get a place!" regarding her participation ribbon. I told her to beat up the first place kid and take his ribbon and prize candy. What? She gets the ribbon, I get the candy.
"There he is, sweetie! Get him! Get HIM!"