Trip Report Part II

After a scrumptious breakfast (who knew that sugar-cured smoked salmon could be so good?!), we headed even further north to Grand Portage so we'd be close to the ferry dock. Along the way, we stopped to take a short hike to Minnesota's highest waterfall located in Grand Portage State Park - which is right at the US-Canada border. See obligatory waterfall photo. (I don't know why, but we always seem to hit waterfalls on our hiking trips....I guess it was the Australia waterfall tour that started it all). Waterfalls are old-hat for our Lolo, but this was Norah's first waterfall. I don't think she was all that impressed.
Basically, the only place to stay in Grand Portage is the Grand Portage Lodge & Casino. Before we left I tried to find an address to mapquest the lodge, but to no avail. Once we got to Grand Portage I realized why....basically, the lodge is the town of Grand Portage. No address necessary. Since our room wasn't ready when we got there, we wandered around the grounds of the hotel - hoping they would get us in early because Norah desperately needed a nap. The lodge was hosting a 50s & 60s weekend....complete with cars, band, and a fun bouncy "ride" for the kids. Lolo thought it was great....basically permission to jump up and down on something like a giant bed but without having to spend any time on the naughty step. Jim found it to be quite the workout. Apparently, it's a lot harder than it looks. Also managed to hit the playground for a while and after we finally got in our room for a nap and dinner....some time in the swimming pool for Lolo.
The next morning, alarm-clock-Norah got us up in time to catch the ferry to Isle Royale. The ferry was scheduled to leave at 8am but we were supposed to arrive at the dock at 7:15am. Ick. Trip Report Part III to come....

Trip Report Part I

Grab a cup of coffee because this is going to be a long post.
But first, a little birthday action...chocolate cake and singing from my girls and beloved. A perfect 35th. (And yes, before you ask, Lolo is wearing the same Dora the Explorer dress).
We packed up and left after dinner last friday night. First stop. The Naniboujou Lodge in Grand Marais, MN. It's about a 5 hour drive from our home. Drive was relatively uneventful. Girls and I slept part of the way. (Norah sleeping most of the way, Lolo chatting away for a good part).
Lolo found the word "Naniboujou" hysterically funny. She would repeatedly us "Where we going?" Jim or I would reply "We're going to Naniboujou." She'd crack up laughing and say "You kiddin' me?!" We'd say "We're not kidding." She'd try to say "Naniboujou" and just laugh hysterically. The lodge, itself, was quite interesting....opened in 1929 as an exclusive club, its charter members included Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey. The dining room is a unbelieveably gorgeous painted room (seriously, check out the website link above) with an enormously beautiful river rock fireplace. The food was outstanding. It's hard to believe that such good food can be found in such a remote location. It's completely worth the drive just for the food and a lazy day by the lake.
We spent a lazy saturday just eating, wandering the shoreline, and napping. Our rockhound of a daughter, Lolo spent a good part of the day scouring the beach for rocks....rocks to throw in the lake, rocks to keep, rocks to stuff into sandals....We also discovered that Norah has a strong affinity for rocks. We seem destined to bring home tons of rocks from the North Shore.
More to come....

Back from Isle Royale National Park

Just a quick note to let everyone know we're back from our trip. Had a unbelieveably good time. The girls are remarkable travellers. They never cease to amaze me. 5+ hour car ride to Grand Portage, MN. Then a 6.5 hour ferry ride to Isle Royale. I thought it was a 5 hour ferry ride but I was wrong. Lolo and Norah-Kate were the youngest passengers of the season.
Isle Royale was beyond-my-imagination-gorgeous. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who is able to take it. An interesting factoid : Yellowstone National Park gets more visitors per day than Isle Royale gets all year.
Extensive trip report to follow once we've unpacked and settled back in.
ag

Heading out tonight

We're headed to Isle Royale tonight. I'm still packing. Ugh. It's obviously not going well. As a note...no posts next week. We'll be in a remote location. No internet.
Lolo was excited to tell me all about school today. She rode a pony (and climbed a ladder to get on the pony since the pony was "way high"). And learned all about chickens. When buckling her into her car seat she was trying really hard to tell me all about mommy chickens, daddy chickens, and eggs. Her best friend at school, Amar, wasn't there today. So she made a new friend, Amelia. As Lolo said "I hold Amelia's hand today."

Why....

As most of you know, Lolo loves to ask "why".
So today, we're getting some tile delivered for our screened porch area. As the bald-as-an-egg delivery man walks in front of us with a heavy load of tile, Lolo in a loud clear voice asks "Mama, why that man not have any hair?!"
To which I respond, "Everyone has different hairstyles. Some people have long hair. Some people cut their hair really short...."
Lolo interrupts in her persistent you-are-clearly-not answering-my-question-sort-of-voice while the delivery man is still within earshot "but Mama, where that man's hair go?!?!"

A temporarily quiet house

For the moment, the house is quiet. Lolo is at school (they are swimming today!). Norah is down for a good nap. I'm itching to go on a trip. We're heading out on friday evening to Isle Royale National Park - the national park I had never heard of until we moved up here (and apparently one of the least visited national parks). The challenge is going to be how to best pack for this adventure "up north". There's a 5+ hour drive and then a 5 hour ferry ride before we get to the park. Plus, there's a weight limit on the ferry for what we bring. I'm not quite sure how we're going to manage getting the playpen and all the baby gear there when our limit is 80 lbs. Sounds like it would be easy but on trips we're averaging 150 lbs of luggage for the 4 of us. The playpen is heavier than one would think and then we've got to haul diapers and food too. This is going to be a real challenge for me! But once we get there, I'm hopeful that things will be good. Keep your fingers crossed, I'm hoping we'll get to see a moose!
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Ashley and the girls

Ashley just emailed us a picture of herself with the girls. Yep, Lolo is wearing her new favorite dress (and no, the picture isn't from today and yes, I'm doing a lot of laundry).

Sitting pretty

Norah's been sitting on her own pretty well. She's able to push herself up (with sort of a creative yoga-like move). Norah's increased mobility and ability to sit has caused a little bit of trouble....she's sitting up during her naps and at night and then wakes up crying; has a hard time going to sleep because she keeps sitting up, etc. Needless-to-say sleeping has been a challenge lately. Speaking of new skills, Norah also has learned how to spit today. She started making funny noises and spitting with her pacifier this morning on our way to school. By this evening, she spit a piece of avocado out that actually got me in the eye! Before you get the wrong idea, Norah and Lolo seem to have similar tastes for food. At this age, both girls were/are crazy about avocados, mangos, and cheerios.
Originally, I was just going to post a picture of Norah sitting by herself. Then Jim came upstairs and helped Norah stand up in the crib and the next thing I know, Lolo is getting in the act too. Lolo is wearing her new favorite dress.

Lolo's daddy

The other day we're coming back home from meeting PoPo at the airport. We see a man walking along the side of the road. Lolo asks "What's his name?" I said "I don't know Lolo." She says "Let's ask Daddy. Daddy knows everything."
Great. Now, not only is daddy perfect, but he knows everything.
We will be revisiting this thought again when Lolo becomes a teenager.
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School report

Lolo LOVES school. On wednesday she got to ride a pony. She kept talking about how she had to wear a helmet to ride the pony. The report back from Miss Sandy was that Lolo loved riding. She got to go swimming today. The report back was that Lolo was showing everyone how she could float and swim underwater. When I went to pick her up today Miss Sandy said "Lolo is very comfortable in the water. Does she go to swim lesssons?" I'm tickled pink with her school so far....Lolo seems to love it and I'm so glad she's getting to play with kids her own age on a regular basis (other than her best friend, David). A funny thing I've noticed is that other than David, Lolo really prefers to play with girls.

Getting ready for school

This morning, I'm trying to get the girls ready so Lolo can get to school on time. Norah is happily munching on cheerios. Lolo is dawdling. Not really eating much because her little mouth is talking, talking, talking. I say to Lolo "Lo, you need hurry up and eat a good breakfast. I don't want you to be hungry at school." Lolo looks at me and says "I won't be hungry. My teacher give me graham crackers and water." Hmmm. One day at school and already it's my teacher this....my teacher that. Jim says to be ready. It won't be long until Lolo tells us Ms. Sandy is smarter than mom and dad.
Of course, we get in the car and not two minutes into the trip Lolo says "Mama, I hungry. I need a snack." I said, "Lolo I told you to eat your breakfast." She said "No Mama. You said I done. We need to go."
A sign of things to come....I'm not sure I'm ready for this.

It's good to be 2

It seems that our Lolo has big busy days just about every day. Yesterday, while Lolo was out playing in the sprinklers, the neighbor's kids came over to invite her to go play in their pool. Ashley took the girls over and the report back from Ashley was that Lolo had to show them how she could swim underwater. After Lolo woke up from her nap, she was full of stories about swimming underwater with Mary and how she saw a train with Elmo on it.

Bathtime part 2

Since Jim happened to be home and have a moment to snap a few shots of the girls tonight.....

An exciting first day at school

Tonight's video is a direct result of Lolo being completely hopped up from the excitement of her first day at school.
School was a BIG hit. No problems with the drop off. She went right to her teacher and joined the group....didn't even turn around for a good-bye . When I went to pick her up at 11:30, she ran over with a big smiley"Hi Mom!," gave me a quick hug, and then ran back to play with another toy. She didn't want to leave. According to her teacher, Lolo is "very verbal". She had no trouble telling the teachers what she wanted. Hmmm. Big surprise.
Suffice it to say, our girl LOVES school. Lolo is in the "red group." All the kids in her class wear red t-shirts during the first week so the staff can quickly identify which group the kid belongs in and they also have red name tags.
Anyway, enjoy the video. I especially like the move where she turns around and shakes her little behind.
ag

Bathtime

A momentous occasion. We got a little inflatable tub that sits in the big bathtub (kind of like what Lolo used when she was younger) . I was thinking that Norah would sit in the little tub and Lolo would get in the big tub and I could wash them both at once (instead of doing two separate baths, as we have been doing the past 7 months). Lolo had other ideas. She and Norah got in the little tub tonight and took a bath together. It was so cute. They actually fit in there quite well together. I just wish I had a free hand to take a picture. Sometimes a third arm really would come in handy.

Before you call and comment....

Yes I know neither one of our girls are wearing shoes. Lolo started out properly dressed with shoes at church...and kept them on for most of mass. The baptism was after mass. It's a long time for a two year old to keep shoes on and behave in church. Norah is 7 months today and just doesn't wear shoes anywhere as a general rule. I guess in hind sight I could have put some cute socks on her feet, but it's summer and we were running behind schedule.

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Norah Kate is baptized!

Hooray! Norah Kate is finally "right with the Lord". The church held a big baptism after mass and Norah Kate was one of six babies to be baptized today. Amazingly none of the babies cried. Embarrassingly enough, slacker parents that we are, Norah appeared to be the oldest in the bunch.
Our good friends from Tennessee were the godparents. (As an aside - Sherry, Christina, Greg, and I all went to Farragut and then UT; Sherry, Christina, and I attended CCD together; and Dave, Christina, and I were in the same MBA program - how odd is it that we'd all end up here in MN?!?)

Good Manners

Lolo has a Clifford the Big Red Dog book about Good Manners. To get things moving a little faster during tonight's bath, Jim gave Lolo a little pinch. Lolo said in a serious tone, "Dad, don't do that. That not nice. Clifford says that not good manners!"

Welcome to the family!

The girls have a new cousin named Emily! Hooray and welcome to the family, Miss Emily. Can you believe how much dark hair this child has?!?! She's got way more hair than our Norah-Kate already.
We can't wait to give this baby hugs and kisses in person.....and just imagine a beach trip and/or Disney with three little girls running around squealing at the top of their lungs! Woo hoo! Good times!!

Lolo's brother

The other night during dinner Lolo is talking nonstop as usual. We discuss how she's got a baby sister, mom, dad, and Verbi. Lolo says "Norah-Katie is my baby sister and Verbi is my brother." So true, so true....except poor Verbs is even further down on the totem pole these days. Speaking of Lolo's brother, Verbs has switched spots at meal times. It didn't take long but he's already moved from under Lolo's chair to keeping vigil by Norah's chair - the exception : when we have bacon, he's back under Lolo's chair in hopes that she will drop a little snack for him. It will be interesting to see where he sits when Norah gets to eat bacon too.
As for Norah and Verbi...Verbi is kind as usual....though I'd say, having a baby in the house is no longer of very much interest to him. Norah, in contrast, keeps an eagle eye on that old boy. She doesn't quite know what to make of him....she's interested in him, but doesn't really like it when he comes over to help clean her up.

And so it begins...

Last night Lolo got into BIG trouble. Norah-Kate is mobile. She's crawling and has started zoning in on "Lolo's toys". So last night around bedtime, Lolo wanted to read a book. Norah crawled over to inspect and touch. Lolo popped her a good one. Big trouble. Automatic naughty step.
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Bike ride

Last night, Jim fixed Lolo's big girl bike up with training wheels, streamers, and a bell. She took it out for a spin this evening. (Yes, if you look closely her shoes are on the wrong feet. Lolo is learning how to put on her own shoes and fasten the straps...we don't let a minor thing like shoes on the wrong feet stop us at this point). Before you watch the video below, we need to put things in context. Please remember, Lolo is 2 and 1/2. She has just within the last couple of weeks truly figured out how to pedal her tricycle (which she doesn't really want to ride because it's for little girls and she's a big girl). And lastly, she seems to have inherited her mom's driving skills (i.e. she has no idea how to steer)....usually she'll be riding the tricycle, ride up into the grass and gleefully shout "crash! boom-chick-a-boom!" Perhaps she may also not have a clear grasp of the fact that you're not supposed to keep crashing.
In any event, here's a video from tonight. You'll also see that Norah was not too impressed with my videographer skills and tried to help out.

Update

Here's a video of Norah playing one of her favorite games. She has really come a long ways since her colicky days.
On a completely unrelated note, this morning I was fixing breakfast while Lolo and Norah were playing together quietly. All of a sudden Norah squeals and cries. I say, "Lolo what happened?" Lolo says, "I gave Norah a shot and a bandaid. But she's not better."
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Both girls down!!

Woo hoo. Both girls are down! Notice I'm posting like mad. We've had a very nice week here. The weather the last couple of days has been amazing. Ashley has taken the girls to the playground the last couple of afternoons and just worn them out. They both go down hard after some playground time. It's been a busy week. Swim lesson on wednesday (where Lolo did exceptionally well as you can imagine), a haircut yesterday, and tumbling class today. Lolo proclaimed after tumbling class..."I have a great day!"
The other day Lolo is playing with stickers, she wants to give one to Norah. I say "That's sweet Lolo but Norah might take it off and put it in her mouth. I don't think that's a good idea." Lolo looks at me, thinks for a moment, and says "I put it on her back." And promptly goes over and pops one on Norah's back. Good thinking Lo!

Warpaint

Jim calls this Norah's warpaint.
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Remembering Mexico

A bit more from our trip to Mexico....Lolo with her snorkel and mask (my fins). Norah with Anna (one of the girls who helped us out at the house....and held Norah at dinner time so I could eat a meal in peace....hooray!). And lastly, a video of Lolo and Jim. Towards the end of the week, Jim would take Lolo for a ride in the pool.....notice her face is underwater before Jim finishes counting.