As far as we can remember, this is the first snow day that we’ve all shared. We haven’t ventured out yet, but it’s safe to say that the snow fort is going to get some love today.
Dawn sky as I walked to school on Friday, January 19.
Let it be known that January 17, 2018, was the day that Griffin discovered his true canvas:
Travel with three is definitely harder with three than with two. Even though Griffin and Maggie are great travelers at this point, they still need a fair amount of guidance and support, especially around luggage handling: “Don’t run over that lady’s toes!” “Your bag is tipping over!” “Your coat is dragging on the floor.” And then, of course, they simply don’t have the muscle power yet to get bags onto shuttles or sometimes even escalators. Add Oliver to the mix and at least one parent is relatively hamstrung. He comes with additional supplies too. We ended up traveling “light” with merely five suitcases, five backpacks and diaper bags, two booster seats, one full car seat, and the seemingly infinite writhing tentacles of our winter coats. There were a few moments when we were entirely beholden to the kindness of strangers.
But we made it, unscathed, and the flight itself was largely peaceful. Let the mayhem of a seven cousin holiday begin!
Oliver’s birthday landed two days after Thanksgiving this year. Pam and Jeff were able to join us for the day. Sarah had been pummeled by a rough case of strep earlier in the week, but everyone was healthy by the weekend. We went for a walk around Lake Como, ate cake, and enjoyed more Thanksgiving leftovers.
Oliver found his way into the party supply cabinet this morning and had himself an early birthday party.
(Did I mention that this party animal decided it was time to start the day at 3:45? Yep. It’s that kind of Monday.)
Despite its proximity to our neighborhood, we’ve been here in Saint Paul for seven years without visiting Pike Island. The island lies at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, visible from many of the roads and bridges on the nearby bluffs. Sarah and the two older kids finally visited it a few weeks ago with some other friends. She gave it great reviews, so we planned a family outing for today. Alas, the fates were arrayed against us, and both Oliver and Maggie were sick. Griffin and I decided to face the cold north winds on our own and had a great time.
It’s about a three mile loop, and we decided to start on the north edge of the island. The wind was blowing down the Mississippi, so it was mostly at our backs. The return trek, along the Minnesota at sunset, was less windy because the trees on the island acted as a windbreak. This was fortunate, because it would have been a cold walk with the wind in our faces. Highlights of the walk included hollow trees (big enough to climb into), a huge paper wasp nest, trees taken down by beavers, conversations about why there aren’t any three-eyed monsters in real life, and a monument showing how deep the river has been during flood stages over the past 150 years.
After Seattle (for days 8-12 if anyone is counting), we headed along the coast to Florence, Oregon to rendezvous with Andrew’s brothers and their families. They drove up from the Bay Area, meeting us as far south as we could get on this trip. Click below to see larger versions of the pictures in a slide show. It was a great visit!
