Dawn sky as I walked to school on Friday, January 19.
Red Dawn
Tag Archives: pictures
Fine Art
Let it be known that January 17, 2018, was the day that Griffin discovered his true canvas:
Whole30, Take 5
After taking a hiatus last year due to Oliver’s birth, Sarah and I are diving back into our winter tradition of committing to the Whole30 program for thirty days. It’s always a good reset for us in the winter when we are more drawn to sweets and carbs. For those who don’t know what it is, we’re basically going to avoid sugar (including honey, syrup, artificial sweeteners, etc.), grains, legumes, and dairy for the next thirty days. That pretty much leaves fruit, vegetables, eggs, and meat.
I believe this is our fifth time doing it, so it feels like a pretty smooth start. We made lists of recipes last week and stocked up at Costco yesterday. Chicken chili is in the slow cooker and I’ve got a dutch oven filled with my proprietary kale-and-sausage stew which I eat for breakfast every morning (with a poached egg… it’s divine).
The kids aren’t included, though of course they benefit from having fewer sweets and carbs on the menu. Maggie, however, isn’t 100% clear on this fact yet. While we were making lunch for them, she came into the kitchen and asked, in her signature end-of-the-world way, “What are we having for lunch? Pleeeeease don’t say that we’re having only fruits and vegetables!!!”
(Actually, we made mac’n’cheese.)
Oliver’s First Flight
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 First Birthday
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.
We began the day with Oliver’s presents.
Breakfast from PJ Murphy’s (who also baked the cake)
Suited up for a chilly walk around Lake Como.
The never-to-be-topped “Amazing Lotus Flower Birthday Exciting Candle” (which may have slightly traumatized the birthday boy).
In case we run out of birthday cake… we have a whole cheesecake!
Party Supplies
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.)
Mountain Climbers
Pike Island
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.
First dusting of snow
Road Trip, Destination: McMinnville
It was just a short jaunt up the coast to McMinnville, Oregon, where we stayed with Sarah’s friends, Jordan and Megan, on their incredible farm. Their kids were generous and welcoming to ours, inviting Griffin and Maggie to have a slumber party with them in their epic loft (with passages into multiple rooms upstairs… top-of-the-line cool). That was fun, but it turns out that five kids in a loft can generate a lot of heat. On the following night they all elected to sleep under the stars on a second floor deck. Other highlights of the visit included lots of time in their amazing garden, candle-making, churning butter, cookie baking, and cherry picking.
