Fall Trip To Door County

We spent a long weekend in Door County over MEA break (I've come to understand that other states don't have this -- go Minnesota!) and enjoyed our time with the K clan. We made our annual fall pilgrimage to the tower in Pot Park, the girls took a scenic airplane ride -- thankfully the pilot didn't bring his laptop ;) -- and we saw some spawning salmon. The colors were beautiful, the company was top-notch, and the cheese was bountiful. What more does one want from Wisconsin? Well, maybe their quarterback...

And here's Grandpa teaching the girls how to light things on fire using a magnifying glass:

October 4th

Then we went to the apple orchard. (I really need to keep up with this thing...)

October 3rd

I'm sorry to say we're pretty behind on ye old blog these days, but I'm going to do my best to catch up a bit. Here we go...

A couple of weeks ago (10/3) the girls again participated in the family running events that are part of the Twin Cities Marathon. Cecilia ran in the 1-mile event with Momlissa, and Ruby ran the 1/2-mile race with Dadam. It was a C.O.L.D. morning, so we were all bundled up like arctic explorers and then set off for the State Capitol grounds. First we cheered for Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Dolores, Uncle Ramon, and Grandma Two as they walked in the 5K race -- so fun to watch! We were very proud of Grandma Two for participating; who says you're too old to do these things? Here they are about to take off:
We don't have great pictures of Cici's race, but here is a good shot of Ruby at the finish of the 1/2-mile.
When she got done she immediately said, "Next time I want to do the longer one." Tough kid.

And here are my two runner girls when all was said and done.

Pre-K

Ruby just finished day 3 of preschool, and I have to say there is nothing I enjoy more than hearing Ruby recap her day as we walk home. Who she sat by, what they ate for breakfast, what she learned, and a wide variety of Ruby observations. Yesterday (Sunday) she told me it was hard not having school for two days, and this morning she was dressed and ready (with backpack on) a good 45 minutes before we needed to leave. And to top it all off, she is required to wear a uniform which is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. Her love for school won't last forever, so I'm going to enjoy this excitement for all it's worth.

Here are the pictures of her first day, and a little sideways video to illustrate her enthusiasm.

Back to School

Just a few pictures to show off our big girl on her first day back at school. Hard to believe she's already a second-grader... (This pose was entirely her idea, by the way.)

And with the other little monster on the way back from the bus stop (her first day is tomorrow, so more pictures will follow):

Happy Thanksgiving!

Straight from the horses's mouth, here is what Cecilia is thankful for today:

Cutie-head (our cat)
My sister Ruby
My parents
My home
My family
The food
That I'm healthy
...and I'm thankful that I'm able to go to a school.

Now Ruby's turn:

For my grandma because she gave me a job to clean my room (??)
My grandpa to play games with me
I'm thankful for my mommy
When my grandma comes for a visit

Gobble gobble!

and AFTER!

Halloween 2008

Before:
During:

Community Video.

This is a video Cici made for her school, for a project about her community.

Busy Busy Busy

[Note: The reason Ruby is crying in the picture is not because she's afraid of heights; it's because she wanted to climb the observation tower without holding anybody's hand. (It's me who's afraid of the heights, as you can tell from my expression. - Dadam)]

We haven't gotten much up in a while, mostly because we're all running around like chickens with their heads cut off! Last weekend we spent 4 days with Grandma and Grandpa K -- a nice, long visit during a gorgeous time of year in that part of the country. The girls went to their first fish boil (a Door County tradition), dug potatoes from the garden, visited some sand dunes near Lake Michigan, rode Grandpa's tractor over and over and over again, climbed the tower in the park, picked out our pumpkins, and got to see a few deer and turkeys run through the field. It was a great weekend and it was a bummer to come home.

The rest of this week has been spent preparing for a Halloween party for Cici's class at our house on Saturday. Her WHOLE class. Wish us luck. Oh, and here's the highlight of the fish boil:

Race-A-Roni

On Saturday the girls participated in races (along with the rest of us) as part of the Twin Cities Marathon weekend. We started the day pretty early for the 5K (we had 8 runners from our family!), and then Cecilia ran the 1 mile race with her Uncle Alex who is visiting from Japan, her Auntie Sarah, and Dadam. She ran an impressive race -- no stopping to rest and really kicking it into high gear at the end. Here she is about to cross the finish line:



Then it was Ruby's turn and she ran in the "Toddler Trot" which was roughly a 50-yard dash. Unfortunately, Ruby wanted to do the real race and ended up mad when she realized just how short her little trot was. To make it up to her we let her run all the way to the "white castle" (the State Capitol, actually, not the restaurant). Next year I think we'll have to graduate her to the 1/2 mile. It was a great day of racing made even better by running alongside people we love!

Apple of My Eye

We took the girls to the apple orchard on Saturday. We bought pounds and pounds of apples (most of which are already gone), and enjoyed the fall afternoon together. Yay for autumn!

Cici Discovers An Existential Mystery.

[Cici and Dadam are running in preparation for her one-mile race next weekend. They hear a massed tweeting coming from a bush as they pass.]

Cici: Wow, there must be a lot of birds inside that bush.

Dadam: There sure must. That's the sad thing about fall, most of the birds fly south for the winter, and we won't hear them again until spring.

Cici: Yeah.

Dadam: Of course, not all the birds fly south - some stay all year long. Chickadees, cardinals, crows . . .

Cici: What about ducks?

Dadam: Well, some ducks might stay, if they're getting fed, but most ducks fly south, I think.

Cici: Well, what about chickens?

Dadam: Chickens? Well, chickens are farm birds - they're kept by people, so they don't fly anywhere. They don't have a choice.

Cici: Well, how did they get to the farm then?

Dadam: How did they get there?

Cici: Yeah. If they didn't fly there, how did they get there?

Dadam: Well, they hatched out of eggs.

Cici: Oh. [pause] So where did the eggs come from?