Gettin' Fit

So the kids have seen Mommy doing a lot more exercise than before - swimming, walking, videos, etc. and they want in on the action.

Amiya has been doing really well - she has swimming twice a week and gymnastics once a week - but on the weekends she wants to work out. So, I put in an aerobics video for her and off she goes. This one is the equivalent of walking 4 miles in 50 minutes - and she did the whole thing. Not exactly in rhythm and not always in step, but the chicky surprised me with her endurance.
And then there's Kev. He made it through three minutes of cool down stretches before he gave up and found something more exciting to do. Who can blame him? Cool down stretches stink!

Halloween Has Come Early

Kev is all about the dress up lately - if only because with a big sister, he has no chance of not being made to wear silly, frilly costumes all the time.

Poor kid.

This is like Richard Simmons, without the big hair.

I don't even know where to start.
Kev goes granny?
This is actually his holiday outfit for this year - he wanted to try it on and show Daddy.
He's also very, very excited about Halloween - thanks to an awesome costume made by Grandma. We're working out how to stick whiskers on him - should be fun!

I Lied

There's a few more pics that I have to put up:


Amiya learned to ride her bike without training wheels this summer. Grandpa and I laid the groundwork with many hours of four inch "rides" and that ended with a lot of tears and a lot of tantrums (on Amiya's part and on my part). And then Grandma stepped in and made the magic happen. That Grandma. All I can say is she's lucky Grandpa and I did all the hard work.

This is Mom and Dad's house - if you've been here, you know how nice it is. If you haven't, you should really rent it from them sometime when they're traipsing around in their big ol' truck. The low stone wall you see meanders through the woods to the fire pit and then down a bit of the (really brutal) hill to the lake.

Have I mentioned lately how much I miss it? The leaves are probably oranges and reds and yellows. The air is brisk. There is most likely an ever present hint of wood smoke in the air and the loons cries are clear on the lake.

Here it's 95 daily and the only cries I hear are my children's. Not nearly as soothing as the cry of the loon.
Do you think this Mama Loon thinks her babies cries are soothing? Or does she, too, know the difference between a real cry and a fake cry and thusly tune 96% of all cries right on out?

The Last of the Bunch

So these are the last of the pics from Up North.

Amiya and Grandma cooking in the kitchen. I love the flour bin Amiya is standing on - we used to stand on that when we were little!

I had to put this one up - it's a live bait vending machine. Only in Wisconsin.

The view from the fire pit - have I said lately how much I miss Wisconsin?

Amiya and Super Grandma in Hayward on our day out. Super Grandma picked McDonald's for lunch and forever earned her status as Coolest Super Grandma Ever in my kids' eyes.

These are a few of his favorite things

Rocks in the driveway and some in the forest,
These are the things that made Kev ignore us.
Give him some granite or chunks of lucite,

Pebbles or boulders will be taking flight.

When the rocks are gone, when the road is clear, when the boy is spent,

he'll simply forego rocks for sticks and start all over again.

Clearly I did not miss my calling by being a Mommy instead of a lyricist, but it just fits. The little man spent practically the whole summer filling five gallon buckets with rocks of all shapes and sizes. I don't think a day went by that I didn't have several "dandy" rocks in my pockets. And if it wasn't rocks, it was sticks. My parents won't need to collect little odds and ends sticks to start a fire for a few years. Gotta love free and abundant entertainment.

Canoeing

Amiya and I went out canoeing one day in the world's oldest, stealthest canoe. I had intended to go many times with her over the summer, but I had forgotten something key to the enjoyment of canoeing: all participants must be capable of silence.

It's essential. Sure the paddle can scrape the side once in a while and sometimes it even thunks. But in general, all participants must be capable of silence.

Let me say it again, all participants must be capable of silence.

Do you get why it was a one time deal?

Upper Michigan, Day Deux

After our day in Stambaugh, we headed to the Western part of the Upper Peninsula. We were going to spend the afternoon at a rock beach on Lake Superior and then meet friends for dinner at their home. It was maybe the most beautiful day we had while we were there. Clear, bright blue skies, great temperature and look, just look, at the water. The picture is deceiving; there is a clear demarcation of sky and water. That day we couldn't tell what was where - it was perfect.



The kids wasted no time getting right in - the water was freezing (almost literally true), but that was no barrier to their fun. Can you see how clear the water is? I think Lake Superior might be a big part of my idea of heaven. So, so pretty.



Really - check it out. Look at how you can see light bouncing off the ripples and the rocks. Beautiful! And the rocks. Kev was in heaven. More rocks than he could ever hope to move - and he moved a lot of them.



And when I say he moved a lot of 'em, I really mean it. He worked off about ten pounds that afternoon and pretty soon he just couldn't keep his shorts up any longer.

Grandpa tried to teach Amiya how to skip rocks. They both tried. Marginally successful.

Later in the day, at our friends' home, Grandma worked with Amiya on the skipping rock thing. Much more successful, but in Grandpa's defense, the rocks here were much, much flatter and thinner.
Kev throwing rocks and sticks at our friends' home just a bit up the shore from Amiya. The entire shoreline is small, flat rocks. After a big storm every single rock might be washed away, only to be piled high after the next storm. What a beautiful place to live - and how incredible to be so close to the strength of nature.

The one calm moment when I could prty their grubby hands from the millions of rocks. I like this picture (could you tell?) - someday when they're screaming at each other I'm going to look at her arm around his shoulder and his happy expression, as well as the ripples in the clear blue water and I am going to get my groove back. Yep, I am. This day was a good day - nothing but great memories.

(Way) Northern Wisconsin

Really, shouldn't Michigan's Upper Peninsula be part of Wisconsin? You know it should, I know it should. It's just a technicality.

Anyway, we spent two days in Michigan's UP - the first in Stambaugh, MI - where my Dad grew up. We checked out the town (which is no longer a town except in the minds of some diehard townies), saw the football field, the hill you had to ride your bike up to prove you were a man (insert grunt for effect) and we saw the house where Dad lived from his tot years through his sophomore year of high school.What was neat was that the house looked to be in pretty good shape - the last time my Dad had seen it was not so good. So it's neat that in this economy, in the state of Michigan (rougher shape than most), and in this (no-longer-even a) town, the house was being restored and respected.

After checking out Stambaugh, we continued north (or east? or west? - I was lost) to Camp Batawagama - where my Grandpa was a band director for summer sessions and my Dad camped, swam and just created a general ruckus. The kids played on the playground - another playground with this round thing. What's it called, anyway? And of course, Grandma is game for everything - so she got right up there with the kids.

A little further away from the lake was an old Native American cemetary. The Native Americans built huts to hold the bodies of their dead, with an opening facing west to see the setting sun. It was neat that they are still there, intact and respected. There is a great deal of Native American culture and history in Northern Wisconsin - next time we have to see more of it. The one criticism I have of the Laura Ingalls books is that she is not neutral (to put it mildly) to the Native American people - and her experiences weren't neutral, so that's understandable. But now it's time for Amiya to see another perspective, another truth. That's our task for next summer.

These

These are exactly what I wanted for the kids this past summer. Running, playing, chasing without Mommy yelling to watch for cars or stay away from the fire ants.

This day - just the three of us - hiking and exploring in a state park near my parents home is right up there for best memories from the summer. They were just kids doing all the kid things that they should be doing. And I got to be an observer, staying back, letting them run, revelling in the energy of childhood. This sort of picture, this sort of day, wouldn't happen here - not because Florida is a bad place, it's just not a place like this. Already, I cannot wait for next summer.

Hangin' with The Boys

A day or two after returning from our Laura Ingalls Wilder journey, my Aunt Mia, Cousin Kelly and her two boys came up for a few days. It was great! The hardest part about being far from home is that I don't get to see my family often and the kids won't get to have the relationships with their cousins that I had with mine. (But I guess I shouldn't complain when Vinay is, literally, a world away from most of his family.)

Anyway, it was great to see them and get to spend several days together. The kids weren't shy or nervous at all around each other and I think Kev especially appreciated doing boy things with Ethan. Our house has a whole lot of girly going on, but not so for these few days!

Ethan and my Aunt driving the boat - he was a bit nervous about it, but rose to the occasion! Very smooth sailing with Captain Ethan.

Less smooth sailing with Captain Kev - he loved to gun the motor and then cut it completely. Good thing the boat is older than dirt and Grandpa is flexible!

Dad fishing with Ethan. It took 4 adults to help 4 kids fish with no snagged hooks and no one overboard. How'd they do it in the old days?

After working up an appetite catching all those minnows, the two oldest boys played at the campfire. They amused themselves for at least half an hour throwing rocks down the very sleep, very perilous hill just to the right of picture. We made the rule that they could only throw if their bellies were touching the bench. Worked perfectly. Grandpa's going to have to raise the bench for next summer, I think.

Kev's first taste of s'mores. I'm not sure if he liked them or not - he never wanted another one the whole time we were there, but he had no trouble finishing this one!
After s'mores it was time to sing. The kids were crazy - CRAZY!!! And adorable. They were belting out standard kid tunes at the tops of their lungs - all around the lake windows were being slammed shut and animals were trying to find relief in the deepest burrows. It was neat to see them so overtired, hopped up on sugar and yet still in great moods!

The next day, we headed to (another) Up North beach - this one is great. Beautiful sand, clear water, lovely! The kids had a lot of fun playing together and I really enjoyed being at a beach and not being sunburned and sweaty! Living up north has a lot going for it!
Amiya wore this visor for most of our time up north - mainly because Super Aunt Mia has one just like it and she thinks Super Aunt Mia is really pretty special. (And I mean special in a good way!)
The next day was rainy and gray, but we had picnic plans to meet up with Super Grandma and Super Grandpa for a picnic. So, we found a shelter, brought a few picnic staples and visited a bit. The kids raced around and the grown-ups got to talk. Perfect - despite the gray day!

And my favorite picture from the time they were up with us - even though they're not in it! I think Amiya looks completely contented and happy and Grandpa looks like a guy who knows that the best things in life aren't things. Cliché, right? Doesn't matter. It's still true.

Pilgrimage

The Guptas aren't likely to make any religious pilgrimages in our life, so we've made up our own - this one to the childhood homes of Laura Ingalls Wilder in Pepin, Wisconsin and Walnut Grove, Minnesota. After dropping Vinay at the airport, we lit off on our journey in our modern day wagon - equipped with far more than the corn cob doll Laura called Susan.

Our first (real) stop was Pepin, Wisconsin. Laura was born here and the town has a very nice museum with pioneer memorabilia, as well as a wayside with a little log cabin just like Laura's.

Grandma sewed a pioneer girl dress, smock and bonnet for Amiya. It was a big hit with both Amiya and people passing by. She looked adorable - and between Grandma and myself - she didn't get a moment's peace without the cameras going.
At the wayside - the sign gave a brief history of Laura's time in Pepin.

This is the one room cabin that was at the wayside - we were able to go in and look around. It was a bit eye-opening for Amiya as I don't think she realized just how small Laura's house was. Amiya also made several comments about how this couldn't have been Laura's actual cabin as this, that and the other were different than the book. It was neat to see how much she had internalized.

After Pepin, we rolled down the road to Rochester, Minnesota for a sleep. The next morning we were up bright and early to make it to Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Upon arriving at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Amiya got into her costume and climbed up into this covered wagon to see what it was like.

The museum consists of many small buildings - each a replica of an important building in the town of Walnut Grove during Laura's time there. It was a fantastic museum - much, much more than I expected. Like Pepin, I think this small town is making a go of it with its' one claim to fame - and they are doing a really great job. It speaks to their commitment to history and to the claim that Laura holds on the hearts of so many girls and women, too.

In the one room schoolhouse, reading a book that was from Laura's time.

One of the buildings was filled with artifacts from the show. This is the hearth that was the background for any scenes at the kitchen table.

A sod house at the museum site. This, again, was an eye opener for Amiya. You can read about sod houses, but until you're inside of one, it's hard to get the full effect. It also brought home for Amiya a bit about our family's history - my Grandmother spent a few years in a sod house when she was a little girl. Now Amiya can see what that must have been like.

They also had a jail on site - and Kev spent a good amount of time trying to escape.

All of the buildings were in a circle and in the middle of the circle was a reconstructed prairie full of native flowers and grasses. I loved it - the perfect place for a picture of a girl in a bonnet.

And the perfect place for a picture of a girl without a bonnet. Amiya made certain we took some without a bonnet because "Laura didn't like to wear her bonnet." How authentic!

After lunch at the Nellie Oleson diner, we headed over to Plum Creek, where the book On the Banks of Plum Creek was set. The Ingalls lived several miles outside of Walnut Grove in a dugout house next to Plum Creek. The site is now owned by a family, but they keep it as it was and allow visitors to come onto their property.


The actual site of the dugout where Laura lived. It is caved in now, but the depression remains and the area is roped off.

This is the big rock that Laura talks about in her book. It's less big now as it's been covered with 150 years of sediment, but it was still so neat for Amiya to know that she was standing on a rock that Laura had once stood upon when she was the very same age.

One more prairie shot - this is the prairie behind the dug-out - no doubt that Laura played here once upon a time!

On our way back to Rochester after Walnut Grove, we took a detour and found Harkin's General Store - and what a find it was! It was an old general store that had gone out of business overnight when the trains came to Minnesota back in the day. The family reopened it as a museum several decades later, with much of the original stock still in place. The state of Minnesota now staffs it with a reenactment ranger and the ranger spoke with us for at least an hour. It was fascinating to see how things worked back then - and to see, again, how much Amiya had learned from the books. The time period of the store was exactly in line with the Little House books, so anything Amiya knew about Oleson's Mercantile was applicable to this store. It was almost as if the ranger and Amiya were having a conversation, instead of a one-way presentation.

Amiya and myself trying on hats from the period - Amiya in a girl's fancy hat and me in a lady's everyday hat.

Amiya and the ranger talking about life as a pioneer. Check out how many things are really that old - some have been replaced, but many of the items were over 100 years old.

And that was it - we hopped back in the car to make our way back to Rochester for the night.

Kev was a trooper throughout - none of it had any meaning to him, yet he was really good. And then he was back in the car where he took a big snooze to catch up on some zzzzzzs.

Love this, love her, love her enthusiasm. Can't wait to see what she gets interested in next!