To Quote Charles Dickens...

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." In this case, I speak not of the French Revolution, but of our 2010 Florida vacation.

Best of times:
This is our first vacation as a family of four, and that in and of itself is very exciting.
The girls have also proven to be stellar travelers. We had an evening flight out of Minneapolis last Friday night, so we didn't land in Florida until 10:30 p.m. central time. That's two and a half hours past bedtime. By the time we got our luggage and our car and made the short trek to the hotel we were going to be staying in for just one night, it was midnight. There wasn't one meltdown all evening! And they were so well behaved on the plane. We just couldn't have asked for an easier time of it on the way down.
The girls are easily pleased. We haven't done anything that I would call spectacular, but Maddie and Ibby seem to be enjoying themselves immensely. Whether we take a walk around the neighborhood where our rental house is and collect treasures or go to the park or the beach or a restaurant or sit on the dock and throw rocks in the canal or float in the pool or watch the pelicans catch fish or kick a soccer ball around the front yard or just hang out on the lanai soaking up the sun, both girls have been really content.
Despite our change of locale (and weather and time zone), we have managed to maintain a daily routine, and I think that has helped immensely with everyone's mood. The girls are exhausted when nap time rolls around, and Richard and I have allowed ourselves a few afternoon snoozes as well. What a luxury!
The sun has been shining every day. Even on the two days we had rain in the morning, the sun showed itself in the afternoon.
We had a few days where we did not have to wear our coats outside. That little taste of summer was intoxicating!
How lucky we are to have been able to get away from Minnesota and the daily grind and the snow and cold (though I hear spring may have sprung while we've been gone) and enjoy some time together.
Renting a house was definitely a smart move on our part. It's really nice to have enough space to spread out and move around, and having our own pool has been fun though we haven't been able to swim in it as much as we would have liked. We are situated on one of the many canals that are a unique feature of Marco Island, and we are only three lots from open water, so we've seen some interesting water creatures (though no dolphins or manatees), and lots of boats have gone by which always excites the girls.
Fresh seafood. Enough said.
The Worst of Times:
The sun has been shining, but the wind has been blowing, and the temperatures have not been the warmest. Earlier in the week, we could shed our coats by late morning, but starting Wednesday, cooler temperatures settled in, and we've been forced to wear long pants and jackets (though we've been refusing to wear socks!)
Richard has been working almost continually since we arrived. Poor guy has gotten very little sleep and almost zero time to relax. This has put a crimp in our schedule, so we have not been able to get out and see some of the attractions we were really looking forward to like Corkscrew Swamp Santuary and Big Cypress National Preserve. We'll just have to save those activities for another visit.
It's been cool enough at night that we've had to run the furnace.
No dolphin or manatee sightings!
Thinking about what is facing us when we get home (Maddie has some medical tests to undergo on March 10...more about that later...and I am having knee replacement surgery on March 15...(please tell me I'm too young for that kind of surgery because I am, but it's still necessary)...has been messing with my ability to sleep at night, so my desire to catch up on some ZZZs really isn't panning out.

All in all, the good probably outweighs the bad, but this hasn't been the best vacation we've ever had. Well, it has and it hasn't. Know what I mean? Good thing we are headed back here in June, so we can attempt a do over.

We'll be back in Minnesota late Saturday morning. Until then, we'll try our best to enjoy our last day and a half.

Feeling Blue?

I couldn't resist taking this photo before the girls headed off for school this morning. They may be wearing blue, but they are certainly not feeling blue as you can see by the looks on their faces. Maddie and Ibby love, love, love school, and Richard and I are enamored with it as well. Their teachers are fabulous, and the experiences they've had so far this year...from tracking animals in the school forest, to painting a wall in their classroom, to creating art projects galore, have been fun and educational to boot. I'm so happy that their first experience with formal education is such a positive one, and I hope that they will always be excited to go to school...though I don't expect them to shout "hooray" like they do now when they are, say, in junior high.

Miss Maddie would wear a dress every day if we let her, but frankly, we don't have enough dresses for her to wear on a daily basis. Guess I better do some shopping. Darn. Isabel doesn't mind dresses, but given the choice, she will usually opt for pants. And though I do not dress them alike all the time, I have to say, I kind of like to do the matchy-matchy thing. I know I'm biased, but seriously, aren't they awfully cute?

Spring in Five Weeks?

We'll believe it when we see it. You see, this is not just our snowy front yard. This is a snowbank in our front yard that we are standing in front of. It is about six feet high...twice our height. We are quite sure it will probably take until July to melt. So even though the calendar says spring begins on March 20, we aren't holding our breath.
Love,
Maddie and Ibby

Go Fly a Kite

Last weekend was cold. Now, I'm not talking MY idea of cold which is about fifty degrees. I'm talking really, really cold...below zero to be exact...which is cold by anybody's standards. But here in Minnesota, if you let the cold deter you, well, you just wouldn't leave your house until May, so you have to suck it up, put on layers, and get out there...in the cold...and have...fun. So that's just what we did.

Kites galore were flying over Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, so Richard, the girls, and I and some friends of ours braved the cold to see the kites, do a little ice fishing, roast marshmallows and drink hot chocolate. By early afternoon, the mercury had soared to PLUS eight...wahooo...a heat wave, so we bundled up and headed to the lake. I didn't get a lot of pictures because I refused to take off my gloves in order to operate the camera, but here are a couple of shots to prove we were there.

A Holiday Sampler

In the past two weeks, we have celebrated four Christmases, one birthday, and one new year. The time for presents and parties has come to an end, but it sure was fun while it lasted. Here are a few photos of all the excitement.
CHRISTMAS IN WISCONSIN
The girls had loads of fun loading Grandma up with stuffed animals. Not sure how much fun this was for Grandma...although I think that's the hint of a smile on her face.

Maddie and Ibby get their wings...fairy wings, that is, and the new Tinkerbell movie from Aunt Pat and Uncle Bob. Life is grand.


THE RAJEKS VISIT, GIFTS IN TOW
Here are Ibby and Maddie with Pam's niece "Karin" and her husband "Ick," or as they are known to most people, Erin and Erik. Please note that Maddie is wearing her fairy wings. She does take them off to sleep and bathe, but that's about it.

CHRISTMAS DAY
Opening the presents that were under the tree was fun.


Discovering the doll house in the toy room was even more fun.


The stuffed animals, the cat and the moose who eat cupcakes and muffins respectively, were a hit as were the accompanying books.


Playing in the snow was a definite highlight of the day.

NEW YEAR'S DAY
The second day indoors due to extremely cold temps, it was time for something new. Out came the Hello Kitty tent which has been in the back of the closet for a few months. It was just like a brand new toy!

Time for a tea party...


...and some indoor gymnastics.

A VERY SCHOEN CHRISTMAS
More presents,

more dress up,

and a new friend made for a super fun day.


Despite the recent loss of my dad which weighed heavily on my heart all through the holidays, this was, bar none, the best Christmas and New Year's EVER! It meant the world to have both of our girls home with us, and they are at an age when everything about the holdays was so much fun...for them as well as us. That said, I am relieved the holidays are over, and we can get back to our regular routine. It's January 4, and the girls aren't bored with their new toys, so that's a good thing. Though we aren't used to getting up, getting dressed, and getting out the door, it's back to school tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. Maddie has been having some pretty leisurely breakfasts lately...she's just not much of a morning eater. It will be interesting to see if we can speed up the process somewhat come Tuesday. It's been great having the girls all to myself the past two weeks, but I have a feeling they are going to be quite excited to get back to their teachers and friends. Happy New Year, everyone!

Merry Christmas

School Holiday Party

All dressed up and ready to go

Check out those boots...and TWO shoes

Shaking up the color bottles

Reading with Daddy in the book corner

Cooking in the kitchen

I love puzzles

Singing along during circle time

Snack time

Mmmmmm...cookies!