Month: January 2012

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Superstitions

On the way back home from swimming lessons, Helena was wondering if her cat’s birthday, which apparently is February 13th, was going to be on a Friday. I told her that it was going to be on a Monday, so she was glad that it wasn’t going to be on a Friday because Friday the 13th is bad luck.

I told her that was a superstition (well, a stupidstitiion) and she began rattling off more, like walking under a ladder (never a good idea, anyway, but she said because paint could fall and poison you!) or a black cat crossing your path (that isn’t bad luck she knew, but she did say that when one crossed in front of the van, later that day Ada fell off her bed).

After a few more superstitions, Liam decides to tell us one: “Don’t let a dog pee on a rug”

Some things never get old

We were going to eat at Ikea before swim lessons, but it was closed for some employee thing, so we went down Nicollet Avenue to find something else. By then we were running late so I saw a McDonald’s with a play land in it so we stopped in.

All three kids could have stayed there playing all night, I think.

Ada’s Lift Ticket

Ada and Liam got to go to Buck Hill for a tubing excursion during Minneapolis Kids. Ada went down three times and Liam five if their memory was correct. They also liked sitting in front of the fire when they were cold.

When I was going to take Ada’s lift tag (or whatever they’re called) off the next morning before school she insisted that it stay on. And that it was facing the right way.

And here is Helena in the hat that she hasn’t taken off in a month. She didn’t go tubing but she went to Benihana where the excitement was that some kid who is generally a troublemaker left the restaurant and ran across the parking lot, wouldn’t come back, so the police had to be called.

Downtown again

As soon as I arrived to get the kids they were asking about Candyland.

They never seemed to get bored of doing the same thing each time we go downtown, although they don’t complain if I throw something new in.

We have always gone to Candyland and then walked through Macy’s to get to the Crystal Court, but the girls have been trying on makeup at Macy’s the last couple of times.

This time we did have to walk down to the library where we bought a bunch of books at the children’s book fair for 50 cents each.







Rollergarden (Again)

Lake Harriet night at the Rollergarden five days after Helena’s birthday party there.

Ada never lets go of my hands when we skate. Tonight I brought her over to the side of the rink where there is a little triangular floor and while she was looking onto the rink, I backed up to about six feet away and told her to skate to me. Last time we did this (in the fall) she refused. But she skated right over. Then I went to the other side and she came to me again. Then she just started moving around. Then she starts heading for the main rink so I go over to her and put my hand out for her and she says that she’ll try by herself. Pretty good. It seemed like it was from a novel on growing up the way she just said, “Nope, I can do this now”.

From that point forward, she mostly skated by herself with a nice big smile.

The only photos I have of the night are three that I took while we were eating just after we arrived. I like the one of Helena, though.

Staff Lounge

With so many things going on we had to practice clarinet at school, and then eat there before swim lessons. So we ate food from the basketball concession stand in the staff workroom.

Ada liked it in the workroom commenting that it would be really neat to eat and drink while watching the television.

Except the television is a twenty year old microwave.

Helena was so embarrassed for her, she hid under the table when I took the picture of Ada in front of the telly.

Helena’s Birthday

Helena had her birthday party at the Rollergarden this year, with three friends.

Just like Christmas this year, Helena received lots of Hello Kitty gear.

Unfortunately for me, despite actually checking the battery light on the camera before I left for the party, it ran out of batteries part of the way through. And even after recharging them when I got home, none of the photos from opening gifts at Macaroni Grill later with family appear anywhere on my camera.








Non-Helena Photos from Helena’s birthday

Liam had a friend along at Helena’s party. He’s pretty excited about him getting lots of tickets from the games at the rink. Liam didn’t get as many, but was happy to skate around with them.

Ada’s just her normal happy self. She still won’t go around the rink without holding my hand, but about a week later she did at a Lake Harriet party there.





Waterpark of America


These photos were taken at 9:30 after five hours in the water park (we did spend 30 minutes of it eating).

But they could smile one more time before we went back to the hotel room. It was at this time when I told each of the kids to grab their shoes over and over. Liam still left his. The next morning as we were getting ready to go was when he couldn’t find them. He “looked” for them in the hotel room by standing in the same place. I sent him into the lost and found in the water park. He came back out with his shoes on.

This was the water park that I bought a coupon for that had closed a week after I purchased it. I couldn’t find the number anywhere, called the Sheridan reservation system who told me “We’re not affiliated with them anymore” and when I looked further I found, using Google News, that it has closed down.

Here are the kids in front of the waterslide that we all went down together.

Science Museum

We got to see igneous rock heated to 2000 degrees and then poured as lava. All three kids really liked that. Once it began to cool, it turned into a shiny black rock. Since it cooled too quickly, about five minutes later it split, which Liam thought was so cool that he wanted his picture taken with it.

The news broadcast. Even I can’t read as fast as the screen scrolls.

Liam in front of his mummy.

Liam also liked this very large tree that was cut down from…..Washington state, I believe.

The girls liked it as well, before they ran off to take a computer quiz on advertising.

Rather than the mummy, the girls like the fawn.

And a cat.

We went to the Omni theatre to see a film about the Amazon and its potential for life-saving medicines.

Up above (and below) St. Paul.

On the way home.

Helena: “Great…It looks like we’re hugging!”