Swimming with Daddy!

Will joined Evie and I in MN a week after we arrived. The first thing Evie wanted to do was show her daddy how she can swim. Will and Evie had a lot of fun in the water. Will took her way out in the water to the deep end of the swimming area and she didn't show one sign of nervousness. I, on the other hand, was very nervous when all I could see of my family was two little heads just above the water in the distance. Evie loved it. She loves seeing her mom get nervous.

We are currently in the middle of the hottest weather the Puget Sound has ever seen, and I think Evie would love it if Will would take her out to the lake now. In the meantime, our little kiddie pool in the backyard will have to do. She crawls around on her hands and feet in it, saying "I'm swimming!" We are going to have to get her in a proper pool very soon and start some real swimming.

Hanging out with Great-Grandma

Evie got to spend some quality time with her great-grandma (or, grape-gamma, as Evie calls her). What was cool about this trip home was that Evie started really connecting with her extended family and would continue to talk about them for some time. Great-grandma was no exception.

Great-grandma's house was our first stop upon arriving in Minnesota. We were a little tired, but Evie found her second wind. Actually, I think what happened was that Evie found Great-grandma's secret stash of toys. We visited her several times while we were in Minnesota, and every time Evie remembered what closet the toy box was in.

Great-grandma fixes Evie's hair.







Great-grandma also accompanied us to one of our trips to Itasca. Some of my best childhood memories are combing the beaches of Lake of the Woods with Grandma, looking for pretty shells or unique rocks. It brought a smile to my face to see Evie and my grandma doing the same thing. I remember keeping the cool rocks, though. Evie would just throw them back in the lake.


Evie continued to ask to go see Great-grandma long after we got back to Washington. Evie brought home one of the baby dolls from the toy box and I think it helps her remember her great-grandma. We love you and miss you, Grandma!


Great-grandma helps Evie find interesting rocks. Evie helps Great-grandma throw them back into the lake.

Farm work and farm fun

There is a lot to do on the farm, and it doesn't always involve tractors. There were flowers to pick, a giant lawn to mow (ok, so that involved a tractor), a sandbox that needed tending, and a tricycle to try out. Plus, there was a whole farm to explore! Evie helped her grandma with the yard work, mostly by waving freshly picked peonies around and hitching a ride on the lawn tractor. Mom made me a little nervous while she whipped around the lawn at a breakneck speed on the mower, but she made sure to slow down when Evie jumped on. As expected, Evie thought the lawn tractor was pretty cool.

Picking flowers with Grandma Bev














The lawn crew poses for a picture

Eventually, it was time to find her own means of transportation. Dad pulled out the old tricycle that I rode at Evie's age. Mom and I washed it up and Evie gave it a try. She needs a little more oomph in her pedaling, and ehs scoots on it more than anything. But Evie liked riding on her "cy-cycle."








Grandma coaches Evie to "push right! Now push left!"











The farm comes with its own sandbox as well, and Evie spent plenty of time getting her hands dirty. Grandpa Wayne joined in, too. Evie really just wanted to see the sand fly.


Concentration!





Evie and Grandpa Wayne build...Ok, so I don't really know what they are doing.



There are a whole series of other pictures I wish I had taken, but I was having too much fun to stop and document. Evie and I spent a lot time outside just running between the trees, spinning around until we got dizzy, and falling on the ground. It was like I was transported back to when I was a child, running this same yard on a beautiful Minnesota day spent at my grandparents. Time really moves in circles.

Evie Lu, the farmer

Before our trip to Minnesota, we had been looking at farm books and learning about the kinds of things you find on the farm. Like a lot of little kids, Evie seemed fascinated with the large machinery. She would sometimes get things mixed up, like calling all the planes on the tarmac "combines." But she certainly knew what tractors were, and when she got to the farm, she wanted to drive one. Turning me into a nervous wreck, my dad actually let Evie sit in the seat and steer the tractor. Evie kept it interesting by asking "what's that?" and then grabbing the throttle before Dad could stop her. Vrroom! Thank goodness it wasn't in gear. Of course, Dad had the tractor going very slow and always kept one hand on the wheel. Evie made a complete loop in the yard and managed to not hit anything. She talked about driving the tractor for days following.

















Evie and Grandpa Wayne walking out to test drive a tractor














Grandpa Wayne explains what everything does. Evie just wants to get to business.















"You get to do this everyday?!"

Minnesota fun!

While our blog has been on vacation, our little one has been busy having fun in Minnesota visiting family. There are lots of stories to share, so let's get started!





Our first full day in Minnesota involved, what else, a visit to one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. We crammed everyone in the van (Aunts Megan and Kaitlin and friend Johny were visiting Grandma and Grandpa, too) and headed to Itasca, location of the headwaters of the Mississippi. One of our goals for the trip was to get Evie to enjoy swimming. Up to this point, she has been hesitant. Evidently, all it took was some coaxing from her aunts (or maybe their bribing with cheese and crackers), because Evie became a fish in the water. After wresting her into her suit and slathering her with sunscreen (or "sunscream" as Evie calls it...and it certainly involves screaming), Evie dipped her toes into the water. Then she dipped her bottom in. Then her belly, and before we knew it, she was kicking her legs while propped up by her arms on the bottom of the lake. It was such a joy to hear her say "I'm swimming!" and scream with delight. She also loved playing in the sand and we made our first sandcastles.


P.S. If you want to read the less PG version of this trip, check out Evie's Aunt Megan's blog. I'm really hoping I haven't scarred my sisters from ever raising children.