It's a video. Press the play button in the lower left of the picture...

a glimpse into our little slice of heaven in the middle of Lake Michigan...

Aunt Jenny, Cousin Lexi and Jez and Winona were the mermaids...

We ate a LOT of ice cream.

And discovered the best Toy Museum (store) on earth.

Hawaii ain't got nothin' on the Emerald Isle... except maybe cooler accessories

And this is pretty much what we did. ahhhh....

Hello again! It's been awhile, but we're up and running again with a new camera in hand... Unfortunately, a vacation worth of pictures are gone, but there were other cameras on the island and  I'm sure those photos will be shared soon, so we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, a few shots of the wee gals in the garden. Still figuring out how to post a video of said gals doing a Mulan duet.  

And the Winner Is...Winona Lou Grossman!!!!!

Ok, it was just a coloring contest. Not even a free-hand art contest, but a "fill in the pre-determined lines on the page" contest. Not really the stuff that parents dare gush about. The stuff that, frankly, I would gape in concerned wonder if any parents I knew gushed about... so I do so here trusting that this is read by grandmas and aunts almost exclusively, and hope the rest of you will still be my friend after this post. Your kids are cute and smart and creative, too. Really.

Because I am oddly thrilled by this news. Context: It was field trip day at Y Camp. Her group headed to the Rodeo--without Winnie due to a slight tummy issue and a larger "parents don't approve of rodeos" issue. But, they had colored in some bucking broncos and horse pictures ahead of time to take with them for the Coloring Contest. Winona's counselor turned in her campers' pictures and at the end of day, in front of HUNDREDS of kids, mind you, the announcer congratulates "Winona from the Y"--- who was not there, but whose counselor went down to receive the prize--a TIARA!--in her honor. 

Now, I played it cool upon hearing the news; was actually only mildly amused by the whole thing when Counselor Dawn handed me the tiara. But as the day went on, I got to thinking about winning... and how good it feels. We love to say "Everybody Plays! Everyone Wins!" at the Y--which I think sets the stage for important lessons and values-- but that doesn't stop MOST people at those games from silently keeping score, and quietly congratulating the winners on the way out of the gym, 'cause let's face it: it feels GREAT! And I was so excited for Winona to feel GREAT about this. 

And she does. She is really proud and said, "Mom, I was at that coloring table longer than anyone else" and later, "Mom, have you seen my good crayons? The ones we hide from Jezzie? I think I want to use those for my art tonight" and at bedtime, "I can't believe I won a tiara!" The especially nice thing about this win is that none of the other kids are thinking "I didn't win the coloring contest"-- at least I would highly doubt it. It matters to one kid only. One kid and her parents, that is. (I'd post the picture, but it's being shipped to MOMA. Actually, I  just never saw it). 

I promise you that the accolades and prizes of Winona's future will not be in direct proportion to the precedent I've hereby set for the Coloring Contest Tiara. Really. I promise. 

The Wee Manipulator: Act I, Scene I

Scene opens with Young Two Year Old sitting in a rocking chair with a tin full of crayons in her lap. A mischievous look appears on her face and suddenly, the crayons are scattered about the living room floor.


Papa: Jezebel, please pick those up and put them back in the tin.
Jezebel: No.
Papa (singing): "Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody Everywhere...."
Jezebel: No.
Pause. 
Jezebel continues: Sleeping. Crayons SLEEEEEEEPING Daddy.  (Finger goes to mouth and she leans in to Dad) SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (Marches off to pantry where she hunkers down with a book behind a closed door... apparently to give the crayons the peace and quiet they need to stay right where they are. Asleep). 

Papa and Mama look at each other with "Lord Help Us" looks.

It's SUMMERTIME!
We celebrated by heading to a farm to pick some strawberries. 

What bucket? I don't need no stinkin' bucket.

Oh, THIS bucket? The one with all the strawberries Nona picked? 

You're right, this does make it a lot easier. 

Mom! Found another bucket! I'm getting GOOD at this!

I put one in the bucket. I swear.

(Can I eat it now?)

GOATS! I LOVE GOATS! 

(But this one is eating my dress at the moment).

 That TICKLES!

 I can't decide if I like this or not, but it does make me giggle. 

I love the goats. I squeezed this one really hard. 

Then tried to climb the fence. 

Bye, Goat. I promise I'll return to you one day.

CSA veggies on the grill...

(and brats. You can take the girl out of Wisconsin, but...)

Homemade strawberry shortcake...

And a bonfire to welcome celebrate the longest day of the year...

 Happy Summer!

 Summer came to pass... for a brief and glorious day or so. So we did this:

And then, the rains came in again; so I made a bed for my princess castle. 

All by myself!

(She hand-stitched three of the sides,  stuffed it, then worked the pedal on the machine while I guided it through... She spent a lot of time with this and was quite proud). 

And that was such fun, that I decided I needed a carriage, too. 

Much to mom's relief, I stopped short of needing to make my own horse. 

We discovered a lot of mom's art and sewing supplies today. 

The winner? Stuffing.

While Winnie made beds and carriages, I was content to sport a sweet apron

and an elfin beanie and do some drawing. 

When one has nearly run out of distractions from the laundry, weeding, grocery shopping and dust bunny herding, 

one has only to look as far as the birthday boxes in the recycling bin for adequate reason to delay any sort of productivity....

And build a castle.

 And when that is done, then there's really only 

time enough left in the day to sit poolside. 

Happy Summer... at long, long last. 

Happy Birthday to Me! I'm TWO!!! 

The song that inspired me to bust out the video was the one that went:

When mommies were children

They used to be girls

But then they grew

And now mommies are womans

And there are lots of things that they do

But by the time the camera was rolling, this is what came out, instead:

Snack time on the deck...

 worms worms worms

 and stories, complete with illustrations and written narrative...

  "WSAPATM" leads off every good story...(which would, of course, be "once upon a time")

Today, we rode our bikes down to the neighborhood school to pick up a registration packet for Kindergarten. After months of being pretty sure that this would be the perfect year to try Homeschooling on for size for our family, we decided that it wasn't the right fit, after all. Not now. Not right when Jez will be heading to pre-school and offering Mike his days back in the studio. Not when we find ourselves blessed enough to live in the only neighborhood in town with FULL DAY kindergarten with a Kinder teaching team that have a rock star reputation to go with it... Most families in town put their names in the school choice lottery for a chance at this school. It's a 1/2 mile downhill (both ways) bike ride for us. 


And the kicker: Winona is beside herself with excitement about School and Kindergarten. Today, picking up the reg packet, she exclaimed, "This is the most MAGICAL place in the WORLD."


We hadn't left the bike rack, yet.


So I picked up my Yellow Folder from the very sweet School Secretary who exclaimed that in her 26 years at that desk, she had never met another Winona-- which made said uniquely-named child beam and say, "THANK you!" as her eyes flitted around the offices and out into the hallways so she could see something... anything.


To top it off, we saw my boss's wife (a teacher at the school) as she brought her class in from recess. "Winnie! You're coming to THIS school??? I'm SOOOOO excited!!!!" 


I really thought Winona would pop. She spent the entire bike ride home extolling the virtues of school and education to Jezebel, who kept interrupting with "WEEEEE! MAMA!" trying to get me to find every speed bump and pot hole on our path so as to provide the most entertainment for my wee thrill seeker. 


Tonight, as I put Winnie to bed and gave her the option to go to pre-school tomorrow (Fridays are usually optional for her) she says, "No, I'm sort of done with the Friends Room, mama. I'll just go to Kindergarten tomorrow. Did you finish the packet?"


No, sweetie, not yet, and here's why: one of the questions is "What are your child's strengths?" and I just don't even know where to begin. 

Birthdays are, decidedly, the best days of the year. I, Winona, am especially fond of celebrations marked by road trips, 

adventures and yummy treats. 

Mom's birthday weekend was exceptional on all fronts.

 A weekend at the Oregon coast is good for the soul. 

 Hot cocoa with a view. 

 "If ever oh ever a Wiz there was, the Wizard of Oz is one because...because because because because beCAAAAAUSE!..." ...because he lets mommy and daddy nap....do do do do do do do. do do.

 Not sure if she was forever emotionally scarred by Lucy's 6 week disappearance or if she just really likes leashes, but this kid gets distraught when the dogs are running free and not at the end of the leash. Distraught, I tell you. 

 She recovered quickly, determined to take the matter into her own hands.

 I'm taking the leash, mom. Someone has got to care for these animals.

 Let GO of the leash, mom.

 Got 'em. You can thank me with ice cream. 

 Only now can I relax and play in the sand.

 Hi Mom... 35!!!

 Some may think "beach" and think "swim suits." Those people don't live here.

The sun did come out, and we soaked it up. 

 The trees are all twisted and bendy from the coastal winds. 

Or from the magic of the tree fairies. You decide. 

 I'll be out here wishing SOMEONE would just FOCUS and build me a sandcastle. 

300 of them, actually. 300 would be great. 

I think we officially have a Julie Birthday Tradition... That's three years running and I don't think any of us see any reason to break with such a good thing.