Road trips always mean snacks. Giant seaweed snacks that is. Well, to be clear, this was first time I've ever purchased the giant variety. We had hoped to make it to Mackinac Bridge before dark. Not sure why the last time we drove over it it felt really scary. This time it was fine. Nah, it was still scary. The center grates give me the whillies. Scott found us a historic resort to stay in the for the night, the Birch Lodge at Trout Lake . It was after we booked the room that we found out it was originally a tuberculosis hospital. Well, it was, but very briefly. I'd seen this place when planning our trip to the UP this past summer , it was a good price and looked right up our alley. It's only about a half hour from St. Ignace, which made a perfect spot between Lowell and Three Lakes. It was darling none-the-less. Notice the white framed areas above the beds. Our room was originally three rooms. The current owners saved the original transom windows but closed off the doors....

While we were packing for our big, week long, Chritmas-New Year's trip to Chicago, Michigan and the cottage, we decided it would be best to open my mom's present at our house. She had picked them out and sent them to our house after all.   An Isabella dress for Meadow.  We got on FaceTime with Grandma Nana and opened her gifts.  And a cat umbrella for Meadow. Theo got more mini PicassoTiles and Where's Waldo books. Did you know that series is called Where's Wally in the UK, where it came from? Then the kids exchanged their gifts for each other. A Pop-It game for Theo and the last remaining Lego Harry Potter set for Meadow. Then the kids opened presents from us. This way they could play before our long trip. Theo got Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Meadow was ecstatic for her Encanto Lego house. We originally had planned to leave on the 23rd but the weather changed our plans. We had to push everything by a day and left on Christmas Eve instead. The drive from Minneapolis t...

We got another snowstorm and when I woke up it was so pretty outside with everything covered in snow. Not a bad view outside our porch. We needed some milk for breakfast. I braved the blowing snow to walk to the coop and Mexican market to get some groceries. Oh, look, I snow blowed the snow. I swear I'm almost done with this. At least all the cracks are patched. I came up with a way to attach our shop vac to my orbital sander. I'd spend the rest of the day sanding. Magnatiles everyday.  Books everyday.  We got the kids a Lego Advent calendar this year.  I cleaned under all of our radiators. Looks at all these treasures I found from our kids and the previous kids that lived here. We picked up this game recently from the thrift store. I love playing board games with the kids.  

We got some snow recently and Meadow and Theo actually played outside. Meadow made Theo a throne out of snow.  Nothing better than a snowy Minneapolis night walk. The kids needed to see Santa. We decided to visit him at Holidazzle . We made a night of it by walking to dinner first.  It looks like RGB has been displaced by the Ukrainian president. We are probably the only parents that walk with their kids to Lyn-Lake at night. I really don't understand city families who avoid the city they live in.

I spent most of the week putting up Christmas decorations. Scott and the kids finished decorating the trees. Our house always feels extra special all decked out for the holidays. My project for the day was to make paper bag snowflakes with the kids. You made hats? Well, not really, but they would be cool at Mardi Gras. Meadow got excited with having paper bags and decided to make some Santa puppets.