Bayfield

We took our first vacation as a family of three to Bayfield, Wisconsin a couple weeks ago. We had such a blast on the shores of Lake Superior together. We walked all over town, visited Madeline Island (via ferry) and Little Sand Bay (via car), played on the beach, took a boat cruise around the islands, ate a ton of saltwater taffy, and just relaxed in our condo on the lake. Of course, Marla didn't get the memo about being on vacation... she didn't sleep past 5:30 a.m. all week. At least we were up bright and early to enjoy the town and the lake!

Our girl got to play in the sand for the first time! She was unsure at first, but by the end of the week, she was an old pro at digging, throwing, and eating it. I was hoping the water would be warm enough to take her swimming, but even Jeff couldn't make it past his waist. How come Lake Superior never felt so cold when we were younger??

Anyway, here's a video of Marla's first encounter with sand. I love the part where she "discovers" her foot underneath it.

I informed Jeff that I intended to eat ice cream every day of our vacation, and I made good on it. Our favorite place was a shop in Bayfield called The Candy Shoppe. They make their own waffle cones and have about a hundred flavors of ice cream. YUM.

Speaking of ice cream, Marla got to try it for the first time. I think it's safe to say she inherited my sweet tooth. She couldn't get enough of it!

As you can probably imagine, I took way too many pictures to share in one blog post. Here's a collage of some of them, to give you an idea.

It was hard to come home. We love Bayfield!



Seven months

The past month has flown by. Marla is still trucking along, getting more grown up all the time.

We're pretty excited around here this week, because she got a tooth!

"What IS that in there?"

 She can squirm around on her belly pretty well now, although it hasn't progressed to crawling yet. Is our house baby-proofed, you ask? Of course not!

 She's very interested in Betsy and laughs at just about anything she does.

 She sleeps really well... when it suits her mood. She goes down around 8:00 p.m., usually makes it through the night, and wakes up around 5:00-5:30 a.m. I guess I can't complain (much).

 

Jeff went back to coaching football this week, which means he's home a lot less than he has been throughout this spring and summer. She's still a daddy's girl despite spending less time with him every day.

And Mom's all right too, I guess.

We're still working on solid foods. Frankly, she's just not very interested. She does seem to enjoy playing with food, so we're hoping her appetite will improve once she's able to feed herself.

Her hair is growing all over her head, but still seems to sprout especially well up top, giving her a mohawk/toupee look. She pulls it off better than Donald Trump, and it provides endless bathtime entertainment.

If she's anything like me, she'll want to be an animal for every Halloween until she's 14. Here's her first crack as Marla the Mouse, wearing a cat onesie and attacking a sheep. Clever, no?

Gimme that tiger!

It's nice that Marla finds fighting for a toy so enjoyable. I'm guessing the novelty will wear off more quickly for Betsy...

This and that

I'm in the process of clearing out my camera's memory card in preparation for our vacation next week and found a few random photos of the goings-on around here.

Chillaxin' with Dad.

Marla, just being Marla.

Bouncing with Grandpa.

First time swimming outside! I think she prefers heated pools, but she didn't complain.

Naked baby butt. Is there anything cuter?

She tried a rice cracker for the first time. It was a hit!

She also tried avocado. Don't let that smile fool you... it was most definitely NOT well-received.

Rolling with her homies

Things have been busy around here, thanks to Marla's demanding social schedule. At six months old, I think she's had more play dates in the last week than I've had in the last year. Sheesh.

Following TBTIV, those of us with children decided to initiate a lasting friendship by introducing them to one another at the first annual The Big Trip Junior in Eau Claire! Check out these beauties. I hope they all go to St. Olaf, live in Kittelsby, and perform Paula Abdul at a talent show together someday.

Ella (17 months), Marla (6.5 months), Kendall (14 months):

Over the weekend I made a trip to Minnesota to meet my friend Beth's new baby girl, Emma Lou. She is so tiny and cute, and seeing her sweet little newborn self (and seeing how sleep deprived her parents are) made me realize just how much things have changed in the months since Marla was born. We've come so far!

I can't believe Marla used to be this small! (Well, technically not THIS small, at least outside the womb, but you get the idea.)

My friends Jeff and Natalie were visiting from Florida while I was in Minnesota, so they stopped by with their adorable son, Eden (22 months). I think he sat still for approximately 4 seconds to take this picture, which may be a record for him. I love Marla's grin in this picture. A future love connection, perhaps?

We wrapped up the weekend with a play date with our friends Brian and Darlene's baby girl, Isabella. She's just a month younger than Marla, and the two of them seemed to really hit it off. Look how much fun they're having together!

The Big Trip IV (La Crosse)

Doesn't it seem like just yesterday that I published the TBTIII post? Here we are, nine months later and on to TBTIV already. Crazy. 

Anyway, you'll recall that last year's trip was in Vegas. This year's destination was slightly closer to home in La Crosse, Wisconsin (they say La Crosse is the Vegas of Wisconsin, right?). I was grateful for the short drive, as it was my first time leaving Marla for two whole nights. I missed her lots, but had a great time with my Olaf friends.

We went to the beach and spent a lot of time blowing up floaties. Unfortunately, we learned they're not allowed in the water only after they were all inflated. Apparently floaties aren't a good idea on the river. I can't imagine why...

We rented a place in La Crosse called the Bluff View House, which is a Lustron home. If you know anything about Lustron homes, you know that's a pretty big deal. At least for the 12 people it took to make the documentary about them, anyway. The most important thing to know about Lustron homes is that you can forgo wall art in favor of magnets. Cool, right?

I miss these girls so much and am so glad we've established an annual tradition of getting together. Thanks for another fantastic TBT, ladies!

Rollin' rollin' rollin'

Within 24 hours of my last post, wherein I mentioned that Marla might never roll from her front to her back, she proved me wrong. She keeps me on my toes, this girl. (Please ignore my hyena-like exclamations in this video... it's just so exciting!)