Madeline Rose: Summer visit to Minnesota

We had a wonderful time in Minnesota!

I arrived early to attend my dear friend Anne's wedding. I stayed with Mike and Jan for the first weekend and it was wonderful to see them. I spent the work week at Jeff, Sara, Jana and Colin's house and it was great to catch up with them and play with Jana and Colin. I survived the time I had to spend away from Madeline and Steve (we Skyped nightly which helped so much!) Steve and Maddy arrived (finally!) on Thursday and we stayed with Mike and Jan. It was great to be reunited! Steve and I went to our friend Joe's wedding that Saturday, and Mike and Jan watched Madeline for the night. Jan showed Madeline the birds outside their house (they have lots of bird feeders) and also let her play with her bird book that includes bird calls...thus began Madeline's fascination with birds.

Looking for birds


Jan reading Maddy's new favorite book

On Tuesday July 3, 2012, Jan, Shelly, Anton, Eli, Leah, Steve, Madeline and I all went to the Minnesota Zoo. The weather was very hot, so we stuck to the indoor exhibits, which were plentiful. Maddy loved the monkeys (she would say "Oooo Ahhhh Oooo Ahhhh" for monkey) and the coyotes and wolf (they look like dogs). She also thought the fish were pretty neat (and she's really good at making a fish face). Maddy also loved hanging out with her cousins at Ben and Shelly's, and she got to go in their kiddie pool! Steve and I discovered how hard it is to put a one-piece swimming suit on a 14 month old...maybe baby two-piece swimsuits aren't such a bad idea!

Minnesota Zoo


Anton at the zoo

Leah, Eli and Madeline

Play time at Ben and Shelly's

On the morning of the Fourth of July, Steve, Maddy and I went to have lunch with Sr. Eunice. Sr. Ronnie happened to stop by so she joined us! I had never been to Carondolet Village so Sr. Eunice gave us a tour. It was so nice to see her and Sr. Ronnie. We spent the afternoon/evening of Fourth of July at Ben and Shelly's. We had lots of good food and play time outside in the Minnesota summer sun. Maddy loved playing with her cousins. Mike, Jan, Jeff, Sara, Jana and Colin were also there, so it was a big Faust family gathering! Steve and I had forgotten about mosquitoes (and realized quickly how lucky we are that Portland is relatively mosquito-free) which came out in full force in the evening. But with a little deet, we were able to enjoy the fireworks that we could see from Ben and Shelly's driveway!

Visiting Sr. Eunice and Sr. Ronnie stopped by, too

Happy Fourth of July!

Cousins!

The next morning we headed to Mom and Dad's in Knife River. We relaxed for the day, then Jon, Amy, Benjamin and Gabi arrived. More family fun! On Friday we went to Bayfield for the day. The weather didn't cooperate for time on the boat (it poured) so we had lunch in town and spent time with Grama.

Enjoying Lake Superior


Benjamin, Maddy and Gabi

Grama with her "Great One"

Saturday July 7 we had Madeline's Dedication Ceremony. Mike, Jan, Ben, Shelly, Anton, Leah and Eli came up to the North Shore for the weekend, so they attended, as well as Mom and Dad, Jon, Amy, Benjamin, Gabi, Grama and Uncle John. Suzanne Wasilczuk (the Unitarian Minister that officiated our wedding) performed the Ceremony, which was beautiful. Madeline looked like a little doll in her white ceremony dress. We held the ceremony in my parent's yard with the lake in the background and the day was perfect - sunny and not terribly hot. Mom and Jan both read selections during the ceremony, and Suzanne ad-libbed beautifully when Maddy decided to start the hand motions for "Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round..." We had brunch catered in from The Vanilla Bean in Two Harbors. Eggs were included, so Madeline loved it, of course! We spent the day at Mom and Dad's house and had a barbeque that night. Everyone was pretty tired so we called it an early night.

Madeline's Dedication Ceremony

Suzanne, our minister, and our family (Maddy's Dedication Ceremony)

Four Generations

Steve headed back to the cities on Sunday as his flight back to Portland left Monday. Jon, Amy, Benji and Gabi also headed back home. But Madeline and I stayed at Mom and Dad's through Friday! It was nice to have time to relax and hang out. Maddy enjoyed it, too, spending lots of time playing with Gerda and looking for birds outside. Maddy and I visited some of my friends from high school, Erin and Virginia, and then headed to Park Point (Lake Superior beach). We spent time on the beach and in the water and Maddy loved playing with (and eating some) sand! Mom, Maddy and I went shopping (thanks Mom!) and had a nice dinner at the Scenic. Maddy was very talkative during dinner which was fun! Mom, Dad, Maddy and I spent the a day in Bayfield visiting with Grama, going to the Pier for lunch, walking through shops and going for a boat ride. We were boarded by the Coast Guard for a routine check which was interesting to say the least. I spent some time with Grama doing a Historical Interview with our video camera as well. The rest of the week flew by.