Second Star to the Right and Straight On 'Till Morning

We spent the last week up in the north woods. Eagle River, Wisconsin. My Neverland, where I don't have to grow up and taking a trip into the little town in the pouring rain for a licorice rope is just as magic at 31 as it was at 4. I first started coming up here when I was 6 weeks old... they say I slept in a drawer that vacation, at the "Doctor's Cabin" at Honey Rock Camp.  I've missed a few years, here and there, but this place feels like home. Things don't change too much.

One of the greatest joys is experiencing this place through the eyes of my children. God has gifted me with a family that loves the outdoors just as much as I do. I'm blessed.

Are you curious about our Neverland? It's steeped in wonderful grandparents and great grandparents and includes early morning "coffee talks," walks and runs, bike rides, smore campfires, picnics, kayaking, boating, skiing, cruising the lake, hunting (as in admiring... not killing) wildlife, eating, creating, reading, snuggling, poking around the little shops, and lots more chit chatting and eating :)
(I apologize for the massive amounts of pictures... I'm a little nostalgic and this is my first time editing photos with Picnik)

Little Rosie is fearless. We had been talking a lot about going out on the inner tube behind the boat before we got to the cabin. We decided that either Ron or I would accompany her. While we were standing out on the dock Rosie said, "I think I will try this by myself."

Well, ok then! We cheered big time from the boat.

Me? Well, I had not yet skied since having babies. I remember having some post-skiing soreness as a spring chicken. Holy cow... since becoming a mother hen, the muscles are just not the same. I think I went through an entire bottle of Advil and still struggled to pick Sadie up for about 48 hours. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, though. S.O .F.U.N!

Check out my hubby in the lower left. He's a great skiier, went 3 times as long as I did... and he didn't complain about the soreness nearly as much as I did :)

It's always fun to have a little project when up at the cabin. Ron and my dad decided to make a Corn Hole set for the back lawn.

The girls and I kept track of the wildlife that we spotted. The kayaks provided a quiet sneak attack. We saw: a loon family with baby, Bald Eagles, deer, chipmunks, raccoons, squirrels and frogs!

This was Ron's first fish fry. I'm not sure how he escaped a fish fry, growing up in Minnesota, but he did. And, yes, he thoroughly enjoyed his fried Haddock.

Thanks, Nana and Papa Bordeaux. We had such a wonderful time with you- time at the cabin feeds our souls. We love you.

Yosemite

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul.

                                                                                           John Muir

 Wouldn't it have been lovely if our ENTIRE day had looked like the above montage of pictures? Well, most of it did... but some of it looked like this: 

Birthday Festivities

I think I was just as excited for Rosie's birthday as she was. I couldn't sleep the night before either! We partied hard for 2 days and I think we are finally recovered! Rosie awoke Wednesday morning to the traditional Donut Cake (thank you Jenny Poladian) and was then whisked away to a celebratory breakfast with Papa and Mimi. After breakfast, Ron had arranged for Rosie to take a pony ride with the head trainer from the Shea Center that provides the horseback riding adventure for Emerald Cove Day Camp (this might have been more MY dream more than Rosie's).  At any rate, it was more of a princess pony party as Rosie placed ribbons in her pony Rushmore's hair and a hat on his head before helping to place her pink saddle and ride away. Wow, what a morning. 

After a horse induced snooze, Rosie and I met Mrs. Edie for some manicure/pedicure fun. 

Rosie requested, "spaghetti and meatballs and a purple cake with sprinkles, please" for her birthday supper. I did my best with the little squeeze bottles of food coloring to get the frosting just right. After we sang Happy Birthday Ron said, "Rosie, look what color mommy made your cake!"

Rosie clasped her hands together and said with enthusiasm, "Yes! Grey!"

Well, ya win some, ya lose some, right?

Thursday afternoon we had a little party for Rosie and company. We did the unthinkable and ordered a Tinker Bell bounce house for our daughter. 

Never thought I'd do that, but hey, ya win some, ya lose some, right?

Ron brought back his days working at the Minnesota State Fair and did an awesome ping pong ball/water game with the kids!

Rosie and Lucy took a little break in the puppy sleeping bag from Papa and Mimi.

 .... and the girls even bounced in their jammies after everyone had gone home.  

Oh, little one, you are loved and you are blessed. Happy 4th Birthday to you.

... and we are 4

Dear Rosie,

Happy Birthday, sweet girl.

As I write you are sleeping in your bed. Visions of horses and ballet classes dance in your head. You have a little spaghetti sauce dried in your hair and your fingernails are painted purple with white butterflies. Oh, Rosie, and now we are 4. What a year you have had. Like most of your childhood, you've learned, grown and experienced so much. Preschool is one of the big ones that stands out to me. You confidently marched into that classroom in September and you never looked back. You adored your teachers, made lots of new friends, learned to share, came home with plenty of finger paintings, expressed your feelings in new ways, and collapsed at naps most school days with sand in your hair. Boy, it was a good year. 

You've learned lots of other amazing things while you were 3. You've learned to swim this year, and it's a joy to watch you. If I could approach new challenges with as much grace and gusto as you have with swimming, I'd be a much better person. I admire your determination. Recently, I've seen you approach the monkey bars with that same spark in your eye, and something tells me you'll be flying across them, hand over hand, in no time.

You still love books, which is fun, because I do too. You love to play hard, find adventures, sing and dance (improve is your favorite), you love talking and, yes, being the center of attention. YOU are a star, Rosie.
You're a great big sister. Sometimes sharing life with a sibling is hard, but you are (mostly) kind and gentle with Sadie. You like to dress her up as your fairy assistant, or assign her small parts in your "peeformances" such as Toto or Michael (from Peter Pan).
When we go places, you love to hold Sadie's hand.
You're an amazing helper. You love to help me in the kitchen or in the garden, you help Daddy make the morning coffee, you've taken on new chores like feeding Wrigley and getting the paper, you help clean up when playtime is over, and you'd love to help me drive, if I'd let you.
We adore you, Rosie.  3 has been a good year. My prayer is that you'll learn to know how much God loves you and how much he has in store for you. You have so much to give to the world, and I know God is going to use you in amazing ways. You have a keen eye to the beauty around you and I know that you'll recognize God's good gifts in your life. You have so many that surround you that think you're practically perfect in every way.... mainly your misty eyed mama typing you this letter :)

Anne Voskamp wrote a prayer for her daughter. I pray this for you, Rosie.

God, clothe this girl in a gown of grace
Grace, the only dress that makes beautiful,
the style of Your spirit.

Nourish her on the comfort food of the Word,
Word, that makes her crave more of christ,
have hunger pangs for Him.

Enclose her in communion with You
You, Love who makes her love, who fold her heart into a roof
that absorbs storms for souls,
that makes her tongue speak the words that make souls stronger.

May her vocation in this world simply be translation

Translating every enemy into esteemed guest
Translating every countenance into the face of Christ
Translating every burden into blessing

When it's hard to be patient, make her willing to suffer.
When it’s ridiculous to be thankful … make her see all is grace
When it's radical to forgive … make her live the foundations of our faith
And when it’s time to work… make her a holy wonder.

May she be bread and feed many with her life and her laughter
May she be thread and mend brokeness and knit hearts

We love you to the moon and back, Mommy and Daddy and little Sadie, too  

Mr. Steve Songs

Last week we tried our hand at public transportation and took the train to see one of our kids' favorite singers, Mr. Steve. My sister Erin made a picnic and we sat out on the lawn and enjoyed the evening. Remember me screaming at the U2 concert? Well, Rosie reacted the same way when Mr. Steve sang her old favorite, Opposite Day :)