Brainerd or bust!

 

 It was snowing heavily today so we decided to hit the road.

Well, we had planned this trip to a hotel with a waterpark for some weeks now, everyone was REALLY looking forward to it, and we weren't about to let a little snow . . . or a lot of snow . . . stop us.

Visibility?  What's that?

Svea took some pictures.  I love this one.

And this one.  First plow we saw.  The thing is, when it snows in Minnesota, the roads are nearly instantly plowed.  Especially highways.  So we were putzing along on Hwy 10 and it hadn't been plowed.  I'm just saying it was a little unexpected, but Nate is a master driver in the snow and we knew we were in capable hands.

To pass the time, Elin took pictures with the camera too.
One boot.

Two boots.
The snow just kept on coming.

Nate had to get out a few times to thwack the ice off the windshield wipers.
The windshield wipers weren't really working.  Like, at all.

So we stopped in Little Falls at the Wal-Mart to get some new ones.
The kids thought it was so funny that Daddy left the windshield wipers sticking up.
I told them that's what smart people do, to make sure their wipers don't freeze to the windshield.

See?

Svea fell asleep.  Our one-hour drive was turning into a two-hour adventure.

Here we go!

Nate had the new ones on in no time and we were off.  Now, we could actually see out of the window - what a bonus!

In the meantime I was busy reading.
This is the book that my moms group is reading, and after reading the first couple of chapters I already recommend it.

After I got my moms reading done with, I moved on to The Sunne of Splendor.  It's on King Richard III.  I reserved this a few days before it was announced that his body was found beneath some parking lot in Leichester, so that little bit of news made me all the more eager to get my hands on this book. When I reserved it, I had no idea how long it was.  It's about 3" thick and seems to be the equivalent in length of reading an annotated reference Bible.  I'm taking notes on all the characters and am determined to not forget who everyone is by the time I reach the end.  For what it's worth, I was addicted after reading the first few pages.

 Elin also had her own reading material to keep her occupied while on the road.

We arrived safely and were in the hotel for less than ten minutes when we got in the pool!  Everyone was having such a great time, I only took one (steamy) picture, but will post more about all the fun we have been having!

 

Good night, from snowy Brainerd, Minnesota. 

What we've been up to, and the Naked Mole Rat Princess

 Viggo started this weekend off right with his favorite way to do school:  a history quiz that pays!  For each correct answer, he got a certain amount of cash.  (A penny for the first five questions, a nickel for the next five, then a dime, quarter, and finally, a dollar for the last question.)  As the denomiantion increased so the did the difficulty of the question.  This is the second time this has happened and as usual, he cleaned me out of change.

$3.03 for knowing history!  Not bad!

Then it was time to study The Two Towers.  Ahh, literary bliss.

 I gathered up our 51 checked out items for our weekly trip to the library.

Svea absolutely loves the "Stack the States" app on the iPad.  She is turning into a real geography whiz.  It is especially impressive when she reads the questions out loud and answers them.  Svea's reading is really taking off!

Elin and I play the game "Little Bear".

I will play any game when this sweet little face is involved!

Wardrobe Alert:  Elin wears this sweater every day.  She got it for Christmas in 2011 from Grandma Zeke, and it has gotten more wear this winter than the last one.  Last night she even went to sleep in it.  It was zipped up to her chin and she had the hood on - while being under two blankets, complete with wearing fuzzy footie pajamas.  No sense in getting cold.

 Svea has been in a valentine mood for days now and she made sandwiches with little handmade sticker doodads on them.

 It's Charlie Brown!  Elin was delighted with her decorated sandwich.

Nearly every day, Svea begs me to let her make lunch.  If I say okay and don't hustle up to the kitchen before she gets there, it's almost always sandwiches that she has her heart set on.  She is always good at finding a veggie and some fruit.  Svea, you are such a great helper!

Yesterday morning was cinnamon rolls and a special surprise, watching the show "Africa" on the Discovery channel. 

There was a lot of excitement when there was a segment on Naked Mole Rats.  Which everyone was totally glued to, since one of their favorite funny books is Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed.

After cinnamon rolls, we went to the pool.  Svea has private lessons with Miss Sarah, whom she adores, and Viggo is in a very small class for level 4.  He does a mean breast stroke!  When I took this photo, they were both in the deep end (please notice the convenient labeling).

Svea is so skinny that Miss Sarah actually ties a water noodle around her.  Svea has really been improving and is getting so confident in the water.  The one-on-one has helped her immensly.

While Viggo and Svea swam, Elin sat with me and colored and played with some little toys.  But then she started telling the people sitting by us about the naked mole rat princess (yes, there really was a naked mole rat princess).  And that the naked mole rat princess got married and had lots of babies.  And that she is 3.  And that her name is spelled E-L-I-N.  And that her pink cowgirl boots are good in the snow. 

Those nice ladies at the pool, bless them for listening to her.

If you need any information about the naked mole rat princess or naked mole rats in general, please contact Elin.