Minnesota is Heaven, But Virginia is Home

I can't believe my sister beat me with a new post! I don't have any good excuses for not posting either. There have certainly been some post-worthy events in the last couple of weeks. Where to start...how about a big WELCOME to Peder and Sarah's new baby, Aurelia Ryan, who was born on August 23rd, weighing 8 lbs. 15 oz. and (I believe) 21" long. She was just a few days past her due date! We stopped by their home yesterday and got to meet Aurelia and introduce her cousins to her. She is truly lovely. Josiah and Annika were a little more interested in Sarah's neat toys (and everything spillable , caustic or lanolin on the coffee table), but don't worry guys--by the next time they meet, they'll be playing together! Next, we got our real orders last Friday, so the Germany thing is a go. Well, of course, life in the Navy is subject to change, but that hasn't happened to us yet (knock on wood). We depart Newport in November to arrive in Stuttgart b...

Hans and Josiah bearing arms against the British Try to ignore the row of blue dumpsters...looking north towards Lake Champlain This is one way to get them to pipe down (that's Annika inside the mortar) If sister does it, then brother must too Views from the fort Views from the fort Annika considers a career tending artillery (check out how elaborate the cannon is) OK, on a slightly more positive note. Very slightly. Our vacation continues on its merry way from our painful train ride in North Conway, New Hampshire to Burlington, Vermont. The kids, not surprisingly, fell asleep 4.5 minutes after we got into the car after the train ride and began our slow drive through the White Mountain National Forest. Counting Subarus kept us busy, as did lamenting our fate as the crappiest parents in the universe. Vermont is gorgeous. I think I stated that in the last post, but wow! I am still a little shocked over how amazingly green and verdant it is (and yes, I know that it is called...

I think this picture sums up our mini-vacation perfectly... Annie and me on the train Gabbing on the hotel telephone North Conway Depot Our train awaiting us Hans being pulled by Josiah...I swear, our arms are all 2" longer than they were before having toddlers Josiah and Annika at the depot We are such awful parents. I mean, really . Someone should send us back to parenting school. Oh wait, there isn't such a place! Anyway, we are such awful parents. I mean, what kind of parents would take their train-loving children on a train ride? The nerve of us. Trying to make our kids happy! Sorry if I sound a little offended. I went to the trouble of locating this train ride in North Conway, New Hampshire, thinking that Josiah would enjoy a ride on a real train. We drove out of our way from Freeport, Maine to North Conway, even spent the night so that we could get up the next morning and ride this dang train. And of course, both of the kids spent the majority of the ride ...

Greetings from Vermont! We decided, on some kind of crazy whim (probably after the kids had behaved themselves for a couple of days) that we should take a little trip. Our summer is winding down. Hans heads back to school next week and we head home to Minnesota for 10 days. We hit the road early yesterday morning...destination Freeport, Maine. Home of the world's largest L.L. Bean store, actually L.L. Bean's flagship store. There was actually a dude named Leon L. Bean, or something like that. I don't know why we desired to see the L.L. Bean flagship store. Hans and I aren't really the "outdoorsy" type. I'm not matronly enough to be attracted to their clothing, though I do own L.L. Bean outer wear. And I did find myself strangely attracted to a full-length vintage looking flannel nightgown. Most likely because I had many flannel nightgowns growing up, in my "Little House in the Prairie" phase (some complete with nightcaps). We ended up ge...

Josiah & Annika on the porch, blowing bubbles Yes, she does need to be dressed like this just to blow bubbles Him, too Me! It's ME! Hans took a picture of us! Tub time

Actually, a lot of things, but today let's focus in on one thing in particular. How many times have I been to the commissary here in Newport? Seriously. We've been here for almost one year, and many weeks I have gone more than once in a seven day period. So, let's take a guess at approximately 50 times. I like the commissary here, even though the produce is sometimes a little questionable and there are always people in there who insist on going against the traffic flow. Also, lots of people who park their carts obliviously in the middle of the aisle or walk out in front of you as you are desperately trying to keep a full cart and two toddlers under control. Focus, Rachel. OK, so I'm guessing right around 50 times. And for 49 of the 50 times, I have gone to the checkout, had all my items scanned, submitted my coupons (this week, $13 worth), gotten the total, swiped my ATM card, ENTERED MY PIN, pushed NO, NO, NO, YES, MAYBE, NO, POSSIBLY (is it me or are there just ...

Hans consented to take us to the beach today. He claims to hate the beach and everything about it, including the sand. OK, the only thing he really said he hates is sand. I exaggerated about it being everything. I understand why he hates sand. Anyone who has spent time on the beach will understand that...so I guess this means that he's actually not a grump, but just basically a normal person. Anyway. We packed up 14 towels, changes of dry clothes, fruit snacks, drink boxes, Cokes for the adults, water, sunscreen and about 1,425 various toys. Hans was a bit skeptical of the amount of toys I had packed into a laundry basket, but I assured him the peace that we would receive in return for lugging out these toys would be priceless. We went to "Third Beach" again...all the beaches in Newport have real names, but everyone calls them "First Beach", "Second Beach" and...well, you get the drift. Third Beach is very nice for small children, because it's in...