A trip back to Decorah

We traveled back to Decorah on Wednesday afternoon. Will and I were invited back to participate in a panel discussion about grad school for the Luther Biology students. Thanks very much to Colleen, Bernie, and Maria for babysitting Claire during the seminar. (we forgot the camera in the car and didn't get any pictures. :o(

The above picture is in front of Valders, the science hall where Will and I spent a great deal of time many years ago. We really enjoyed catching up with all our professors on this trip.

The Hotel Winn - The bio department put us up in style! (photo by W)

We visited Dunning's Springs. Will and I did a science experiment together here many years ago, before we even started dating. And it's just a beautiful place. They had a lot of rain there in August, so the waterfalls were pretty big for this time of year.







Claire traveled very well (~3 hours each way) but toward the end of the trip home she was getting antsy. An almost-full box of kleenex provided just enough entertainment to get us all home without a lot of screaming. By the time we got home, of course, the box was empty.


-K

Pictures from last weekend

I think this is the last set of pictures from the trip. These are from our visit last weekend with Claire's Grandma and Grandpa C.

Here is Claire relaxing while eating lunch. (She is fastened in to the old, old high chair, don't worry.) She enjoyed being able to put her feet up while eating. Here is a video of Claire that her Grandpa took.

Swinging with Grandpa C.

Swinging with Grandma C.

Playing with clothespins.

-K

More Farm Pictures

Great-grandma K. had lots of hummingbirds at her feeders. So many that she gets at little annoyed at having to fill the feeders so frequently. "If they would just settle down and eat and not waste their energy buzzing around and chasing each other away..."

The calves liked Claire.

Claire learned how to climb stairs at G.G. K's house. She hasn't yet mastered sliding down feet first on her belly yelling something... what was it we used to yell??? (she also hasn't tricked any uncles into stealing the jewels so she can arrest them and lock them in a bedroom, maybe next trip.)

(sorry this pictures is blurry, but I liked it anyway.)

Great Grandpa comes on a little strong at times, but mostly he and Claire got along.


More pictures coming in the next few days from the second half of the trip - G. and G. Cooper's house!

-K

A Visit to the Farm

I don't really know where to start! We have been doing lots of traveling and visiting! Will had a water workshop a couple days last week in Macomb, IL. Since that's not too far from where my Grandma and Grandpa K. live, Claire and I went down with him and spent a couple days relaxing on the farm. The weather was beautiful and the mosquitoes non-existent, so Claire was very happy to spent lots of time outside! (She now points at her blue sun hat and 'Oooh' whenever she wants to go outside.) After the farm visit, we stopped at my parents' house for a couple days, which was also very nice. I'll try to post lots of pictures over the week of our travels.

We stopped by my Aunt Jane and Uncle Mike's for dinner on our way down to the farm on Tuesday evening. Somehow the camera stayed in the car, so I don't have any pictures to prove it, but Claire got along very well with her great-aunt and uncle and especially the cats at their house. It was great to break up the trip! Thanks for letting us stop and feeding us! And I'm sorry we weren't able to stop in at the restaurant my cousin Laura was working at when it got too late. (Come up and visit us sometime!!!)

Ok, enough talk. You came here to see Claire pictures, so here they are. A couple of her and the cows. She loved them all, big or small. We were thinking she might be intimidated by the big ones, but she wanted to get up close to them too.


-K

Claire Keeps Busy - new video

This video is LONG (4 min). Claire has been keeping busy. Hope you enjoy it!



-K

10 months old!

Claire was born 10 months ago today. What they say is true, it really does go by quickly. Here's a picture from when she was 1 month old:

-K