Category: family

Fly, Butterfly, Fly!

Diana B.1 Comment

As part of our Kindergarten unit on butterflies, our family received five caterpillars in the mail one day, in a little cup with food on the bottom and a lid on top.

One caterpillar was notably smaller than the rest. We watched them all eat, eat, eat. We watched them all grow, grow, grow. And then we watched as four of them miraculously hung upside down and dried to form their chrysalises.

The fifth caterpillar was stubborn, sluggish. Linnea encouraged it emphatically, “You can’t be a caterpillar all your life!” Finally, she joined the others hanging upside down.

We carefully moved the chrysalises to a mesh butterfly habitat and then we watched, watched, watched for several days as nothing happened. One afternoon while we were away, not watching, our first Painted Lady butterfly was born! The next morning two more butterflies fluttered around in the habitat, and another one wiggled around still in the chrysalis. We watched so closely as that one miraculously broke free and made its way out to dry its wings. How amazing!

We kept and fed the butterflies for a few days, but since we were leaving town for the Memorial Day weekend, we needed to release them. The last stubborn chrysalis remained, shaking sometimes. We entrusted it to our next door neighbors so they could share in the experience.

The morning we let the four butterflies go was a little breezy and overcast. The girls knew they wanted to release them at “Butterfly Meadow,” a grassy meadow in a park very close to us. Linnea aptly named it because we had seen many butterflies fluttering through it one day on a little hike.

I’ll let the pictures tell the next part of the story.  

the path to Butterfly Meadow
the path to Butterfly Meadow
Linnea unzips the habitat; butterflies hesitate.
Linnea unzips the habitat; butterflies hesitate.
Butterfly poses for the camera before sailing up into the air.
Butterfly poses for the camera before sailing up into the air.
Linnea follows butterfly into the meadow.
Linnea follows butterfly into the meadow.
“My favorite part of the school year,” Linnea says, “was the butterflies. I got to let them go, and they were beautiful. I got to open the lid to let the pretty Painted Lady butterflies fly away. I found one after it flew away, and I gave it leaves and flowers.”
Laurel tries to lure butterflies out using a dandylion.
Laurel tries to lure butterflies out using a dandelion.
Another butterfly poses before departure.
Another butterfly poses before departure.
The last butterfly lingers on a wilted flower petal, then flies away.
The last butterfly lingers on a wilted flower petal, then flies away.

Before this day, I had envisioned the butterflies rushing out of the habitat quickly.  One swift mass exodus. I never expected we’d have to coax them to fly away. They were a bit uncertain.

 What’s more, saying farewell to these beautiful creatures we had studied so closely felt surprisingly bittersweet. We felt sorrowful, but at the same time, we knew their potenital. Although they had hesitated to fly away at first, those butterflies never looked back or longed to return to the confining habitat in which we had kept them. No, instead of looking back, some soared up past the trees, up to the sky, rising up until they were completely out of sight. Free. The others fluttered far into the meadow and disappeared. Free.

The sheer joy of setting these creatures free to fly as high or as far as they wished — it overcame me. How exhilarating! Flying high and flying far was exactly what God created them to do! Their time on earth is brief; they usually only live a few weeks. They need to fly!  

While my children are still small and at home with me, I study them closely. These early years are caterpillar years. They eat, eat, eat, and they grow, grow, grow. Someday they’ll probably be more like those chrysalises, and I won’t so clearly see what’s going on inside them. They’ll feel awkward as they change. 

And then, someday, they’ll unveil. They’ll be beautiful butterflies.

I will let them fly as high and as far as God created them to fly. They, too, are on earth for just a brief time. They need to fly!

Nicole C. Mullen sings about letting butterflies fly.

Butterfly
 
Not yet a woman and certainly not a child
 
But I was caught somewhere in the middle
  
On that one Friday afternoon
  
And I, I remember mama saying,
 
“It’s time for you to go
 
Go out on and change the world and become
 
All that you have dreamed of”

And as the tears that she was crying

Fell from her face and shoulders she said

“Don’t forget who you are child, where you

Come from, where you’re goin’

‘Cause I’m always gonna be here for you

Fighting in your corner

So with every bow you take

Take one for those that came before you”

(Chorus)

Fly, Fly Butterfly Fly

Stand upon these two shoulders of mine

Spread those wings of yours and fly

Now I’m a woman and I’ve got a child

And I can’t believe the day’s gonna come

When she tells me that it’s time to soar

And I don’t know what I’m gonna do

Not sure what I’m gonna tell her

Maybe don’t forget who you are child

Where you come from, where you’re going

‘Cause I’m always gonna be here for you

Fighting in your corner

So with every bow you take

Take one for those that came before ya

(Chorus)

There is something sacred

About the letting go of those we want to hold

So tightly to, but somehow we know

They must move on

On for those who have a dream to make our future better

And on for those who will earn their wings

In spite of wind and weather

You tell ’em love is waiting there

Forever in their corner

So with every bow they take

They’ll take one for those that came before them

 With that, our Kindergarten year has drawn to a close.  But in many ways, I feel like we’re just getting started. So much to learn; so little time!

 
 
 
 

 

Breathing Deeply Up North

Diana B.1 Comment

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“Any adult who spends even fifteen minutes with a child outdoors finds himself drawn back into his own childhood, like Alice falling down the rabbit hole.” -Sharon MacLatchie

As the school year comes to a close and Minnesota’s weather becomes downright splendid, it’s time to breathe deeply and slow down. Our family’s weekend trip to the Boundary Waters was just the invigorating, deep breath we needed over Memorial Day.

We spent Thursday through Monday with some very dear and generous friends at their family’s picturesque cabin on a lake that’s an entryway to the Boundary Waters. 

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What a relaxing and refreshing trip!  I can’t begin to explain how restful our time was. How is it that one sleeps so much better snuggled beneath thick covers on a cold night in a cozy log cabin? The first night I actually dreamed I had overslept until noon — and I certainly felt as though I had — but it was really only around 7 a.m. when I awoke! The kids — there were seven of them ranging in age from 18 months to 8 years — also slept remarkably well. Such a blessing!

Feeling so rested, we packed in a number of activities between the meals and the s’mores and the popcorn and the ice cream. We canoed, kayaked, pontooned, hiked, fished, enjoyed campfires, and played games. We had a remarkably wonderful time being together as a family, sharing time with our friends, and soaking up all the splendor of God’s creation up north.

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We had close encounters with a bright green frog, loons, hummingbirds, chipmunks (or “chick-munks,” as Laurel says) and other wildlife. No moose or bears, though. That probably would have been a little too exciting, anyway!

One highlight for me was watching Linnea make little sailboats out of sticks and leaves. She made a little marina on a rock along the shoreline. It was precious. She played and played near the water, and she even fell in the lake once and got a whole pant leg wet. The water was about 50 degrees.

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Another memorable highlight was Laurel asking if we were “car hiking” as we drove through the woods to the cabin. What an unusual comment! The drive was quite beautiful.

Laurel and all the other kids really seemed to love traditional hiking — on foot — especially with a walking stick. We hiked two trails in the Superior National Forest; both were just the right length for all the pairs of little legs.

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Saturday we ventured off to Grand Marais. We did quite a bit of rock exploring along the north shore of Lake Superior. The rocks there are dark and jagged and great to climb.

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We threw many rocks into the water and stuffed a number into our pockets. We were blessed with uncommonly warm weather for that area, sunshine and a light breeze. We stopped for lunch and ice cream at Sydney’s, stocked up on fudge in an assortment of flavors at Beth’s Fudge, and found kid-sized paddles, camping gear and other treasures at the Lake Superior Trading Post.

Back at the cabin that evening, Laurel played with a little birch canoe Michael made for her while we were in Grand Marais.

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Sunday morning we all loaded up into canoes and the kayak for a trip into the Boundary Waters. Just as our family pushed away from the dock, Michael noticed a leak in the canoe. I was thankful that he noticed the two cracks then while the duct tape was still nearby and not later when we might have been really taking on water in the middle of the lake! Anyway, we portaged the canoe over to a different lake and then paddled around a tiny island. The girls really wanted to explore the island, which was only slightly larger than our mini-van, but there really wasn’t a good place to land the canoe, so we headed back to the portage. There Michael spotted a loon nearby and alerted everyone. Linnea, who was once again climbing on the rocks along the shoreline,  got distracted looking for the loon and fell in the lake again. This time both pant legs were soaked, along with her socks. It was a cool and soggy return trip for her, but she managed to save her cry of embarassment until she was putting on dry clothes back at the cabin. She nearly ran out of dry clothes! Bless her heart. I commended her for being brave and reminded her that now she has a great story to tell about her first trip to the Boundary Waters!

Later that day we made an excursion to get water from a spring nearby. All the kids excitedly filled their water bottles with the fresh, cool water bubbling out of the ground. The water tasted so refreshing, and it symbolized our trip!

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Sunday afternoon we inadvertantly mentioned going home; both girls burst into tears. Oh no! Then when we started saying our goodbyes to our friends Monday morning, the tears never ceased. All the way to Grand Marais, anytime Laurel or Michael or I mentioned anything about the trip, Linnea sobbed, “Stop talking about the cabin! You are making me cry!”  And she did cry. She finally recovered once we stopped to check out Smoky the Bear at the ranger station in Tofte.

Monday evening we arrived home just before dark — our pockets still full of rocks and our hearts full of memories to treasure for a lifetime.

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13 Years of Bliss

Diana B.2 Comments

Michael and I celebrated our 13th anniversary yesterday. Some folks dislike that particular number, but having had our firstborn on Friday the 13th, we don’t subscribe to such silliness as luck! I am so blessed to have married a man who fears the Lord and loves me and our children so deeply. Thank You, God!

I recently came across some excellent and useful prayer tools on the topic of marriage and husbands. They are from a ministry called Revive Our Hearts, and I believe they are simply too good not to share.

First is a scripture-based daily prayer guide for praying for your husband. You can download the PDF here.

Next is the 30-day Husband Encouragement Challenge. The challenge is that you can’t say anything negative about your husband — to him or anyone else — and you must say something you admire or appreciate about him — to him and to someone else. I am going to attempt this one, and I’m asking my husband and my friends to keep me accountable! The file includes daily scriptures and encouragement for wives taking on this challenge. You can download the PDF here.  Anyone else up for it?

Last, and Michael’s favorite title, is 15 Ways to Please Your Husband. I was surprised to see “Keep your junk out of the garage” made the list. I never would have thought of it! You can download the complete list here .

On the same site — Revive Our Hearts — I came across theologian Jonathan Edwards’ 70 Resolutions for Godly Living. They drip with profound wisdom. Here a just two of my favorites:

#28: Resolved, to study the scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

#69: Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it.

You can read through the complete list of 70 resolutions here.

Happy reading!

Kicks, Scoops and Monkey Cheeks

Diana B.Leave a comment

Kicks, scoops and monkey cheeks. Those are some of the words frequenting our vocabulary during the past four weeks of swim camp. The girls have both been going twice a week to lessons. Thursday we finished up, and both girls graduated to the next classes for their individual levels.

Linnea became a “mermaid” almost after the first lesson. Right away she was having fun, and she is now able to swim independently on her stomach without any floaties for more than 15 feet. She also can flip and float on her back and then flip again to her stomach. She swims on her back doing “bird flaps,” too.  

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Laurel can move independently on the noodle and float on her back using the noodle. She was reluctant to put her face in the water all the way up until the last class. She’d barely get her goggles wet, and she didn’t want to “Humpty Dumpty” off the edge. But on the last day she kept her eyes OPEN when she put the goggles in the water. That made all the difference because she was able to see a whole new world underwater — her instructor’s legs and toes and all sorts of toys. She kept saying, “I want to do it again! I want to go under again!” This was quite an aboutface, and it left her instructor and I both shaking our heads in wonder. Something clicked that day, and what a thrill to witness it. Linnea and I both cheered from the poolside.

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Four Lessons from an Old Piano

Diana B.2 Comments
Linnea on the keys
Linnea on the keys

Linnea, age 6, started piano lessons a few weeks ago, and she is quite excited about learning to play! Of course, her daddy might be slightly more excited about it; he loves the idea of having another musician in the house. And he certainly put some blood, sweat and tears into moving around that 100-year-old piano and restoring it.  Our piano has quite a history; what lessons that old piano can teach!

Lesson #1: Determination and commitment can be rewarding.

My grandparents bought the used piano around 1950 for my uncle. My mother, who was two years younger and a force to be reckoned with, insisted on taking piano years before her mother or the piano teacher thought she was old enough. While my uncle gave up piano rather quickly — he plays ukulele and harmonica instead — Mama took piano until she graduated from high school. It was the centerpiece of many childhood memories, as she fondly spoke of her dear piano teacher and the fancy, frilly dresses my grandma made for her piano recitals.

Lesson #2: Fill your home with pleasant sounds; your children will remember them long after you are gone.

When I was about 5, Daddy moved the piano from my grandparents’ farm to our house. I still remember that day. I was afraid they would drive the truck right into the house!

Growing up I loved listening to Mama play piano. It was the comforting, soothing sound of home. Mama played some hymns for church, but her favorites were John Denver tunes and scores from Broadway musicals like Oklahoma and The Sound of Music. I still see her sitting at the piano whenever I hear one of those familiar tunes.

I always wanted to play piano, too. Mama taught me a few short tunes, but she really was too busy to teach me the theory and fundamentals. Since we lived too far out of town for me to conveniently take lessons from someone else, I just did without lessons. When I got my driver’s license at 16, I finally signed up and drove myself to piano lessons for two years, until I headed off to college. I loved playing piano those two years and still regret that I had to stop!

Lesson #3: Priceless heirlooms can be costly.

After Mama passed away and after I finished college, my dad decided the piano needed to go with me to Minnesota. It’s a heavy, upright piano that probably weighs more than a bus, so it became like another family member as we searched for places to rent. Not many apartments can accommodate an upright piano very easily. We ended up paying extra to rent a townhouse on ground level, just to avoid manuevering the stairs with that piano!

After we moved to our current house, Michael decided to restore the piano’s finish and fix some broken keys. As he worked on it, he realized the working parts inside the piano also needed a lot of attention. That restoration process took years!

Lesson #4: Priceless heirlooms sometimes inspire priceless moments with your children.

Michael finally got the piano into its current, restored condition about a year ago, and now we are all thrilled to hear its tunes fill up our house as Linnea practices Old MacDonald and Mary Had a Little Lamb. 

What a special way for a little girl to connect with a grandma she’s never met!

“Carry Me”

Diana B.2 Comments

Yesterday we joined some dear friends for a little field trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The gardens boast no flowers in February, of course, but the fresh air and sunshine did wonders for most of us!

Sadly, my 3-year-old, Laurel, was the exception. About two minutes into the trip, she asked if I would carry her. Seriously? It simply wasn’t an option. When we are both wearing snowpants and snowboots, carrying her is impossibly awkward. So, for the whole trip Laurel was whiny and grumpy and sluggish. She walked yards behind the rest of us, and I was selfishly impatient and frustrated with her as I waited for her to catch up. What was her problem? She’s been moody lately — with those infamous 3-year-old girl hormones — but this was a little extraordinary.

Only upon removing her snowboots at home did I realize the real culprit. A blister. She’s outgrowing her hand-me-down snowboots, and they were rubbing a blister on one of her little heals! Poor thing!

Laurel never said that her foot hurt, or that her boots were tight and uncomfortable. She just trudged along with a frown. I feel so badly that I was so impatient with her. I never asked her why she was moving so slowly; I just kept telling her to hurry up!

After her bath tonight I bandaged up Laurel’s foot again, and then I read her the story about the Tower of Babel in her Jesus Storybook Bible. The story concludes saying that the world didn’t need a tower or a staircase to reach heaven, the world needed a Rescuer from heaven.

I asked Laurel who she thought that Rescuer might be. I don’t remember her first answer, but her second answer was, “Jesus!”

I replied, “Yes! Jesus. He is the Way to heaven. We can’t get there by taking the stairs, or by taking an airplane, or any other way. Only Jesus.”

Nestled snugly beneath the covers, Laurel looked particularly thoughtful. Then she asked, “Will Jesus walk us to heaven?”

Hmm. This wasn’t a question I anticipated. “Well, He walks with us on here on earth, so…”

Just as I began to see Laurel connecting this “heaven trip” to our walk at the Arboretum yesterday, she interrupted, “Will He carry me?”

Oh, precious one, yes He will! Jesus rescues us! He heals all the blisters and wounds this uncomfortable world gives us. Jesus knows about wounds. He was wounded for us to heal us from all the bad things we do. He was wounded so we can live with Him forever in heaven. And most certainly He will carry us there.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)

Homeschool Update

Diana B.Leave a comment

UPDATE: Here are some “school” pictures.

Scissor Happy
Scissor Happy
Snow in Sensory Tub
Snow in Sensory Tub
E-I-E-I-O
E-I-E-I-O
Biking in the Basement
Biking in the Basement

I am long overdue for an update on the homeschool front. Things are going pretty smoothly these days. We settled into a nice routine after the holiday craze, doing schoolwork mostly in the mornings. This leaves the afternoon for quick errands, Laurel’s nap, chapter-book reading, board games, housework, and sometimes playing with the neighbor kids.

In general Laurel has become more cooperative and interested in participating in school — at least a few days each week — so it’s been fun to include her as we read-aloud picture books, do fingerplays, sing songs and do craft and coloring projects. When it’s time for Linnea to do seat work, Laurel plays in the sensory tub, does puzzles or watches Sesame Street.

Laurel is our school police/nag, always asking “When are we going to do school?” And on weekends or field trip days, she always laments, “Oh no! We forgot to do school!” She doesn’t usually accept the idea that seeing “Goodnight Moon” at Stages Theatre or going to Underwater Adventures is part of our course of study. Go figure.

On our 100 chart we are nearly to Day 90. Every day we skip count by fives or tens as we add popsicle sticks to the 100 jar. When we reach the 100th Day in March, we are going to visit the Minnesota Children’s Museum! The girls’ third and most memorable trip to the museum was on Laurel’s birthday last October, so they are thrilled to be approaching the 100th Day!

Linnea is reading, reading, reading. She’s reading very confidently at a 2nd grade level. She’s reading lots of beginner books, and she follows along closely when we read aloud to her. At bedtime, this really keeps Michael on his toes because he likes to skip sentences and add in his own colorful sentences when he reads aloud to the girls. Lately he constantly has to account for, “Where does it say that?” and “That’s not what it says, Daddy!”

Linnea read all the little candy hearts for Valentine’s Day, which seem to be getting a little more racy. “Oh, this one says ‘lover boy.’ What does that mean?” Of course, Laurel couldn’t be out done, so she either made up words for her candy hearts or handed back soggy hearts with slightly smeared words for her mother to read and return. A lovely reading assignment indeed.

In addition to reading, Linnea also enjoys writing books. She has made dozens of little books, which she illustrates. She did this even before she started Kindergarten and was thrilled to find out that book-making was part of our curriculum for some weeks. For official school work, she dictates the stories to me, and I write the words in a book that she then illustrates. For her unofficial, playtime book-making, she phonetically spells out all the words in her stories with no help from me unless requested. That in itself makes for interesting reading, especially since Kindergartners don’t yet do spelling lessons. 

This week our topic is elephants, who, as you may remember, never forget. Our theme “I will remember what God has done for me,” comes from Psalm 77:11-12. Linnea has written and illustrated a sweet little book on this very topic.

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Here are the words:

I Remember What God Has Done for Me

By Linnea Barto

God has given me a family.

God has healed me many times.

God created sea animals that live in shells. I love seashells.

God created shady trees for me to sit under in the summer.

God answered my prayer for a new friend, Lila.

God gave me a piano teacher.

“I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes I will remember Your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds.”   -Psalm 77:11-12

Okay, so now I am really inspired to keep a better journal of praises and answered prayers. Aren’t you?

Love and Hearts

Diana B.1 Comment

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

What’s more heart-warming than a sweater knitted with love by your great-grandma? When we were in Washington in November, my grandma and I took the girls to pick out yarn. Then Grandma went to work knitting these beautiful sweaters for them. She mailed them shortly after Christmas. Don’t they look precious on my little sweethearts? 

When we picked up these photos at the drugstore this morning, Laurel (age 3) looked around and said quite matter-of-factly, “Well, it looks like they are ready for Valentine’s Day.” She seemed to think they were getting ready for a party rather than capitalizing on the holiday.

Of course it’s all hearts and love every where we go lately, so how fitting that I’ve been memorizing Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV). I am going to type it from memory just to test myself. Please leave a comment if you notice that I’ve left something out!

“Hear O Israel the LORD our God the LORD is One. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

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The girls and I made dozens of these sugar cookies today. We wore our matching pink aprons (thanks again, Aimee!) and destroyed the kitchen with sprinkles, sugar, flour and icing.

Sugar cookies were not something my mother ever made, so I’ve never been a huge fan of them. However, they happen to be Michael’s all-time favorite cookie. It’s tradition in our nearly 20-year history of Valentine’s together for me to make and decorate the cookies so he can consume most of them.

About six years ago my friend Dani gave me what I believe is the BEST EVER sugar cookie recipe. The dough rolls out better than any other recipe or store-bought dough I’ve tried. And the cookies are pretty tasty. Coming from me, that’s saying a lot since most sweets are incomplete without chocolate! Anyway, here’s the recipe: 

SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup softened butter

1.5 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 Tblsp. vanilla

3.5 cups flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Mix all together with beater and chill three to four hours. Roll out and cut into shapes. The thicker cookies are better. Bake about 11 minutes at 350 F (longer if you use airbake cookie sheets). Bake until cookies are just slightly brown on the edges.

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We also made these heart-shaped lollipops. We got the candy melts and molds at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago. So fun and super easy!

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Here, Laurel is get ready to slurp up what we are calling “raspberry floats.” They are perfectly pink for Valentine’s Day or girly parties. You can mix it together in a punch bowl or in individual glasses if you are just serving a few. Here’s what you need:

RASPBERRY FLOATS

2-liter of raspberry gingerale

1/2 gallon of raspberry sherbert

a handful of fresh raspberries

Scoop sherbert into individual glasses or punch bowl. Pour in gingerale to finish filling the glass or bowl. Mix with a fork if necessary. Let stand for about 5 minutes so the sherbert melts a little. Garnish with a few fresh raspberries and enjoy!

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Kid Talk

Diana B.Leave a comment

For a while now, I have only been keeping a mental record of the funny conversations my kids have, and I worry I will forget them. So, here’s a quick effort to preserve at least a few in writing. I hope you laugh.

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Linnea (at age 5): Did you say his mom and dad felt like they were on their Honeymood?

Laurel (at age 2): No Linnea; it’s a Honeymoon.

Linnea (laughing hard): Laurel said ‘Honeymoon!’ It’s not a Honeymoon, it’s a Honeymood. That’s so funny. Silly Laurel.

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Linnea: Are they going to eat those fish, Daddy?

Laurel: You can’t eat fish!

Linnea: Yes, you can! They have chicken in them.

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Linnea (age 6, describing her barnyard artwork): That’s the mama rooster sitting on her eggs.

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Laurel (age 3, re-enacting Snow White with a real apple): Daddy, do I really have to just pretend to eat the poison apple?

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Linnea (very calmly looking out the window): Oh, Mommy, it’s so beautiful outside.

Several minutes pass. Mommy finally makes it to the window to peek through the blinds. A thick blanket of white covers the yard this early November morning. The very first snowfall of the season. 

Mommy: Oh my goodness! It snowed! Yikes! I hope we’re not late getting to the airport.

Laurel (jumping up and down enthusiastically): It snowed! It snowed! Hooray! It snowed! Is it winter now?

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Mommy: You need to finish your bagel before you have a donut.

Laurel: Can I take just three more bites?

Mommy: No, just finish the bagel if you want a donut.

Laurel: Can I take 89 more bites?

Mommy (laughing): Sure!

Linnea: What? She can’t take that many bites!

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As our family van followed our friends’ van on a winding gravel road through the woods near the Boundary Waters, Laurel, age 3, commented: “Are we car hiking?”

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Laurel, age 3, vocabulary lesson: chick-munk = chipmunk

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