Christmas Day Hike

Yes, I've fallen behind on posts.  Again.  Oh well.

Here are photos taken from our last Babes in the Woods hike on Christmas Day.  There was a light snow falling and the babies enjoyed it.  Ashley was so comfortable she even fell asleep!

Norway in a Nutshell, Part #1

A clever Norwegian realized that there was more money out there to be made!  Tourists excited to see more snow and fjords would gladly pay a travel agency to book a series of tickets on sequential public transportation options between Oslo to Bergen.  On paper, it looks like you're running from one place to the next.

Not exactly.  It's more like gently herding sheep.  It's a slow, gentle pace and it's filled with beautiful scenery and time to chat with your travel partner.

Step 1:  Board the train in Oslo.

Step 2:  Transfer to another train, called the Flamsbana, in Myrdal.

The train from Myrdal travels only 20 km, but it travels through fjords and -- count 'em! -- 20 tunnels.  It's one of the steepest lines in Europe.  Maybe the world.  I'll be honest, I can't recall.

Step #3:  Upon arriving in Flam, you tour a beautiful museum (free!) which illustrates the difficulties Norwegians had to overcome to link these towns via train.

Step #4:  Still with me?  After eating at the only establishment that was open (other than the gift shop), you board a boat to travel through the narrowest fjord in all of Norway.

It's so spectacular that the area has been designated as a UNESCO Heritage Site.  And so wonderful, in our opinion, that it deserves a post of its own.  Stay tuned!

Vacation Part #2, Oslo and surrounds

After three adventure-filled days in Tromso, we boarded a flight for Oslo.  We then spent the next 2 days wandering around the city.  We learned that everything, and we mean everything, in the USA is dirt cheap.  And everything is crazy expensive in Norway.  We had fun exploring a nighttime outdoor Christmas market and strolling through the streets.  Good news was that there is more daylight in Oslo than in Tromso.

First up, Akershus Castle.  Unfortunately the castle itself is open only on the weekends and it was Monday.  The grounds were open and we were able to visit a museum.  It was a worthwhile stop to make.

We had a quick bite for lunch and then it was off to Holmenkollen, the big ski jump.  We walked through an excellent museum which focused on the history of skiing, went to the top of the ski jump, and then we took a ride on a ski simulator.  Fun!

view from observatory

at the top of the jump

sunset as we left the venue

The following day we boarded a ride called "Norway in a Nutshell".  More about that in a future post.

Vacation Part 1: Tromso

Finally worked out the technical difficulties, so without further ado the next few posts will be about our vacation.  The A-team is thrilled to have a break from the ever-present camera.

The first stop on our tour was a very northern Norwegian city, Tromso.  You've already seen the dog sledding and snowmobiling photos.  Below are photos of Tromso taken in the early afternoon, around 3 pm. We arrived at our hotel around 2 pm -- dusk in these parts.  By the time I took out the camera, there was no daylight left.

We visited Polaria, an aquarium devoted to wildlife that thrives in these conditions.  There was a short seal show which was very entertaining.

After 3 action-packed days, it was off to Oslo!

Homeschooling, Lesson #7

While Daddy and Adam went out for haircuts (yes, again!), MLM and Ashley tackled the next new skill:  reading.  We started with an easy piece:  a holiday card from our neighbors.

End of the World

The Mayans thought that the world would end on December 21, 2012.  Ha.

Watch the videos below.  You'll understand what they really meant.

FYI, I'm working hard on the photos from Norway.  Technical difficulties have prevented me from posting them sooner.  In a few more days I should have them ready to go.

... And for those of you keeping score, this is post #200!  Wahoo!

Chex Mess

Haven't showed any photos of the A-team eating in at least, what, one week?  Time for more!

Travels with Ashley

Sometimes it's fun to sit back and just watch what the little ones do on their own.

Bouncing Bottles

Who would have thought that a straw cup could keep toddlers occupied for so long?

Homeschooling, Lesson #6

Today we focused on basic anatomy. It takes a little while for us to get there... but we do.

Snowmobiling

Snowmobiling is a popular activity in these parts.  Makes sense, given the amount of snow the residents see each winter.

"Mike with the Bike" fearlessly led us through the Lyngsfjord wilderness.  Below is proof!

And no, it's not overcast.  This is how "sunny" it gets during the polar nights.  It's about noon in these photos.

Finally, a Facebook post from our tour guides at Lyngsfjord Adventures.  I promise -- it's really us in the snowmobile behind the guide!

Aurora Boring-alis

With great excitement, we set out from Tromso on a tour to chase the Aurora Borealis.  

Unfortunately, we wound up with an evening of Aurora "Boring"-alis.  The weather did not work in our favor.  

This is what my camera recorded:

All that orange-y stuff?  That's light pollution bouncing off of the low cloud cover.  This is what it looked like on the ground:

Looks like we'll have to plan another vacation if we want to see the Northern Lights.  The chase continues!

Greetings from NY

Ashley and Adam asked Ana if they could send us a drawing.  Ana took the photo, but the A-team did the rest.

Mush! Mush!

The title of today's post sounds like we're taking giant backwards steps when comes to feeding Ashley and Adam.  

Nope!  Today MLM is blogging from Tromso, Norway.  So while you, our faithful readers are fast asleep, MLD and I are braving the polar sun in search of adventure and the Aurora Borealis in Norway.  

Today's post comes to you from Camp Tamok in Tromso.  We went dog sledding!

Blogging from Norway is challenging.  The blogger.com interface defaults to Norwegian Bokmal.  Not only are we absorbing local culture, MLM is now learning basic computer terms in a foreign language.  Ha.

Congratulations to our astute readers who noticed Adam and Ashley are not in these photos.  Grandma Carole and Papa Marty are giving Ana, Adam and Ashley a week's vacation in scenic NY.

Trying to Leave the House

MLM prefers to leave the house once the A-team is freshly diapered and dressed, with teeth brushed and hair combed.  Yes, MLM expects a lot from toddlers.  Anyhow, this is what happened last time we tried to get our hair combed:

Record Breaking

Today is a very important day.  On December 6, 2011, Mystic Lake Mama published her first post.  Since then our loyal readers have tuned in to watch the A-team sit up on their own, get rowdy for monthly photos, make a mess of dinner and above all, patiently tolerate their Mommy taking photos and videos of them all of the time.

There are some fun facts to share with you today.  As of the time I wrote this post, this blog:

• has recorded 10,326 page views (that's roughly 198 views per week, for those of you keeping track)
• "Month Six", published on February 11, 2012, has been the most popular post to date, logging in an impressive 92 page views. Rounding out the top five are:  "Where's Adam?  Where's Ashley", "New Best Friends", "First Test at Harvard" and "Month Four".
• today's post marks the 190th post to date
• June was a banner month -- 24 posts!

Our loyal readers come from all over the globe.  In fact, we're not sure how some of them even found our little blog.  The top 4 countries checking out the citizens hail from:

1. United States (no great surprise there)
2. Russia  (Привет семье и друзьям)
3. Brazil (shout out to Ana's crew: Olá família e amigos)
4. Canada (eh!)

Why am I sharing all of this information?  As a blogger, I think it's interesting.  

Right.

I know what you're thinking.

Give us the toddlers already!

So without further ado, I present to you:  Adam and Ashley's Record Breaking Laps around the Table.

2028 Olympic Games

At our wedding, Baba commented that Daddy won lots of medals as he was growing up, but never at the Olympics.  Will the A-team will try out for the US Olympic Gymnastic team in 2028? 

Tiger Woods was introduced to golf just short of his second birthday, so clearly we're on the right track.

Then again, maybe MLM and MLD should introduce Adam and Ashley to a more lucrative sport instead.  Golf?  Tennis?  Baseball?  Which sport do you think they'll like?

Child Labor

Child labor laws in the US are strict.  The citizens are under the age of 12 and technically this is a non-agricultural job.  Shhh.  Don't tell anyone.  

They clearly needed lots of practice.  So we put them to work before we filmed their improvement.  

Looks like it will be a while before this is one of their chores around the house.

Happy Thanksgiving (one week late)

One week ago, we celebrated Thanksgiving with Ana, Maks, Alejandra, Victoria, Oliver, Grandma Carole and Papa Marty.  (Yes, MLM has once again fallen behind with her posts.)  Alejandra and crew crafted the beautiful desserts!  It was a fun, festive and filling evening for all.

Sharing

Adam and Ashley are starting to share.  Almost...

Playing with Daddy

Daddy has such a good sense of humor.

High Fives and Hugs

Thanks to Ana's brilliance, the A-team has new skills to show off:  high fives and hugs.  Enjoy!

Homeschooling, Lesson #5

Today's lesson is a technology transfer from father to son:

Adam, this is how to launch the app.

Daddy, wouldn't it be quicker to do it this way?

Extreme Closeup

Ashley likes the camera.  Or at least, being near the camera.

Family Vacation, Part 3

For the final installment of the family vacation, we take you to the last stop on our trip:  lunch at Panera.  Apparently Adam and Ashley like spending this much time together.  We'll have to plan another vacation again soon.

Family Vacation, Part 2

After the hike at Fort Williams Park, we headed back to Portland and had lunch at the Olive Cafe.  This is a great place for lunch, especially if you have little ones in tow.  Not only did they have two high chairs available, but they also saved us a trip back to the car.  MLM, excited from the hike, left the straw cups in the car.  Our waitress came to our rescue, producing 2 sippy cups from the arsenal of glassware behind the bar.  It was very impressive.

After lunch, we headed across the street to the Casco Bay Ferry to partake in the 2:45 pm "Mailrun".  No, we didn't deliver any mail, but we did enjoy a 3 hour boat tour of the Casco Bay.  Aboard the Maquoit II MLM and MLD saw the Casco Bay islands while walking the citizens back and forth and back and forth and back and forth across the boat.

This is what happened after their walk on the boat:

Ashley conked out.

Adam couldn't sleep, so he looked at the scenery with MLD.

Family Vacation, Part 1

MLD surprised MLM on her birthday by announcing we were going to take our first ever family vacation.  We packed up the car -- including the citizens and their gear -- and set our sights on Portland, Maine.

We had a fantastic time!  The citizens were clearly on their best behavior.  

In today's post, we're sharing some photos from Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.  This is the oldest commissioned lighthouse in the US, commissioned by none other than George Washington himself (MLM can't resist the opportunity to share more history with Adam and Ashley).  

If you find yourself in the Portland, ME, area, this happens to be a moderate yet wonderful oceanside trail to follow.

Homeschooling, Lesson #4

MLM's lesson plans intended to focus on art appreciation. The citizens each decided to pursue independent studies instead.

Adam turned this into a culinary class:  eating crayons.
Adam turned this into a drama class:  comedienne.

Standing her Ground

Ashley is standing her ground.  You'll see what I mean when Adam comes too close late in the clip.

Read a Book

Ashley and Adam love to read books.  We've taught them some baby sign language despite our initial doubts.  It works!

Halloween Halloween

Since Adam and Ashley were too young to celebrate Halloween last year, we celebrated it twice this year.

Dressed as a family of hikers, off we went to meet some of Daddy's Biogen co-workers and to have some good old fashioned fun.  MLM is proud to say that we were the only family there without a stroller.  Since the babies were in our backpacks (see earlier hiking posts), it was very easy to maneuver through the crowds and the A-team had an eagle-eye view of the events.  What fun!

Then on Halloween, MLM dressed up the citizens in something more age appropriate and took them to the library.  After all, we know how much Ashley and Adam like books.  

As you might have noticed over the past few months, photos with both Adam and Ashley in them are increasingly hard to take unless both are seated in a high chair (which, not coincidentally, is why there are so many posts about eating).  This time MLM got a little more creative and headed off to the bathroom to take the photos.  I know, the bathroom?  But yes!  It worked!

What's a dragon?

Being a dragon is fun!

Silly Mommy.  The F stop is adjusted with this knob.  See?

Yeah!  Ana is in the bathroom with us!

We want to go back to the bathroom!