walking across the duluth lift bridge

during our most recent trip to duluth, the evening that we arrived was very warm and perfect for walking around the canal. for the first time, i got to walk across the big lift bridge that spans the canal that the ships use to reach the bay. i got to see 3 light houses and even climbed up on the wall (by myself) to sit by my grandpa.

i felt pretty cool because the shoes that my grandma got for me several months ago fit me now -- just in time for spring!!! my mom thinks that the heal detail is pretty cool - how they paint it to make it look flat, but really there is a rounded rubber heal.

after walking across the BIG bridge we went to the beach and i got to do some drawing in the sand with a big driftwood stick. this is a flower that i drew for my mom.

EASTER outing

after our easter egg hunt, and after my mom made a quiche and carrot salad for brunch, we all went to minnehaha falls to see the falls and play at the park for a while. the palokangas family went home to feed silla and we took a short walk down to the lock & damn and were lucky enough to see a barge go through!

following the easter egg map!

finally a "sand box"

my parents have been talking about buildinga sandbox since the summer of 2007 when we went to visit eeli in finland..... like many "simple" projects around our house that involve design decisions, the time line gets stretched in order to make the best decisions ...
last week on our drive home from ma-tu's house, i decided to tell my mom that i want papa to build me a playground in the back yard. i told her that i want a climbing-thin' and a slide and a sandbox.

well, it seems my approach is working, as they opted for this "temporary" sandbox (made from a $10 swimming pool and a few bags of $2.50 play-sand) it was really quick and easy to 'build'-- the best part is that if i spill sand onto the patio, it actually helps fill the gaps in between the bricks! score.

the day that we "built" it, eeli and i played in it for at least 4 hours ... 3+ in the afternoon and another after dinner. score! (did i already say that?)

reunited with my cousins....

i am so glad that my cousins, lussi & sofia, are back from their 2+ months stint in utah. we met them in forest lake last saturday and did some car swapping for the last leg of their trip home: lussi and cory rode with me and my papa in our car and my mommy rode with kara and sofia in their car before we all spent a night at grandma's house together. we had sooo much fun! can't wait to see them again next time!

saturday "portraits" at the Walker

silla in context

the majority of tiina's pregnancy was spent in the context of their life in the united states .... with 4 adults and two (very loud) boys. silla has been hearing these noises for months while in tiina's belly and it is no wonder that she is so comfortable (and restful) in the midst of it all now.

you can see a video (with sound) of her here.