To the Lake House!

Fans, today, we are headed across the border to Wisconsin, where we will spend a week with Aunt Kate, Uncle Scott, and Cousin Nick in a lake house we rented way, way back in September. When he woke up this morning, Joe asked if it was pajama day, and Julie said, "No, it's LAKE HOUSE DAY!" Joe, with mounting excitement in his voice, informed her that we would need to bring the Aquadoodle, and Quick Is Like a Cricket [sic]. Indeed, Fans, indeed. He refers to the small travel-sized Aquadoodle which he spied in the basement some moons ago, and has been patiently waiting to play with ever since, as well as Quick As a Cricket, which he had wanted to read before bed last night until Julie told him she'd packed it for the lake house.

A veritable flotilla of gear and sundries will be accompanying the travel-sized Aquadoodle, Quick Is Like a Cricket, and us, on this journey. (We are going to try to bring Birdie's sporty red roadster with us, but truthfully, we may have to tow it and see how the plastic tires handle the interstate.) Julie has also been cleaning so that we return home to a clean house.* Last night, she decided to quickly bang out the upstairs so as to not have to worry about it today. Joe was given a vacuum for his birthday by his Grandparents Trump so he helped out. What this thing makes up for in quality engineering (if it is banged too hard--and toddlers are not ones to bang their toys, oh no--the batteries dislodge and a parent must get a phillips head screw driver, remove the top of the battery compartment, and re-secure the batteries; it's fun for the whole family!), it makes up for in style as Joe has ceased to be quite so enamored of Mommy's vacuum. (It does actually pick up dirt. It is funneled into a compartment above that containing red and white beads that whir about when the vacuum is on.)

And so, Fans! We will see you on the flip! (As the saying goes here at Raleigh House.)

*This is perhaps important only to her.