Day Six...

Day Six: Thursday. Events: Chilling, Packing, Swimming, Bumming (It was a VERY full day.) ;)
Thursday was nice because we could just chill and not go anywhere. Emily and I spent part of this day getting her meds (please see Emily's blog for more on that www.leinbacker.blogspot.com) we then spent time taking our new Gnome around getting pictures of him at all the place we had been to. During this time Rod, Michelle, and the girls went to the state park and 'hiked' a trail there. So today's pictures are just ones of us bumming and having fun together. The first picture you see is Kira and Kirsten after baths eating their evening snack. Well it is Kirsten's evening snack and Kira is just trying to get to it. She had a different snack but of course she wanted what big sis was having. She was just out of luck though. Next we have a couple of pictures of true budding hairstylists. After we got back from Moose Jaw Kira did Michelle's hair while Kirsten did Emily's. I must admit we were all impressed with how straight Kirsten was able to put the clips in Emily's hair. It was amusing to see Kira 'doing' mama's hair. Every now and then she would forget to let go of the hair and just keep pulling...ahh the things mothers put up with. I am just going to post some more pictures of family time below here no explainations, just pics. I guess the kinda concludes the vacation tour. I hope you have enjoyed seeing what we did on our vacation and if you ever have a chance to go to Wisconsin Dells, feel free to take us with you! Monday will be a showcase of Mortimor pictures. Until then, keep up the good work everyone, if we don't give up with might just make it through this day.

Day Five...

Day Five: Wednesday. Events: Lost Canyon Horse Drawn Tour
Now as previously discussed, Kirsten LOVES horses. Seeing as how Kira is too young to go horseback riding at all (most companies have policies about age) we opted for the next best thing. Horse drawn wagon tours. I was excited for this because I couldn't wait to see Kirsten around the horses but I had no idea how beautiful the area we were taken through truly was. Our guide Chris and his team Mike and Tom lead us through an area that had been carved out by a glacial stream a long long time ago. The area is just amazing. It is all sandstone but unlike the sandstone on the river, this was sturdier & not as easy to crumble. The thing about this entire area (the Dells I mean) it that because of the sandstone and all the moisture it holds trees and plants can grow right out of the rock. It really is quite breath-taking to see the beauty of God's creation, even in rock God can sustain life. :) The stone itself was very interesting with the layers exposed, the bands of color contrasting so nicely with each other. The way the water must have flowed to form the rock the way it is now. If we ever get up to the Dells again Emily and I want to make sure that we spend time in the State Parks and do the full river tour, it is beautiful country up there. The pictures I took don't really do it justice, especially because in all but one you can't really get the feel of how narrow the canyon is. Here is the only picture where you kind of get a sense of how small a space it was, it also happens to be Emily's favorite picture of all of them I took during this event. Now some of you may be thinking 'hey we sure do see a lot of pictures of Emily but we don't see much of Cindy.' The explaniation to that is simple...I had the camera most of the time. It wasn't planned that way it just kinda happened. So there are a few pictures of me and I will make sure at least two get into my blog. At the office of Lost Canyon there is this tree that looks like a tune fork or an upsidedown wish bone and they call it the 'wishbone tree' (real inventive right?) anyway at the base of where the two main trunks come together is a natural cavity in which they have placed a little bank box to insert money. All money from the tree goes to the local Humane Shelter. We thought that was a nice gesture. Most of the Dells is BUY BUY BUY. This still wanted money but it was not going to line someones pocket. Here is a Picture of Kira through the Wishbone Tree. Of course in the true nature of kids at the last second before the picture took she looked down. She had been looking right at me and was smiling, but of course it was not to be. I think it is a primal thing within kids that they look away just at the split second the picture is taken. After that we headed back to the condo for naps and swimming. After everyone woke up, we (all six of us) went back to Paint it pottery to pick up our finished products (which you have already seen pictures of) then proceded next door to the Cold Stone Creamery....yummmmmm. This place is great. You pick your flavor base icec ream (cheesecake, cookie dough batter, vanilla, chocolate, sweet cream, coffee, blueberry, strawberry, peanutbutter, etc...) Then you pick your 'toppings' (almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts, m&m's, reeses, berries (like five different kinds), oreos, chocolate chips, yellow cake, brownies, apples, peaches, and so much more I can't remember.) Then they 'knead' it all together on the granite slab on the counter and serve it up in a cone or cone bowl or just a regular bowl. The smallest size they have is more than enough ice cream. It is really high quality ice cream. The Peanut Butter is WOW! We all enjoyed our treats including Mortimor, who you could say really got into his. ;) Okay so that was kinda weak, you'll have to excuse it. I giggled at it when I thought it, but then my family often says that I am usually the only person that thinks my jokes are funny. I think it is a Leinbach curse that we tell dumb jokes. Well I think that does it for day Five. Tomorrow will be day Six and anything other rondom picture I want to show and tell. Keep up the good work people, if we dont' give up we might just make it through this day.

Day Four Continued...

Day Four: Tuesday. Events: Mining, Pottery, and in the evening Moose Jaw.
Okay so I forgot the we went to Moose Jaw for dinner on Tuesday. This place was really yummy and fun too. The waitress was a ditz, but the food was very good. It is a Pizza brewery place with a lot of atmosphere. They brew their own beers, grape soda, orange soda, and root beer. Michelle and Em got the root beer they said it was good. I tasted Em's but couldn't tell any difference from other Root Beer it was just sweet to me. (I am so used to sugar free (or diet) pop that when I have regular stuff all I taste is sweet.) The pizza we got was yummy. We got half supreme and half Alfredo with chicken and tomato and onion. I went for the Alfredo and loved it. But I have to say that one of the greatest things about Moose Jaw in my opinion is their delivery vehicles; shown here. They have two PT Cruisers with Giant Moose on the top of them. Next time we go to the Dells Ema nd I are going to order pizza just to have the Moose Cruisers come to our condo/hotel. Here is another shot of the Moose mobile and well at the front entrance. A lot of the Dells has adopted the 'rustic pioneer' decor. It worked well here. Okay below is the last Moose Jaw picture I promise. This picture is prolly gonna get me in a heap of trouble but seeing as how I have a very small audience and the fact that I know you all... well I HAD to include it. (Please pray for me when Emily sees that I put it on the web....tee-hee) I know that what goes around comes around and man and I in for it at some point in my life. Isn't she a cute little female moose? Make all the boy mooses go 'Whaa-aaa-aaa-aaa-aaa' (Five bonus points if you can name that movie...Emily you are not eligible to play.) So you all will have to wait for days Five and Six until tomorrow (Assuming that I am still alive tomorrow of course) and as always; keep up the good work people, if we don't give up we might just make it through this day.

Days Three and Four...

WARNING! SPOILER, SPOLIER, SPOILER. Melissa do not read or look at this blog until you have called or received a call from MLE. Thank you and have a wonderful day.

Day Three: Monday. Events: The Orginial Wisconsin Ducks, and Paint it Pottery. The Ducks were a blast. I hadn't been particularly excited about this event but Rod and Michelle were so that was why it was in the schedule. After going on it I would go on it again and again. It was so much fun. These are incredible vehicles. They can go up to 50 MPH on land and 15 MPH on water. The tour itself was fantasic. We saw a lot of Wisconsin scenery both on the river and in the woods. These things were built to be used in World War II but very few of them actually were used in the war. There are two or three companies in Wisconsin Dells who offer these Duck Tours. We went with the Original Wicsonsin Duck company. Our tour guide Seth was very knowledgeable about the area and the duck (well duh they wouldn't let him drive one if he wasn't.) Sorry I get carried away talking to myself sometimes. Moving on...maybe five minutes into it we saw a deer under a large rock overhang the picture is very blurry sorry. Just think of it as one of the Eye Spy pictures...Can you find the deer in this picture? We went very fast down some little hills, it was fun. We then made it to the water. Once on the water I was amazed at the beauty of the river. Our guide pointed out a couple of rock formations and the second or maybe third one was called Hawks beak and next to it on a tree hanging down was a Bald Eagle. Here again you may have to play Eye Spy. Go ahead and click on it to enlarge it and then it is much easier to see. All of these pictures were taken with my mothers digital camera the Canon Powershot A510 so while I was thankful to have it with me I realize that it has many limitations. In the afternoon Emily and I went to Paint it Pottery. Each of us agonized for awhile over what piece to glaze but finally decided. As you already know I did a Gnome, but I also did a 5X5 inch tile. I just tried wierd stuff out on the tile, the Gnome I spent more time on. I didn't spend NEAR the time Emmy did on her piece. She chose a Dragon bank for her 'psuedo' niece in Colorado. The total time spent on this thing was aprox. 7 hours, three on Monday and four on Tuesday. It was worth it though the finished dragon is as you see adorable. Those were the only events for Monday other than swimming, and as you all my have been able to figure out by now we did that a lot. It was great I love the water. I wish I was in a pool right now...sigh...

Day Four: Tuesday Events: Dells Mining Company and Paint it Pottery...again.
Emily and I took Kirsten to pan for 'jewels' while Rod and Michelle took Kira to explore downtown Dells on foot. Now this place was cool, we were the only ones there (the off season is great) They give you these buckets of sand with rough gemstones (low end row gemstones but they were cool none the less.) Then you pan out the sand and put your newly discovered treasures into an empty pan box to bag later and take home. Oh before you go home they have someone tell you the names of all your stones. It was fun and Kirsten had a great time. Here is Mortimor with our findings in front of the building. From there we took Kirsten to Paint it Pottery for a two fold reason. One so Kirsten could paint something, and two so Emily could finish her bank. So while I helped Kirsten with her (can you guess what she painted?) yup you're right if you guessed a HORSE. It was a flat horse that after it was fired had magnets attached to the back so she can put it on the fridge at home. Anyway while I helped her Em continued the cute dragon. Don't you just love Kirsten's expression?! That is her normal picture taking face when she doesn't want to take the picture in the first place. It ended up that Kirsten and I left Em there to meet Rod Michelle and Kira for old-time pictures. (just the four of them I was there to help with child placation.) That was interesting to get two little girls to cooperate for this. (however Kirsten's somber face came in handy for this situation.) But they turned out very well. (sorry no pic) Then we went back to the condo and ate lunch. The girls went down for naps and I went to go get Emily. So FINALLY done we left our new friend Deb (the lady working at Paint it Pottery) and came back to wait for the girls to wake up and we all went....swimming! Here is Kirsten using the stairs to lean on and putting her legs out behind her to kick. This is a new skill she was learning with Emily and I. She did really well, we were very proud of her for trying so much new stuff with us in the pool. Well I think that is all for today. Keep up the good work people, if we don't give up we might just make it through this day.