Benziger babes

All the 4 year olds - Rhys, Henry, Theo, Oliver, Nico, Lilian, and Otis Blue Mountain Retreat Weekend Theo and his not-so-little buddies from his P.E.P.S. (Program for Early Parenting Support) group have all turned 4 and they had a great time at the Blue Mountain Retreat on the Olympic Peninsula. We went there nearly 1 year ago with Marit's P.E.P.S. group and it was wonderful because the kids entertain themselves and the adults can relax. There was a Lego room, block room, 3 car garage filled with bikes and scooters and balls, a Foosball table, a hot tub, and multiple secret passageways for kids  to climb through and slide down to get from one room to another. It was a great weekend and we were fortunate that the terrible storm of a century stayed along the coast and so we didn't lose power until Sunday afternoon when we are headed home, nor did we have to drive around the Sound because of the Hood Canal bridge being closed. "Who's ready to run into the blocks?

Auntie, Evie and I at Gooseberry Falls Mommy and I made a quick trip to Minnesota last weekend so she could interview at some of the region's top hospitals for jobs starting next year. Our first stop was a quick 25-minute flight from the Twin Cities to Duluth, Minnesota. Auntie Annie, Grandma Jojo and cousin Evie drove up to meet us. We got a MustSeeDuluth pass ($34pp) and spent the weekend exploring the city. On Saturday, we took the Vista Fleet Harbor Cruise to learn about the Port of Duluth-Superior, the largest and busiest port in the Great Lakes and the farthest inland freshwater seaport in North America, averaging over 38 million short tons of cargo and over 1000 vessel visits each year. It ranks in the top 20 by tonnage in the US - just ahead of Seattle (#30) and Tacoma (#28) - and does so in only 9 months! Tugboats and Coast Guard icebreakers keep the shipping channels open as long as possible but big winter storms can be devastating for these heavy ships, as was the