Happy Birthday John!

Happy Birthday John! from Jenni G on Vimeo

Of course there is a lot I am skipping over, like Nora's birthday, Halloween, and my election day birthday. But I wanted to share the present I gave to John- a recap of our last year. Happy 30th Birthday John! (And you may get a sneak peek of the infamous peacock costume.)

Kohler State Park

. . .and then we went to the beach, and had a lovely walk by the lake and in the woods.

Nora's last look before she closed her eyes and was left to her dreams all the way home. I bet she dreamt of sinks.

I will dream of that sink for a long time.

The next day we headed up to Kohler about an hour north of here. The community of Kohler is in fact named after Kohler manufacturing company, which is known for making bathtubs, faucets, and sinks. We went to their design center and spent the morning oogling over the crazy fixtures they make and trying to keep the girls out of the shower and tubs, many of which were filled.

This is the sink I am referring to in the title of this blog. . .

. . .although this one would be nice too.

. . .or if you are going for ornate, they have that too.

Nora loved the wall of potties. Too bad she has no interest in using one, though.

That's right, Nora, hundreds of potties going to waste.

Grandpa still loves you, though.

Here's the useless but satisfying information I learned on this trip:

Bubblers. That's what they call drinking fountains out here, and I have never understood why so many people in such a localized area call them this. It just sounds silly, and yet that's what everyone calls them by.

Here is why:

"The Bubbler was developed in 1888 by the then-small Kohler Water Works (now Kohler_Company) in Kohler, Wisconsin, which was already well-known for its faucet production. While Harlan Huckleby is credited with the actual design, it was Kohler that patented it and trademarked the name. The original Bubbler shot water one inch straight into the air, creating a bubbling texture, and the excess water ran back down over the sides of the nozzle. It was several years later before the bubbler adapted the arc projection, which allowed the drinker to partake more easily.

"The Bubbler concept took off and there were many copies. Since the name was trademarked, other companies named their fountains "The Gurgler" and "The Gusher". In the end, the generic terms "water fountain" and "drinking fountain" became the standard terms used in American English for a device that shoots water into the air for purpose of drinking."

-taken from wikipedia to save on typing.

File that away and whip that out later for some stellar party-conversation.

A Virtual Tour of Discovery World

Last week we were so happy to have Grandma and Grandpa Gilbreth come and visit! Although the trip was quick, it was wonderful to have them here with us for a little while. The second day they were here, the boys went to a dental conference in Madison (so exciting.) and the girls went to Discovery World downtown. For those of you in Milwaukee, I would recommend shelling out the sixteen bucks and checking it out before you leave. It really is a fantastically put together museum, not to mention the building itself and the view are amazing.

But for those of you who are opting out of my suggestion, I managed to photograph just about every corner of the place, and am posting them here for your benefit.

Happy to be with Grandma. Not happy to look at the camera in the process.

There was a mechanical room with hundreds of different gears to try and see how they work.

The helicopter and prop plane simulators. Not very useful for small kids, but I am considering a date here.

I don't believe there was any music playing when I took this. Hailey's just jamming to the mere idea of hundreds of mirrors and flashing lights.

Truth be told, the fish there aren't that spectacular, BUT the aquariums themselves are. Totally worth seeing.

There is a h u g e model of the great lakes region and the areas surrounding it. The cities and lakes are labeled, there are fish in the lakes, there is a working lock system, and you can travel from Milwaukee to Niagara Falls in twenty seconds instead of twelve hours.

Nora checking out Niagara Falls. I think she's complaining that it's not a very accurate replica.

There are turtles down there.

Captain Hailey. Betcha a nickel she likes the ring of that.

If you go to discovery world, make sure you go up to the third storey and enjoy the view. It's a totally unique look at downtown.

4p.m. = meltdown for Nora.

the end.

Fall makes me really like living here.

Real posts are following, but doesn't this photo make you all want to come and visit Milwaukee?

Still here, will try to catch up.

I'll start posting again, I promise. We are all doing well- happy, healthy, and busy. While you wait, you can enjoy Nora and her smile. This is what she looked like 2 years, 1 hour, and 8 minutes after she was born.

The only picture I want to share today.

Today-
I love Wisconsin
I love the fall
I love honeycrisp apples
I love my girls