End of the summer holidays 2012

Summer 2012 was a breakthrough season. Preparation and all the planning to go to Gleason Lake Elementary school is completed and Kindergarden starts the day after labor day holiday in two weeks.

Here are pictures from some summer activities : some new skills learned and others were just exuberant energy and spirit ....

"T-ball" in Hopkins, Minnesota

Playing in the field and ready....

The team with the super coaches.....

July 4th parade in Wayzata, Minnesota.

Gymnastics practices -- maybe a future Olympian perhaps?

Lots of +++ energy on the rings...

Our summer holidays on Mackinac Island with grandma Ama and grandpa Charlie with

the Saxen-Puttkammers.....

Bicycling to downtown without training wheels...!

Trying to play golf at Wawashkamo Golf Club.

Swimming at the Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island.

Riding with Willie in the burley...

Quite time at Meta Mura.....

Baking cinnamon bread with grandma Ama.

A carriage ride on "Rosy" was just one of the week's highlights....

..... then finally the ride home on the ferry......

and the long drive home......

Visiting Washington DC to see aunts, uncles and cousins...

July 6 2012

We visited Washington DC last weekend and met aunts , uncles and our 6 cousins for the first time.

Cousin Genny with Maggie -- we celebrated Genny's graduation from High school. She plans to attend Scranton University this fall.

This is the summer holidays before heading to Kindergarten at Gleason Lake Elementary school this fall in September....Summer is full of gymnastics classes with sailing, golf lessons and T-ball plus learning to write and draw;  swimming whenever possible and on my bicycle without training wheels.... here are pics from May and June....

sailing lessons at Wayzata Yacht Club sailing school.

Golfing lessons with my best friend Beck.

My new cool glasses.....

April 13 Maggie's 5th Birthday

April 13 is Maggie's 5th Birthday. She celebrated it with cousins and friends from St. Davids at Mini Hops Gymnastics with a Ben & Jerry's ice cream birthday cake.

March 2012 : A hike on frozen Lake Minnetonka

Early March skiing in Minnesota

Warm February 2012 --a surprise visit by Nana

and playing with best friend and our next door neighbor Beck Bjella

Our Christmas 2011

We celebrate Christmas 2011 

Opening presents with a smile.....

Dec 16th is our special celebration --Its Maggie's day, our first introduction that special day in 2009 when we arrived at SMSS in Bhubaneswar, Orissa

Day with Santa Claus

Our Christmas card picture....

November 19, first time without training wheels.

October always reaching higher....

Minnesota's fall -- September on a mountain Hyland Park, Minnesota.

Our little Maggie on the move during the 2012's mild winter morning.....

September 11 2011 -- a reflection on the 10 year anniversary and how Maggie brings a balancing force through her love and joy of life.

sailing on Lake Minnentonka

Today is the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack in New York on 9 11 2001. In reflection of this day, I contrast Maggie's joy and love of life. She makes you smile, she loves life; and she's already kind and generous  Ideals she embodies counter the beliefs of some on that tragic day. A precocious  4 year old, she's on the run from the moment she gets up to the last minutes of reading bed time stories by her mother. Here are some pictures since her birthday in April....
In addition, last month we celebrated another milestone : Maggie's USA citizenship and her own SSN #.
We applied for her citizenship in January -- after 7 months we received it in August. It arrived via US mail! Now we just need to get her US passport....

May 2011

At St.David's Center her  pre-school

Maggie at the indoor playground at the Williston Center.

June 2011

Our beloved doggie friend "Trixie"

Swimming lessons at Williston Center.

July 2011

July 4th parade in Wayzata.

Then we spent a week on Mackinac Island : it was a time of fun and adventures on bicycle rides, horses and time with Grand pa Charlie and Grand ma Ama Puttkammer but the most fun were the kids play time....

goodbye hugs....

September

"walking on air"

steering a sailboat....