Do a little dance

Zach and our little friend Kasey (age 16 mos) decided to make some music and do a little dancing yesterday. We're finally starting to see them interact, and it's so cute...

Catching up

I'm a bit behind in our adventures lately, so here are some random pictures of things we've been up to the last couple weeks.

I recently read that Woodbury has a swamp area, complete with boardwalks and walking paths. Sounded like a good adventure to take Zach on, so that was one of our outings last week (one of the few days it was not raining or 90+ degrees). I was absolutely delighted to find a path through a forest of mature trees - for those of you who haven't been to Woodbury, our suburb is definitely lacking in trees above 20 feet. My attempt at taking a picture of Zach and the tall trees resulted in what Scott has dubbed the "blair witch picture".

There was a playground at the entrance to the swamp, so of course we spent some time there, despite the wind. The second picture of Zach cracks me up; I wish my lens had been clean.

Last weekend we went to the Roses for some "swimming" and a yummy barbecue. The kids had a great time splashing Scott - I think that was the highlight of the night for those two!

Monday Zach and I, along with some friends, went to "play day at Midway." Midway Stadium is the home of the St. Paul Saints, our minor-league team. They are known more for their family-friendly entertainment than pure baseball, and we got to take advantage of that on a day they did not have a game. The kids had the chance to go out in the outfield and play baseball, or if they were little like Zach, to hit a ball off a tee. I think he would have stayed out there all day, despite the heat. Mudonna the mascot came out for a meet and greet, but Zach wanted nothing to do with that bright pink pig! Our little friend Logan, on the other hand, was fascinated. Other fun options included a playground, a bouncy castle, and this fun batting thing where a wiffleball is suspended on blowing air. I was amazed - Zach was able to hit that ball! Again, he could have stayed there all day, but I was wilting in the heat.

On Tuesday we found the best way to spend a 95 degree day - at the pool! Our friends Wendy and Vincent invited us to their community pool, and it was absolutely delightful. I didn't bring my camera along, anticipating I'd be in the pool with Zach the whole time, but it turns out they have a great kiddie pool, so I missed out on some fun photo ops. Hopefully there will be a next time. :)

Fathers

When reading my People magazine, I find myself rolling my eyes when there is a story about a celebrity who has just had a baby, because there is often the quote “he’s such a good dad – he even changes diapers!” But as I’ve thought about it, I’ve realized it’s pretty difficult to provide concrete evidence as to what makes a good dad. Changing diapers is just one example of how the father is involved in the day to day care, which is clearly important. But that's not even a hurdle for Scott; from day one, there was nothing I could do for Zach that Scott couldn’t (ok, other than certain biological functions).

So how do I quantify that Scott is a good dad?? I know I don’t need to… but since ideally this blog is something that Zach will read as an adult – I like the idea of trying to paint a picture of what a fantastic dad he has. Plus, the guy deserves some props!

There are two things that come to mind immediately that make Scott stand out: his seemingly endless supplies of patience (I often wish I could borrow some from his reserves), and his complete and pure joy in spending time with Zach. Again, it’s difficult to quantify, but any time I am watching the two of them in the backyard, it’s so very obvious to see. For those of you who haven’t had the experience lately, playing with a two year old can be quite boring, frankly. They like to do the same thing over and over again, and those things are often very simple. When Zach and I are playing some sort of ball, I am generally ready to quit after about 4 minutes. Not Scott… he is constantly reinventing the games and coming up with new ways to entertain Zach and himself.

Now, of course, it helps that in some ways Scott is an overgrown boy who just loves to play any kind of sport (and that Zach is following in his dad’s footsteps). But it isn’t just ball games – the laughter that comes echoing down the stairs while Scott is giving Zach a bath often makes me want to go up and investigate exactly what is so darn funny.

Which brings me to my next somewhat-related thought – bear with me while I provide some background. When Zach was an infant, he and I started our first ECFE (Early Childhood and Family Education) class; picture 12 or so new moms in a room with their babies, talking about all their anxieties and concerns. There was one mom who was there with her second baby, so we often listened particularly closely when she spoke, since she wasn’t a rookie like the rest of us. And one piece of wisdom she shared with us has really stuck with me: Everyone brings something different to the table.

What was she referring to? Similar to the old adage about it taking a village, she was simply saying – you and your husband are not going to do things the same way, and that’s a good thing! I’ve thought about that advice on and off over the last 2+ years, and I’ve seen countless examples – from the way Scott plays with Zach to the way he handles it when Zach throws his toys in a fit of frustration – in how we differ in our approaches. So while we still manage to provide the same consistent message when it comes to discipline, we are certainly not identical. And it clearly is broadening Zach’s horizons, teaching him there are different ways to accomplish the same thing – including having fun!

I was also reminded of this wisdom when we were visiting my parents last week. I had one of those moments that I wished I could capture in my mind forever, as I watched my own dad playing with Zach. Zach and I have played cars many many times, but Grandpa was playing in ways I would never have thought of – cars were racing down ramps and knocking people and animals over, going over jumps to end up in a big truck, etc. Zach was absolutely captivated.

Let me try to bring this blog to some sort of closure that makes sense… what it all boils down to is that Zach is very fortunate - he has a dad and two grandpas who all bring something different to the table. He doesn’t lack for good male role models, particularly models of the many ways to show your love to a two year old boy. Since he's too young to truly appreciate it now, I hope when he reads this someday he'll smile and remember; for now I say thank you on his behalf!

Off again

Two days after we returned home - or more relevant: two nights of sleeping in our own beds - Zach and I hopped in the car and drove down to Milwaukee to see grandma and grandpa and pick up Koskie. Koskie had spent the last 3 and a half weeks with my parents, since they so generously agreed to watch him while our allergic friends were visiting, and then while we were on our trip. I don't think Koskie was thrilled to see us... I think he had it pretty good at grandma and grandpa's house!

The five hour drive itself was interesting... we are clearly entering the "are we there yet?" stage. Ugh. Although driving down Wednesday night and back Friday afternoon didn't seem to make a lasting impression, since Zach has repeatedly asked when we can go back, even when I remind him about the long drive. I guess playing cars with grandpa was worth it to him!

Besides lots of car and backyard ball-playing time, we also managed to fit in a trip to the Milwaukee County Zoo (a great zoo, if you're ever in the area). Zach's cousins Chase and Sophie came along too, to add to the fun. Despite the fact that we had one-on-one coverage, it was an interesting experience for me, since I'm used to just one kid at a time. Three kids aged 4 and under was quite different! These pictures capture what it was often like:

And while this picture isn't great, it just makes me laugh. Check out grandma - she's ready to catch whoever falls first!

Despite all the cool exotic animals (hey look - an elephant!), the big hits were the farm area, the train, and of course, the playground. I was quite surprised to discover Zach was brave enough to feed the goats; he got a huge kick out of that!

(PS... Chase actually asked me to take that last picture!! Normally he just looks at me like "Aunt Liz, why do you always have your camera out???)

Imagination

I just had to post this video I shot today. Generally when we pull the video camera out, Zach stops whatever he is doing, but today I managed to sneak the camera onto the counter without him noticing.

I was making dinner, so Zach climbed up on his stool with some of his favorite toys of late (a Little People giraffe and three people from his GeoTrax set). Throw in a little tupperware container, and apparently that was all he needed to get his imagination going. He's been doing this lately - lots of funny conversations between his toys, and always with the goofy high voice!

One last thing

I forgot this last picture of our little Guitar Hero...

(at Mick's house, with Teri and Shonny in the background)

Final stop: Seattle

One of the many many reasons we wanted to take a vacation this time of year was to celebrate our anniversary - 5 whole years. So on Friday, Scott and I took the carseat out of our little Hyundai, left Zach in grandpa's capable hands, and headed west. Our destination was Woodinville, WA; a town about 15 miles north of Seattle. Why Woodinville, you ask? Because it's wine country! (http://www.woodinvillewinecountry.com/)

Our first stop was the Chateau St. Michelle, the largest winery in the area and the only one that offered regular tours. While Woodinville has lots to offer as far as wine tastings, most of the wineries in that area are primarily the processing and the administrative functions - the grapes are grown in different areas in eastern Washington, like the Yakima Valley, which we had driven past days before. Anyway... basically we spent the afternoon drinking a lot of different wines, which I have to say, is a great way to spend a child-free day. I really appreciated the fact that none of the "bartenders" (I'm sure there's an official title for the people who pour you the wine, but I have no idea what it might be) were the least bit snobby about the wine and the tasting process. I even learned not to be snooty about pink wine... which is pretty much the only wine I might turn my nose up at. But we tasted a rose' we both liked!

As you may have noticed, I forgot to lug my camera along for this portion of our vacation. I really missed it at the Chateau St. Michelle - the grounds were beautiful. But otherwise, most of you have seen what we look like drinking wine - so you can create the mental picture on your own. However, I did pull out my phone when we were at the Red Hook Brewery - this is what we look like after an afternoon of tasting wine and then switching to many of the beers Red Hook has to offer...

I would highly recommend the brewery tour - perhaps the best value for a $1 I've ever experienced! We also had a great dinner on the patio at a little place called the Purple Cafe - a great ending to our day.

Saturday morning we slept in and enjoyed the breakfast in the hotel, and then headed back to Mick's house to meet up with everyone. Scott, Alan, Mick, and Mick's girlfriend Lauren headed to Safeco for the afternoon Twins/Mariners game (the other reason our vacation was timed as it was). Zach and I got the spend the rest of the day with our friends, and Teri and her sister Shonny headed to the mall. Perhaps the perfect day for everyone!

I hadn't seen Heidi and Jon since their wedding almost three years ago, and had never met their daughter Lucia, who is already turning one this month!!! So I was delighted they were able to spare a weekend day to just hang out with us. We had a yummy lunch, watched the kids play, had some good girls-only conversation while the kids napped, and then went to an awesome local park (there are scooters, trikes, and other kiddie ride-on thingees that stay at the park - anyone can use them. How cool is that???). I love the picture of Lucia, below at right - she was reacting to her dad talking to her through the pipes!

After the game, Scott met up with us, and we went back to Heidi and Jon's house for some yummy Thai take-out. We then tried for a photo session with the kids... something I think we should have tried earlier in the day. It started out like this:

And turned into this...

On Sunday, the last full day of our vacation, I tagged along to the Twins/Mariners game. We had great seats, but once again I didn't feel like lugging my camera along (we have enough pictures of the Twins). So here's another camera photo!

While we were at the game, Teri took Zach over to her sister and niece's houses, where he got to play with Scott's cousin's daughter (got that?) all afternoon and evening. We went over for a delicious dinner after the game, and it was fantastic - Miranda (age 12) kept Zach entertained the entire time! She invented game after game, using footballs and rings, squirt guns, and even a real gecko - and he was absolutely enthralled. I don't think we've ever had such an enjoyable dinner with Zach in the vicinity. I'm telling you, we really need to adopt an older child!!!

I think that's it for our vacation. We were very happy to get home and sleep in our own beds for a change, although Zach and I didn't sit still for long...

Next stop: Ellensburg, WA

We drove through the beautiful Columbia River gorge on our way out of Portland, and I wish we would have stopped to explore a bit. But with a sleepy two year old in the car who needed to nap, that wasn't on the agenda. So now we have yet another place to add to our "must-visit" list; the glimpse of one gorgeous waterfall (as we sped by on the highway) will have to be enough for now.

We also saw some decent views of Mount St. Helen's, although the low clouds and dirty car windshield meant the pictures didn't really do the vista justice. The rest of the drive wasn't so gorgeous (see picture), as we entered the Yakima Valley. Great place to grow grapes, we learned later, but not so pretty. I guess I'm just not a fan of high desert terrain. We were happy to get to Ellensburg and get out of the car!

Ellensburg is home to Central Washington University, where Teri is doing her best to improve the math abilities of their students (even I know that 0 divided by 1 is 0!). Zach was absolutely delighted to ditch his carseat and go see grandma, and put on a full performance for one of Teri's co-workers, including recital of his address and several renditions of take me out to the ballgame. The kid loves a crowd.

We spent the next couple days (let me think... that would be Tuesday afternoon thru Friday morning) relaxing with Scott's parents. While Teri was working, we found the Ellensburg Children's Museum, which was much better than expected. And due to the unusually hot hot weather, Zach had a great time in the kiddie pool in grandma's backyard.

I didn't take a ton of pictures, mostly due to laziness I think (I took two naps while in Ellensburg... ahhhh). But here are a couple that also illustrate how relaxing our visit was ... Zach lazing in his cousins' princess convertible couch, and getting a post-bath lotion rubdown!

First stop: Portland

Technically, the first stop on our vacation was Seattle; we flew in late late Friday night and crashed at Mick's new house. Crashed is a fairly literal term, since Mick had just moved the majority of his belongings into the house that very day - we really appreciate him letting us be his first houseguests!

Saturday we got up earlier than we would have liked (Zach didn't really get the concept of pacific time), picked up our rental car and headed south. We spent that afternoon and the next couple days relaxing, exploring the Portland area, and mostly just catching up with our friends and watching the kids play. Sarah (my sister-like friend from college), Brien, and their kids - Ava, age 3, and Aiden, almost 7, just moved to Portland from Memphis, and were still living in temporary housing while they waited to move into their new house. One of the perks was the pool that was located in the complex:

We had read that a trip to Portland is not complete without a visit to Voodoo Donuts, so one of our adventures was to head downtown and check it out. We learned that 11 AM on a Monday is the time to go - no line! It was an interesting place... a mix of goth and sugar. Ava and Zach chose the donuts with the M&Ms on top; other choices included maple bars with a slice of bacon on top, froot loop donuts, or a strawberry-filled one shaped like a person, with a pretzel stick to "stab" the poor unsuspecting donut.

I think if Zach were to create his own checklist for a great vacation, his would include tireless playmates. And he definitely had that in Portland - he thought the sun rose and set on Aiden. He and Ava actually played together more than I would have thought kids that age would, but he and Aiden created endless games involving action figures, balls of all sorts, etc. Aiden was so patient - obviously a great older brother.

To burn off some of the kids energy, we went to a few beautiful parks, both in Portland, and in West Linn, the suburb where our friends live. Oh, and I forgot to mention earlier how absolutely gorgeous the weather was while we were there - sunny and in the 80s, which is not necessarily typical of that time of year. But it made for some great outdoor fun.

We also had a chance to visit a friend of Scott's from high school, who Scott hadn't seen in too long. We met up at Travis, Kayelynn, Justin and Tyler's house in a nearby suburb, and then had the opportunity to go watch 7 year-old Justin's baseball game (yes, baseball - not t-ball!). Travis and Scott were able to catch up while keeping Aiden, Tyler (age 4), and Zach busy playing various ball games in the outfield. While getting to know Kayelynn on the sidelines, I found myself having way too much fun trying to capture action shots of the game. It made me really look forward to the days when Zach is the one running the bases - or staring off into space in the outfield waiting for the action...

Entirely too soon, our time in Portland came to an end. We sadly said goodbye, piled back into our Hyundai, and headed off to our next destination...