Happy Dance

Papa is home safe and sound. He met Irene, but she didn't interfere with his plans at all. This calls for a happy dance.

While Papa is away...

...Zane and I play! He likes the blue tube at Kenton Park because his voice echos in it.

We received a fantastic package from Oma and Opa and Zane HAD to try his boots out right away even though it was really hot out. He walked around the house pointing at them and saying "a boot, a boot, a boot."

He likes to put things (rocks or mulch mostly) in his sandals and then act perplexed when it hurts to walk. In this photo he was shoving rather large rocks in there and saying "a wock" until I fished it out. He also carries multiple "buddies" around with him...pictured here are "mao mao", "oooh oooh", and "piggy."All 3 of them came to the grocery store with us and sat in the basket with him while we shopped.

Adventure tent fun!

Some of you have heard me talk about the water cannon at the park. Well, here it is. It would be a great idea if we were living in a perfect toddler society, but the truth is kids don't like to share or wait so this piece of equipment starts many disagreements. It's great fun when there aren't too many others around!

This morning he got to try out his rainboots in the mist. It's been awhile since we've had any rain and Zane was very excited about it. He walked around holding his hands out saying "look yain." And of course "ma moo yain."

Papa returns late tonight and from the looks of it there are no delays. I was a little worried when Vermont had such extensive flooding. Mason was working out possible Plan B's of what to do if his flight was canceled...but no need. Zane will be one happy little munchkin to have his Papa back home!

Spokane/Coeur d'Alene

This past weekend we did something very silly. We loaded up everyone, Virgil included, and drove to Spokane, WA. It's a 6 hour drive without stops and we managed to do it in 7 1/2...thanks Spokane traffic. That's a loooong day in the car for anyone let alone an almost 2 year old. We stopped in a tiny town called Boardman to stretch and eat. The options to pull off and stop once you pass Hood River are very few and far between. By the end we were looking for any sign with any indication that the exit had food.

 Zane exercised Virg.

The tiny cafe where we ate lunch. The service was great! It was like our teenage waitress had read a book on how to be the perfect server. Notice I did not comment on the food.

We stayed with some friends in Spokane and it was really nice to chill out, eat pizza, and have some beers after that long drive. Zane actually slept very well in his pack n' play, which always makes Mama and Papa happy. The next day we continued to take it easy in the morning because that afternoon we headed to Coeur d'Alene, ID (half an hour away) for a friends' wedding. I was shooting and Mason was Zane wrangling. The wedding was right on a lake and absolutely gorgeous. Zane was having a tough time with me not paying enough attention to him, but Mason did a rock star job of redirecting his attention. It was such a fun atmosphere and great group of folks that Mason and I were really wishing we could have stayed and partied, but alas, Zaney bedtime had been pushed to it's limits and we drove back to Spokane. The next morning we were able to fill our bellies with delicious heart attacks on plates before parting with our friends and hitting the road again. Zane's full belly prompted him to nap earlier than planned but a sleeping tot is a happy Mama and Papa!

Our friends told us of a GOOD place to stop for lunch right before Pasco and we were excited to try it based on our dining experience on the way out. Well, Zane slept all the way through Pasco (and there was no way we were waking him up!) so we missed it and guess where we ended up stopping. Boardman! This time we opted for Circle K (gas station) snacks since Mason and I were still full from breakfast and we found a picnic table in a dog area so Z could sit and eat. Perfect for everyone!

If you're wondering what's in eastern Washington the answer is NOTHING. The highlight of the drive was the mini whirling dust tornadoes, which I did not manage to get a photo of.

Backseat antics.

Though there was not a lot to see, Zane picked out each and every choo choo that we saw, passed, or heard. We bought him a toy train for the trip thinking it would keep him entertained, but it had the opposite effect. Since there were 2 parts to it and it kept coming undone it just pissed him off. He has since figured it out but he was a very frustrated little man in the car. 

I liked the wind turbines in the gorge.

 Mt. Hood means we're almost home! The drive home only took 6 1/2 hours.

It's good to travel and always good to come home. Today Mason is packing for his east coast whirlwind adventure which includes stops in Boston, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Have fun Papa!

San Diego

Last weekend I took a solo trip to San Diego/Encinitas for my friend Maggie's wedding celebration. It was a jam packed weekend and it was great to see a lot of old friends. We started off with a boat ride around San Diego Bay.

 Maggie, Anne, and I...best girlfriends ever.

 Birds following a fishing boat with a Navy vessel in the distance.

 Lots of celebrating, of course!

 Lunch on the pier where Maggie and Brad ate after they were married last summer. Karly, Anne, and I shared a Fish Bowl, which tasted like liquid cotton candy...dangerous.

Some of us wanted to try stand up paddle boarding, so we did!

It's harder than it looks, especially with the wind that day.

The radiant bride and I.

The boys had a great time at home without me and I was informed the bachelor pad was cleaned moments before my arrival :)

Virgil's Birthday

Our first baby turned 6 today. In addition to clipping his nails and putting flea stuff on him, we thought we should really celebrate. There's a place on Williams called HUB (Hopworks Urban Brewery) and it has excellent brews, lovely food, is kid friendly, and the last time we were there the couple next to us had their Lab at their table in the outdoor patio area. Perfect...we thought. I guess there's been a crackdown on dogs being on the patio, so poor Virgie sat under a tree off to the side while we celebrated his birthday.

 Zane is a huge hummus fan. I'm not sure if it's because he actually likes it or if it's because he gets a lot of "dip dip."

 He got a ball of dough to play with.

 The hummus covered bus drove through it.

Two

The antics of two 2-year-olds are ridiculous and hilarious....as Annie and I found out when we loaded Zane and Maggie into the wagon for a trip to the zoo. There was blueberry sharing:

Just like the Sistine Chapel - Great shot Annie!

And lots of yelling!

This was the last time the two of them sat in the stoller at the same time. Most of the time Annie or I was carrying one, or we each had one and were pushing the empty stoller, or they were both running in different directions. My question is, with all this exercise how am I not in the best shape of my life?!

Love these two.

Uncle Chris' Visit

For the past 3 days we've been having a blast with Mason's brother, Chris, from Colorado. He'd decided that it'd been to long since our last visit and he wanted to come out...thanks Chris (and also thanks Megan for loaning him to us for a bit)! We started out right, with some relaxation in the back yard.

 The next morning we headed out to Sauvie Island for some berry picking fun. Before berry picking we checked out the animals in the barn, but Zane wasn't having it. He clung to Uncle Chris the whole time. Zane connected with Uncle Chris in no time and the two of them would just laugh at each other and play around. It was really fun to watch.

 Mmmm...B's (Zane's word for blueberries...it also means book and guitar).

 Chris' new favorite: Marionberries

 We were joined by some friends.

3 containers of berries, a berry pie, and what you can't see is that he's holding a berry soda in his other hand.

After Zane's nap we headed back out to Sauvie to swim in the Columbia River, which has gorgeous views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams in the background. The boys, Zane and Virgil included, swam. We did some digging and a lot of rock throwing. On the way home we stopped at McMenamins for some happy hour snacks with our friends T and Heather. During all of this my camera was sitting safely on the kitchen counter.

Monkey bread...a crowd favorite.

Chris hung out with Zane that night so Mason and I could go out! We saw the newest Harry Potter movie (loved it) and then went out to dinner at Toro Bravo, a fantastic tapas restaurant. It was great to have a date night and also to hear about the fun times that Z and Chris had.

Group shot this morning before he left. Thank you SO MUCH for coming out Uncle Chris, we miss you already! P.S you were right, that pizza was awful.