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What a difference a day makes!
What IS that big yellow round thing in the sky???
2 days of not leaving the house (I had a huge web project to finish) makes us a little bit fidgety.
Christopher was difficult at bedtime last night, probably because he hadn't had a chance to burn off any energy, and my legs were achy because of too much computer time. So, imagine our delight when it suddenly got sunny this afternoon! We threw on swimsuits and headed to the pool for an hour of "Mom, see how far I can swim!"
No pics, sorry, but you can safely assume we had a great time.
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Reading up a storm
Well, he's not going to bed on time, and he was somewhat less than polite tonight, but Christopher finally calmed down and decided to read to us.
There's a small amount of bribery involved (Hot Wheels cars every so often), but I think most of his motivation came from getting to delay bedtime even further without getting in trouble.
His book list tonight?
* Little Grover Takes a Walk
* Cars: Best Buddies
Yes, he had most of Cars memorized already, but he read enough of it to make it count, and it's always good to throw in one he already knows as an additional confidence booster.
Sadly, he's not too interested in hearing Daddy (or anyone) read Harry Potter. We thought for sure he was ready after all the Henry Huggins and Boxcar Children, but he's decided it's not for him yet. We think there aren't enough pictures; Charlie & the Chocolate Factory has about the same level of language, but has little sketches every couple of pages, and he's very interested.
The funniest (or most frustrating, depending on the night) part of reading books to him is that he rolls/flips/slithers/bounces all over the bed while we're reading to him, but then can answer any question we ask him about what's going on - if he's interested in the book.
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Is there an anti-rain dance?
Thank you, rain, for filling up our lakes and making our plants & lawn so happy, for relieving the drought, and for helping keep the water temperature of our pools under 90 degrees well into June. We are truly grateful!
And yet...
Would it be rude to suggest that you move on to browner pastures? Just for a few days - perhaps during the 3rd/4th of July? We'd like to see your buddy the sun - just for a little while. That's all.
Thanks!
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Minnesota: Toodle-oo!!
Does anyone know that old joke about the bus going toodle-oo?
Anyone? Besides me and my dad?
I endured much (well-deserved) mockery from Scott & Frank for my obscure reference to this obscurer joke. But I think we all know who's laughing last.
So, we went to Minnesota for - quick, all together now! - a marathon in Duluth. It was supposed to be a refreshingly cool marathon for the boys but instead was hot, muggy, and sunny. Despite this, everyone from our ship of fools did well and were able to mark Minnesota off on their marathon checklists.
We actually spent most of our time in the Twin Cities area. Our hotel was conveniently located near the Mall of America, and it's too embarrassing to say how many times we went there. Here are a couple of pics from the trip:
A hugemongous playscape we took Christopher to, near where Scott and I lived about 20 years ago. Kudos to Uncle Scott for remembering it! Christopher was in slide/net/bar/tunnel heaven for a good 90 minutes.
A cute picture of Scott and Christopher at the Twins vs Brewers game we saw in the Metrodome (we were sad that Dad had to go to NYC midway through the trip & missed the game):
And another cute one of Scott & Christopher, outside the Mall of America. Why are they smiling? Because Scott is whacking Christopher's head into the tree branches. Good times, good times.
We also drove by our old house, and noticed that they'd painted it, fenced it, and put in a pool. This comes as no surprise to us because every house we've moved out of now has a pool. Love ya, Mom & Dad. :)
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Home Again
I'm not sure what he's looking at, but he looks so happy
I couldn't resist including this picture.
So, we're home again. We spent 4 days in the SF area and had a great time introducing Christopher to California.
The highlights:
* Fisherman's wharf, the sea lions & Ghirardelli Chocolates.
* Hiking through Muir Woods & climbing inside a tree.
* Meeting "new" cousins for breakfast at Stacks
* Tidepooling and rock climbing at a beach along Hwy 1.
* Running through the surf & playing games in Santa Cruz.
We've got 3 days of rest until our next journey: Minnesota.
(I know. This post is an example of how NOT to post, and is the opposite of what I recommended in the online course I wrote this month about blogging. I apologize!)
A ton o' pics can be seen here.
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Going Back to Cali
We made it to San Jose last night, after a two-hour delay in San Diego. FYI: the San Diego airport (at least the terminal we were in) is tiny, with one little stand for food, and one or two shops.
We got to the airport a little later than normal because our usual remote parking lot was full, so we had to drive around the airport's long-term lot for a while before finding a spot. After checking in, it was time to board. Luckily, Christopher's still young enough that Southwest Airlines personnel didn't look at me funny when I tried to pre-board.
We got a great set of seats near the front, and Christopher amused himself - and got nervous laughter from his mom - by pointing out all of the various emergency situations we might encounter while on the plane. FYI - SWA doesn't serve alcoholic beverages before takeoff. (Actually, I was too embarrassed to ask, but I'm betting they don't.)
We both got a little laugh about the little graphics illustrating what's prohibited on the airplane: lighters & matches (duh), boomboxes, portable TVs, and radio control cars (what the...?!)
Despite the delays and my lack of tranquilizers, the flights themselves were uneventful. I read and did sudokus, and Christopher colored and watched a DVD - Cars, of course. Thanks to all of you who were sending happy flying vibes our way.
Quiet day today, dinner tonight with some friends, and a lot planned for tomorrow and Saturday.
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OCD?
Christopher lining up his cars for the big race
What's amazing is that everyone he knows - probably YOU, too, if you're reading this blog - is "inside" one of his cars for the race, and he keeps all the cars/names straight. All 97 of them. Email me for a description of your car. If you have a dog it's likely your dog also has a car.
Our friend C, for instance, is in the purple car with the white flame job & the bass in the back. Every time. I've quizzed him.
C agrees that this is a good choice for her.
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