Seats and tray tables

On the drive up to Whidbey last week, we noticed a big sign announcing that this weekend was the return of the wildly popular-with-the-boys Vintage Aircraft Weekend. We invited friends B, J, and their kids J and M along this time, and preceded the event by sampling mima and papa's favorite New York-style pizza place - a new favorite for us and the other family, though our boys couldn't be bothered to try the pizza (even though we got plain cheese), breadsticks, or caprese salad. Anyway, from there it was onward to the show; after dashing inside and instantly exclaiming about all of the planes (and other vehicles -- though alas, not the huge collection go-carts, army vehicles, fire trucks, or bounce houses we saw last year), O climbed up to check out a dogfighter before asking nobody in particular what other planes he could get in. A friendly passing staff member answered anyway, pointing at an impressive World War II B25-D bomber that we learned had actually just done a demonstration flight an hour earlier. The queue was long, but O impressively and patiently persisted (Z and the others opted out, continuing onward to look at other planes) and eventually got to climb the ladder to check out first the cockpit and then crawl through the tunnel to the forward gunner seat.

We got to see a number of other planes, both stationary and flying in formations low across the runway. Both O and J were pretty smitten (and calling pretty much every single-propeller plane Dusty Crophopper) and Z had a great time as well. And the weather turned out to be surprisingly sunny after the morning rains. All in all a lovely and successful family outing! Full album here.

Tonight another milestone for L - while she's been sampling an increasing number of foods, Meh was inspired by M at lunch, who at one month older than L was already gumming carrots and such. So we reattached the tray table that goes with her high chair and tried a big cube of watermelon. L mostly squished it, but did manage to consume a little bit of it -- go L!

Getting with the programs

Today both boys had their school class orientations - and both went to each other's, which made things extra interesting. First it was Z's class, which he's been talking about for most of the summer -- though since camp has ended, he's appended "and then we'll go to camp next summer" to the schedule following school. There had been no e-mailed announcement of his teachers or classmates, and sure enough when we got to the school there were lists printed everywhere of all of the kids and their class assignments -- working through the crowds to find Z's name in small courier font was an instant flashback to my own grade school. But from there we got to his class and saw a few familiar names from his kindergarten class, and got to meet his teacher, who seemed both very nice, had an exciting classroom of organizational materials for Z to comment on, and mentioned she recognized Z from when the kindergarten and first grade classes had crossed paths. He's very excited to be heading back to school on Tuesday; earlier this week we got a message from his former bus driver that she'll still be doing the route, so that'll be a nice familiar and friendly face as well!

And then we visited O's upcoming classroom; alas, it was at the height of rush hour traffic, so L had a sad time in the car on the long stop-and-go drive down. But once we arrived, everyone was happy, and O pretty much pulled us into his new classroom; we recognized two familiar names in the class roster, and O has been talking about other kids in his class that he knows from last year's playground activities. Got to meet both new teachers, who were super nice, as well as a few other parents. Besides constructing another couple of block towers of terror (alongside A, one of his two classmates from the prior year), O was particularly excited to be sharing a classroom with Alice, a large turtle in an aquarium in the corner of the room. Z in the mean time was a big fan of the classroom's tree-themed corner loft (filled with pillows, shelves of books, and dangling decorative stars, clumps of paper "leaves", and actual stick "branches".

We celebrated the nearing end of summer with a concluding family dinner at the boys' favorite local sushi-go-round; L smiled, chattered, and raspberried at everyone while the boys enjoyed alarming numbers of plates of cucumber rolls, gyoza, and edamame.

Life's a beach -- again

Less than a week after our lovely family holiday trip to the Oregon coast, we were off again -- this time heading the other direction to Whidbey Island with mima and papa (and with Uncle J and his girlfriend joining up later in the trip as well!). The boys were super excited, even though I had to explain to Z that there weren't going to be bumper cars or L's beach house. I won't say the trip was strictly "relaxing", but we did have a lovely time and had all sorts of adventures.

We arrived on the ferry and headed straight to one of the large farmers markets to meet up with mima and papa for a tasty lunch (well, the boys had snacks -- and then O and I played oversized outdoor chess for a bit), then beat the heat at one of many local beaches with some rocket popsicles from a well-timed ice cream truck. Then it was time to check out our digs! We arrived to a very cozy and very beach-themed house that mima had secured for us; the boys had an excellent pair of upstairs window seat beds, while L, mommy, and I were in a downstairs room (ideally to allow everyone more sleep -- and it kind of sort of worked, at least for L and mommy!). My favorite touch was the railing to the upstairs, which was made of a long wooden oar. L's new de facto play area was a chair with a long cushion that could comfortably hold her (and occasionally one of her brothers as well).

O has been obsessed with "fishing" (which he takes to mean hunting for treasure underwater) for some time, and we had two special surprises for him. First, I'd picked up a kids fishing rod (Spider-Man themed, naturally) and at one of the parks where they'd had such a fun time last year, we gave it a try. Alas, the very first time that I cast off with the practice fish-shaped rubber lure attached, the lure made a lovely arc out into Puget Sound and the line snapped. O was very concerned, but I let him know it was totally fine and that the lure was "swimming with the fish". (I crack myself up.) The rest of that afternoon he was asking about the fish, concerned that it would be okay, and asking me to go out into the sound and find it. Ah well. The second treasure-themed activity went far better -- mima snuck a wooden box full of coins down to the beach by the beach house, and then Meh sketched a map and rolled it up. When O and Z "discovered" it, we helped them read the map and explore the beach, where they found an X of shells that indeed marked the spot. Shovel in hand, O unearthed the chest and both boys were delighted with the results; Z has since taken a liking to drawing maps, while O wants me to draw paths to treasure hidden elsewhere in the house.

Besides park trips and much yummy cooking for each other (including dinner one evening up on a rooftop patio), we took the kids to check out a cool lighthouse. Little did I know it had an increasingly narrow spiral staircase around its interior to get up to the actual lantern room -- I was mildly concerned the boys were going to get stuck up there, but we did in the end get up and down safely, and also explored bunkers and cannons in between snack time. We even had brief houseguests, as our friends who'd been at the Oregon house were also on the island for the day and came to visit. And the last night we had family smores on the beach.

Far too many of the pictures of our excellent holiday here - it's going to be hard to get back into the swing of life at home tomorrow!

Tooth or dare

Yesterday was Z's annual dentist check up, and I continue to be impressed by how well he manages the appointment -- a great job of listening, paying attention to the doctor and hygienist, dealing with toothbrushes and dental utensils and floss in his mouth, and more. He was given a clean bill of dental health - yay for Z! I continue to be even more impressed with Meh, who took him along with L -- great job to both of them! The dentist indicated several teeth were loose, and as if on cue, tonight he lost a bottom front right tooth. Z was excited to talk about the forthcoming tooth fairy visit, and started saying "you have another loose tooth" as well; sure enough, the corresponding left one is wiggling a bit. Go Z!

It's our time down here

It's our last day down on the Oregon coast, where we've been having a fabulous (if exhausting) time with friend L at her parents' amazing beach house along with friends A, J, and their son E. L has been by and large the happy baby that Meh discussed in Bulgaria -- nearly always happy, giving big smiles to all involved. O and Z have surprisingly have slept pretty well in a shared large bed in a separate room from us. O came in both mornings to wake me up by 6:30 or 7, but he and I have had some wonderful times together, including gathering firewood on the beach yesterday evening for a smores bonfire. (And yay, my boy scout days didn't fail me - I could actually still start a decent fire.) Z has been in full artist mode, creating and then hanging a number of crayon-etched creations around the house. (Fear not; the amazing Meh had the foresight to buy and pack, in addition to a full ream of paper and many crayons, some special hanging tape that doesn't take paint off the walls.) Whether it's the noise of the kids or the lack of a fully darkened room, L hasn't always been ready for naps during the day, so yesterday I wore her and hiked out to the local rock made famous by The Goonies -- a wonderful and relaxing stroll (and apparently a big contrast to Meh's experience, apparently battling boys who alternated wanting to go into the ocean or staying high up on the beach avoiding "jellyfish" -- which every little bubble on the sand clearly must be -- oh, each boy also decided on the opposite preference to their brother of ocean vs. bluff). In the evenings, the adults sat and talked, valiantly crowded around my laptop (after a TV DRM fail) to watch the new book-into-TV-series hotness, or spotted the local landmarks in a screening aforementioned 80's film.

In addition to much time in and around the house, we also journeyed to a local beach town's semi-permanent arcade, where the boys enjoyed bumper cars (though O took 'bumper' to heart and kept trying to steer us towards the outer walls) and plenty of freshly made toffee. And there were boxes of new lego vehicles to assemble into creations as well. O and Z also had some nice times playing with their new friend E.

Huge thanks again to L for inviting us, it's been an amazing time -- I won't quite say "peaceful", but definitely a ton of fun! More pictures of the trip can be found here.

Oy fae

We've long had a fairy door in our house (and have enjoyed touring a cluster of them in at least one city near grandma and John). But in the last few days, O has had renewed interest in them. I think it at least partially comes back to his ongoing love of the TV show Jake and the Never Land Pirates, and his desire to figure out how to fly off to Never Land. Last night he left them a snack (bread, milk, and honey - Meh's expert knowledge of fairy lore suggests these are among their favorites). This morning when he came downstairs, they'd written him a tiny thank you note. His mind only temporarily and mildly blown, tonight he dictated a note back to them via mommy, asking if they could give him some fairy dust so he can fly (but, as he told us, "only in emergencies"). We may have to rethink this make believe route...

A seat at the table

Today was Z's 7 year checkup. Hooray for no shots (apparently he's clear for another few years? Why do I remember them from like every single appointment from my own childhood?), and he did a great job following instructions and answering questions from both the nurse and the doctor. The only one that moderately stumped him was what sports he liked to play; I suggested "running" (which is very true for Z) when the many other options garnered a blank look - perhaps time to start introducing some local franchises and/or recreational play. The stats (I love how the "head circumference" tracking of babies gives way to blood pressure for the nearly first grader):

• Weight: 42 lbs. 10 oz. (10th percentile)
• Height: 45.6" (10th-25th percentile)
• BMI: 14.41 (10th-25th percentile)
• B/P: 100/56

Another milestone for L today - we dusted off (er... literally, as it had been sitting in storage in the garage, though at least sealed inside of a plastic bag) one of our old high chairs, and L joined us at the table for family dinner. While she didn't yet eat anything, she smiled and happily screeched her way through the yummy hamburgers and hot dogs while O commented on how cute she looked (in between declaring how much he disliked the smell of both the burgers and the lovely steamed scallions Meh had prepped).

Love is an open door

Diapers are of course a constant in the house with L, and as the supply depletes, I use our trusty bulk mailing website to restock. This time around, there was an extra discount when purchasing two giant uber-economy-size boxes. I only had to ponder momentarily, as she definitely goes through them quickly enough (occasionally they even protect her clothes, but apparently only if we happen to both hear in time and when she's not wearing anything cute. Otherwise it's doomed to get soiled.)

This is a rather roundabout way of setting up the explanation for the boys' new favorite toy, the giant cardboard box that the two giant boxes of diapers arrived in -- which Meh stood up on end and O declared was a door to a secret room containing his treasure chest. He then proceeded to decorate it with stickers, markers, and crayons. Meh found an unused pair of Ikea doorknobs (take that, Ikea hacks), and voila; both boys now enjoy stashing treasure and occasionally themselves inside.

All you need is love

Grandma and J have departed for home after a fun visit; in addition to the aforementioned Z's birthday party and many parks, the boys enjoyed a sleepover at their hotel (alas, I had to make a second round trip when it was discovered that blankie hadn't made it into the car). And of course grandma and J got to spend lots of time with L as well. We had a wonderful time and are looking forward to seeing them again soon!

Last night on the drive home from school (Z) and camp (O), O made this deep comment: "I love all of the things in the whole world. I even love ninjas." I'm feeling a lot of love here, Mister O.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Several months ago when Meh asked Z what kind of birthday cake he wanted, he answered "a Wizard of Oz cake!" Challenge accepted, and I think fairly exceeded, by mommy with today's seventh (!) birthday party for Mr. Z. There was an impressive amount of preparation, capped off with the completion of a stunning yellow brick road to the Emerald City cake (complete with sugar paste silhouettes of Dorothy and her friends!). Paired with slipper cookies (both ruby and silver per the movie versus book), scarecrow diplomas (wafer tube cookies wrapped in rainbow candy ribbon), tin man hats (Hershey's kisses), upside down cupcakes squashing wicked witches, rainbow cupcakes, lollipop guild lollipops, and much more (including what Z now expects of all birthday parties: pizza), the spread was a solid success. Many of the kids did the Glinda bubble wand craft projects (made with awesome Meh-sourced beads and colorful pipe cleaners) too. The location was declared by Z to be a winner as well, featuring his favorite park's playgrounds, swings, sand area, and "forest" of rhododendrons to wander through -- all of the kid attendees had an excellent time as well. Even L cooed and squeaked her way through the affair, sporting another lovely new party dress. Several of Z's kindergarten friends came too, and it was fun to get to meet some of the kids he'd talked about all year long. The afternoon was capped off with some recognizable aircraft from the previous day doing their repeat Seafair performances in the distance.

I could try to describe in more detail, but pictures are worth a thousand blog posts, and a whole set from the party can be found here - happy (observed) birthday, Zachary!

Air cover

Grandma and J are visiting for the weekend! In addition to Z's impending epic birthday party (which has been in preparation for weeks if not months - Meh is making it pretty spectacular), this is Seafair weekend, so we decided to try to go see the Blue Angels perform. The boys, sporting their spiffy new favorite MLB franchise muscle shirts, selected O's favorite Mercer Island park for viewing. We got there a bit before the main show, so there was time for playground climbing and a snack, while we watched hundreds of people streaming past for closer waterfront views. Nonetheless, our choice of location worked out well, as there was a sudden downpour and we were conveniently adjacent to a covered picnic area to duck under for continued dry snack time. The Patriots Jets Team zoomed over the park multiple times, and the boys even occasionally paid attention in between playing on the equipment and enjoying their food. Alas, they got a bit too tired out to stick around for the main event, so we headed back to the car, catching a glimpse first of some marine helicopters and then the Blue Angels zooming by as we got in and headed back home to catch up with L and mommy.