Vacation 2008

We kept the girls' birthday present a secret (a trip to Chicago and the American Girl store) until the day before we left. They cleaned up on birthday presents; between the two of them they had $750 dollars spending money from us and grandparents. Grandparents should be expecting a big thank you note from the girls. We left early Friday morning.

Jack
Jack really loves his family. It's obvious he's happy when we are all together and the vacation was heaven in a 20 foot by 20 foot room. When Jack is happy, you know it. He's jumpy, he's active, he jibber-jabbers, and screams with glee (loud: Jack happy at 4AM is rough). Since we were all in a 400 square foot room, Jack had everyone he wants close together. It was exciting enough that the boy would not go to sleep on his schedule. He wanted to stay up with his sisters.

There was no flat surface in the hotel room, that Jack didn't pull everything off. If he could reach it -- it was on the floor and in his mouth. This was the fate of numerous flyers on the dresser, the alarm clock, a lamp (almost), and much to the the girls' consternation any new item they bought that was in reach was quickly in Jack's clutches if not properly placed. Monday morning he woke up a sister by pounding on her face.


Chicago was Jack's style. We forgot his stroller, critical, CRITICAL mistake. Mom and my arms are twice as big, so he was help, which he prefers. He loved to watch the cars in the city, he took the big buildings in, and he was fascianted by the "L" train. However, when it was the boy's time out, while the girls watched the American Girl doll theater, he only slept.

Madeline

Madeline loved her birthday presents. I wrote in the birthday card the big secret -- that we were headed to Chicago, but Madeline missed this. She was so excited to be on the road, and almost the whole time laughed and joked all the way to the city. During the car trip, she kept asking, "When are we getting to Colorado?" "Chicago, Madeline, we're going to Chicago," I replied, but this never really sank in.

It was so exciting for both girls to say in a hotel room. It had a pool, but with the weather (rain) we never did swim. First we raced to the beach, and it was freezing. Madeline wanted to make a sand castle, and in classic Madeline mode, improvised using a cone from the beach to create a sand castle.

The first day we went to Navy Pier and visited the Children's Museum and other things. I wanted to ride the Ferris wheel, so we could see the city, but Madeline was a little shaken with how high the wheel would take us. Initially, there were objections, Madeline and Mom were going to find something else, but she found the courage to take the ride up and she ended up liking it enough that she wanted to ride again.

The American Girl Doll store was the most fun. She was able to see all the dolls, and for Madeline I think the funnest part is dressing like the doll, dressing up and using her imagination. So, there was sensory overload in the store.

Terra

Terra was so happy to be with Madeline. When she came Thursday evening, Madeline was at twilight camp, and she persisted throughout the night asking, "Is it time to get Madeline, yet?" We all drove to the pick-up spot, and when Terra saw Madeline, she sprinted to her and screamed, "MADELINE!" Madeline was equally excited, they gave each other a big, huge hug.

During the car ride down, the girls made their lists, tallied up their numbers to see how much stuff they wanted, and pare that list down to what they could afford. They could not have been better in the back seat, laughing, playing their game girls, and sometimes even sleeping.

When we arrived at the beach, Terra noticed a gang of girls on a birthday party, all of whom were swimming gleefully in frigid Lake Michigan water. I wanted no part of that water, but Terra wanted in so badly. She cajoled Madeline into take a running start and jumping in the waters. This ended with both walking right up to their knees and turning around. Eventually Terra talked herself into it, and then Madeline went along.

At the AG place, Terra looked so distracted. The store has lower (period pieces), middle (photo shop, gift shop), and upper (clothes, dolls, bitty baby) levels, we visited the middle and upper levels first, but Terra didn't pick anything out, she had nothing she was claiming yet. I asked, what's the matter and she replied that she had to find Julie's dress, but couldn't find it anywhere. Madeline was off with Mom looking at different clothes she could buy with her money, I said that once they get back, we'll check out the other levels and we haven't seen all the store. Downstairs we went and there was the dress! A noticeable relief came over Terra's face as if she was thinking, "Yes, this store is everything it could be."

Video of Jack Scooting

I put the camera on a ledge and rev'ed up a toy car to zoom across the floor. Jack goes after it in the video.

Jack's mobility

Jack can move around now, really well.

He's been scooting for the last month or so, but now he's really taken with standing himself up. It's been a concern of his mother's that he hasn't learned to sit up, but that's taken care of now. He can sit up when he wants, it's just a question of motivation. Why should he sit up, when a parent or sister will come and get him.

One answer might be to get away from his sisters.

It's really funny to watch how he navigates the single step between the family room and the dining room. He will inch his way along the from the family room onto the step then slide down on his bottom. From here he takes off, invariably into the kitchen where there are all kinds of pots, pans, place mats, and other items he's not supposed to get into.

This morning I woke up with him and just the two of us were in the family room. He played with his toys until he wanted new adventures then made his way into the kitchen. I caught him excitedly scooting himself to the cabinet under the sink where he loves to explore.

Into life, a tree will fall

One of our tree's trunks collapsed this Friday morning. It's a mystery when this happened. The trunk was probably eight inches in diameter, and I can't believe it didn't make noise loud enough to hear when it sheared off the rest of the tree.

We're left with a somewhat smaller, tree, it looks like a little more than half remains. I can really tell how much of it is gone from the backyard sitting on the patio, but I'm still looking for a good pre-break photo. I believe I have some, I just never uploaded them to flickr.

Before

After

Terry came over with the trailer and helped haul the limbs and all off. It was sizable. Not just a tiny piece of the tree. It was a big piece.

Camping Out

I vowed a long time ago to never see the point to camping. I pay my mortgage, I pay utilities, I enjoy being ten feet from my bathroom, my bed, my air conditioning, all this stuff. Then two pair of eyes belonging to two girls that just wanted to sleep in a tent changed my mind, and I setup the tent in our backyard.

The girls enthusiastically raced upstairs to get pillows and sleeping bags. Madeline brought down a blanket and pillow for me, too. "We'll be in by 1:00AM," I told Mom with confidence.

This had to be the hottest day of the year. It's rained a lot and the rain has brought some very cool weather; this has been the coolest summer I can remember, and there was barely a breeze this night. The girls and I stayed up late, we played Skip-bo, we talked, they laughed, they tried to not go to sleep, but eventually couldn't take it. At midnight one of them woke-up and asked me a question so obvious I knew she was in a daze. I said we were in the tent. She said she need ot leave, for bed; and she made for the zipper, which I helped open, then left the tent and went in the house. "Yes! One down," I thought, but no. The sliding glass door to the house opened again and the girl returned to the tent. She went right to sleep.

Then the other girl woke up and we talked for an hour. I tried "encouraging/manipulating" her a little, "Are you doing OK? It is hot, it's OK to sleep inside." Nothing, not a dent, "Nah, I can sleep out here," she said. She was resilient. They both were.

I can't sleep outside. I have to analyze every sound, every noise. Why do the crickets stop at 3:00AM? and why do I only hear one cricket? What **** teenager is burning rubber? Does the A/C sound OK? how much for a new one. Those doggone June bugs keep pounding the tent canvas. My gosh, why is it so hot? If I open the tent will it rain? is that a stereo?

I gave up at 4AM after sleeping all of about two hours at the most. I threw up the white flag and went to my house and slept in my bed. Later, still in a stupor from lack of sleep, I vaguely remember hearing. "Daddy, why'd you come inside?"

Daddy's smart. Daddy's not dumb. Daddy slept on a mattress.

Oceans of Fun

As if there weren't already oceans of everything, we went to Oceans of Fun and cashed in Grandma and Grandpa's season ticket passes for the girls this weekend. It was a little difficult with the baby, but Misty and I wanted to bring him. One of us watched the boy while the other adult went on excursions in the park with the girls. Usually these involved racing of some sort down a slide.

Beyond any shadow of doubt the girls' favorite time was the canoes. The bucanner bay at Oceans of Fun lets a guest pick their canoe, one or two person, and they float out with paddle, life vest, and their wits. I laughed so hard when I saw the girls stranded on the other end of the "bay" on some rocks. They'd run aground and looked at me like I could help them out. They were able to figure their way out of that mess before I had a chance to get in the water.

Overall, we had a very good plan. Take a Friday off, since it's so much more busy on the weekends. Get a big breakfast in the morning, pack a picnic lunch with sandwiches, chips, and sodas. Take a late lunch/picnic and leave at park closing. Order pizza for delivery when you get home because you're too exhausted to do anything but eat. It's fatiguing to have fun.

Zoo trip

We all packed ourselves in the car and headed to the zoo for the day. Talk about work. Nonetheless, suckered or smart, we decided to get the season pass, we are friends of the zoo until March of 2009. We have to go one more time in order for that to pay itself back.

Jack slept, this started during his nap time and when he can't get that checked off his list he can be a little zoned. Terra had been the week before and was a little less than excited to go again, but we did, and all had a good time, even if it was exhausting.

My favorite was feeding the birds. We all were given little plastic cups with tiny servings of nectar for the birds. They knew what time it was and before long we were all happily feeding the birds while they jockeyed for position on top of our shoulders, heads, arms, etc.