Part 2

Vacation fun times have continued! We had our big blowout dinner at Hofbrauhaus, the Bavarian paradise. It is Wm's favorite place because they have AMAZING soft pretzels.

Strange Bavarian witch hat

We went while they had live music!


Then I went and got all my hair chopped off...THANK GOD. Steve said he actually likes it and Wm said it is "not ugly," so that is a big win.

Not Ugly

Then, last night, we went to see Old Crow Medicine Show (bluegrass/indie folk - sponsored by NPR) with Suzanne. The weather was PERFECT and it was a really good show!!

Wm raging

Holding Daddy's beer - don't worry, Wm was the DD

Protecting tiny ears

Sadly, Wm was not able to continue raging throughout the concert. He eventually sat down...and then actually fell COMPLETELY ASLEEP. I have no idea how you could sleep through a very loud concert happening. But Wm managed it!!

Sleeping Beauty

Today we are headed off to the Ohio State Fair!! Deep fried buckeyes...here we come!!!

Part I

The first phase of our vacation is complete! We just got back from Hocking Hills. Wm LOVED the cabin we stayed in and insisted that I take pictures of him in various locations around it:

Wm's fav place

Wm's SUPPOSED bedroom

Hot tubbin'!

Me & Steve's SUPPOSED bedroom

Fire pit for s'more making!

The cabin made all sorts of creaky weird noises and so Wm lasted about an hour in his bedroom before getting freaked out (it honestly freaked all of us out and not one of us got a good night's sleep the whole time we were there!) So Wm slept with me in the loft bedroom both nights and Steve took the downstairs bedroom. This didn't really help anyone and we are all sleeeeeepy.

The first day we were there, we had a cookout on the really nice deck followed by s'mores at the fire pit.

Cookout!

Then we played games and watched movies and read until bedtime. Steve enjoyed lounging in the fluffy robes.

Modeling...

The next day we woke up and it was VERY hot and VERY VERY humid. So we decided to go hiking early before it got worse. Wm loved it and we all had a great time!! (Until the hike back UP to the top of the gorge that was not only tough to do, but tougher to listen to...because a small, evil child whined the whole way! That kid is in terrible shape for a 9 year old. I'm signing him up for CrossFit.)

Heading down into "the long tunnel"

Old Man's Cave!

A small waterfall that is not, apparently, Cedar Falls!

The Boys atop a giant rock

Never leave a man behind

Then, of course, MY favorite part of the trip: food! We got to go to one of my favorite restaurants, The Inn at Cedar Falls. They have SUPER fancy (and super expensive!) dinners that require reservations and don't have anything for kids, but they also have a delicious, and more casual, breakfast and lunch. We hit them up for lunch and it was SO GOOD. Wm said it was "the best grilled cheese he has ever had" and ate every scrap of food on his plate.

We also decided to go canoeing. It was Wm's first time and he was pretty nervous when we first started. He had a death grip on the side of the canoe and kept freaking out if it rocked at all. After a few minutes, he relaxed and realized that we were not white water rafting and he was perfectly safe. It was a very pretty stretch of river that was at the ideal depth for canoeing, so they said! Wm said it was his favorite part of the trip!

Still gripping the sides, but happy!

River guide Mommy!

And now, we are home. We are going to relax the rest of today, catch up on some zzz's, and hit the sack early. Because we'll be out pretty late tomorrow night to see the Old Crow Medicine Show!!

On the car ride...
Steve: [toot]
Wm: You are very flatulent today, Daddy!
Steve: That's the pot calling the kettle black!!

Vaca...

And so vacation/staycation begins! We are keeping it low-key this year. We went to a party yesterday, which made me very grateful for Wm. There were a bunch tiny tots being demanding and lumpy (like they do) and Wm just hung out silently in the other room playing on his iPad. I eventually made him a plate and took it in to him, which he ate nicely - only emerging to grab a cookie. Who needs a babysitter? Wm is super chill. Then, today, Wm had a super fun day while Steve and I were hard at work. First, Wm woke up and went to play disc golf with Mimi and Guy. Guy sent lots of great pictures!

Serious competitors!

Silly selfie

Super silly selfie!

Mimi and Wm

Guy and Wm

Then, after lunch, Mimi took Wm to see the Minions Movie. Apparently, it was "funny, but not hilarious." Wm recommends, if you are seeing one movie, Inside Out. Bring tissues. 

Meanwhile, I cleaned the whole house so we wouldn't leave it gross tomorrow and Steve painted the bedroom. So, obviously, Wm had the best day.

Tomorrow we leave for Hocking Hills. The cabin we are staying in is suuuuuper fancy! I showed Wm pictures and he goes, "That is way nicer than our house! We get to sleep THERE?" We are going to hit up Athens tomorrow, then have a cookout at the cabin. On Tuesday, we are going canoeing and hiking, and to a fancy lunch at the Inn at Cedar Falls. Then on Wednesday we are going swimming at Lake Hope and heading home that evening. 

Then, Thursday (after a massage!) I am getting all my hair chopped off again. I can't take it. There is way too much hair happening. It's always touching me. Steve is trying to pretend like he doesn't care and Wm says it will look "ugly." But I will be rocking it at the concert Thursday night!

Stuffs

When I went to pick Wm up from Clubhouse yesterday, he had a crazy nosebleed. It actually scared me a bit! Wm pulled the tissue away and saw a big clot of blood and went "ahhhh…oohhhhh no!" and even though it made me catch my breath, I had to be all, "What? That? Nothing. No big. Happens all the time. Totally normal." So he calmed down and then we managed to get him home and a snort of nasal spray later it was stopped. I thought he was going to bleed to death there for a minute! That kid has the most temperamental nose.

Wm was super thrilled this morning because I got him new calcium chews that are chocolate. He goes, "DO I GET ONE OF THESE EVERY DAY?" When I told him yes, this was his response:

Vitamins are awesome!! Strong bones!

Wm has been having super fun times at Clubhouse and we are gearing up for vacation next week. We have lots of fun stuff planned! A couple days at a fancy cabin in Hocking Hills (hiking, canoeing, heading into Athens, swimming at Lake Hope), then taking Wm to his first concert, and, finally, hitting up the state fair!  After that….it's time for school shopping. :(

I came across these pictures of The Ville about a hundred years ago and thought they were neat. Back then, it was the location of the Columbus Zoo and an amusement park. It all closed permanently in the 1930's. Shame.

Roller coaster!

The trolly entrance 

Major attraction!

Schroeder, too, has been having a delightful summer. Here he is lounging fatly on the ottoman. It can barely contain his furry gut. Steve is trying to avoid being in the picture. Failed.

Spoiled.

Crazy Eyes

Wm has been working every day at Clubhouse on a storyboard for a game he has created called Martian Invasion. It is creepily detailed and he has all sorts of rules and regulations. He is super proud of it!!

Cover page

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Pages 4 and 5 are kind of boring and filled with text so I didn't bother to take pictures. Even though I love that Wm is being creative and using his imagination, playing his game is torture. It is so boring and involved - and, of course, he wins every time since he made up the rules! Sadly, I have to pretend to be enjoying myself when we play so he thinks I'm having a grand time. Luckily, Steve is his usual victim in game playing because they can use their weird video game language to talk about things while they are playing. Steve is the best dad ever!!

Wm has discovered that crossing his eyes freaks his father and I out. So he now does it all the time and laughs and laughs at us. Not. Cool.

At breakfast this morning…

Me: Did you make your bed?

Wm: I forgot.

Me: Well, you can do it when you go up to brush your teeth before you leave.

Wm: Ugh.

[15 minutes later, after I went upstairs to brush my teeth first]

Me: Hey, you said you forgot your bed! It was halfway made. So you just need to finish it off.

Steve: Halfway made?

Me: Yeah. It wasn't made, but you could see he at least attempted something.

Steve: *I* made it!!!

Me: That was supposed to be a made bed?

Steve: YES.

Me: Hmmmm.  Well, good start, buddy. Good start.

Steve: [grumps]

Cowy Friends

The willpower...
Me: Did you eat a good lunch at Clubhouse?
Wm: Yes.
Me: Hmmm. What did they have?
Wm: Spaghetti and meatballs.
Me: Oh, you love meatballs!
Wm: I was SOOOO tempted to eat the meatballs.
Me: But you didn't eat them?
Wm: No. I couldn't betray my cow-y friends.

Then, later…
Me: Hey, Big Helper, could you break down that box and take it out to recycling?
Wm: Me?
Me: No, Daddy.
Wm: Oh, I guess I am your little helper.
Me: Totally.
Wm: And sometimes I am your little hinderer.

Weekend Wrap Up

Despite the continued End Times Level rain, we had a great weekend! It was actually sunny on Saturday and Wm got to play his baseball game (much to his chagrin), we went out to lunch with Suzanne afterwards and then hiking at Highbanks.  We also managed to eek in a swim while the sun shone! 

Wm has discovered Dr. Who. And he is majorly into that action. Wm has never really liked watching shows or movies all that much. He mostly wants interactive things like games. But, now, he has finally discovered the joy of binge watching something! Wm is a tiny scifi nerd in the making! 

He likes to stand right in front of the TV to really soak up Dr. Who

And, as usual, The Boys got some good wrestling around accomplished!

Superman!

Uh oh...

Crash!

Play Date Day

Wm had his all day play date yesterday. He had SO MUCH fun!! His friend's mom texted me this at work - look at how his little face is all lit up!

When I went to pick him up, he wasn't even there. He and his friend were off having adventures. So he got dropped off an hour later. He was so exhausted from all the fun, he was asleep about 30 seconds after his head hit the pillow! 

While going to bed a couple nights ago…

Me: Can you tell me something you appreciated about yourself today?

Wm: Yes! Rhett dropped his Pokemon card and it slid under the bookshelf. He couldn't reach it and was really sad that he lost it. But, I could fit my arm in there and I was able to grab it and give it back to him and then he was happy.

Me: So you appreciated that you helped your friend?

Wm: Oh, yeah, I guess. I was thinking I appreciated that I am very tiny.

Cat Convo

Wm is super excited because he is going over to have an all day play date with his BFF on Thursday instead of going to Clubhouse. If there is one creature who is real happy the play date is elsewhere, it's Schroeder. Because he is the real loser in any Wm play date. Wm and his friends love to carry him around under his cat armpits and "play" with him. Schroeder, the weirdo, doesn't just run away the way you'd expect a cat to. He just sits there looking sullen and takes it (angrily). Then, as soon as the boys leave, he collapses and snores away for hours.

Playdate PTSD

But, my favorite was a conversation Steve had with him…

Schroeder: [bite bite bite]

Steve: SCHROEDER! Stop! Do not bite me! I'm not playing with you! [goes into kitchen]

Schroeder: Meow.

Steve: No.

Schroeder: Mrrrrrrrrow!

Steve: No, Schroeder. I'm not giving you wet food.

Schroeder: MRRRREEEEOOOOWWWW!

Steve: NO! Not after the way you treated me.

I am pretty sure Schroeder totally gets it and is super remorseful about it.

I have discovered I love watching American women kick a little world ass. Steve was happy to have a soccer-watching companion (Wm, as usual, declared it "boring an stupid" and went up to hang out in his room). Steve told me that the US-Japan World Cup game had higher ratings that the Stanley Cup or some other big sporty thing I can't even remember now. BUT, the women's entire team made $2 millions for WINNING THE WORLD CUP. The shitty men's team LOST and got over $50 million for sucking. Even Steve was horrified and he's usually all, "women's sports are stupid…patriarchy...blah blah blah." 

Speed of Summer

So much for a lazy summer! This one seems to be flying by!!

On Thursday, our server at work needed maintenance, so our department chair just told us to enjoy the extra day before the holiday weekend. FOUR DAY WEEKEND! Yaaaay! So my friend Melanie and I did all sorts of fun girlie things. Then on Friday, Wm had a friend over and they ran us ragged. On Saturday, Suzanne came over and we had a cookout and went to see fireworks. Luckily, because I am a super genius, I figured out an amazing place to go and see them. Show up 10 minutes before they start, park your car, put chairs right next to your car, immediately following fireworks, get back into car and drive home. No trouble parking, no traffic, no schlepping chairs for a mile from where you eventually found a spot. I did feel, however, that Steve was not as appreciative of my super genius fireworks plan as he should have been (probably because he kept insisting it wouldn't work - AH HA!)

We also hit up the pool and continued Wm's Water Exposure. Then, yesterday, The Boys went to see Inside Out. Apparently, both of them cried - and they both came home with tummy aches because Daddy buys insane amounts of treats when left unsupervised.

That four day weekend went by in a snap! I am now recovering at work, where nothing is going on because it's summer. Thank god.

OH! And, in other news, Wm's doctor checkup was great. He has skyrocketed from the 3rd percentile in height/weight to the 5th. After waiting 45 minutes to see the doctor, she poked around, looked in all the holes in his head with her tiny flashlight, and declared him healthy and we were out the door. She did ask if she could look at his "boy parts" to make sure all was as it should be and then asked if Wm wanted me to close my eyes. The minute we got into the car, Wm goes, "why was the doctor so weird about my penis?" BOOM. Super healthy body image. Parenting win. (That did necessitate a rather awkward, on my part, talk about predators. Wm was just mostly bored and kept going, "I KNOW.") Going to the doctor is always traumatic for me, though, because Wm insists on touching things. As a germaphobe, I spend the entire time like, "DO NOT TOUCH THAT!" and then going, "OMG - DID YOU JUST TOUCH YOUR EYE??? You may as well lick your finger. You definitely have smallpox now." And basically bathing Wm in hand sanitizer. He appears unscathed from the visit, though. THIS TIME. Probably due solely to my vigilance.