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!