Fridays are for fun!

Finally, a Friday where I could take a few hours off in the afternoon after a long week. We made the most of it by going to the Children’s Museum where Daddy usually takes her.

She had a blast playing in the splash room-and splash she did!

Mommy also took her to the digging pit-where she dug

played with the dump truck

Then, we went over and played in the “Clifford, the Big Red Dog” exhibit. She loved it! Clifford is BIG

 

Or Little S is small.

She was getting pretty tired as we try and transition to one nap a day. Sometimes. So, we didn’t spend a bunch more time in there and I didn’t get a lot more pics. We’ll send Big S with that mission for next week,

And, in a final fun Friday moment, it didn’t really get captured on film very well, but the very tolerant dog was standing by as Little S tried to dress up furry S for Halloween

 

With cat ears. Oh the indignity!

A much more enjoyable day than the normal Friday stress of working and chasing Little S. Every moment shared with her is a great day.

Little Stinker

Someone has taught herself to climb out of her crib. Well before we were prepared to put her in a big girl bed. This started at nap time last week. Giving me a good opportunity to practice my poker face the first time it happened. I heard some clamoring around and about the time I figured out what it was and went to her room, there she was coming out the door saying “HI”!  Biting my lip, I put her back to bed-where she thankfully stayed and then I could go out to the other room and finally laugh.

It’s appropriate then, that this was her costume for her second annual Moreland Monster March parade

 

Costumed kids (and some Mommies & Daddies in costume too) for many, many blocks

She even acted as the kind of skunk most of us are used to seeing

Thanks to sis Dawn for getting the costume to us in time for the parade. And to Grandma W. for making it many years ago and remembering to ask Dawn about it. Little S was a hit.

Pumpkin Patch with Little S & Big S

The S’ seized on a dry day to make their second annual pumpkin patch extravaganza. Due to some technical difficulties, they got to visit three different pumpkin patches in search of the Great Pumpkin. The best part is that the new and improved pumpkin patch also had animals!

And then on to the pumpkins. As far as the eye could see

Where Little S found her perfect pumpkin

The wagon ride was more exciting than picking the pumpkins. 

or maybe it was relaxing

 

It will still be a few years until she’s carving it, but Dad looks forward to this new yearly tradition.

Home again, Home again, jiggity jig

A few final photos from the Dairy state.

We had to get a Wisconsin worthy winter coat while we were there. There won’t be many days when we need this out here.

Yes, it’s white. It was cheap and it’s washable. And really big still. Mostly, it’s just cute.

Little S also got some banjo lessons from one of my old High School pals-Steak.

All good things must come to an end and this was no exception. We boarded a plane and even managed to convince Little S to sleep for about an hour on the way home. One out of 12 ain’t bad.

After a few days of reacclimating, we jumped right back in to some Northwest activities with a hike. We went to Wahclella falls and saw…some waterfalls.

 

Some nice fall Gorge scenery

 

AND, we got WET! Some thunder, lightning and POURING rain. We made amazing time on the way back as we avoided rocks falling from the first really big rain of the fall freeing everything. The wet dogs and wet gear

The wet baby, bundled up post-hike. She never complained despite being pretty thoroughly soaked.

 

Then, we went up to a little community apple festival in Odell, OR on the slopes of Mt. Hood. It’s apple and pear harvest time and we got probably 50 pounds of apples-many of which I’ll make into Little S’ favorite breakfast food of applesauce. Even though it was a rainy day, we couldn’t resist the fresh made waffle cones and had to get an ice cream home. I knew Little S liked ice cream, but next time I’ll need two cones. She took my cone and wouldn’t give it back. She’d let me eat some, but there was no prying it out of her hands!

 

A rather messy venture and another sign of just how big and independent she’s getting.

 

Before I know it she’ll be asking demanding ice cream instead of just wrestling it out of my hands.

When in Wisconsin

Why not run a 5K? (No Little S content here. Just me)

Figuring it might be fun to do a little out of state race, I found one that fit the schedule. There was a University of Wisconsin Homecoming Week 5K Charity run. $20 to run and included a t-shirt AND a tailgate style ending with brats. Heck, why not?

For starters, it was COLD! Probably 34 degrees, and by the water, probably a lower wind chill than that. I don’t know the area at all, but come Sunday morning, I found my way down there. It was a little nerve wracking to have so many college kids running too. But, it was also geared towards alumni, so I saw a few walkers and I knew I wouldn’t be DFLast.

Somehow, they managed to find the ONLY hill in Wisconsin to start the race by having us run up. I quickly discovered that college student does not = fit.  Feeling good and able to feel 7 out of 10 of my fingers, I enjoyed a great run. Got a tour of part of the campus, including silos and the stock barn, followed by the poultry research barn (it IS the midwest). Then, the course ran along Lake Mendota. I was worried the course was going to end with having to run back up the big hill. but, there was only a slight downhill to the finish line that kept it from being flat. And with a college student that I had been trading places back and forth with inspiring me, I was able to find another gear and finish strong. And, then stand in line for the race T-shirt

Only to find out they didn’t have enough for everyone, so I’ll have to figure out how to get one when they tell me they’re in. Oh well, it gave me a chance to stand in another line

to await my delicious Johnsonville brat, hot off the grill. It was surprisingly tasty on a cold day after a race.

Race scenery (the lake in the background. I didn’t take the camera on the run with me)

Bucky Badger, the UW mascot. Inflatable edition.

A fun little vacation adventure and probably the coldest 5K I’ve ever run! It’s probably more of the UW campus than I would have ever seen otherwise. Definitely worth it, even without the shirt.

Meeting Great Grandma & Poppy

Visiting my parents gets us within a 1/2 day’s drive of my grandparents and my Aunt and her family. This was a long enough trip to include a couple of days for travelling to central/Southern Illinois so Little S could meet her great grandparents.

If you haven’t travelled south through Illinois before, I have one word for you, Corn. The view around my grandparents house is pretty much what you see EVERYWHERE as you drive through the central part of the state. This is the view out their front yard

.

The side yard

 

And, the other side and the backyard

What’s a girl who’s mom has midwestern roots to do when surrounded by corn? Make herself right at home!

 

She was drawn again and again to the fields of corn.

And boy, did she love it!

She would have stayed there all day if we had let her.

We were finally able to drag her out of there and teach her the skills she would need to have her own plot of corn someday

That was only part of the adventure. She also got to meet lots of relatives. She fell in love with my cousin and really wanted to play with his because he was a bigger kid-she idolizes bigger kids. He was great with her. Lots of kids would have been annoyed with this little toddler following him around, but he was great.

She discovered how to ride in style with Poppy-her great grandfather.

It was really hard to tell who was more delighted about this discovery

She took right to my Aunt Jane and Grandma J.  

We were so fortunate to have four generations of women able to be together for a day filled with love.

Family adventure to Sconnie*

Little S, Big S and I all set out on a big jet plane again to visit the Grandparents in the vast open spaces of the Midwest.

Despite the 6+ hours of travelling, Little S was GREAT. Thanks to a DVD player and flight attendants willing to indulge her with tickles and “HI” over and over. Once we arrived and she had a chance to check out the joint the next morning, she quickly made a new friend

with a giant stuffed bear. And my parents’ dog

Yes, she is wearing her grandmother’s shoes and yes, she is going after a toy that was given to her stolen by said dog.

Madison has a great FREE zoo that we went to. Little S saw lions

tigers

(yes, bears too. But only one)

She met an alligator turtle

 

and pinguinos (penguins in Spanish)

She met a whole host of other animals too, but perhaps the ones that had the biggest impact on her that we didn’t get a picture of were the goats. They were waiting to be fed, so they were loud. After hearing them for a while, we kept walking and then she burst out with the loudest, gruffest “BAAAAAAA”. It’s definitely one of her most fun sounds of all of the animals she makes.

She’s learning tons of new words on this trip and getting to play on different playgrounds. She seems completely impervious to the fact that it’s COLD here and she’s started drinking milk. I guess she’s a Wisconsin girl at heart!

*Shorthand/nickname for Wisconsin as said by the locals.

What really matters

Nothing about me. Just the good stuff and bodily functions.

Sofia took the new van for a drive this week. She also is using the potty. Just for fun, we put her on her potty seat before her bath and much to our surprise, she used it! Since then, she uses it almost every time we put her on it, even taking a poop this morning. (One less diaper to wash-hooray!)  I’m not even close to thinking it’s time to retire the diapers yet, but at least she’s familiar with what’s supposed to happen when she’s there.

Our walking, dancing girl found a new favorite trick/dance move this week

With her around, there is always much to celebrate.