No Exit

It really was the perfect trip...up to the moment we arrived at the airport and noticed a disturbingly large number of people just sitting on the floor with their luggage. We should have been tipped off when the shuttle driver kept asking us if we checked on our flight, but we had and according to the American Airlines website, our flight was just fine.

Except it wasn't. See, some navigational equipment on one of the mountains was broken and no one had been able to service it for days, so when it was cloudy (like that day), the smaller planes had a hard time taking off. So even though the website was reporting that everything was A-ok, our flight was cancelled, and since a rockslide had closed I-70, we couldn't really leave Aspen except via air. And with the equipment out and it being windy, the probability of that started rapidly diminishing.

While Allen tried to get us on a non-cancelled flight, Nabeel and Megan showed up with their kids for their flight back to San Francisco. It too was cancelled (thought they didn't find out as quickly). This was a bit of an issue, as they were only heading back to SF for 24 hours in order to drop off their ski stuff, pick up their car, make their kids' conferences and then fly to LA for a Pokemon competition. So while the kids played various games on the airport floor, we continued to try and get on a flight that afternoon, and the Hyatts re-booked theirs for a direct flight to LA the next day, (cars, conferences and clothes be damned!), got a hotel for the night and wished us luck.

As our scheduled flight was now less than two hours, we headed through security in order to eat at the lone restaurant in the Aspen airport. Time passes. A single plane landed. And after a few more fits and starts, we boarded the plane, took our seats in the last row, and began to hope that we might actually make it home that evening and could send the kids to school the next day, narrowly avoiding an additional unexcused absence (their fifth) which would in turn trigger a call from the school's social worker and a strongly worded letter informing us of our parenting lapse and threats of Child Protective Services.

But then things started to get weird. The lead flight attendant announced that we were 1400 lbs overweight and so they would begin unloading all checked baggage in order to have it trucked to Denver to be later reunited with their owners (the logistics of which were unclear, given I70's status) and bring all gate-checked bags back into the plane resulting in all open seats having a belted carry-on.

While this was going on, the flight attendant sitting in the jump seat next to us started telling us about the landing of the previous flight -- how it was the worst one of his career, that he couldn't believe they weren't redirected and how passengers were crying throughout -- and that he couldn't believe we were even trying this. Then he started discussing how he'd been sick for a really long time and that he would be retiring soon, thanks to his billionaire brother who, despite not having been much of a sibling throughout their childhood (in which the siblings were orphaned and then adopted together), announced after the attendant's illness that he could stop working and that he'd take care of him. So the brother had set up a trust for him which would allow him to buy a house (either in Aspen or Park City) and retire in two weeks.

Which made our current predicament seem all the more ominous. The captain said we were now just below the maximum weight, and as we were first for take-off, we were going to taxi-over to the runway, but since it was so windy (and it had now started sleeting), we were just going to hang out for a while, waiting for some updates from other airborne flights and look for a window of opportunity.

At this point, pretty much everyone on the plane wanted to abort, but we all sat there tensely and quietly (except for the flight attendant by us who kept talking about the danger of trying this and real-estate cost in ski areas) waiting to hear what the captain thought. After another 10 minutes or so, he announced that the previous plane to leave Aspen was reporting some passengers had been injured due to turbulence at take-off, so since "we've got kids on this flight," he was going to take us back to the gate where we would decide what to do.

So we deplaned and collected our carry-on (which had a better seat than we did) and after they announced we were officially cancelled and we had claimed our luggage at baggage claim, Allen and I worked on getting a hotel for the night and plane tickets for the next day while the kids made prank calls asking people to marry them and go on a honeymoon to Paris on those telephones at the airport that connect you to local vendors. (FYI, not our proudest moment, but I assumed they weren't actually talking to real people and quite frankly, we had lost our "A" game 6 hours earlier).

We couldn't get a room where Nabeel and Megan were staying, so we took a shuttle to the Holiday Inn (and had no cash to tip the driver) and then walked through hail to get dinner, only to retire early back at the hotel (whose radiator heat clanked loudly about every 20 minutes) in order to make a newly re-scheduled 7 am flight the next morning.

So we arrived for day two at the airport at 5:30 am, only to discover that because we'd switched from American to United and then we're trying to switch back to American, the transfer hadn't gone through and so we weren't really booked on the 7 am flight and they couldn't book us using the computer at the desk. So our representative went to a back office for 45 minutes while the rest of our plane checked in and left. It started to look like we were going to be stuck in Aspen for another day, when we finally got our tickets, made it through security and grabbed some pretzels for breakfast.

We were pretty nervous taking off, but the flight to Chicago was surprisingly easy and upon landing at 10:30 am we had plenty of time to grab a relaxing lunch and find our gate before our 3 o'clock flight.

In part, because it became a 4 o'clock flight and then a five o'clock one. It seems the wind we had encountered the previous day in Aspen had headed east and was now impeding most of the flights out of Chicago. Flights were being delayed and cancelled at an alarming rate while disembarking flight crews could be overheard discussing passenger freak-outs. Once we finally thought we'd be allowed to board, they discovered they needed a new lightbulb and we had to wait another half hour.

Finally, around 6 pm we finally left Chicago. After an extra bumpy ride, we arrived in DC, collected our things (eventually... apparently Allen's ski boots took an earlier flight and it took us a while to find them), caught a Uber home, put the kids to bed and had a drink before crashing.

It really was a great trip, but it's probably for the best that this isn't an annual thing.

Snowmass 2016

Our ski trips out West have become quite the family tradition.  This year we joined the Hyatts for another Snowmass adventure.  For the first time, the flight out was smooth, we arrived before the sunset, and none of the kids got sick.  The weather was gorgeous, 40's and 50's most of the week, with one day of snow (4-5") in the middle, and great skiing conditions on all the slopes.  Our condo, Tamarack 34, was right across the street from ski school, probably even more convenient than the condos right on the slopes we've stayed in in the past. We had a lovely Valentines's day lunch at Lynn Britt Cabin, and another amazing dinner at Matsuhisa.  The kids both did great in ski lessons, Owen shot up to level 5 in the 7-9 year old group, and Nora had a great time with her instructor Lollipop and cruised up to level 4 in the 5-6 year old group.  We got to ski with the kids in the afternoons after lessons when they were up for it, and on the last day Owen skied with us the whole time. Our last morning in Aspen, we visited the Ice Age Discovery Center for a fun extra activity between checking out of the condo and catching the shuttle to the airport for our conveniently timed early afternoon departure.  All told, an absolutely wonderful trip :-)



(click here for all the pictures)

41

For my 41st birthday Elaine treated me to an amazing dinner at minibar by José Andrés.  As a fan of molecular gastronomy, I couldn't have asked for a luxuriant feast for all the senses.  Hard to pick a favorite dish from the night, but I might have to go with the Mussel Shells.  They looked just like you would expect, but through the magic of liquid nitrogen you eat the shells and they melt in your mouth with all the flavor of an amazing moules marinières broth. Delicious!

(click here for all the pictures)

Snowzilla - The Blizzard of 2016

The Blizzard of 2016, or Snowzilla as it was dubbed by the Capital Weather Gang, brought nearly two feet of snow to our neighborhood.  One of the biggest snowfalls on record for DC, technically it was a bigger single snowfall than Snowmegeddon back in 2010, but that was followed quickly by a second storm with another foot of snow that gave us a greater amount on the ground.  However you count it, Snowzilla was a blast.  I started digging out the back with a plan to create a big igloo/snow-fort in the back yard, but Owen sliding down the steps gave me a better idea.  With a big pile of snow on the grass, linked to the snow covering the steps, and snow piled up down by the fence, we created an epic mini sledding run in our own back yard.  This was great of course, since we were able to avoid the trek and the crowds at Gallaudete, and the even bigger mess at the Capitol.

The timing of the storm was fortuitous.  The first rumors of a massive storm came the weekend before it hit, while we were up in Pittsburgh.  With all the models agreeing, and plenty of time to prepare for the blizzard, the area was surprised by a dusting of snow on Wednesday night (while we were at swim lessons) completely snarled the evening commute.  Between the epic forecast and the lesson from the surprise dusting, everything was closed well in advance of the blizzards start on Friday afternoon.  Elaine and I had lunch reservations on Friday at The Source, right around the time the snow was supposed to start, and Grandpa kindly watched the kids while we ventured out into the erie calm before the storm for a delicious lunch.  By the time we got home, the snow was really beginning to come down, and it wouldn't stop for another day and a half.  22.5" measured on Owen's deck (only 17" for the official count at National though, the 4th largest storm on record) fell by the time it was all over. It took a while to dig out (Dad and I did plenty of shoveling of the sidewalk and the alley), DCPS and the government was closed Monday and Tuesday, but some of the schools in the suburbs were closed all week and even into the next.  All told, I thought the city did a fine job of dealing with colossal amount of snow given the available resources.

With only six years between two of the biggest blizzards on record for DC, an interesting theory is that climate change, while shortening the snow season for DC and lowering the average amount of snow, actually contributes to more frequent mega blizzards when it is cold enough by warming the water in the ocean and providing more moisture and energy into the blizzard.  With any luck, we'll get another big blizzard before too long for all of us snow lovers :-)

Pittsburgh 2016

It had been too long since we got together with the Mettenburgs, so we decided to take advantage of the three day weekend for a trip up to Pittsburgh.  Originally we were thinking of a ski weekend at 7 Springs, but it was in the 70's around Christmas when we were looking into condos, and we all decided not to risk a ski weekend without any snow.  Instead, we had a lovely visit with a trip to the Science museum, a delicious dinner with just the grown-ups at Morcilla, lots of hide-and-go-seek with Hugh and the kids, and of course plenty of bridge and Catan :-)

(click here for all the pictures)

FoodPrints

It seems like I've been spending a lot of time in Nora's classroom this year, and not so much in Owen's. I attempted to restore equanimity by volunteering for Owen's Foodprints class. Unfortunately, Owen was placed in a different group than I, so the mother-son bonding time didn't happen, but the bean and veggie chili with cornbread did;-)

(To see all the pics from the day, click here)

Pinewood Derby 2016

Owen didn't make it out of the qualifying rounds this year, but he had fun making a cool camo car, and I had fun running the finish line for the Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby this year.

Family Cuddle Selfie

Another family cuddle selfie :-)

Christmas in MD...or was it New Year's

Since we had Christmas in Iowa this year, we delayed Christmas dinner at Mom Mom's until New Year's Eve.  We were planning on opening presents in the afternoon before dinner, but Katherine & Lee were having new carpet installed in their basement, and that process ran long, so we managed to fulfill Katherine's life-long dream of delaying the opening of Christmas presents as long as possible without going into the next year.

After dinner and presents, we went over to Katherine & Lee's to ring in the New Year, and we spent New Year's day lounging around their place, watching bowl games, and breaking in Lee's new kegerator.  That of course resulted in us spending a second night at aunt Katherine & Uncle L's, making sure we rang every last drop out of our celebrations this year.  The kids were thrilled of course, since there was a new puppy to play with (Vhagar, Falcor, Suggsy Suggs, or whatever his name is), and the grownups were all just happy the weekend was long enough for all the fun.  Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

(click here for all the pictures)

Christmas in Iowa 2015

We left a balmy DC on a Wednesday to head to Iowa for Christmas, where the temperatures were moderately lower but the snow no more apparent. But the absence of a white Christmas was more than made up for by the presence of cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles (Uncle Bernie and Uncle Pete even made it by) and the release of Star Wars VII (Nora declined to go and Owen didn't like the ending and tried to warn others as if he had known that ***SPOILER*** he never would have gone).

We only had one full day of the whole crew as Dave and Kara had to head to Chicago to meet up with Kara's sister and parents, but we managed to get in dinner, presents, a couple of rock concerts, a whole lot of pictures (including one of Santa in the act!), pancakes a la Olivia and even got to hang out in the new sunroom Grandma and Grandpa Z finished hours before we all arrived.

Steve, Becky and the kids had to hurry back to Chicago iso that Olivia could perform for half time at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans with the school band. But not to worry, as we still had the Fawcett side of the family to hang out with. Despite a massive ice storm, we braved the backroads (and narrowly avoided a couple of ditches) in order to have a lovely lunch at Ken and Helen's with Grandpa Fawcett, Leanna, Grace and Grant (and Grandpa and Grandma Z).

Then we packed up and headed out the next day (to avoid a second storm on its way) in order to get back for our second Christmas celebration in Maryland.

(To see all the Iowa Christmas pics, click here).

SWS Winter Concert 2015

Mom Mom and Grandpa Don missed Owen's Sinfonia concert due to a baby shower while Katherine, Lee and Grandpa Fawcett missed it in order for Katherine to run a marathon, Lee to run a half one and Grandpa Fawcett to watch. Not to worry, we told them, not only does Owen have a second concert with the newly formed SWS orchestra, and a duet in the new SWS chorus, but Nora would also be performing that holiday classic, "The Crawdad Song" with her classmates at the first annual SWS Winter concert.

The concert was scheduled for 6:00 pm which was a brilliant choice by the SWS administration in order to insure maximum attendance, but a disaster for the SWS administration in terms of adhering to fire codes as the parents, grandparents and other loved ones of 270 students descended into a gymnasium designed for an audience of 300 tops. It was a standing room only situation by the time I arrived at 5:40. By the time Katherine, Lee and John showed up (about 10 minutes after) it was an overflow situation.

But despite the mania, it was a really good, albeit a seasonally odd program. I'm genuinely not sure what the preschool and pre-K kids were singing but the kindergartners performed "Apples and Bananas" and "Little Bunny Foo Foo;" the second graders paid homage to the sixties with "Three Little Birds" and "Yellow Submarine;" the third graders sang "Albuquerque Turkey" and the "Hokey Pokey."

Nora got to show her flair for drama while demonstrating how to properly mourn dying crawdads (she had practice with jellyfish;-).



Owen and the chorus poised such existential meteorological questions as, "Who can see the wind?" and "Why are there so many songs about rainbows?"



And for the grand finale, the entire fourth grade, many of whom had only been playing their instruments for two months, covered "Eek!" and "Twelve Bar Blues."



It was a pretty impressive show, though I think everyone was ready for dinner at Liberty Tree afterwards, where Allen avoided crawdads but did take in a lobster roll.

Sinfonia

Owen's cello playing has come a long ways since his first DCYOP concert.  A solid year of private lessons coupled with additional sectionals now that SWS has its own orchestra means that the pieces Owen now plays are more interesting and the manner in which he (and his fellow orchestra members) plays them is far more enjoyable. Added to that, the audience was encouraged to make noise this year (as opposed to last Spring's accidental contribution), making it a pretty great concert all around.

Toothless

At Nora's dentist appointment in September, Dr. Jackson announced that Nora had some loose teeth with some permanent ones on the move. This was news to us, but as she was clearly of age, we started to make preparations for the big day (ie we found her tooth fairy box and Allen lectured Nora on the beauty of exponential growth to preempt any disappointment for only getting a penny for her first tooth) and waited. And waited. Months passed and still nothing.

Well, not nothing -- Nora's teeth could practically do 360s in her mouth and her permanent tooth appeared to be coming in between the loose ones in question. Finally, after a few failed attempts and Nora's blessing, Allen pulled Nora's first tooth and a delighted Nora got to show off to all her friends.

Now if we could just get the second one out she can proclaim "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!"



Update: The second tooth held out for a long time -- so long that we became a bit worried that it was going to become a problem (it was kind of on its side and seemed to be re-treating into the gum), so after some aggressive loosening from Elaine, Nora pulled the second one on January 4th, by which time, her replacement teeth were pretty much already in.

Botanic Delight

The tree is up, holiday cards are arriving, and it's time for the annual Botanic Gardens Holiday Reception.  Next to free parking with your zoo membership, there's no better deal in DC than a U.S. Botanic Gardens membership to skip the line for the annual train show, and instead attend the preview night with wine & cheese, trains, lights, and the kids having the run of the place for the night.  Katherine & Lee came down, and Jackie was in town, so she and Dad joined us as well.  Of course we also had to sneak in a side trip to the National Christmas Tree in front of the Capitol to boot.  If only the Hawkeyes would have won the Big 10 championship game, it would have been a perfect evening ;-)

Ice Capades

Nora was invited to her friend Milena's birthday-skating party. Initially all the kids were using the equivalent of skating walkers to glide across the ice. After a few passes though, Nora decided to try it on her own. She was a little rocky at first, but by the end, she was doing twirls and even making a new friend.




 (To see all the skating pictures, click here.)

Roosevelt Island

Mommy had to work the day after Thanksgiving, but the kids and I were off, so we decided to go to Roosevelt Island for our adventure.  The kids read all the plaques, and decided to, 'have fun on the way to save the day,' as they thought through how the duty of life relates to protecting the earth.

Then right as we were about to leave, we ran into Adam's brother Colin.  Figuring his family might be looking for him, and Adam might be with them, I called Karen, and sure enough a serendipitous play date on Roosevelt Island was in the cards.  Not a bad way to spend our post-turkey day.

Turkey Day

It was a quiet Thanksgiving here in the DMV with a small gathering at Nancy & Danny's after some NE-SE kickball in the morning. Fortunately, we had Nora to get us in the spirit.

Art!

Nora loves art, Nora loves marshmallows, a photo opportunity too perfect to pass up.  Great picture Mommy!

Happy 10th Birthday Blog!

Hard to believe it, but the blog is now 10 years old!

Hiking into the Sunset

It was a bit too wet in the morning for our usual Veteran's Day Carderock climbing trip, but the afternoon was gorgeous, so we met up with Katherine and Lee for a hike on the Rachel Carson Greenway instead.  Instead of writing a thousand words, just look at the picture, that's all you need to know :-)

If You Build It...

The boys were off doing something on a rainy November day and none of Nora's friends were able to make it for a playdate, so the female line decided to finally make use of one of Nora's birthday presents... and power tools! Nora's construction skills would make Grandpa Fawcett proud, though I questioned some of her artistic decisions. Regardless, we finally have a place for birds to seek refuge in our backyard...once we actually hang it.

Boo!

The weekend before Halloween, we crashed a party at the Congressional Cemetery complete with a well-stocked bar, hayrides and had a preview of things that go bump in the night (or at least give you the heebie-jeebies).

Hallows Eve was demonstrably less terrifying by comparison. Owen's Halloween costume was pretty much decided on his birthday when Aunt Jen and Uncle Ahzer gave him a Storm Trooper helmet which then just required a costume, blaster and some painter's tape to transform Owen into Commander Rex. Nora designed her costume herself, and while it took some effort to make her vision a reality, we made it work. And while we lacked both the vision and commitment of the Browns, we still managed to have a fun family Halloween.

Me and You

She's working on a whole album now...

I want to be friends with you
I hope we'll make it the whole way through
Everything is going to be alright
We're going to have a great night 

I hope you respond to this request
Because that would be the best
So I talk to you, and you talk to me
What great friends we'll be! 

What does find your heart mean?

The best part is her explanation of what the song means :-)

What does find your heart mean?
What does find your heart stand for?
Does find your heart mean you found me?
Does find your heart mean you found your heart?
Because you found your heart pumping
What does find your heart mean?
I'm not so sure about this
This poetry is getting weird
I'm not so sure what this is
Oh Oh
I'm not sure about this
Oh Oh
I'm not so sure what this is
Oh Oh
I'm not sure about this
You found your heart
What does it mean?
Found your heart means you found your love

Sense & No Sense

The latest hit single from our songwriting sensation!

One way some things don't make sense
But another way they make so much sense
Check out these goggles when I have the lens down
It doesn't make much sense
But when I have the lens up it makes much more sense
Flaps down, doesn't make sense
Flaps up, makes sense 

One way some things don't make sense
But another way they do
Check out this block with these blocks down
It doesn't make much sense as nature
But when you put the blocks to the side
It makes much more sense as nature
Blocks down, doesn't make sense
Blocks to the side, makes sense

Color Song

Nora has been busy writing songs this year.  One of her favorite compositions is her 'Color Song':

Blue and purple might go together
But pink and turquoise look quite better
Green and yellow look like weather
White and grey you might need a sweater

Here she is sharing it with her class :-)

Go West!

Uncle Dave and Aunt Kara moved to Colorado Springs last August, so we gave them a full year to acclimate before we descended upon them. The kids were initially confused that we were going to Colorado but not going skiing, but Dave and Kara proved that there are lots of other fun things to do in the Centennial State besides plummet down the a snowy hill.

We arrived Thursday night, immediately crashed and then awoke Friday morning to a huge breakfast courtesy of Kara. We then headed out to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, where feeding of the animals is actively encouraged (provided you purchase said food from their convenient placed kiosks). Everyone got into feeding the giraffes -- a few of the giraffes almost got too into it -- but Nora was the only one that really embraced sharing a meal with the peacocks. Fortunately, none of the animals reciprocated.

In addition to all the exhibits (and I'm pretty sure we hit them all except for the elephants), the zoo also has a ski lift with a climbing wall and playground at the top. The kids got to ride with Uncle Dave and Aunt Kara while Allen and I got a few moments of alone time.

Saturday, we headed out to "The Castle" and Kara's favorite hot dog joint, Johnny B's Taste of Chicago, before meeting up with one of Allen's high school friend, Paul, and his kids at Garden of the Gods. Once we made it past the initial entrance, we were a little sad we hadn't brought any of our climbing gear (though as Allen pointed out, he wouldn't really trust any of us to belay him), as the formations and the views are pretty amazing. Still the kids had a great time bouldering and while we discovered how terrifying playing "hide and go seek" can be in a 1,364 acre canyon, everyone made it out alive and in time for dinner with Caitlin (Nora's Godmother) and Paxton.

Caitlin was offered a job at the Aurora History Museum about a year before Dave and Kara moved to the Springs (and about 20 months before our cousin Brandon and his wife moved to Aurora as well -- apparently, all the cool kids are doing it), so they were kind enough to drive up for the night. Kara had skipped our convening with the Gods in order to whip up a huge spread (homemade baguettes, soup, hamburgers, salad, hand pies, cookies...), so we were able to just relax, catch up and hear all about their life at 5000 feet above sea level.

Sunday morning, Uncle Dave got up early for a donut run (including a cotton candy one for Nora -- her Godfather hooked her up nicely), before we headed to the airport to drop Kara off (she was flying to Chicago for her dad's 75th birthday), drop off the rental car and the had lunch with Dave before he headed back to Colorado Springs and we retired to our hotel room in order to wake up for our 7 am flight the next day.

It was too short of a visit, but I have a feeling we'll be back before too long...

(To see all the pics, please click here.)

Help Us Save the Planet People!

The original plan when we had kids was for us to attend mass once a month as a family, meeting once a month as a family, and that the kids and I would pray for Allen in the off weeks. Contrary to the lessons you learned from "The A-Team," sometimes a plan doesn't come together, and so for the first nine years of our parenting, the meeting part never happened.

I've been struggling with the mass part of late, however. DC is a pretty conservative diocese and has been flexing its political muscles on a series of issues that don't really reflect the values Allen and I want to impart on our kids. I thought after Pope Francis was inaugurated, maybe things would improve, and while I think on some level they have, his message of acceptance hasn't really been embraced by the kids' Sunday School coordinator.

So after a particularly frustrating Sunday morning in which the coordinator stated that, "science comes and goes, but God is forever" and informed us that I was expected to take a seminar on "Parenting for Purity" (I attended, but declined the helpful brochures and free CDs), I contacted Owen's friend Gabriel's mom, Megan, who attends the Friends Meeting of Washington and arranged to meet up with them on Sunday.

I don't believe that God takes sides in religions, but if I did, I would have to say that God was clearly favoring the Quakers this past Sunday. While Allen grew up with "First Day School" taking place after a lengthy period of silent worship in the meeting house, The Washington Friends start with it. The kids were handed snacks, allowed to draw and Nora even got to blow out a candle before being informed that the day's topic would be global warming: how does it impact the earth, and what we wanted the United Nations' 21st Session of the Conference of Parties to do about it when they meet in Paris this December. And also that the kids would be making a video describing their concerns that would be then sent to Paris.

Allen, who is rarely moved by the spirit, volunteered to lead the discussion and film one of the videos. Owen and Nora embraced Gabriel's suggestion that they focus on the impact on animals. Owen started drawing animals that are endangered (such as the Tasmanian tiger) while Nora focused on those long since departed (a t-rex complete with volcano). Owen and Gabriel then took turns narrating the video, culminating with an exasperated Nora shouting, "Help us save the planet, please! I'm begging you!" Then after 45 minutes of this, we joined silent worship for 5-10 minutes after which the kids stood up and explained to the meeting what they had done and what they were trying to convey in their videos.

Then they ate cookies and played outside.

Nora is ready to convert. Owen thinks we should split our time. Allen is being characteristically silent on the subject. We're clearly going back to meeting, but we'll still split our time going to mass and Sunday school as well. At least for now.

Marsden Tract

This weekend was the first Cub Scouts camping trip of the Fall.  The whole pack camped out at Marsden Tract, along the Billy Goat Trail between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River.  Owen and the other new Webelos got to go with the older Webelos down to the river in the morning to see the secret Webelos spot, a secret den along the Potomac, that looked like it would be the perfect place to hide from the passing Ring Wraith.

Rock On

Nora got her own personal rock-climbing harness for Christmas this year, but we hadn't had a chance to use it. We'd planned to inaugurate it over Memorial Day weekend, but then she broke her arm. Nora bailed on a second trip due to the heat and requisite hiking. We were finally set to go over Labor Day, but things started looking grim when she slammed her thumb in the door at the doctors office. However, after some cauterizing and an x-ray, she eventually got the all clear.

We'd asked Andrew & Luke, Owen & Allen's regular climbing buddies to join us, as well as Owen's friend Leo, who'd been out of town for Owen's party, and his family, to join us at Carderock. Leo, was pretty nervous, but finally tried it after Owen lured him with a promise a Captain Rex helmet. Jonah did a little better and Micah managed to out-climb both his sons, though they were a bit too distracted to bear witness to his accomplishment.

Owen kissed the 'biener on his first climb and made it almost to the top of the second, but the real story of the day was Nora, who stopped a bit early in her climbing (she totally could have made it farther up), but bouldered like a champion and proclaimed that she would totally be up for another outing. Assuming she's in one piece.

(To see all the pics, click here.)

Party a Go-Go

Nora's sixth birthday was not without incident. After having cupcakes with her new classmates, we headed off to the traditional birthday physical where after waiting a half hour to see her doctor, Nora opened the exam room door to peak out and then promptly slammed the door on her thumb. There were a lot of tears. There was a surprising absence of immediate medical care (there is also likely a physician change in our future). And there was one very ugly looking thumb nail.

The next morning Allen took Nora back to Kaiser for a trephination to relieve the pressure (or as Nora explained to her classmates, "They set my fingernail on fire and then blood squirted everywhere!") and took an x-ray to determine if her thumb was broken. The film was inconclusive, so they put her in a splint and scheduled an appointment with an orthopedist, warning us that she may need to be in a cast to immobilize said thumb.

To be honest, this is how our luck has been going lately, so I fully expected Nora to celebrate her sixth without opposable thumbs and possibly requiring me to spoon feed her cake. Imagine my delight when the call came at 5 pm Friday night that she was in the clear.

And so, on Saturday afternoon, eight little girls (and most of their parents) came to our house to play games with Mr. Justin from Labrynith (though the majority mostly played dress-up in Nora's room and tried to terrorize Owen), eat cupcakes that were way too rich, and then run around on the playground. It was kind of a perfect way to end our birthday season and most importantly, no one got hurt.


(To see all the birthday pictures, click here.)

Six!

To be honest, I've been known to underestimate Nora. Sometimes, when I see her collapse into a heap of giggles while wearing a superhero mask, princess crown and the arm covers of her booster seat as slippers, I forget what a strong and fierce little girl she is. But this year Nora broke her arm and still managed to camp in a cast and dance in a sling. She went parasailing despite having pneumonia. Nora faced down bullies who questioned her right to wear disney princess attire. She skied a blue (well, part of one). She swam with her head in the water. She even ate calamari.

All of which is to say that Nora is sweet and silly and smart and funny and artistic and inquisitive and creative, as well as tough and very, very brave and we love her so, so much. Happy birthday, baby girl, now go and conquer the world!

1. Not everyone lives in fear that their face will freeze that way.
2. Fungus is not an acceptable food group.
3. The sun will come out, tomorrow.
4. Roald Dahl books should be thoroughly vetted before being included in ones bedtime routine.
5. Sure, sticks and stones may break your bones, but bicycles are the unsung menace.
6. "Do you even know me at all???"
7. 67P is a lot easier to say than Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
8. Some days you just have to channel your inner leopard princess of bling.
9. Never forget the cuckoo blah blahs of cuckooness.
10. And in the words of Nora herself, "Be happy. Be you."

And Another...

The birthday celebrations continue, this time with a duel family party for the kids at Aunt Katherine's with cake by Mom Mom.

Back to School

For the first time since Nora was a baby in daycare, the kids are at the same school (in first and fourth grade)! A block from our house! And it's free! We're officially living the dream.

Party On

Owen's birthday extravaganza almost didn't happen this year. To be honest, its a struggle every year to make the magic happen as invariably: we get back from Iowa mid-August, Owen has his birthday the following week, we have Owen's birthday party that weekend, school starts two to three days later. We then have a joint birthday party for the kids with family, Nora has her birthday, Labor Day is in there somewhere, we have Nora's birthday party, and then we're well into September when baseball, orchestra, dance, soccer, swimming and all other activities take over. As you can see, we have very little wiggle room in our calendar and have not let little things like tornados (Nora's 3rd birthday) or a thunderstorms (Owen's 8th) interfere with our meticulously planned fun agenda.

But the week of Owen's birthday, he came home from camp with a fever and migraine, and ended up going to the ER for another croup episode early the next morning. We kept him home Tuesday and Wednesday, flirted with the idea of sending him to camp on Thursday (his birthday), but by then a bad cough had emerged (making us fear another pneumonia victim though Children's swore on Tuesday that it wasn't that) and another headache and late day fever (as well as loss of appetite) sealed the deal.

But what to do about his birthday? We had 10 or so kids scheduled to spend 3+ hours at out house and no viable weekends to re-schedule until mid-September or later, and by then we'd be in full activities mode. Also, aside from the cough, Owen was healthy most of the day -- he just tended to get a fever and headache late in the afternoon. I didn't want to cancel because Owen had already missed all the fun of camp but I didn't want to get anyone else sick or have Owen pass-out mid-way through.

I conducted a Facebook poll asking how late one could cancel a party and the overwhelming consensus was to cancel it now. And while they were all very convincing, we ultimately decided to screw it, gave Owen some advil a half hour before his guests showed up and hoped for the best.

It went pretty well. The kids all had fun playing baseball and going to the arcade. I think Owen was feeling spent on the walk home and would have been happy to skip the pizza and ice cream in favor of a nap, but he really enjoyed hanging out with his friends before school started and he loved the presents they gave him.

Plus I got to cross one more thing off my to-do list.



To see all the party pics (including some from the drone) click here.

Niner

Eight was a big year for Owen, full of ups and downs.  He changed schools, made some great new friends, and learned that sometimes being a baseball fan means staying up past midnight, even if you're tired and cold, just to see your team lose a playoff game in 18 innings (also that some seasons, being a baseball fan can be rough). Eight meant independence and walking to school by himself (while we observed him the whole way from our landing). It meant learning to play on the cello both the theme from Mahler's first symphony and Ok Go's "The Writings on the Wall." Eight meant demonstrating proper climbing technique to the uninitiated, pitching an inning in AAA ball (little league AAA, mind you), skiing with poles and becoming a Bear (metaphorically via Cub Scouts). It also meant a few more hospital trips than we'd hoped. Eight meant a lot to Owen and a lot to us -- seeing him grow up, expanding his interests and demanding more independence, was pretty amazing. And given that nine is Owen's favorite number, next year should be huge... and hopefully a lot healthier. Happy birthday, little man. We love you so, so much.

1. Creepers gonna creep.
2. Make new friends, but keep the old.
3. Form. It all comes down to form.
4. "[McDonald's] food is bad and they know it. That's why they have to give you a toy."
5. It's good to be a level 7 Elf Wizard with a Pointy Hat of Power and a Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment when you're fighting a Large Angry Chicken.
6. "Asking questions gives you a reason to read more."
7. If they build it, we will come.
8. Zip-lining away
9. Third time isn't so charming when it involves ambulances.
10. Faster. Higher. Stronger.

Be Happy, Be You

Nora decided to have a talent show with all her stuffed animals, but she was worried that they would be nervous.  So she prepared a speech to give them so that they would be nervous, "Be happy, be you." :-)

SWS Meet-Up

The day after we returned from Iowa was the annual Scouts Night out at the Ballpark. Last year we enthusiastically participated and had a great night at the Potomac Nationals park, but after three weeks of travelling - much of which with a sick child -- we just weren't up for camping with 100+ other families.

Fortunately, SWS allowed to bow out by organizing a back-to-school picnic at Yards Park. We all had a great time: Owen was able to hang with several of his buddies; Nora made a new friend, Matilda, who's going to be in her class this year; and Allen and I had a lovely dinner while chatting with some of the other parents.

And we all got to sleep in our own beds.

The Friendly Confines

My love for baseball started when I was around Owen's age, listening to the Cubs on the radio, and each summer we would take a trip with the Centerdale Women's Club on a bus to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game.  Now it's finally Owen's turn to take in a game at the Friendly Confines.  We left Iowa a little early to visit Steven & Becky, and drive into town for a Cubs game.  Owen was thrilled of course to add another major league ballpark to his list, and the Cubs didn't disappoint, they hit 5 home runs, and beat the Brewers 9-2 for their 7th straight win.  The Nats may be having a disappointing season, but maybe the Cubbies will squeeze into the playoffs for a little October magic this year.

Iowa 2015

Our trip to Iowa didn't begin so auspiciously -- we literally drove from the condo in Duck to a CVS Minute Clinic in the outer reaches of the Outer Banks to see if we could figure out what was wrong with Nora, only to discover that despite its website, the place didn't open for more than an hour. We decided that Nora would be fine hanging out in the car watching movies until we reached Richmond, VA where the clinic was both open and welcoming. Unfortunately, they weren't much help in diagnosing Nora, so after picking up a different flavored Children's Tylenol (that she still refused to take), we headed to Charleston, WV where we stayed for the night, while Nora' temp hovered around 104 range and her emerging cough drove Owen from the comfy bed that they were to share to the couch in the suite. We high tailed it out the next morning, drove to Iowa and upon arrival quickly dropped a 104.7 degree Nora on the Grandma and Grandpa Z's couch while we attempted to find a local pediatrician to see her. They wouldn't, so we muddled through the night and then Allen took her to an Iowa City Urgent Care clinic Tuesday where they proclaimed that she had croup (she didn't), gave her a steroid shot (it didn't help) and sent her home. By Thursday, her temp hadn't improved, her cough had worsened and she'd lost 4-5 pounds so I took her to a Mercy Urgent Care where they drew some blood (in the most painful manner possible), took an x-ray of her lungs, diagnosed her with pneumonia and prescribed some antibiotics. That coupled with an alternative method of taking acetaminophen, resulted in Nora finally being on the mend (and her completely sleeping through Uncle Bernie's and Aunt Ellen & John's visit.



But while Nora and I spent the first few days of our trip relegated to cuddling on the couch (plus some tea parties, crafts and baking with Grandma Z), the boys had things to do and places to go: namely the pond to supervise the last stages of dock and high-dive renovation project. Allen went for a search and recovery dive to reclaim a lost board while Owen tested out the new ladder and making instructional dive videos.



By Friday, Nora was able to spend a little time at the pond for the pre-Hooverfest fete with the Hoovers (and more importantly, Grace and Cousin Blaine). Saturday we actually all got to partake in some of the festival itself, though the boys had to represent alone at the pond (too exhausting) and the fireworks (too late).



By Sunday, Nora was really starting to get her groove back, which was convenient as that was when her cousins arrived. Owen and Nora had a blast at the pond with their cousins, Olivia, Maura, Sam and Erin. Grandpa Z set a new record for the new high dive, Maura, Olivia and Sam tried it out, and there was an impressive amount of kayaking, paddle-boarding, and general merriment. Monday we road-tripped to Dyersville to see the "Field of Dreams" followed by some more pond time and a few rounds of hide and seek (FYI: Uncle Allen is a very good seeker).



Tuesday, the cousins headed back to Chicago, Nora and Grace had an extended playdate as did Allen and Owen at the pond followed by us finally taking Grandma and Grandpa Z out for a belated anniversary dinner which we postponed due to Nora's self-imposed quarantine (and because Nora wanted to pay and she only got around to printing her own money and credit card that morning). Wednesday, we had a last day at the pond while Allen and Grandpa Fawcett went with Ken and Kent to see a man about a bridge...

And then we left for Chicago.

(To see all the Iowa pics, click here.)

No, it's Iowa

”Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.” - Terence Man, Field of Dreams.

Field of Dreams has been one of Owen's favorite movies since he watched it on a drive out to Iowa three years ago.  How could it not be, when it combines two of Owen's favorite things, baseball and Iowa?  Well, this year we finally made the pilgrimage to Dyersville with all the Zimmerman cousins to see the actual Field of Dreams. When we arrived there was even an actual actor from the movie dressed up as Shoeless Joe pitching to some kids (courtesy of the Make a Wish Foundation it turns out, not a regular feature of the site). The kids got to field balls and shag flies for a while, then Steve and I pitched for a while, so they could have their turn at the plate.  The clouds were starting to roll in, so we made a quick trip to check out what was really in that corn field, but then the skies opened up, and we rushed back to the cars and then home in the rain.  Heaven?  I could have sworn this was Iowa.

OBX 2015

This was a year for a beach trip with Mom & Don and Katherine & Lee to Duck.  There's something nice about the familiarity of Barrier Island Station, the kids love the giant pool, and the snack shack is always a hit.  After last year's Hurricane shortened trip, we couldn't have asked for better weather at the beach this year.  The temperatures were never above the low 80's, and for the first half of the week the Ocean water was warmer than I can ever remember.



We had a few new adventures in store for this year's trip.  Last year Owen and I went hang gliding off the dunes at Jockey's Ridge (well Owen went hang gliding, and I went scooting along a foot off the ground while attached to a hang glider ;-), and Owen was set on another adventure this year, so we decided to go parasailing.  Wednesday morning Katherine & Lee, Owen & Elaine, and Nora & I all took turns being harnessed to a giant parachute and towed behind a boat on the sound.  Katherine & Lee had parasailed once before in Mexico, and were thoroughly impressed with the spectacular safety measures here in the States (e.g. not crossing the lines between two parasailing tow boats and dropping people out of the sky).  Owen was of course thrilled to give parasailing a try, though I suspect Elaine could have dealt with not hearing all of Katherine & Lee's stories beforehand.  Nora declared herself 'scared-cited', but once we were up she thought it was just like a peaceful swing with a view, and couldn't stop smiling.



The other fun new toy for this trip was my GoPro.  After giving it a full workout on our ski trip last winter, it was time to try it out in the waves.  We took some fun bodyboarding videos, but the coolest shots really came from the way it could freeze the churn of the surf in mid-air and the smiles in full grin :-)  Not to mention the fun parasailing selfies!



Katherine and Lee of course brought lots of games, and even signed us all up for a corn hole tournament.  Elaine & I won our first round match, but fell to the ringers brought in at the last minute to balance the bracket.  Katherine & Lee made it all the way to the finals, but fell to the same team that beat us in the second round.  We'll get em' next time.  The trip wasn't all fun and games though.  After our parasailing adventure Wednesday morning, Nora started feeling really tired, and by that night she was running a high fever that would last for the next 10 days, through the rest of the beach trip and all the way to Iowa, but that's a story for the next blog post...

(click here for all the pictures)