Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Surprisingly, Ayize woke up early, despite yesterday's long, packed day and our late, post-swim bedtime.
And he managed to totally keep it together (as this late afternoon photo attests - LOL) throughout the course of this long, fun day - yet another - in which we ate out three times, hit up three playgrounds, swam and waterslided in the hotel pool, got soaked at a sprayground, and climbed a fence to attend an Ultimate Frisbee game.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. So to return to the morning of the 17th, I was amazed that his lack of sleep had not dampened his mood.
He got right into the swing of coloring and playing at "his" table by the window.
I let him watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while I hopped into the bathroom for a quick shower, and when I came out, he was doing a mean imitation of a sharpshooter.
Guess he's not the biggest Mickey Mouse fan!
Headed downstairs for our complimentary breakfast. Got this little plane with working propellers and lights for a quarter at a garage sale a couple days before the trip, and it has paid for itself in spades.
Flying his plane down the long hallway towards the dining room.
Silly face, mouth stuffed with waffles (we made them ourselves every morning on a neat little machine that he loved), and every page in his "Colors" book slid open. Reminded me of a kid cramming for his college exam.
Heading back to our room, and scoping out our pool as we walked. Gotta love that glass roof!
Tamara arrived at our hotel with the kids, and we started off for a walk around the hotel grounds. First thing we checked out was the hotel's mini-golf range. But we didn't get far before...meltdown!
Tamara had to talk Brianna off the ledge - she was understandably very glum about moving in any direction other than the one that led towards our hotel pool!
But Nathan had no such reservations. Ignorance is bliss!
He was content to suss out our hotel beach and boat dock.
Brianna cheered considerably when she saw the floating boat dock. She and Ayize raced down to have a closer look, Tamara and I hot on their heels.
Tandem skipping.
What was he pointing at, you ask?
A mama duck and her teenage ducklings on the beach - very cute.
And they're off!
Happy dance.
The view from the boat dock.
Happy dance supreme.
Proudly standing up, having used the railing as an aide. Unfortunately, moments after this photo was taken, poor Nathers went crawling onto the boat dock proper, and charted a course that took him right through a sizable mound of duck poop!
Skip to my Lou.
Always attracted to the animals.
Sadly for Nathan, Mom would not allow him to show off his swimming skills!
The Bird Whisperer.
Walking the plank, one-handed.
Love them photo ops.
Contemplation.
Our next destination was nearby Copeland Park, just eight or ten blocks down from the hotel. The park is famous for a huge, retired steam engine that sits on the most prominent corner of the park, at a busy intersection, but kids are only allowed to board it on a few special occasions a year.
Still, the park is situated along a portion of the Mississippi River that houses a marina of floating houseboats - a veritable feast for the eyes. It also has a fun playground and an awesome sprayground. Train inaccessibility was pretty much a moot point, with that much alternative fun available.
When we arrived and parked, Nathan found himself standing beside the car without assistance after one or the other of us moved away as he was leaning on us for support. He had been trying to stand solo with limited success throughout my trip, but this moment seemed like a true turning point, so I'm happy I captured this series on my camera.
There are apparently three steps of learning to stand unassisted.
Step 1: RAGE.
How dare you guys leave me standing here like this?? You know I don't know how to walk yet, and I'm scared to fall down into a sit!
Step 2: unhappy acceptance.
Fiiiiiiine. Just leave me standing here. Waaahh! I won't forget this, mark my words!
Step 3: enlightenment.
Hot damn, I'm doing this thang! Watch out, world!
As Tamara grabbed swim gear out of the car, I turned to look at the houseboats - this one in particular, closest to where we parked, was quite extraordinary because of its sheer amount of stuff on its dock, plus its extravagant amount of no trespassing signs - and when I turned back a moment later...
...Nathan had mysteriously moved from his point of earlier enlightenment, and was still standing sturdily on his own, this time facing the other kids, and making noise about wanting some of Brianna's dry cereal. To this point, he had never managed more than a few unassisted steps, and they always ended in spectacular forward falls, of the kind that only newbie walkers are capable of.
What the ---- ??
The mystery remains to this day.
On the curb bordering the park. Nathan grabbed hold of my leg as he cruised around on the edge of the picnic bench, and shot me this adorable look.
We hit the playground.
Ayize would love to be able to do the monkey bars proficiently on his own. Until then, he's just doing a really good job of faking it til he makes it.
I crossed the bridge!
Climbing from one level of the playground to the next. He was thrilled to see me hiding under the play structure, peek-a-booing him for all I was worth.
Wrong direction, kid!
More climbing attempts.
Ayize's Elvis pout.
More climbing attempts. This one was quite ballsy.
Despite the encouragement being shouted by the big kids, it was a no-go. Nathers stayed firmly rooted to the ground - luckily!
We walked over to the adjacent sprayground. This may be my last shot of Ayize in a swim diaper, as his potty-training was - pun intended - totally in the potty, given the fact that it hadn't been rock solid before our leaving anyway, and with the introduction of travel, and all the changes that entailed, it was at a virtual standstill.
So I panicked, especially after our recent Baby Ruth episode at Erickson Pool (see Day Two travel diary), and not wanting to EVER be the mom of a Baby Ruther, I clad him in a Little Swimmer. And a sun hat. Inexplicably.
(I'd actually forgotten all his water stuff at the hotel, hence his lack of swimsuit - I even had to borrow the swim dipe from Tamara!)
Rainbow!
Tiptoe drink.
Wheeeeeee!
Back to the fountain.
Pretending to be a train.
Meanwhile, Nathan and Brianna were still engaged in the swings we'd encountered on our brief meander from playground to sprayground.
Big sis providing push power!
But after watching Ayize for a few minutes, they were ready to join in the fountain fun.
Tamara dressed Nathan (parallel apparel to Ayize's) but he hung curbside, a little apprehensive about testing the waters.
Sunscreen dabs.
Mom even got a hug during the sunscreening, while Brianna played balance beam.
Sibs venturing forth, gaining courage from one another.
Perhaps my fave photographic series of this trip!
Geared up to take the plunge.
Ayize ran in, hell for broke.
Halfway through the freezing spray tunnel.
Tamara followed suit, to bolster Brianna's confidence that she could survive running this gauntlet.
Running through again. (And again. And again.)
Brianna stood off to the side the entire time, regarding Ayize with a mixture of pity and contempt. High-larious!
And Ayize, Tamara, and I all ended up shivering and soaked, so to her credit, she may have been on to something!
Something is...missing.
=)
Little Pillsbury Dough boy. I just wanted to poke his soft, adorable tummy!
Dancing on the picnic bench as we prepared to leave for lunch.
Meanwhile, Ayize found this bazooka of a tree branch and balanced it on his head...
...before running off, wielding it like a tomahawk, as he shouted war whoops.
Never a dull moment.
We ate at Taco John's, a tasty Taco Bell knockoff near the hotel. Man, did the kids put it away! I had to hit the counter for seconds for Ayize.
Nathan fell asleep in the car as soon as it started driving, so we drove the few blocks back to the hotel. We took the Graco stroller out of my car, dropped the back into reclining position, and transferred Nathan into it, but sadly, he woke up.
So me and the older kids ran up to our room to get suits for me and Ayize, and then the three of us went ahead to the pool to start getting changed and ready. Meanwhile, Tamara took Nathan for a stroll round and round the first floor of the hotel until he crashed out again, at which point she parked him in a shady corner of the pool deck, and joined us for some fun.
The kids hit the small pool first. Brianna immediately entered into some intense negotiations with Ayize - she really wanted Polka Dotty and Stripey, his goofy moving-tail fish. But he was stalwart in his refusal to share them, as they were a special gift from Grandma.
She amped up the bartering, even employing the ol' "flying truck" trick!
Luckily, he relented and tossed Polka Dotty her way, or this Geneva Convention might have gone on for hours!
Soon after that, we moved the the big pool.
Water dance.
Mom can bust an aqua move, too!
Catching a ride from Tamara.
Underwater sea life was quite diverse down here...
Tamara and I got our competitive groove on, in a game of water basketball - HORSE, to be exact.
(I won't be petty and recount my amazing comeback in exhaustive detail here, complete with my obnoxious victory dance, because we are a pair of mature adults, teaching our toddlers by example, that it's not who wins or loses, it's how the game was played.
That being said...I TOTALLY kicked some Byrne butt!!! Though there's no way I'll get so lucky next time around!)
=)
Ayize wanted to get in on the game, too.
He had the grab-the-ball part down pat, but it was the make-a-basket angle that was giving him so much trouble. He was more about grabbing the ball and using it as a flotation device.
The many faces of post-nap Nathers.
Just awake. Sweaty, yet cheerful.
Dazed but happy.
Where am I??
Giggling about some secret joke between him and the floor.
Huh??? Heh heh heh!
Glug!
Tamara and Nathan headed off for a quick change.
Meanwhile, the big kids hit the mini-waterslide, since the big one was closed for the day, much to our disappointment.
Spittin' image of her dad here. Wow!
Hmmm, do ya think someone wanted my attention? LOL
Grinning mugs and jazz hands!
Mama and son.
Sharing with sis.
The next Gerber baby! Somebody call a modeling agency, STAT!
;-)
Not sure what was happening here...!
Loving the big blue whale.
Sun-kissed boy.
Elephant walk out of the pool.
Ayize zoning in the hot tub. He was way into the steamy waterfall feature.
Slippery rocks were not much help!
Big steps.
As good a perch as any, I suppose.
Yay for me! Yay for me!
Ear-to-ear.
I love the way my camera caught this splash in perfect focus. (And the adorable, grinning mug on that baby boy weren't too shabby, neither!)
Nathan kept taking watery tumbles - not that he seemed to mind. But they gave me and Tamara a series of mini cardiac events, to be sure!
Only his pride was hurt!
Zoning in the hot tub. Let's just zoom that in for a closer look...
Oh yeah. Definitely in the zone!
Heaven must be a little like this.
Ayize came over for a quick cuddle with Mom.
Me and my favorite person in the whole wide world!!!
Time to shake a leg. Still so much to do today, and time was flying.
We stopped to use the washroom in the adjacent arcade, and Ayize displayed his usual tendency toward first-person shooter games!
Back in our room, Brianna wanted to tub up first, so Ayize and Nathan delved into the toy backpack while they waited.
Nathan was in boy toy paradise!
After the boys had washed up and changed, Tamara and I set Nathan between us and encouraged him to walk. And he made his best attempt ever!
It was only 4:30, but we'd all worked up a monstrous appetite swimming, and Dan and Tamara had an ultimate Frisbee game at 6, so our next destination was picking up dinner.
We headed to the same Jimmy John's where Ayize and I had stopped on our way into town, and picked up sandwiches and pickles and chips. I also zipped next door to Burracho's and grabbed a big tub of lime-cilantro rice for Ayize - his fave.
Spotted this on my drive, and couldn't help but snap a photo. Oh, Wisconsin! This cartoon, and warehouse name, spoke volumes. I was giggling and giggling.
After grabbing our grub, we next met up at Myrick-Hixon Park, in another parallel from our first afternoon in town.
Dan biked over from work to meet us there too, and we all - three adults and three kids - pigged out at a picnic table surrounded by a shady grove of trees.
After dinner, the kids group-hugged each other on the grass at our feet - very cute moment.
Then Nathan took off his shoes. Shoe removal was a big hit with him for my entire trip there - it just never seemed to grow old!
Tamara headed across the street to play the first few rounds, and Dan and I strolled the short distance from the picnic grounds to the playground.
The old bait shop was back in action...
Then the kids hid from us in this funny little alcove.
Found ya!
And later, Ayize hid in another cool alcove, this one with its own toddler-sized bench. He was quite pleased with his discovery!
London Bridge is falling down...
We left the park and headed to the nearby college playing fields.
Sadly, we misjudged the proper entrance for the game, and the kids were way too blasted to make the long walk around the many connected football fields to the proper side.
So Dan and I heaved three small children, the stroller, and ourselves, up and over a locked, and fairly-high, fence. I'm always up for an adventure, but this one suspiciously resembled a kidnapping endeavor to the casual observer, so I was happy there were no cops afoot.
It would not have looked good!
Safely ensconced on the other side, we headed towards the game.
Apparently, Tamara was the only player NOT suffering from sun blindness! LOL
I'm open!
Watching Mom play from the sidelines. Old hat for this seasoned Frisbee kid!
What are Ayize and Brianna up to over by the football practice area??
Brianna dashed back shortly to report to me, showing her spic-and-span hands as she did, that Ayize was (and she looked me in the eye and shook her head with consterned emphasis and a hint of a smile), "very, very, very messy."
And she was correct!
Gives new meaning to the phrase, "Grease my palm."
Nathan grew bored of sitting so he stretched his legs, and big sis took advantage of the opportunity for a portable chair.
Happy to have clean (er) hands - 10 baby wipes later.
Awwwwww.
Thrilled little man.
These mayfly larvae (??) were awfully attracted to Dan's white t-shirt.
Touchdown, baby!
Game over.
We opted out of another fence climb and took the long way around instead. Nathan was happy to catch a ride because Brianna was exhausted (I think all three kids were - in a good way!) and was not giving up her cushy ride.
Crocs mingling.
Last stop of the day - the kids spotted the playground for the Spence Elementary School near where our cars were parked and got a second (third? fourth? fifth??) wind.
Rock climbing in the dimming of the day.
Balance beam, pre-walking style.
Big climb up the chute.
Hugs from Mom after a near-tumble.
Attempting a super-tired climb up the mushroom (not happy about being thwarted by parental units).
Did better on the double slide.
Especially because big sis was right by his side to help steady him!
Sunset over the playground parking lot.
We hopped into our separate cars and said adieu for the night.
Back at our hotel. Vanna White showcased sunset over the Mississippi (can I get an "s"?) from the vantage point of our mini-golf course.
Oooh whee. A beaut.
Captain Jack's Shack was hopping.
But not for us!
We were too exhausted to do anything but get to our room (we both gamely discussed a pool run, but neither of us could motivate the other - LOL), eat our cold cilantro rice from Borracho's as a bedtime snack, and veg out in front of some random Lifetime? Oxygen?? channel (whatever, we don't have a TV. You get the picture though. Something sappy).
We were in our jammies and under the covers. At some point I noticed he was asleep, and then I realized that I was also hovering at the periphery, so that was all she wrote!
