Weekend in the sun
It’s really really really warm here. Might even break some records. This weather has now fallen into the “I’m Pacific Northwest born and bred and can’t stand heat over 80 degrees” category.
BUT we had a fabulous weekend. First of all, the 2000 Honda Odyssey is ours! I’m calling it the “Shuttlecraft Odyssey” because it sounds so Star Trek-like and cool. Shut up, Oddball, I can hear what you’re saying right now. The Odyssey is great. It’s going to take some getting used to, size-wise, but the handling is marvelous and the ride is great. It is so much more spacious than what I’m used to, and the kids really seem to enjoy it.
We broke in the Odyssey by taking it to Whidbey Island on Saturday for a day trip to Fort Casey. (Some pictures from the trip are in the Photo Gallery.) In real life, Doc is not only the father of the Brain and Head, he is also a professor at a local university, which just happens to own some of the old officers’ houses at Fort/Camp Casey. For a comparatively small fee, faculty are allowed to rent space at the houses. Friend, Doc, the boys and Friend’s immediate family had all been there during the week, but we couldn’t get away until Saturday. Some of Friend’s family was still there, who we know pretty well (especially Friend’s parents – long story for another day), and the weather was just perfect. So we lathered up the kids with sunscreen and took them to the pool.
The Munchkin was initially enthusiastic about going swimming. She loves the water, but once we were in the pool, she was really apprehensive. The camp has two pools – a 3 foot deep one, and a typical pool that goes from 3 to 7 feet deep. We were in the 3 foot one, but the Munchkin could not stand alone in the pool – she is exactly 3 feet tall. This meant that either the Webmaster or I had to “help” her swim and stay afloat. For an independent-minded little girl, this was very unnerving. She wanted out after about 5 minutes, and it took a great deal of coaxing (and some special Daddy support and “swim lesson”) to get her back in.
Baby Boy, on the other hand, was a total water baby. HE LOVED IT. Since he’s so little and used to being carried, the depth of the pool had no meaning for him. He weighed next to nothing in the water, so while the Webmaster focused on the Munchkin, I was walking across the pool, skimming Baby Boy along the surface and giving him the sensation of swimming. He would have stayed in for a lot longer, but it was late in the afternoon and a breeze was coming off Admiralty Inlet, making all seven of his teeth chatter when he wasn’t neck-high in the warm pool. So I walked back to the house and gave him a quick bath in the kitchen sink, and once he was done, Friend’s mother got him dried off and dressed while I bathed the Munchkin and got her squared away.
The Webmaster and I took the kids for a short walk before dinner, and Friend has not yet forgiven me for what I made her do after dinner. The Webmaster, Doc, Friend’s father, sister, and brother-in-law all went up to Ebey’s Landing to walk a trail, and she and I took all four kids over to see one of the many bunkers around the fort. And when I say “took”, I mean “dragged over a very large field with a soccer camp in progress and tried to keep the kids from kicking the chalk lines in the grass and getting chalk all over their shoes to see a concrete bunker that the kids didn’t care about.” I think Friend would agree with that description. The best part for the Munchkin was seeing a group of wild bunnies frolic around near the bunker. However, she wanted to pet them, and no wild bunny in their right mind is going to sit still for a 2 and a half year old to pet it. “Bunny, come back!” she cried after them as they hopped away. It was pathetic. Ever the drama queen, she sat down in the grass, heartbroken, and covered her face with her hands. When the Brain and Head went over to her and tried to sit down with her, she got up and moved about 10 feet away from them before sitting down and covering her face with her hands again. This pity party was private, apparently.
We left Friend and Doc and company around 9 pm, with the kids in pajamas. They were fast asleep before we got to the ferry dock, and barely awoke when we put them into their own beds an hour and a half later. Yeah, we wore ’em out good.
Sunday, we celebrated baby Jav with a party and barbeque at Scrap Mom and Gaming Dad’s new house. Jav is almost 3 weeks old, and still has this blond wispy hair and big eyes. He’s not quite back up to his birth weight yet, but he’s on his way up and is oh-so-very-cute. He’s got his maternal grandpa’s nose. The Munchkin played pretty well with Princess Em, Scrap Mom and Gaming Dad’s 3 (nearly 4) year old daughter, but they are both oldest daughters who believe that they are the reigning queen bee. It’s hard to say how this dynamic will play out as they get older, but so long as they are supervised, they seem to get along okay. Baby Boy impressed everyone with his walking skills, but was totally ignored by Mighty Boy, Princess Em’s 18 month old brother and future football player. Princess Em liked playing with Baby Boy, though.
After such excitement and activity over the weekend, I now have to think of how to keep the kids entertained in such warm temperatures without resorting to the TV. Any ideas, people? I can’t go to the mall all the time…
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