A Proper Summer

Around Labor Day we were able to escape to a proper summer that involved swimming and sandals--not a scarf in sight. Walt and I were in Decatur for a week and a half, and Mike was able to join us for a long weekend. Our flight to Chicago was nearly a nightmare, Walt was so antsy--luckily someone seated next to an empty seat offered to switch with us after takeoff. Without that, I don't know what we would have done...may have to start getting him his own seat soon...or maybe just no more traveling without Mike.

Walt started every day eager to explore his new surroundings.









Two swims a day yielded lusciously long naps--who knew? (Actually, people who live in climates with normal summer weather probably do know this.)



We had lots of visitors during the first weekend of our trip...Grandma and Grandpa Will, Uncle Chuck, Grandad and Cindy, and Uncle Gary and Denise all made the trip up (or over) to see us, which was great. Below is a photo of Walt with Grandma and Grandpa Will.



And one with Uncle Chuck:



And one with Grandad and Cindy:



The highlight of the trip for Walt? Hmm, maybe brushing his teeth on the stool Grandad built for him?



Mom's spaghetti?



Or maybe just showing off his pot-belly in summer clothes.



I ended up having to work a lot more than I had planned to, so I didn't end up getting as much of this (see below) as I would have liked. Oh well.



But we did have the chance to go to the retirement party Dad's work had for him--delayed for a week so we were able to attend. It was so nice to meet Dad's co-workers and I'm glad we were able to celebrate with him.



While I was working, Nana and Grandad had their hands full keeping up with Walt and showing him all Decatur has to offer--a cute zoo, a really great playground and, of course, awesome humidity.











One really super consequence of the humidity? Walt had to take lots more cuddle-breaks, which was a pleasant change of pace.





Near the end of our first week, Mike to flew into O'hare, and we all made the trip to pick him up. Of course, we had to spend the day in the city...lunch at Julius Meinl, a visit with the Butlers, a walk around Bucktown (with shoe shopping at City Soles) and pizza at Piece. It was fun pretending to be Chicagoans again. Walt liked it, too...here's a shot of him playing the role of fun-loving Chicago kid at a Wrigleyville park!



And Mike wouldn't let us leave without getting some pictures at Wrigley.





Now, the real reason for this whole trip was to be immortalized in the 2010 family picture (my side) taken every five years. It was Mike's first!

We headed down to the St. Louis area (where my grandparents live) the day before the picture. That night we hit a Cardinals game, and the nearby casinos, with my uncle/cousins.



We didn't have fun at all.





It was so great to spend the weekend with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Walt got to meet his cousins Madeline and Kennedy, who are just his size, and had a blast running around with all the big kids. He was, to my surprise, an absolute angel during the pictures. Below are a few shots.

All:



Our little family:



Grandkids



Someone made the brilliant decision to make a collage of candids of the great-grandchildren rather than trying to wrangle all twelve (including three toddlers) for a formal picture--so smart.

Following our St. Louis adventure, Walt and I spent a few more days in Decatur before heading home. One day I took him over to my friend Laura's house where Walt and her son, Luke, had a great time tearing around the backyard. (Also, forgot to mention that we were also able to meet up with my dear friend Kristy and her daughter, Evie, while we were in St. Louis--we had so much fun I forgot to take any pictures!)



Really, there was no shortage of new friends.




Thanks to all for making it such a memorable trip, we enjoyed every minute...see you in December!

Summer fun

What follows is a fairly random collection of photos from our summer outings and activities. Because it is summer (aka winter, in San Francisco) most of these shots include sweatshirts, scarves and fog.

One of our favorite things about our new apartment is the little playground across the street in Golden Gate Park. It is one of many playgrounds in the park, and it is not the biggest or the snazziest and is home to stealthy squirrels that steal snacks out of unattended strollers, but it's perfect for Walt and we love it. Now that he's walking, there's so much he can do!





We also like this park in Pacific Heights (decidedly snazzier):





Also across the street in the park, about a ten minute walk away, is the SF Conservatory. We recently got a family membership and walked over on Sunday to check it out. The balmy humidity inside is the perfect antidote to the chill and fog, and for someone who briefly entertained the idea of majoring in botany (me) it's a pretty fun place to hang out.







Walt's favorite part was running around in the gardens outside, which technically we don't need a membership to do, but he had a ball.



For my birthday last month, we took a day trip to Santa Cruz and spent the day exploring berry farms and vineyards. It was so nice to leave the fog behind for a few hours, and Walt took two excellent naps in the car!



Also, we are now about month into our new nanny-share arrangement with a family in our neighborhood. So exciting...Walt gets a new buddy and I get to work from home in peace! Walt and Aiden have quickly become the best of friends and Heather-the-nanny is readjusting to the art of double-baby-wrangling.

Tired, happy boys on a recent trip to the zoo:



Wishing a happy summer to our friends and family in warmer climes--stay cool!

Walt goes Hollywood....sort of

My agency was recently casting babies for an upcoming commercial for Sprint, one of our clients. So naturally I thought it would be a good time for Walt to get a taste of life 'on-set', as they say. They shot a couple different babies and are currently selecting which to use. Of course we think the decision is a no-brainer. But even if he doesn't make the final cut, his day rate makes for a nice little deposit in the college fund...

KC

Shortly after Walt's birthday we went to Kansas City to visit the grandparents. Walt did great on both flights...I'm hoping he is as quiet and well-behaved when we fly back to the midwest later this summer.

Walt got his first true taste of summer heat and humidity and he gave it a go, but he just doesn't have it in his blood yet. So we spent lots of time (and had lots of fun) exploring Grandma and Grandpa's house... especially the staircase.








...and also riding the carousel at the blissfully air-conditioned mall in Overland Park! (So proud of himself on his mer-horse!)



Mike and Roger weren't scared of the heat...they ventured to a Royals game and managed to get in a round of golf.







In the mornings and evenings, we were regulars at the neighborhood park. Walt was happy to see that swings in Kansas are the same as swings in California.





In an effort to see more of Kansas City, we went downtown to the Crossroads Art District's "First Fridays" event...we had lots of fun popping in and out of galleries and taking in the local arts scene.



It was a lovely trip...we had so much fun and look forward to our next visit!

The Birthday

You may think that the lack of recent postings must mean that we haven't been up to anything interesting. You would be wrong.

We've been doing lots...celebrating Walt's birthday, visiting the Davidsons in Kansas City, playing at several parks, hosting a girls-only dinner party...too many things to mention. But we'll do our best to bring the blog up to date...starting with...Walt's birthday!

Sadly, Walt has yet to reach the age where he gets excited about opening presents. (Luckily, he has reached the age where he adores playing with gifts once they're open.) For this reason, we had to spread the gift-opening over several days.





Walt attacked his first cupcake with a cool nonchalance...and ate the ENTIRE thing.











We'd like to think his favorite gift was the cool bee riding toy we got him. However, his favorite might be the Woody doll he got from Jen and Dave...he loves giving Woody rides on the bee.





All in all, it was a wonderful birthday...and now our baby's on his way to becoming a big kid!