Sarah and Michal: July 2013

This past weekend was full of activities. Here's a quick rundown: Friday night Sarah and I got a babysitter and joined friends at the Mariner's game. Then on Saturday we went to the Arlington Fly-In, where Theo and Vivian got to sit in some planes:

There were plenty of other planes and even an air show, so check out all the photos.

Then on Sunday we went to the King County Fair in Enumclaw. They had a petting zoo:

And tractors:

And, of course, lots and lots of rides:

Theo even got to ride his very first roller coaster, all by himself. Both of his parents were terrified he would fall out, and on the first couple of runs he smiled through some of the dips, but stopped by the end so we were concerned. An after-the-fact report concluded "it was pretty alright".

Finally, here's a video of Theo on a helicopter ride:

There are lots more videos to see as well.

Here is the complete gallery, and here are the highlights:

Vivian fell asleep while sitting at the dinner table, which is a first, and possibly a last. She was so tired after our trip to Alaska that she couldn't even make it through dinner. Her eyes kept closing and she would start listing to one side. After about five minutes of this action, she woke up and went about the rest of the evening as though nothing had happened.

Daddy had plenty of help opening presents on his birthday.

Theo made Daddy a cake for his birthday, complete with blue frosting. (Don't worry - he got a real one, too.) The best chefs sample their work.

The final product with three candles. Theo choose the number. Notice the blue lips.

Theo playing with trains. This activity occupies at lot of his time at home.

Vivian sporting some of her new birthday clothes.

Vivian getting a pedicure. If only she realized that people pay good money for this treatment.

Grandmama and Theo reading a plane magazine.

Theo and Vivian watching the cars at one of the pedestrian bridges at the airport. We dropped Grandmama and Granddaddy off and then needed to stop here. After I convinced Theo to move along, he stopped and sat on a bench in the parking garage. When I asked him what he was doing, he said "Waiting." Well, obviously. I asked what he was waiting for and he said, "Grandmama." I had to explain that it would be a very long wait, but he did go to the car without further delays.

A very blurry shot of Vivian reading herself books.

Theo fishing at the Strawberry Festival with no strawberries on Father's Day. We did have a great time but were expecting more strawberry-related things.

Ok, I lied. They did have strawberry shortcake at the festival, as well as this spinning strawberry ride. Theo insisted on trying it out, and he is now tall enough (over 36 inches) to go on such things.

Riding the carousel with Daddy.

Vivian is still fascinated with tags. She likes the one on this pumpkin ball in particular, probably because it's a combination of two of her favorite things: balls and tags.

I got to spend an entire morning with Vivian while Theo attended preschool. She bent over, picked up this link, and stood up all on her own during that time.

Later that same evening, she started walking for real! Here she is coming toward Mama. I love how hard she is concentrating, as evidenced by her tongue sticking out.

Theo built this train tunnel out of tracks and blocks.

Afternoon snack for everyone in the backyard.

Eating lunch at this super fun local burger place in their outdoor area, underneath a grass umbrella, during Babcia's visit.

Babcia accompanied us to the zoo, where Vivian scored this pink monkey identical to Theo's green one.

Vivian finally discovers she can sit up in her crib! A few days later she will be standing and rampaging through whatever she can reach (mostly a box of tissues that she spends one nap time shredding).

Vivian trying to open her birthday present with Theo's set of keys. We do use them for that purpose so it makes more sense than you might think.

Vivian reading her birthday card with Babcia.

Theo and Daddy on the bridge at Kubota Gardens.

Vivian and Babcia leaving the gardens.

Theo and Elliott catching bubbles in the park at a local winery.

And Theo and Elliott enjoying a snack together. Mostly they enjoyed feeding the very friendly ducks but details.

Vivian reading herself another book.

Vivian enjoying a water spray feature at a local playground. We met friends and had a lovely time - until the blue skies turned black and the thunder and lightning started. Vivian slipped on the metal stairs. She spun around because I was holding onto her and busted her lip on her front teeth. She was more upset that I wouldn't let her keep climbing the stairs while she was bleeding than she was about the injury.

Theo feeding Vivian, so dinner would be finished and we could play some piano rolls.

A halfway decent shot of Vivian's teeth. She has sprouted six new ones in roughly six weeks, which accounts for the lack of sleep on some people's part. You can see six of the eight well in this photo. The other two are on the bottom on either side.

Theo playing with trains while Vivian stuffs finger puppets into the birdhouse and pulls them out again in the background.

By the end of the month, Vivian has mastered standing on her own. Here she is doing it over and over again in front of the bookshelves while Theo and I read. She goes from her belly to standing by doing a downward dog with her head and hands on the floor.

Theo coming home from an afternoon at the sprayground. Daddy met us there with dinner, which he hauled in this convenient fold-up bin on wheels. Theo had the bright idea of using it as transport for himself, since Vivian was riding in the stroller and he was cold.