Doggie Tourism

Sometimes you take a trip. And sometimes the trip comes to you. In our case, the latter was definitely true when Aunt Nancy visited a couple weeks ago with her two dogs: good ol' Poky, and shiny new Casey. A city is a whole new place when you explore it with canine companions! Here's what we did (in pictures). 

First, we all played. The dogs had to stay on their leashes (especially Casey), but the kids were allowed to roam free. Kalina was in her element, giving the curious dogs a tour of the house and fully anthropomorphizing them, and Elise was mostly in my arms, or other places out of reach of wet noses and eager tongues. Eventually, both parties warmed up to the other, and agreed to let me take this picture. (Although Elise never did fully trust Casey!)

Then it was time for Aunt Nancy to actually bring her stuff in! Three of the girls watched from the window, while the other "helped."

After doing a little baking, we decided to head out on a little shopping trip. Which wouldn't have been any fun without the "puppies," so we went to Petco, where they could join us. We looked at all the animals, and then Elise played with all the doggy toys. 

Then we played in the backyard, Elise trying to herd Poky out of the "spiders" portion of our yard (it's kind of a wild area) and Casey soaking up attention from Kalina. 

Later, we ventured downtown, for a little frozen yogurt (enjoyed outside with the dogs), another dog store, and a park. It was a lot of walking, but also a lot of fun. Half of them settled in for naps immediately upon returning home, while the other half tried to keep playing. (Mine were not the ones sleeping, as you could have guessed.)

We watched Elise follow Poky from room to room in an endless loop of Poky finding a cozy place to sleep, Elise trying to cuddle her, and Poky mildly deciding to switch locations, in hopes that the problem would correct itself.

Meanwhile, Casey stayed put in the coziest place she could think of--Aunt Nancy's lap--and happily let Kalina pet her while she slept. Because nothing could've kept her awake, anyway, at that point. 

Casey joined Aunt Nancy and I for dinner outside at a downtown restaurant, while Kalina and Elise ensured Poky could get a good nap at home, most likely by tucking her in with a warm blankie and talking in whispers whenever they remembered (and shrieks the rest of the time). 

The dogs slept in the next morning (nothing wears out my girls!), and then we all headed to the sculpture park to enjoy some over-sized art out of doors. The kids climbed on anything they were allowed to, and the dogs happily trotted along and met another dog. It was, I admit, strange to have more people commenting on the cute dogs rather than the cute kids. I would be a bit offended if the dogs weren't so adorable!

That afternoon, we visited Grandpa's house, where the dogs got to run off-leash in the yard. As did the kids. Elise faced her fears and let Casey chase her around, and vice versa. Which always ended with me getting nearly flattened by a gleeful girl as a doggie zoomed past. Cute!

Although Elise is still a tiny bit scared of Casey, we loved our doggie visit. After 2+ days, the new "toys" never quite got old. Will we be getting a dog? It depends: only if we get one of Aunt Nancy's. Or, maybe they'll visit again sometime!

Elise's 2-year pediatrician visit!
I forgot to report on this on October 10, when the exam happened. But there's not much to report. Elise sailed through the appointment with barely a tear--so surprised was she by her single shot. She navigated the Flumist vaccine with few troubles, and was proud of her performance afterward. She weighed 26 pounds and was 34.5 inches tall. This puts her in the 40th percentile for weight, and the 65th for height.

We did have one point of discussion: Elise seems to have developed a topical cinnamon allergy. So, please don't put cinnamon on her. We think there's a good chance she'll grow out of it, but meanwhile we're simply avoiding it (internally, too).

We continue to like the doctor, who shoes undue (but much appreciated) interest in finding the girls the exact stickers they want after their appointment.

Fall farm fun

Two happy apples!

Pick apples. Pick pumpkins. Check, check.

The past few weekends have been spent out of doors as much as possible--whether we're faced with cold drizzle and clouds or hot sun. We made it to two area farms, and couldn't have had more opposing experiences. We'll start chronologically, with the apples.

It was with more than one shadow of doubt, and half a dozen "reloads" on weather.com, that we piled into the car last Saturday morning for the 45-minute drive to an apple orchard that promised the most authentic farm experience of all the competing orchards around. On our way, we passed the big-name orchard and were glad we weren't parking there--too fancy for our taste.

Elise feeds "Grandma." No offense,
Grandma!

We found our little farm after a peaceful drive past a few longhorn cows. And before we were even out of the car, we were greeted by Farmer Dan himself. "You're just in time to help me give the cows their breakfast!" And he had Kalina at "cows." Soon we were all laughing as "Grandma" cow nearly knocked over the fence in her excitement to get at the hay. I'm not sure whether Farmer Dan or Grandma put on a better show. What fun! Then he promised us baby chicks in the barn.

Who's happier?

We visited a few other animals on the way, but could resist the chicks no longer. Another farmhand kindly let Kalina pet and then hold one--I think the girl was born to hold baby animals. Elise was content to pet Kalina's.

And then we smelled fresh-baked donuts, even before we saw someone walk by with a couple of them. We followed our noses to a tiny bakery that pretty much only sold donuts and coffee, but did not need to do anything else. So then we were eating apple cider donuts and pumpkin donuts outside on a chilly fall morning (with clouds but no rain!) and had already had a fabulous morning and had not yet even picked our apples.

We finally made our way to the wagon that would take us out to the orchards. We grabbed a giant bag (after all, we're not going out there to pick for 5 minutes and come back!) and hopped on. We passed peach trees and blackberry pushes on our way, and soon were let off by he winesaps and the golden delicious. The wagon drove away and, other than the housing development on the other side of a hedge, we were alone in an apple orchard.

Most of the apples needed a boost
to be picked.

First things first, we sampled. Then we let each girl pick a couple. And then Daddy went after the slightly more elusive golden delicious, Kalina and I found a tree she could climb, and Elise continued to eat.

In fact, Elise munched on an apple the rest of the time until the wagon picked us up. The apples were too high for her to pick, anyway, and she didn't seem to mind being left alone with her apple.

This was high enough for
both of us.

Kalina couldn't have been prouder to climb a tree. It was particularly ladder-like, and she was never more than five feet off the ground, so it was perfect. After hopping down, she went off to pick more apples, which is how we ended up with lots of weird ones in our bag.

She eventually worked her
way around to the other side, too.

Then I got down to business and loaded a bunch of winesaps into our bag. The trees, which were bursting with them, seemed relieved.

As we waited for the wagon to take us back, we sampled some more--and Elise finally finished hers as the wagon pulled up.

But our fun wasn't over! The farm also has a lovely little play area for kids--no bounce houses or pony rides, but a giant hay pile to climb on (Kalina scrambled all the way to the top!), a pretend horse to sit on and brush that Elise did not ever want to leave, a play house, a tool shed, and much more. Perfect.

Daddy's cringing because
a heavily loaded tree
shaken by a toddler can
be a dangerous thing.

We dragged ourselves away in time, and then headed home to wash our apples and make crisp, and eat more apples. We will be back as often as we possibly can.

This afternoon, we geared up for the farm experience again! This time, on a hot and sunny afternoon and at a farm closer to town.

Blech. We waited in a line of cars to wade through crowds standing in more lines to pay more money for a sad hayride, to enter a pumpkin field wasteland. I will spare you more details but will try to look on the bright side:

1. Kalina and Elise were both proud to find their own pumpkins. Two of the smallest ones on the farm, in fact.
2. Matt was a very good sport, and was simply glad that I did not consider the farm a fun place to be (I'd found it online and had it recommended by a neighbor).
3. We were able to leave quickly and go back to the pretty state park to play around in instead.

We picked our own
pumpkins, but at what
price?

The state park was pretty and fun. Everything that the pumpkin patch was not. Yay!

Happy fall!

Our fall hike

Back up a little...a little more.... :)

October is our favorite month. Matt has his own reasons, but I have a list, too (hot chocolate, making crafts out of pretty leaves, etc.). We're each working on checking off our lists, and yesterday we put a line through "take a fall hike at a state park."

There happens to be a state park, busy city notwithstanding, just past the grocery store and we had yet to check it out. We put jeans and sensible shoes on the kids, packed up some homemade donuts for a pretty place we had yet to find, and soon afterward were pulling into a bustling parking lot. Apparently, we weren't the only ones who wanted to be outside in nature on a gorgeous afternoon.

Kalina's first real hike, leading to a
real view!

But, a few minutes later, we were the only ones pulling an out-of-her-element two-year-old up a hiking trail by her hand, or trying to chase the four-year-old as she trail-ran up the same path, lest she trip over a root and fall down the steep hill to her left. Needless to say, we divided and conquered.

Elise, in her defense, had recently lost the "but I want to take that trail" battle. But I also think she was a bit intimidated in the transition from open field to darkish woods, especially as she's not yet old enough to know that wolves don't roam those hills.

We investigated something that looked like a bird's nest to Elise (who ran ahead to show her sister), some fungus, some fallen logs, a few remaining flowers, and more. Elise consented to hike for a bit, and then needed to be carried. It was in this transition (I had carried her a lot the day before, and now it was Matt's turn) that Kalina charged ahead, with me in tow, and we managed to hike up a steep-ish slope to a scenic overlook. A real hike!

So proud of my little trooper!

Kalina showed little or no fear for approaching the very edge of the cliff--but fortunately, I stopped her well before she got that far. We both agreed that the view of a wooded river bluff was quite pretty, and then Kalina posed for a picture, complete with her preschool/hiking pack. (We'd packed her backpack full of the snacks and water as it was the only one handy at the time. While she was actually enthusiastic about carrying all the family's supplies, Matt and I did all the heavy lifting.)

We hiked up just a little bit farther before heading back down to Daddy and Elise, who was quite unsettled with Mommy out of sight and in the woods, no less. It was on the hike down that Kalina first showed any fear--after all, the rocky trail was a bit slippery. Soon, however, she was charging down the path faster than even I was comfortable.

On Saturday, we went to Six Flags
for Matt's work picnic. The
balloon ride nearly had us in
tears shortly after this photo was
taken.

Elise was happy to be carried by Mommy again down the rest of the trail, and even happier to be back in the open. Next, we made our way to a creek that looked like it had the potential to be explored.

The creek was full of rocks, and some of these rocks, as we soon discovered, contained fossil imprints! And possibly one or two had once been part of an arrowhead? The girls excitedly tossed rocks into the stream, Matt tracked down at least three or four species of living creatures, and I continued to hunt for fossils. None of us wanted to leave.

On our way out, we drove to the end of the park--and spotted a few deer grazing. As we left the park, Matt and I saw a great horned owl. And on the way home, we shared the homemade donuts we'd brought along, just in time to spoil our dinner.

Much more fun at Six Flags: running
up and down this steep hill with
some friends.

We may have checked this particular fall activity off the list for now, but we're pretty sure it'll be on our shortlist for years to come.

A family portrait

Take a look at this photo. See anyone familiar? In fact, this seemingly random configuration of blocks is actually a well-thought-out portrait of our family. Matt and I can't sign our name to this artwork, nor can Kalina, although I bet she was your first thought. No--little Elise is the one who has figured out how to design representations of real objects using materials at hand. She's the one behind this, and, fortunately, she explained her picture to me as she went.

While Kalina was playing in the yard with the neighbor girl (a feat astounding in itself!), Elise and I pulled out these blocks to entertain ourselves. We possibly would've conquered something more productive, such as the putting away of the laundry, had we not both been awake for two hours last night, nor napped very well (if at all). Magnetic picture blocks for us.

Elise swiftly and decidedly grabbed the large purple circle first, and plunked it onto the board. Next came another purple block, then the two small yellow circles.

"Elise!" she told me, pointing to her work. Wow--a self-portrait! I was already impressed, but it got better.

The girl added a blue arc, calling it a rainbow. Next, she put a medium-sized blue circle into place. "What's that?" I wondered. Elise, not offended that I couldn't interpret her masterpiece, told me it was her tongue, then demonstrated. After that, another blue piece for "hair," a green piece that she labeled a "shh!" (likely something having to do with sleeping), and a small orange square, which she since grabbed and held in her hand because, as she told me, it's Bear. All of these matched up quite anatomically--even the little orange square Bear, when originally placed, was where Elise's hand would be, as if it were being held.

After this, she slowed down, so I made her pose for a picture, which she obligingly did. Then it was on to Kalina.

We made a mini leaf pile for
Lamby and Pink Bear, and then
I convinced the girls to pose in it
for me.

Elise plunked down a couple pieces for Kalina (yellow square for her head, orange trapezoid thing for hair, yellow arc for, I'm assuming, arms or a body). Then she gave Kalina a purple "rainbow," and immediately realized her mistake. Fortunately, magnetic Kalina was happy to trade Elise for the blue one (pictured). Magnetic Elise was then granted three other purple rainbows, earning herself quite a collection.

Kalina received an orange rectangle that Elise was careful to point out represented shoes--one on each short end. The green thing is a "shh" and the orange square I can only assume is Lamby, or whichever stuffed animal Kalina happens to be carrying at the time.

I then convinced Elise to make Daddy. She began with a green circle (the girls have assigned Daddy green as his favorite color--it is not) and added seemingly random shapes until she was finished. To me, he looks like a hummingbird; to Matt, like a handgun.

"What about Mommy?" I hoped for something cute. Elise reluctantly, yet full of good will, handed me a yellow zigzag--no more, no less. There were, by the way, plenty of blocks left.

"Can we put it on the board and I'l. get a picture?" My request was not granted until about the fourth time, and even then I was shoved into a corner (I'd originally placed myself in the wide open space next to Daddy). I took my picture before she could change her mind.

Then we made an elephant, which Elise added the trunk to, demonstrating to me with her arm how it was used.

Am I right to be astonished?