Reunion! (Or, "As if we haven't traveled enough this summer..."

In 1995, my dad's side of the family decided to have a family reunion. Now, this is no small thing when your grandfather is from a family of 13, your dad is from a family of 10, and some of your grandfather's siblings had large families as well. Three generations of family met in Potosi, MO at Trout Lodge . After that first reunion, we've had one every five years since.

So, this year was reunion time! We began our trip by heading to Chicago and spending the evening with our friends the Marks. I had not seen my goddaughter Elizabeth since our wedding, and we each had a baby boy for the other family to meet as well! We also got to Evanston and took Brendan around the Northwestern campus. We also got to church at Sheil (my parish when I was at Northwestern) to see friends there before heading to St. Louis.

We had an amazing week with family - a blog post won't be able to do it justice. We had fun family gatherings like the family soccer game and homecoming dance, family "Sound of Music" sing-along followed by toga party, and lots of singing and laughing in general. We did some geocaching, arts and crafts (made a new stepping stone for the garden), riding in Uncle Paul's golf cart, and capped off the week by doing the "moonlight zip" - a short hike, then a zap line through the woods lit by a couple of lanterns - very fun.

Brendan loved dancing, playing in the lake, a pony ride and also more unconventional activities such as "push my stroller down the hall". The dining room had large windows overlooking the lake - at every meal, Brendan loved toddling over to the windows and checking out the hummingbird feeders - he was fascinated.

On the way home, we stopped in St. Louis and toured at Anheuser-Busch, before heading to Indianapolis for the night. We checked out the Indianapolis Children's Museum before driving home. This place was really fun. So many of the exhibits had great things to look at and touch - Brendan (and Nick) had a ball touching dinosaur bones and taking a crack at an archeological dig. We spent the most time at a Playscape exhibit designed for kids under 5. Brendan had a ball flipping switches, pressing buttons, climbing stairs and picking vegetables from a pretend garden. There were plenty of push toys for kids to play with, including the toddler lawn mower. Brendan really wanted to play with that mower, to the point that he would crawl after other children pushing it. The problem? He's just not a good enough walker yet for that toy - he pushed on the handle for balance and it tipped over. We decided that it was near nap time, so time to get in the car anyway. Brendan protested quite vocally when we put him in the stroller!

And so, we're back home. At an evening sharing at the 2005 reunion, I remember thinking about how different things were at that reunion compared to the one before. I was out of college, teaching and talking about marriage with the guy I was dating. I remember wondering what things would be like at the next reunion. I'd be married, probably, I thought. Maybe we'd even have a baby. Turns out that's the way it was. So, what will happen in 2015?

Our little family on picture night...


Brendan loving the horse ride...


One of Brendan's favorite spots at Trout Lodge - the dining room windows!


At Indianapolis Children's Museum...

Here, There and Everywhere! (Plus a garden update...)

First - a quick garden update. Things are exploding! Beans are up, and we got lots of garlic (Nick threw some leftover cloves in a couple of years ago, and we got quite a harvest!). Potatoes and beets are chugging along, and zucchini, squash and pumpkins all look good.

Whew! The past few weeks were packed with happenings. Nick and I wrapped up the end of the school year, and Brendan finished his time at his old daycare when they closed at the end of May.

Nick kicked off our family travels when he headed to New Mexico for an IB conference. Brendan and I had a fun few days at home without Dada, then headed off to Florida to visit Aunt Shirl. Brendan did great on the plane, and got a tour of the cockpit from the pilots when we landed. We spent a few days at Disney, seeing where Aunt Shirl works. Brendan spent most of the time just staring at everything - trying to take it all in. He loved Finding Nemo: The Musical, and It's a Small World was probably his favorite - he loved all of the colors and moving figures, and the music got him giggling and dancing! He met many of the characters during an afternoon at Epcot, and got to see Pooh and Tigger just before we left Magic Kingdom - he was very curious to reach out and touch Tigger's nose and paw. We also got to visit my cousins Melissa and Angie, and we got to meet Melissa and Amine's son Aiden! Brendan and Aiden had fun getting acquainted and playing. Brendan is about 7 months older, so he got to show Aiden some new tricks to try in the coming months.

A couple of weeks after getting back from Florida, we hit the road for our next trip. We drove out to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, to spend some time with Nick's family. On our way there, we decided to break the drive into two days and stopped at Gettysburg. We took Brendan to the new visitor center (it's about 3 years old, but the first time that we had been there) and to the battlefield and National Cemetery. We did not do the entire tour (we'll leave him in suspense until next time), but did get to see and reflect a little bit.

We had a wonderful time at the beach. Our entire Kator family was there, as well as Nick's Gaspard relatives. There were 5 kids who were 4 or under there, so Brendan had a ball exploring a new place and playing with new people. The crashing of the waves on the beach puzzled him at first, but he enjoyed putting his feet in the waves and exploring the sand.

So, some general observations after all of this traveling. Packing for any number of days seems to require the same massive amount of stuff for a little one. Putting your son's bedtime cd in mp3 format on your cell phone can really help a hotel room feel like home. Sand looks good, but tastes pretty yucky. And the best part of being anywhere new - the airport, Florida, Gettysburg, Delaware - is seeing your son take everything in. Watching him study Tigger's paw, or a bottom drawer in the hotel room. Watching him take in ocean waves crashing near his feet. Watching him make sense of these new experiences, this ever-expanding world. Listening to his giggle in response to your laugh, a crawling race, or passing a dog on the street. Feeling his head rest on your shoulder after a long afternoon of play. It has all been wonderful. But the best part of the best part? It's not over.

What fun, what fun - someone we know just turned one! (And garden update)

This past Saturday was a very special day for our family as we celebrated Brendan's first birthday! We'd been planning a barbecue for a while (even though every time we talked about it, we described an indoor affair - not wanting to tempt Mother Nature). We were blessed with a nice warm day, and plenty of family and friends to help us celebrate. Brendan got to officially meet his godfather at the party as well.

Brendan loved playing with wrapping paper and boxes, and his Uncle-to-be Jesse enjoyed assembling his water table and cozy coupe. I made Brendan a pumpkin-apple cake (two of his favorite foods) with a little cream cheese frosting. He was a little tentative, but ended up enjoying it. He really wasn't sure what to make of the day (I don't blame him) but certainly liked the balloons and celebration.

In other toddler progress, we've finally heard Brendan's first word! He's been babbling for quite a while and using a couple of hand signs. Brendan and I were at a family gathering. Nick arrived late after the NDP graduation, and Brendan looked up, smiled, reached out his arms and clearly said "Da-Da!". We, of course, melted. No "Ma-ma" yet, but he reaches out to me with a smile at almost any opportunity, so I'll take that for now. Auntie Andrea has also taught him how to high-five. Last Sunday at church, I took him with me into the sacristy before Mass to check in with the readers. He gave each of the readers a high-five, but shied away from poor Father Dan! (A few minutes later out in the chapel, he did give Fr. Dan his high five, and wanted him to hold him as well!)

Fr. Ken at Sheil used to talk about time passing in long days and short years. That phrase came to mind many times in the past week. It is amazing how much Brendan has changed in such a short time. It's also amazing to me how hard it is to remember what life was like before he was part of our family, before we knew who he was. Don't get me wrong - I remember things like sleeping in on a weekend morning or being caught up on schoolwork!

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Also, in our garden, potatoes, carrots, beets, melons, beans, pumpkins, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes are all in the ground and growing. We've had lots of fresh lettuce and spinach salads with dinners, probably the equivalent of 8 or 9 bags of greens.

What we've been up to...

Well, we've been so busy chasing Brendan around the house that we've hardly had time to think about posting! On Monday, for example, Brendan helped us unpack groceries by standing next to one of the Trader Joe's bags and pounding on the contents (fortunately this was not the bag with the produce...). After a few minutes of that, he decided to let go of the bag and boxes and stand by himself!

It seems like we're having those moments at a breakneck pace these days. Brendan is moving everywhere. He's climbing stairs and the kitchen step stool with regularity, and enjoys pushing just about anything (walking toy, chairs, boxes) across as much of the living and dining rooms as he can. He's cruising quite well with something to hang onto, and has even taken some steps when holding on to our fingers. After three months with his bottom two teeth, three top ones emerged at once earlier this week. Fortunately our easygoing fellow hasn't been too fussy! Waving, clapping, peek-a-boo and giggling are more of the many things that keep us smiling at our baby.

We became members of the Zoo in April, and have enjoyed sunny afternoons checking out the animals. Prairie dogs and giraffes are Brendan's current favorites, and he enjoys the tunnel in the arctic habitat.


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In other outdoor news, we've decided this year to try and keep track of the benefits of growing our own food the year. We'll note what we plant, what we eat, and try to track how much it would have cost to buy similar organic produce at the farmers' market or store. We (well, Nick mostly - Brendan and I watched) planted lettuce and spinach at the beginning of April and carrots and beets April 12. We have Jenny Lind melons (an heirloom version of cantaloupe) started in the house, and potatoes should go in later this week. We're hoping to eat our first lettuce and spinach by the middle of next week.

Brought to you by the letter B...

Well, it has certainly been a busy couple of weeks! Earlier this month, we celebrated our niece's first birthday - it seems like just yesterday that we were waiting for her to be born and getting ready for our own baby. It was so fun to watch all of the babies at the party and observe the different personalities. While others dove right in, Brendan was a little tentative at first, hanging with me and watching the other babies move all over the floor. After a few minutes, he apparently decided that everything was ok, and crawled his way over to the activity table. He then participated in one of his current favorite games: take a basket full of things and dump them out.

Brendan is now cruising around on the furniture, and has started to contemplate stairs. He also enjoys splashing around in the bath. He's got some bath toys, but we're still using his small tub inside the big one, so we've been giving him two toys - a rubber cow, and a purple dinosaur (which he picked out at our last swim lesson). I also pulled out one of the foam letters a few weeks ago for him - the letter B (for bath, Brendan...). The letter is his favorite bath thing to grab and chew as he kicks his feet and splashes with his other hand. Nick calls Brendan's bath toys his friends when talking to him about the bath, so we have odd conversations with our almost-10-month-old about his good friend the letter B. Only in our house, I guess.

In sadder news, we were notified this week that our daycare center is going to close at the end of May. We have some ideas about what we are going to do after that point, but it was definitely not news we were expecting to hear! We are lucky that being teachers and off all summer, we're in a better position than some of the other parents, and certainly the wonderful staff that will be laid off in June.

9 months old!

To celebrate turning 9 months old today, Brendan proudly crawled across the living room to the coffee table, used the (now) empty shelves like a ladder and pulled himself up to standing!

Went for a checkup last Friday - 18 lbs, 5 oz (around the 15th percentile), just under 26 inches. His height is still under the curve, but he's growing well and inching ever closer(pun completely intended).

Brendan loves playing new games these days. Peekaboo is a new favorite, and this week's one is a copycat game - he babbles or squawks, then waits for us to repeat the noise back, then comes up with a new sound. And there's always time for another round of "Try to bear hug the cat".

On the move...

It's been another few busy weeks for our family. Other than a couple of colds, we're all healthy, and just enjoying our ever more active baby boy! Brendan is crawling and climbing at every possible opportunity. At daycare, he and his pals enjoy maneuvering themselves over to the toy shelves and pulling things off. He's also trying to pull himself to standing - he enjoys bouncing on his feet a lot. At home, Brendan and Ben have become good pals - they enjoy going eye to eye and hand to paw. Both are being pretty good when we remind them to be gentle.

We started swim lessons for Brendan's Christmas present, and we have been having a blast. Brendan loves kicking his feet in the water and reaching for squirty toys. We love watching him have fun!

And finally...a tooth!

Return from Hiatus...

Well, I'd love to play this off and say that we're like the creators of Lost - taking a long hiatus to create immense hype and buildup for a return to ratings glory when our blog would finally emerge from the abyss, but...

It's been a really busy couple of months. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Holiday Nights, Christmas, New Year, and trying in vain to catch up on grading in between!

Brendan's been a busy baby in these past couple of months. Some of the highlights:
-Sitting up well, and trying really hard to crawl. He gets up on all fours, and scoots backwards, so it's just a matter of time. He already rolls around the dining room, bypassing whatever toys we have out to go for table legs or wall molding.
-Eating solids. Brendan's been sampling fare from our garden with gusto. He loves squash (good, because we grew lots...) and applesauce (also good, since we canned a lot of it from apple picking in the fall). Peas or mangoes get you a pretty funny wrinkled skeptical face from our little eater.
-Enjoying the holidays. Brendan was fascinated by the lights, Christmas trees, and generally looked at all things bemusedly. When we visited Santa, he gave a nice eyebrow raise, as if to say, "What are you people doing to me now?"
-Growing! Our little guy is definitely more and more interested in everything these days!

The New Normal

Well, it's been a giant whirlwind of a few weeks since Brendan's baptism. We've both started back to school, and are slowly but surely settling into our new workweek routine, but had some time for relaxing a bit before.

Brendan and I took a few days to go down to Tennessee to visit Adam. Pigeon Forge is an interesting mix of beautiful mountains and As Seen on TV shops. We got to see Smokies Park, where Adam's been working this season, and even got a personal tour of the facility (sadly, the team was out of town, so Brendan didn't get to see the players we've read about in his Smokies Kids' Club newsletter...). Adam also got us tickets to the aquarium in Gatlinburg. This one was pretty fun - much of the lower level is tunnels with a moving sidewalk underneath their largest tank, so it appears that you're surrounded by water and fish. It was really fun to watch Brendan here - I had him in his sling, and he was so interested - just looking and looking at the different fish. We spent an afternoon in the national park as well. I did the hike up to the top of Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Smokies, and even did a little hiking on the Appalachian Trail before heading back.

We celebrated Labor Day by heading to Canada for the weekend. We took Brendan to the Harrow Fair - the 155th fair in a little Ontario town. We saw the 4H kids show their cows, saw some of the parade, and looked at all of the prize-winning produce and quilts. Brendan liked the vegetable displays best.

The highlight of our Labor Day weekend was Saturday evening. Before Brendan was born, we thought of planting something that could grow as Brendan grew - we'd be able to take pictures regularly and mark progress of both Brendan and plant. Brendan's early arrival put those ideas on the back burner, but in August, we picked them up again. We decided to plant a tree in Canada (I hated the thought of leaving it behind if we were ever to move from this house!), and this was the weekend for it! So, Brendan's peach tree is now just outside the cottage!

And now, we're back at school. Brendan is doing well in daycare so far, and his mom is making the adjustment too! The days at work are very busy, but Brendan's big smiles when I pick him up give me an energy boost. He's growing every day - he's 3 1/2 months old, and those 3 mos clothes are getting snug - bring on the 3-6 and 6 mos sizes!

Pictures later.