The Bull and the Memorial

I've been in New York City twice before, and both times were this year and were trips for my job.  The first time I stayed near Times Square, so at least I got to see some things around there.  The second time I stayed in lower Manhattan, but it was a quick trip so there was no time for me to see anything extra.  Today I'm in NYC again, as I had meetings during the day today but actually had some free time in the late afternoon and evening, so I decided to use the time to see some sights.  

My last meeting of the day was in a building right by the famous Wall Street Bull.  Or at least I thought it was the Wall Street Bull.  It is a bull, but it's not on Wall Street.  Thanks to the fine ladies and gentlement of the Occupy Wall Street movement, the bull is now blocked off, and a cop is stationed there full-time to manage the long line of people to ensure only one person or small group at a time can be by the bull.  Being a tourist, I of course wanted a picture with the bull, but since I didn't have a burning desire to touch its nose, horns, or any other part of it, I settled for a quick picture from outside the fencing.

I then looked up where Wall Street actually was (a few blocks away), found it, and walked all the way down it, seeing the famous buildings along the way.  I also saw the last bastion of Occupy Wall Streeters, where five disheveled rebels were cordoned off into their own small designated area from which they were free to both yell and smell.

I stayed at the W New York Downtown, which overlooks the World Trade Center site.  They are still in the process of building the new WTC skyscrapers around the perimeter, but in the center is the 9/11 Memorial which is essentially complete, with the exception of the museum, so I went to see it.  In the footprint of each of the twin towers is a square pool with water flowing down the sides, across the base, and into a void in the center.  The names of all the victims are inscribed into the edges around both pools.  In the picture above you can see that part of what appears to be the skyline behind me is actually one of the new towers reflecting the skyline opposite from it.  The memorial was really nicely done, and I got to spend the remainder of the evening walking around and reflecting on the most significant world event of my lifetime.  I'm really glad I had the opportunity to see it.

Bottle, Please

Clara is still not loving solids.  As with most babies who aren't very fond of their food, she protests by trying to shut her mouth, and the food ends up on her face.  Here she stares at me, almost pleading me with her eyes to stop this madness.

A New Kind of Fun

I wasn't planning to introduce Joshua to playdough until he was a little older, but we got a free sample when we bought him some shoes recently so I decided to try it out. He doesn't really understand that you can mold it into imaginary things that much yet. And when I make things with it, he mostly finds value in destroying them. But he really thinks it's pretty awesome that you can make lots of balls out of it (since balls are his favorite thing in the world) and he also really likes stabbing it with a fork. We have talked a lot about how it's not for eating, just for playing and that we don't throw it so it's going pretty well and he seems to be enjoying it.

Summertime!

This weekend we enjoyed the unofficial start to summer by enjoying the beautiful weather and grilling not once, but twice. Here Jason grills us some steaks. We also enjoyed burgers yesterday. It was a great weekend, made all the better with good food.

Third Haircut

Joshua's hair has been getting a little out of control lately.  I've been traveling and we've just been busy, so I haven't been able to take get an appointment scheduled at Purple Label where I took him for his first and second haircuts.  I get my hair cut at Great Clips, and I trust Brandy, who normally does my hair.  So I brought Joshua in for a haircut today.  As he tends to be with his haircuts, he was pretty docile the entire time.  After we took off the apron, though, he perked up and decided he'd done a great job and deserved some applause, which for as well as he did, I couldn't argue.

Lady Gaga loves Joshua

Okay, more like Baby Gaga.  Joshua is saying more words all the time.  Some of his recent additions include outside ("Ow-die!"), poopoo ("Poo-poo!"), and yucky/yucko ("GUCK-OHHH!!!").  Notice the trend of saying every word with enthusiasm.  Anyway, he also now says Clara, but it sounds like "Gaga".  But she really does like him and loves to see what he's doing and sometimes seems to look at him half in amazement and half in hope that someday she'll be able to do whatever cool thing he's doing.  Here they play with Joshua's blocks.  Clara mostly can just eat her block, but she looks up at Joshua and watches as he prepares to do something more advanced than leave saliva on them.

Six Months

Yesterday Clara turned six months old. She is learning lots of new things. She has recently starting scooching with direction (to get something she wants), sort of like an army crawl. She is very close to crawling. She gets in the crawling position frequently and rocks back and forth, but then she isn't sure how to go. This actually really frustrates her and she'll sit there, in the crawling position, crying. I think we'll all be glad when she figures it out. She also can sit with assistance and is close to being able to get in the sitting position on her own. She does not think sitting is awesome, so this is something that we have to encourage by giving her a reason to sit, like a toy within reach. We haven't done a ton of solids yet. She so far can only do purees and is marginally okay with sweet potatoes, applesauce, and bananas, but not really thrilled with them. I have been trying to up the amount we are feeding her so she can get more used to them since I think it's just something that takes repeated exposure for kids to like. Now that she's sitting stably, we might also try offering her more types of food too.

Wicker Park

I've mentioned a couple times of my dislike of Chicago's O'Hare airport.  Although it has plenty of food options, including a Chili's Too (which recently didn't even have grilled chicken when I went there), tonight I stumbled across something great.  In the walkway between two of the terminals, there is a sushi restaurant called Wicker Park.  I like sushi quite a bit but don't get many chances to eat it at home, so I try to get it when I travel.  I ordered something called the Spanish Dynamite, and it was fantastic.  It's tuna-based and has cilantro and jalapenos on it.  It was easily the best sushi I've ever had.  I'll be sure to go back to Wicker Park any time I'm eating dinner in O'Hare.

Getting Paid to Drive

Today I'm going to visit a customer in the middle of Michigan.  So the plan was to fly into Detroit, drive across the state to our customer meeting, then drive to Chicago.  That's a lot of driving, most of it westbound and in the afternoon.  One thing that's critical in that situation is sunglasses.  One thing I forgot in my car at the KC airport this morning is sunglasses.  Thus, I had to choose from the lovely collection at the gas station in Detroit.  Fortunately, I found a pair that weren't hideous and weren't completely ineffective, and of course they weren't pricey, because gas stations don't sell expensive sunglasses.  My rental car also ended up being pretty nice.  It was a Ford Fusion with leather seats.  I love driving, so I didn't mind the five hours in the car today.  Here I am crusing across the Great Lakes wilderness.

Fan of a Maligned Band

Tonight I went to a concert for one of my favorite bands, Creed.   Everyone seems to make fun of them, but I love them anyway.  They are playing a two-night series in each town on this tour, with the first night playing the entirety of My Own Prison, their first album, and the second night playing all of their second album, Human Clay.   But on both nights they'll add in the hits from all the other albums not being featured.  The concert was at the Midland Theatre, which is a historic theatre in downtown KC.  Although it's been restored, it still retains much of its ornate interior and exterior.  When I got there, the opening band was terrible and overly loud (even for me), so I wandered around the building while waiting for Creed to start.  I found the downstairs area, which is a weird open space and includes several large throne-like chairs.  Here I sit in one while I wait for the main event.  Creed put on an excellent show, and if they come back to town, I'll definitely go see them again.

It's a Girl!

After Clara's adoption, we thought we might want to have more children, but we figured we'd wait awhile.  But sometimes God's timing is different than our timing, and in an unexpected surprise, we found out a few months ago that Meghan is pregnant!  We went in today for the sonogram and are excited to announce that we are having another girl!  We're due in early October, and we're excited to have our family of five with our three little kids who will be so close in age and will be the best of friends.

Farewell! Happy Birthday! Nice House!

Grandma Nicholl is getting ready to go visit one of her other sons in Las Vegas, and we wanted her to have a chance to see the kids before she left.  This coincided with the opportunity to have a small celebration for Joanna's birthday.  So the two events were combined, as Mom and Ron hosted a small get-together at their new house today.  It was our first chance to see the inside of their house (which is quite nice), and it was fun to get to hang out and enjoy the space it provides for large family events, which is one of the main reasons they decided to move.  Here many of us gather around the table, Clara helps her Aunt Josie blow out a candle, Mom cuddles with her sleepy granddaughter, and Ron and Joshua have a great time laughing with each other.

Inadvertent Yard Helper

I've been wanting to do some yardwork in the back yard, and I ended up having some time today.  One of the things I wanted to do was to trim some of the low-hanging branches from the various trees.  Olathe requires that any yard waste be put in the biodegradable paper bags.  In fact they're so vigilant about it that if they see yard waste, even grass clippings, in your trash when picking it up, they'll leave the whole bin by the curb without even emptying it.  Filling the bags with grass clippings is easy, but long branches need to be cut up at least a little bit so they fit in the bags.  So after trimming the branches, I piled them up and started cutting them into smaller pieces, and put them in a separate pile to later be put into the bags.  Joshua was playing in the yard and became curious as to what I was doing.  He walked over, saw the pile of the small branches, and thought it would be fun to put them in this big bag that he just happened to see.  Conveniently, that's exactly what needed to be done, so he ended up being a pretty big help.

Tunnel of Lame

There are several airports that I've been in that have long underground tunnels. Detroit is the most notable, due to it's fun and interesting tunnel.  Chicago's O'Hare airport also has a lit-up tunnel, though it's not as good as Detroit's.  Today when flying home from Cincinnati's airport (which is actually in Kentucky), I had the non-privilege of walking through its underground tunnel.  They decorated it with a few small pictures on the walls and giant beams of ugly flourescent lights.  It was actually sort of depressing to walk throught it.  After seeing the alternatives, I expect better.

Tactile Adventures

Today Joshua spent some time playing with rice that I had dyed various colors. This is a good thing for him to do because it is a good tactile experience when he uses his hands and also gives him practice spooning and pouring. He likes it quite a bit, though even with a drop cloth under his chair it is quite messy so I only do it on days I have time to get the vacuum out right afterward (though Terrence and Natalie are pretty willing to eat it, which I didn't expect). I only occasionally have to remind him that it's for playing and not eating and it holds his attention for at least 15-20 min, which is a relative eternity for him to focus on a single task.

A Needed Improvement

I started a new home project today. Our bedroom has a sitting room which has pretty much been unused since we moved in and I haven't been quite sure what to do with it. But I decided to move my craft things and work space in there from the guest room so we can move Clara into what is now the guest room so she has her own room. My first task was to hang blinds and put up new curtains. Blinds are a really easy project and can really positively change the lighting of a room so I was glad to get this done.

A Game with Cards

Not only is my manager at work a really nice guy, he also loves going to baseball games, much like I do.  We are part of a team who periodically does roadshows in my sales region, and each time we always check to see if we can go to a baseball game while we're in town.  We have our presentation tomorrow here in St. Louis, and fortunately the Cardinals were playing a home game today, so we flew in a little early so we could go to the game.  It was the first time I'd been to the new Busch Stadium after having seen a couple games at the old stadium when I was younger.  They were playing the Cubs, which is why you see me here in my Cubs blue in a sea of red (and also standing "under" the Gateway Arch).  The Cubs lost (of course), but at least it was in exciting fashion, as the Cards won with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth.

California Weather in Kansas

The weather has been great all year.  When it was supposed to be cold, it was mild.  Now, when it should be getting rather warm, it's still mild.  We love it.  Since we have our nice backyard, we're trying to take advantage of it.  Plus, Joshua loves being outside more than almost anything else.  Here we are enjoying the weather, as Terrence and Natalie roam around the yard, Joshua enjoys playing with the mulch, and Meghan supervises.

Happy Mother's Day!

Today was my second mother's day and my first with two kids. Though the day didn't start out the best because our dryer broke and I had to go to my sister's to dry two loads of laundry, it got a lot better after that. Jason got us a dinner at one of our favorite Lawrence restaurants and brought it home and then we hung out as a family and we did cards and gifts.

Rockfest 2012

I love to go to concerts, especially rock concerts.  I usually go to several each year, but the one I look forward to the most is 98.9's Rockfest.  With 55,000 people, it's the largest one-day music festival in America.  It's an all-day affair with two stages and 15 bands.  Last year I had a conflict and wasn't able to go, so I was especially excited to go this year since it'd been two years since I last went.  It was awesome as always, and I'm disappointed I have to wait a full year before getting to go again.

Cabinet Explorer

We keep the door to Joshua's bathroom closed, but right before bed we go in there to brush his teeth.  He's always very interested by the drawers and cabinets.  Tonight I decided to let him explore one of the empty cabinets.  He crawled right in and shut the doors behind him, and then opened them from the inside and peered out at me.  He didn't get to play as long as he would have liked, because it was bedtime, but he really enjoyed the time he had.

Fun in the Sun

Joshua loves going outside. Even though we have various equipment to play on, he mostly likes throwing rocks and playing in the dirt. We try to go out every day it's nice, and he loves it. It is only recently that Clara has started to share his love of the outdoors. The grass really freaks her out so far. I think she doesn't like the texture. But she loves sitting outside and watching Joshua play. Today was a perfect spring day and all three of us as well as grandma had a great time going out today.

Drinking from a Cup

We have been working with Joshua on how to drink from a cup. He is doing pretty well with it. We don't do it at every meal because if he's feeling ornery, it ends up being a big mess. But he has really gotten better at not spilling when he is motivated. And he seems to like the change. I am hoping we can get rid of sippy cups most of the time by the time he is two, but we'll see how it goes and if he is still throwing dishes as much as he does now.

Tech-Savvy Baby

Joshua really loves both my tablet and Jason's iPad. We both have a few toddler-friendly apps installed, mostly dealing with animal sounds and he just loves them. It is surprising how easy he finds it to use, although we are still working on tapping gently.

Is there a Sheragioma?

Since shortly after she was born, Clara's had a little lump on the outside of one of her eyelids.  We'd asked the pediatrician about it, and they said it was a hemangioma and didn't seem worried.  But after last month's appointment, they said we might as well have it looked at.  So today I took Clara to a pediatric dermatologist to have it examined.  Fortunately, as expected, they said it's harmless and will go away in a few years, although they said there is the option of a topical medication which should make it go away sooner.  We were pretty sure it was nothing serious, but it was good to get that confirmation.

Fruit Fanatic

Joshua loves fruit, or at least the idea of it, anyway.  He loves to look at it, he loves to hold it, and I'm pretty sure he'd like to throw it if we let him.  He thinks he likes to eat it, and for some he does, like bananas.  But for as excited as he gets about apples, and for as often as he requests them, he doesn't love the taste as much as you'd think.  Still, he longs for access to our fruit bowl ("Froooo," he cries), and today when Barb was trying to distract him from something else, she brought him up to the fruit bowl, and he was instantly excited (and distracted).  Here he gets to hold a piece of his beloved fruit.

Cinco de Witt

We'd been trying to schedule a time for months to get together with our friends, the DeWitts.  We finally found a time on the calendar that worked for both of us, and tonight was the night.  Because it was Cinco de Mayo, we had a Mexican-themed night for both food and drink.  My only regret was after Joshua had gone to bed when I realized I never brought out the sombrero from last year for him to wear.



May I have your mug, Señor?

We went out to dinner tonight at a nearby Mexican restaurant.  In the lobby there's a small statue of a little Mexian guy holding a mug and a taco.  He's about Joshua's size, and Joshua saw him and wanted to go say hi.  After greeting him, Joshua decided to try to take his taco and then his mug, only to find out that the guy wasn't going to give them up easily.  Joshua seemed to respect the guy's decision to keep his own things and then just smiled at him for awhile.  In future visits to this restaurant, we'll be sure to make time for Joshua to hang out with his friend.  

2 Grandmas

Today Peg came to meet my mom so they could eat lunch together at Jack Stack. While she was here, they spent some time hanging out with the kids.

A New Experience

Today we gave Clara non-formula food for the first time (you could call it solids, but it was applesauce, so really not very solid). She was not overly impressed, though she did eat a little bit. We'll see how it goes. Joshua wasn't overly impressed at first either, but grew to really enjoy eating a wide variety of foods, so hopefully it will be the same with her. We aren't giving her too much food at this point. Probably we will wait until she is six months for that, but right now we are just trying a few different things and textures.

Happy Birthday to Mom!

Today was my mom's birthday and she, Christine, Joshua, Clara, and I went out to celebrate. She chose Olive Garden as where she would like to eat and it was really good. Unfortunately I forgot my camera. I know the kids today often don't have a camera and just use their cell phones, but I don't really understand this. Christine has an iPhone, which is what we used to take this since no one had a camera and is, by all reports, one of the best cameras on a cell phone that there is. But it still turned out a little blurry. So I guess I'll be sticking with a separate camera for the foreseeable future, though it would be nice to be able to combine devices.