Friends in Boston

After our weekend in New York, we took the train to Boston to visit more friends. We stayed with our dear friends, Travis and Meridale, who hadn't seen Zach since he was five months old.

They quickly became reacquainted. Zach was fascinated by Travis' guitar but wasn't sure what to think of Meridale's eight-month pregnant belly.

Meridale practiced her maternal touch, while Zach perfected his sliding technique.

We had brunch with Asaf and Liz (friends from Anna's intern year) and their daughter, Maya, who is six months older than Zach and has a bubbling, joyful personality just like her parents.

Finally, Zach got to meet Emily, Mom's friend and adventurer extraordinaire from college days.

Ducky, Ducky, Ducky

Question: How do you entertain a toddler in Boston?

Answer: Take him to see "Make Way for Ducklings" in the Boston Commons.

(Yes, he sat on every single duckling and squealed "ducky, ducky, ducky" the whole time)

The Big Apple

We spent Labor Day weekend in NYC getting to visit Monisha and Justin and meeting baby Maya for the first time.

Zach took to the bright lights right away, enjoying the view from Monisha and Justin's deck.



He even got to stay up late and go out to dinner with the grown ups.



The weather was gorgeous, perfect for an afternoon picnic in Central Park.






Zach taught Maya all about his favorite book, Wombat Stew.



Maya was all smiles standing in her Dad's lap. And she was kind enough to let Zach play with her elephant, Horton.

We spent Sunday morning reading The New York Times (what else!) in Central Park.

All in all, a great trip to a great city to see great friends.

Camel: A Love Story

Zach fell in love with a fuzzy stuffed animal named Camel in April. Here are a few snapshots of the love affair over the months.

Horsing around in the living room when Camel was still a soft shiny stuffed animal, April 2009.

Taking a nap together in Cairns, May 2009.

Camel cooling off in the fridge in the Outback, May 2009.

Camel and the Twelve Apostles, June 2009.

Piano lessons with Grandma and Camel, June 2009.

A walk in Montana with Camel, June 2009.

Visiting Great Grandma Clara, July 2009.

Picking wildflowers, August 2009.



Hiking the trails near Bend, Oregon, August 2009.

Nothing better than taking a break from it all.

Four generations

We spent last weekend in Leavenworth, WA, where Aunt Laura performed at a chamber music festival. Grandma and Grandpa Loge met us there and brought Great-grandma Clara all the way out from Montana with them. That's how we got this nice four generation shot of Grandpa Ron, Great-grandma Clara, Mom and Zach.

Cooling Off

With record high temperatures in Seattle, we filled up the wading pool for Zach. At least we think it was for Zach. All the grown-ups took turns cooling off, too. Unlike most Seattle-ites, we loved the hot weather. 103F felt just right to our Australian-tempered internal thermostats.



At first, Zach took his swimming time very seriously. But that lasted only a second before the squeals began.



He squealed with Auntie Laura in the pool with him.

And he squealed with Dad...

Who he then proceded to splash repeatedly.

And he squealed with Mom. Somehow, the pictures don't quite capture the experience, though. Listen for yourself.

Yes, those are squeals of delight and they went on for hours.



After all that squealing, it was time for a strawberry popsicle.



Even that produced squeals!!

Seattle Snapshot

Like his parents, Zach has been enjoying his second summer of 2009. The Seattle version is all about playing. He wakes up and heads straight for his toy corner in the basement. He reads books and plays with his trucks and pushes around his trolley of blocks. Eventually the fun moves outside.

The day often begins with breakfast on the deck with Mom (when she is not at work) and Tassie. He likes to point at every airplane that flies overhead. We are usually in the early flight path for SeaTac so some days there can be dozens of planes, which means endless entertainment for Zach. Once he's done with his Cheerios and blueberries he's off to playing again.



He can spend hours climbing up and down the stairs.



He also has been mastering how to climb up the slide, mostly so he can then slide back down. He dislikes the swings, intensely. He is interested in the merry-go-round but we have to remind him he's not quite big enough for that yet.

One weekend in mid July we headed down the hill to the Seattle Center to take in the Bite of Seattle. We quickly spotted "Outback Jack's Australia Road Kill Grill" but we didn't see kangaroo or sausage rolls on the menu, so we moved onto a different stall for crab cakes and cheese steaks.

Zach enjoyed a big bite.

We have also discovered the local wading pool this summer, much to Zach's delight. He's the only kid with a kangaroo on his towel and the only kid whose mom makes him wear a hat in the pool! If only he would grow some hair...