Singin' in the rain

(Cue Gene Kelly)

I'm singing in the rain; Just singing in the rain, What a glorious feelin'.
I'm happy again, I'm laughing at clouds, So dark up above, The sun's in my heart, And I'm ready for love.
Let the stormy clouds chase, Everyone from the place, Come on with the rain, I've a smile on my face.
I walk down the lane, With a happy refrain…
Just singin', Singin' in the rain!

The ride home

C'mon. It couldn't be worse.
US Airways- I see why you are in bankruptcy.

It all started w/ the boarding attendant changing Ashley’s seat assignment because the flight is 1/2 full and we could locate in the back hoping to disturb less.  We board and realizing the noise machine was about to enter the US Airways’ flight attendant break room, she quickly send us back to our original seat.  Sorry to get in the way of your sky mall magazine and stories of serving soda in 2 ounce cups.  My mouthwash cup holds more fluid than your paltry hamster feeder.

Two hours later…

Ash- no it can't be another 2 hours.  Your time calculation is not right.  We change time zones remember?
Dave- (thinking that this is one of those times that the truth is not my ally) - Yeah you are right; we are almost there.

Surrounding passengers...no sense of humor or understanding.  I got more evil looks than the meter maid.    And LB behaved like a world champion traveler.  I guess I'm just sensitive.  Ash is rubbing off on me.

The Rides

To help set the stage for these images, let's get a few particulars out of the way...
1) The size requirement for every ride was nearly double our little munchkin.  And so begins the dreaded coin flip between parents to accompany LB on each ride.  Thank goodness the tea cups and spinning machines were out of order, allegedly.

2) The workers at Castaway Cove do not like their job.  At all. One word comes to mind- loathe.
3) 1/3 of the parents do not appear to be equipped to be spending this kind of money on their kids.
4) Regarding the ill equipped 1/3…A persona comes to mind.  50% Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad and 50% Pauly D from The Jersey Shore.

Cape May Zoo

Mom Mom- Dave and Ash, why don't we go to the zoo today instead of the beach?

Ash- Sounds like a great idea.  LB has never been to a zoo. (Doing her best impression of the kid from Jerry McGuire) "Let’s go to the zoo!"

OK, that was really me making that last comment. 

Dave- come to think of it, she has never seen another animal besides her dog, the neighborhood cat "Tom" and the fish and lobster available for purchase at the market.  Heck yeah, let's roll. 

40 minutes and 4 goat licks later

Dave- wow. LB really likes the otters. 

Ash- personality plays.

Dave- Up close and personal wins.  These guys are putting on a show just a few inches away from her nose. 

Ash- good luck getting her to move to the next station

Dave-(thinking)

Dave- lb, let's go see Tom. 

Lb- standing in front of the bobcat cage..."cat?" "wow!"

In the end, the biggest hits were the snow leopards (very playful), the giraffes (great smiles) and the otters.  Season pass to the local zoo/sea world awaits.

The Boardwalk

The idea was to give LB a taste of Ocean City.  Specifically the Mack and Manco pizza (I refuse to refer to its new name), and Kohr's brothers custard.  I feel like my childhood orbited around these pillars of goodness, so why not extend the love, right?

Walking/running up the 11th street ramp to this section of delicious, I couldn't help but notice the Jersey shore vibe.  How could I forget the vibe!  The boardwalk is a living breathing soundtrack.  And wouldn't you know it- LB encountered her favorite rhymes and rhythms during her afternoon strolls.  What do you do when your 23 month old catches the beat?  To quote the audience "you sit back and clap" cause normally this entertainment comes with a price for admission.  Bravo LB...Daddy proud.

The Beach

Fearless.  That is our little girl.  Think of the Atlantic Ocean as row of hungry linebackers and LB was LeSean McCoy-ducking and diving the defense in pursuit of the end zone.  When the adventure did finally stop, the creativity began.  I was amazed at how quickly she took to playing in the sand.  In our previous beach trips she expressed no interest in sand creations or being sandy. This time around, Pop pop decided to break out the shovels and buckets- and game on.  The beach became her canvas and the seashells were the paint.  Once we graduated into the sandcastles on the final day, you could literally see her imagination at work- meticulously using sea grass as the fortress flags and the mini clams as the castle ornaments.  Daddy proud.


The beach days were divided into three parts-
The ocean- tracking the waves in and out, swallowing the salt water, running from Mom Mom and Pop Pop.

The sand- even my kite flying could not distract her from the artwork.

The bubbles- This is where grandparents never cease to surprise- the obscure bubble maker gun that ran through a gallon of soapy solution in 3 days.  Genius.

Vacation part 4 of 4. So much activity.

Jersey shore.  Sugary snacks.  Jukebox. The Golia family.
With their powers combined, LB was inundated with activity and extended playtime.  Except she just didn't know where to turn first.  One morning she was crashing into the waves of the Atlantic with pop pop.  The next, she was face to face with a snow leopard and otter.  If I were to title the book of LBs life over Jersey vacation, it would be "first times = good times".

Thinking back on the highlights of the trip, I could probably write a blog on each event.  So let's do that.  The audience deserves it.  LB likes the attention.  And we have the footage to compliment each story with raw, unfiltered emotion.  Let’s start this with a bang- but first an offer of love and thanks for our hosts and participants.  Mom Dad Yvonne Tim- To quote LB  "wooooowwwww!" and "again". 

Vacation part 3. Traveling.

You can feel their eyes looking at you.  You hear their thoughts, their wishes, and their prayers.  It sums up to one thing- please don't let me sit next to that kid for a 4 hour flight.  Please.  To the everyday passenger, the sounds of a 23 month old child at 6:45am is not just background noise, it's an annoyance peppered with provocation.  Like a phone ringing in the movie theater, but worse.  This ring has no boundary or volume control.  It is one long "noooo" with several variations in pitch and tempo. 

Boarding 1st class is announced. Hmmm.  Thought they put the kids on first?  Now boarding priority seating.  Hmmm.  New game plan-I take the carry-on, iPads, car seat.  Leaving Ashley and lb to board last.  Figured that would be more considerate.  I board, stow away the baggage and buckle in the car seat.  A wave of paranoia sweeps though me- the car seat on top of the airplane seat puts lb's fiery footwork on the back of the passenger in front.  Poor 13f- this guy pulled the losing ticket for the SAT to PHL flight.  Ashley and lb finally board, we strap her in rather easily.  She quickly begins pointing out every known object in her sight (think I-spy) looking for confirmation in her assessment.  This is immediately followed by a flurry of apologies (from yours truly) to every surrounding passenger.  Much to my surprise, the surrounding passengers are quite forgiving.  Seems like everyone has their flying with a kid story. 

Before we take off, lb starts with the kicking.  I see the passenger eyeing the exit seat in front of him.  He politely asks the attendant to move up.  She responds that they are premium seats and not available.  The disappointment in this poor guy was showing on his sleeve.  I jump in and offer to pay for the seat.  Actually, I started out with can I move the car seat to under the plane so she can't Pele the seat in front.  She said no…the person has to complain before they can move.  Time out.  Really?  Since when has treatment come before prevention?  Even dating back to the days of junior high, the best birth control is/ was abstinence. Yet this airline is preaching adoption.  I don't get it.  After a few timely screams from LB, our attendant got the point and moved the gentleman.  The rest of the flight was a tag team/ musical chairs.  If anyone was filming us from behind, the resulting comedy would have featured an assortment of tools.  From goldfish, to rice cakes, to a Nutragrain bar.  We had it and we fed our little chick.

Then came the IPad and puzzles and Mickey Mouse shows.  What makes this especially enjoyable for me is I have a wife that hates flying.  Total anxiety and out of body experience my bride.  So compound that anxiety with our little noise machine and you get rash behavior.  I'll leave it at that to preserve the rest of my vacation (and marriage).    By the end of the flight, I totaled 4 counts of Ashley asked how long it would be before she could enjoy a spirit of some sort.  Soon honey, soon.  It is these particular moments that I wish I could playback every time I come home from a 14 hour work day and need a beer. Not want, need.  Honey, I can honestly say I know how you are feeling.  In the meantime, why don't you grab one of lb's pacifiers?  Kidding, only kidding. 

One more thing about the flight-there were three occurrences of surrounding passengers offering up stories (but I interpret as suggestions) about what to do with toddlers on a flight.  I even heard the granny tell the whiskey in the milk story.  Except her version did not end with a sleeping child, it ended with granny ordering a couple whiskey milks for herself.  “Loopy” was the word she used.  “Loopy”.  I thought her glasses were loopy.  They were thicker than my Iphone   

There is but one word that could encapsulate the start of this trip-Fun tastic. 

Schoooooool

Well technically it’s a Mother’s Day out program hosted at the local church, every Tuesday and Thursday.  LB is well positioned in the 18-24 month cohort- classroom setting, 8:30-2:30 (with nap time), 10 kids and 2 teachers.  Report cards are available every day and the feedback highlights demeanor (happy, sad, or please don’t hesitate to leave your kid at home) and eating/sleeping/potty performance.  If you are lucky, you receive anecdotal comments from the teacher like “Leighton waited for her turn to draw, and quickly said thank you after receiving the crayons.”  That’s my girl!

The biggest surprise for me was the lunchbox and backpack competition.  Well maybe it isn't a competition, but who wants to risk future self confidence issues for the kid because a parent didn't want to take a chance.  You can’t be like every other parent sending their kid to school w/ a Dora backpack and lunchbox…Not for our little girl.  No way.  We had to embrace our MarioKart roots and equip LB with a spiked Koopa Troopa shell.  And a lunchbox that shaped like a cow head, to which LB appropriately screams –MOOOOOOOOOOO! 

Call Me...Maybe?

LB decided to join the other youtube.com hopefuls with her twist on the Carly Rae single.  What you can’t see in the video is her demand to repeat the track, indefinitely.  I can’t explain why she is so attached to the song…San Antonio radio is probably to blame.  I was really hoping that she would throw some moves to David Guetta…I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose- fire away, fire away.  Ricochet, you take your aim- fire away, fire away.  You shoot me down, but I won't fall- I am titanium.  You shoot me down, but I won't fall- I am titanium!!!  Boom Boom Boom Boom, Bomp Bomp Bomp Bomp. 

Maybe it’s too early for her to enjoy some digital beats.  Soon.  

Vacation 2012 (Part 2 of 4)

Dave- Ash! I need material for the 2nd leg of the July trip.  Do you know what would be fun?

Ash- Another vacation?  Moving back to Atl?

Dave- All good ideas, but I was hoping to get you behind the keyboard this time to reflect on all the tales of playing in the garden with LB, wave runner in the lake, trips to Dick's Sporting goods, etc. 

Ash- Yeah.  No. 

Dave- Someday LB will read about these adventures and wonder what happened to mommy’s words and point of view. 

Ash- Mommy’s words usually find me on the losing end of scrabble.

Ash- And my point of view is baked into her crust from sunrise to sunset.

Dave- Well how do you explain her constant need to be entertained?  Where does that come from?

Ash- Is that a rhetorical question?

10 minutes later...
Ash- Check your email, I sent you some shots for the blog.  My pictures are worth a thousand words.
Dave- Touche.