Introducing the newest piece of bargain basement awesomeness to join our backyard escape: creekside bench!
Posts
1 year ago
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sit on it
Introducing the newest piece of bargain basement awesomeness to join our backyard escape: creekside bench!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Beach train
This week we realized summer was nearly over and we hadn't ridden the beach train yet this year, so today we fixed that. Bought hats, rode train, did the Boardwalk's helicopter ride, ate ice cream, ran on the beach, another round on the helicopter, back to the train.
Whew! We pack a lot of summer into 3 hours around here.
Whew! We pack a lot of summer into 3 hours around here.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Conversations: Speed
F: Graham, are you the fastest baby in the world?
G: Yep.*
F: Graham, are you the fastest baby in the whole school?
G: Yep.*
Please, someone arrange the tournament to determine the world's fastest under-twos. I would pay to watch that.
*Somehwere during vacation, all of Graham's "Ya"s and "No"s turned into "Yep"s and "Nope"s.
G: Yep.*
F: Graham, are you the fastest baby in the whole school?
G: Yep.*
Please, someone arrange the tournament to determine the world's fastest under-twos. I would pay to watch that.
*Somehwere during vacation, all of Graham's "Ya"s and "No"s turned into "Yep"s and "Nope"s.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Parents were in town
So right now I'm sitting in Waterloo, IA, at Katie's Mom's place. Before that we were at my parents' place. But before that we were in Sonoma, CA, with my parents, who flew in for the wedding of Dave Rolnitzky and Brittany Glidden. It was a B. R. Cohn winery, and it went off without a hitch! Special thanks to Alex and Laura for babysitting.
When we were in Sonoma we visited Train Town, which is the "most developed scale model train in the Americas" or something. At any rate, it was a good ride--I'd recommend the place to anyone with little kids. The rest of the rides are skippable. Here are my parents on the train.
Here is Finn in the Sonoma jail after a late night of carousing.
The boys had a fun time at the party that Dave and Brittany threw the night before the wedding. Finn did a lot of running around with some other kids. This gives you kind of a flavor. There was also a pinata. And croquet. And much food- and drink-stuffs.
On the last day of the CA trip, we took my parents to the San Francisco Zoo, and this was just awesome:
When we were in Sonoma we visited Train Town, which is the "most developed scale model train in the Americas" or something. At any rate, it was a good ride--I'd recommend the place to anyone with little kids. The rest of the rides are skippable. Here are my parents on the train.
Here is Finn in the Sonoma jail after a late night of carousing.
The boys had a fun time at the party that Dave and Brittany threw the night before the wedding. Finn did a lot of running around with some other kids. This gives you kind of a flavor. There was also a pinata. And croquet. And much food- and drink-stuffs.
On the last day of the CA trip, we took my parents to the San Francisco Zoo, and this was just awesome:
King Hippo from Jonathan Fortney on Vimeo.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Wish you were here
I find myself saying "my god, we LIVE here" and bursting with wonder and gratitude on a pretty regular basis. Sometimes it's "work here" instead. If you've never been to the UC Santa Cruz campus, I highly recommend you put it on your must-visit list. It is unique and lovely. I regularly see deer, banana slugs, and other critters.
The view of the bay as we come home down the hill is like a little gift every day. I would love to get a camera that takes wide-angle photos, and do a shot from the top of that hill every day for a year, and then time lapse them. This will give you the barest idea.
Most mornings I walk over to the bookstore for coffee with friends from work. This is a video of the woodsy ferny path we take to get there and back. It's not for those prone to motion sickness, but again, it will give you an idea.
Our Saturdays are mostly for buying food, running errands, and doing chores. Our Sundays tend to be "family adventure" days (Finn has picked up on this term and started using it. It's adorable). Often this means meeting up with friends around the Bay Area or having them over to our house, but sometimes we find ourselves with several open hours. Because of where we live, we could decide at the drop of a hat to go to mountains and/or woods, a beach, a boardwalk, a museum, an aquarium, a winery, a farm... I don't even know what all. Yesterday we went strawberry picking in a field overlooking an ocean cliff, then headed to a beach to meet some friends.
After the beach we grabbed dinner at an English-themed pub nearby, where Finn finally got to see a real live double decker bus just like the toy one he got from Aunt Jeanna. Jonathan and I ate our dinner at a leisurely pace and sipped our beers. The boys ate some dinner, then mostly played in and around the decor - like this phone booth.
After dinner, we put the boys in their pajamas, threw them in the car, and headed home. They sang, chattered, and eventually fell asleep in the car. We watched the cloudy sunset and the waves hitting the rocky coast while we drove. It was gorgeous.
People, we LIVE here.
The view of the bay as we come home down the hill is like a little gift every day. I would love to get a camera that takes wide-angle photos, and do a shot from the top of that hill every day for a year, and then time lapse them. This will give you the barest idea.
Most mornings I walk over to the bookstore for coffee with friends from work. This is a video of the woodsy ferny path we take to get there and back. It's not for those prone to motion sickness, but again, it will give you an idea.
Our Saturdays are mostly for buying food, running errands, and doing chores. Our Sundays tend to be "family adventure" days (Finn has picked up on this term and started using it. It's adorable). Often this means meeting up with friends around the Bay Area or having them over to our house, but sometimes we find ourselves with several open hours. Because of where we live, we could decide at the drop of a hat to go to mountains and/or woods, a beach, a boardwalk, a museum, an aquarium, a winery, a farm... I don't even know what all. Yesterday we went strawberry picking in a field overlooking an ocean cliff, then headed to a beach to meet some friends.
After the beach we grabbed dinner at an English-themed pub nearby, where Finn finally got to see a real live double decker bus just like the toy one he got from Aunt Jeanna. Jonathan and I ate our dinner at a leisurely pace and sipped our beers. The boys ate some dinner, then mostly played in and around the decor - like this phone booth.
After dinner, we put the boys in their pajamas, threw them in the car, and headed home. They sang, chattered, and eventually fell asleep in the car. We watched the cloudy sunset and the waves hitting the rocky coast while we drove. It was gorgeous.
People, we LIVE here.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Finn's First Baseball Game
I like baseball, and I've been to many games in my life. Probably between 100 and 200 games, but that is as close as I can estimate it. Out here the San Francisco Giants stadium (AT&T Park) is outstanding, but the Oakland A's stadium (something something Colosseum) isn't so great. But there is also the San Jose Giants Class A minor league team, which is the closest to our house. They play in a small 1940s stadium that seats probably 5000. And the tickets are cheap!
I decided it was time to take Finn to his first game, to see how he liked it. I'm not yet decided on whether or not Finn "has to" like baseball, but I think it would be fun if he did. We went to a 4 p.m. game, which was the first of a double-header. Here we are just before we left to go home, after the 3rd inning of the 2nd game. (It was bedtime.)
So, the story: After downing a frozen lemonade during the first two innings, he was getting pretty bored, but I still managed to point out the dugouts (below ground level!) and Gigante, the gorilla mascot (amazing!). Given his restlessness, I was thinking the trip maybe wasn't the best idea. We left to go check out the bounce-house area (yes, there was an entire are) and we spent about an hour down there before returning to our seats with nachos and a brat (the sausage, not the boy).
We saw a 7-run inning with a lot of action, and he liked the home run and the guys throwing the ball around the field, and into the outfield. It was pretty hard for him to follow the ball off of the bat, but seemed to have an OK idea of what was going on. After that long inning we headed back to the bounce-house area for another 90 minutes (at least!). Oh, he and I also managed to "blow it up" with Gigante, when we walked by his seat. That was a big deal. Here is what Gigante looks like:
They had all manner of bouncy things. The standard bounce-house (what I call a jumpy-jumpy), the bounce slide (see above), a few others, and the interesting bounce-vacuum t-ball set. Below is a video of Finn hitting. It took him awhile but his last few swings were quite good. His mom taught him everything he knows. On the last one he hit the ball into a small target and won us two free tickets to a future game!
After getting all the crazies out, we made it back to some seats for another 2 innings, where Finn had his *first ever* cotton candy and downed a giant bottle of apple juice. The cotton candy was another highlight.
It was a fun and very memorable trip. Maybe we can do it again before the season is up. He picked up a lot about the game, but I'm a little worried he thinks that inflatables are a big part of any professional baseball game....
I decided it was time to take Finn to his first game, to see how he liked it. I'm not yet decided on whether or not Finn "has to" like baseball, but I think it would be fun if he did. We went to a 4 p.m. game, which was the first of a double-header. Here we are just before we left to go home, after the 3rd inning of the 2nd game. (It was bedtime.)
So, the story: After downing a frozen lemonade during the first two innings, he was getting pretty bored, but I still managed to point out the dugouts (below ground level!) and Gigante, the gorilla mascot (amazing!). Given his restlessness, I was thinking the trip maybe wasn't the best idea. We left to go check out the bounce-house area (yes, there was an entire are) and we spent about an hour down there before returning to our seats with nachos and a brat (the sausage, not the boy).
We saw a 7-run inning with a lot of action, and he liked the home run and the guys throwing the ball around the field, and into the outfield. It was pretty hard for him to follow the ball off of the bat, but seemed to have an OK idea of what was going on. After that long inning we headed back to the bounce-house area for another 90 minutes (at least!). Oh, he and I also managed to "blow it up" with Gigante, when we walked by his seat. That was a big deal. Here is what Gigante looks like:
They had all manner of bouncy things. The standard bounce-house (what I call a jumpy-jumpy), the bounce slide (see above), a few others, and the interesting bounce-vacuum t-ball set. Below is a video of Finn hitting. It took him awhile but his last few swings were quite good. His mom taught him everything he knows. On the last one he hit the ball into a small target and won us two free tickets to a future game!
A Swing and a ...? from Jonathan Fortney on Vimeo.
After getting all the crazies out, we made it back to some seats for another 2 innings, where Finn had his *first ever* cotton candy and downed a giant bottle of apple juice. The cotton candy was another highlight.
It was a fun and very memorable trip. Maybe we can do it again before the season is up. He picked up a lot about the game, but I'm a little worried he thinks that inflatables are a big part of any professional baseball game....
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
A Gentle Soul
For those of you who don't know Graham very well, I think it is fair to say that he is a quite a bit different than Finn. Maybe not as different as my brother and I (Hi Justin!) but they are very distinct. Graham is a sensitive little guy who wants to make you happy. He takes slights very personally. He will give you as many hugs and kisses as you need, and will ask you for them. He dances. This is one of the cutest movies ever.
Actually Finn is a lot more sensitive in some particular ways. If Finn hurts himself he will wail and let you know about it for 20 minutes. And many band-aids will be required. Graham will forget that a bump or accident ever happened in about 20 seconds, and just go on his merry way. The children-addled brain I have makes it hard to sensibly compare the two, mostly because it is hard for me (already) to remember what Finn was like 2 years ago. But that's the beauty of the blog! :)
The most important news of the week is that we got Graham a big boy bed, very much like Finn's, from IKEA. The two boys are back in the same bedroom, probably for many years to come! He had been sleeping in the pack-and-play in the office for the past several months, because that was easy, and the boys would never wake each other up. He's now slept in his bed back-to-back nights, and he loves it. Finn has been showing him the ropes, including the VERY KEY rule that you can't get out of bed to come wake up mommy and daddy until the moon light comes on at 6:15. That is the key to everyone's sanity. When we're in the Midwest in August, Graham will be too big for the pack-and-plays there, so we had to get him trained sleeping on a bed before then. Finn likes having his brother in their room, but he needs to stop piling so many stuffed animals on Graham when Graham is trying to go to sleep.
For comparison, here is Finn sleeping in his bed from the same time of year in 2009, but he was about 6 weeks younger.
Below is one of my favorites from two week ago---Graham sitting with Cato, our neighbors' cat. Cato looks just like Mona, but likes attention from small people more than Mona does. Just a very peaceful scene.
Here are brothers being brothers:
We visited Alex and Laura up in San Francisco a couple weeks ago, and during brunch the boys each got balloon creations. Graham got a flower, but the balloon artist suggested it could also be a hat. I think he was right.
Dancing to Ella from Jonathan Fortney on Vimeo.
Actually Finn is a lot more sensitive in some particular ways. If Finn hurts himself he will wail and let you know about it for 20 minutes. And many band-aids will be required. Graham will forget that a bump or accident ever happened in about 20 seconds, and just go on his merry way. The children-addled brain I have makes it hard to sensibly compare the two, mostly because it is hard for me (already) to remember what Finn was like 2 years ago. But that's the beauty of the blog! :)
The most important news of the week is that we got Graham a big boy bed, very much like Finn's, from IKEA. The two boys are back in the same bedroom, probably for many years to come! He had been sleeping in the pack-and-play in the office for the past several months, because that was easy, and the boys would never wake each other up. He's now slept in his bed back-to-back nights, and he loves it. Finn has been showing him the ropes, including the VERY KEY rule that you can't get out of bed to come wake up mommy and daddy until the moon light comes on at 6:15. That is the key to everyone's sanity. When we're in the Midwest in August, Graham will be too big for the pack-and-plays there, so we had to get him trained sleeping on a bed before then. Finn likes having his brother in their room, but he needs to stop piling so many stuffed animals on Graham when Graham is trying to go to sleep.
For comparison, here is Finn sleeping in his bed from the same time of year in 2009, but he was about 6 weeks younger.
Below is one of my favorites from two week ago---Graham sitting with Cato, our neighbors' cat. Cato looks just like Mona, but likes attention from small people more than Mona does. Just a very peaceful scene.
Here are brothers being brothers:
We visited Alex and Laura up in San Francisco a couple weeks ago, and during brunch the boys each got balloon creations. Graham got a flower, but the balloon artist suggested it could also be a hat. I think he was right.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Finn's Favorite Outfit
This is Finn's Favorite Outfit. 
The shirt is his "tiger shirt," which says something about a "Desert Safari Route." The shorts are red, white, blue, and yellow plaid. The socks are black, white, and grey camo. The underwear (yes, the underwear are part of the Favorite Outfit) are Incredibles. Finn would be happy to show them to you, but they look pretty much like these.
Last week we had a fresh load of laundry and Finn was excited to wear the Favorite Outfit, but could not find the underwear. All morning routines were derailed, but fortunately Jonathan found them and order was restored to the universe.
The Favorite Outfit is recognized at school. One of his teachers asked him, on last week's near-miss underwear day, "Hey Finn, got your favorite outfit on today?" then turned to speak to another child. When she turned back, she discovered that he'd pulled his shorts down to his knees to proudly show the room the Favorite Underwear. Classy.
Sometimes other shirts get the honor being "my other favorite shirt," but it doesn't seem to stick. And there's not even a close second in the other categories. Fortunately, we still manage to get him dressed on those days...
The shirt is his "tiger shirt," which says something about a "Desert Safari Route." The shorts are red, white, blue, and yellow plaid. The socks are black, white, and grey camo. The underwear (yes, the underwear are part of the Favorite Outfit) are Incredibles. Finn would be happy to show them to you, but they look pretty much like these.
Last week we had a fresh load of laundry and Finn was excited to wear the Favorite Outfit, but could not find the underwear. All morning routines were derailed, but fortunately Jonathan found them and order was restored to the universe.
The Favorite Outfit is recognized at school. One of his teachers asked him, on last week's near-miss underwear day, "Hey Finn, got your favorite outfit on today?" then turned to speak to another child. When she turned back, she discovered that he'd pulled his shorts down to his knees to proudly show the room the Favorite Underwear. Classy.
Sometimes other shirts get the honor being "my other favorite shirt," but it doesn't seem to stick. And there's not even a close second in the other categories. Fortunately, we still manage to get him dressed on those days...
Thursday, July 7, 2011
New stuff
We have been acquisitive little magpies lately. Frugal ones, though. Thing we have gotten free, yard-sale-cheap, or on extended loan lately include: a trike, a deep freeze, a wine fridge, a hammock frame, 2 hermit crabs, a bookshelf, an end table for my office, and a toy chainsaw. I'm particularly excited about the freezer, because, as I've been telling anyone who will listen, I can now buy half-pigs with impunity.
Here's one of the crabs before they burrowed under the sand to either begin molting or to die. Time will tell.
The trike was supposed to be for Graham, but it turned out to be too big. So here's another short list - things recently purchased for full price, but totally worth it: scooter-bike thing for Graham, a picnic table, an old half-wine-barrel (in which we've planted a dwarf lemon tree and some tasty lettuces) and a hammock for the hammock frame.
Also, I believe the boys would say we are getting every penny's worth of what we pay for daycare. Graham so loves his favorite teacher, Ben, that he often asks about him over the weekend. Yesterday when we came to get him he ran towards me calling "Ben! Ben!" instead of the usual "Mommy." He switched gears after a few seconds and I tried not to take it personally.
Here's one of the crabs before they burrowed under the sand to either begin molting or to die. Time will tell.
The trike was supposed to be for Graham, but it turned out to be too big. So here's another short list - things recently purchased for full price, but totally worth it: scooter-bike thing for Graham, a picnic table, an old half-wine-barrel (in which we've planted a dwarf lemon tree and some tasty lettuces) and a hammock for the hammock frame.
Also, I believe the boys would say we are getting every penny's worth of what we pay for daycare. Graham so loves his favorite teacher, Ben, that he often asks about him over the weekend. Yesterday when we came to get him he ran towards me calling "Ben! Ben!" instead of the usual "Mommy." He switched gears after a few seconds and I tried not to take it personally.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Waterlogged boys
Summer, or what passes for summer, is in full swing! Highs of 67! Lows of 52! What?! Anyway, at least it is sunny in the afternoons when the fog burns off. A few days ago when Katie was in New Orleans the Fortney boys went with some friends to a fun neighborhood pool in Sunnyvale, on the warm side of the Santa Cruz mountains. Both boys enjoyed the 1-foot-deep kiddy pool and the main pool (with parental assistance--thanks Rachel!). Here is Graham getting warm and dry after a fun afternoon. In other news, they inhaled paella on trips out of the pool.
The boys were supposed to fall asleep in the car, since we left at 7:40, just before their bedtime. Graham held on for 25 minutes, and Finn made it all the way home, plus another 45 minutes. He was rattling around his room til 9:15, probably the latest he's even stayed up. He was on a swimming high.
As for more local water, I put a little too much bubble liquid in a few nights back, but of course that just made bath time even more fun.
Finn was unable to attend school yesterday due to a fever (which had already broken), so the two of us went to see Cars 2. It was Finn's 2nd movie, after Toy Story 3 from last summer. He did pretty well, and only moved seats or rows a few times.
In other boy news, Graham has been stringing 2-word phrases together, like "Up high," "my turn," "bye cows," and "mean daddy." The last one was from when I changed his diaper without his permission! I'll remember that one forever.
Oh, and here is Graham dancing with Elmo at Toys 'R Us. :)
The boys were supposed to fall asleep in the car, since we left at 7:40, just before their bedtime. Graham held on for 25 minutes, and Finn made it all the way home, plus another 45 minutes. He was rattling around his room til 9:15, probably the latest he's even stayed up. He was on a swimming high.
As for more local water, I put a little too much bubble liquid in a few nights back, but of course that just made bath time even more fun.
Finn was unable to attend school yesterday due to a fever (which had already broken), so the two of us went to see Cars 2. It was Finn's 2nd movie, after Toy Story 3 from last summer. He did pretty well, and only moved seats or rows a few times.
In other boy news, Graham has been stringing 2-word phrases together, like "Up high," "my turn," "bye cows," and "mean daddy." The last one was from when I changed his diaper without his permission! I'll remember that one forever.
Oh, and here is Graham dancing with Elmo at Toys 'R Us. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
