Vienna

Traveling demands a certain amount of flexibility, because no matter how prepared you are, unexpected challenges will arise.  I would consider Jesse and I seasoned travelers, but neither of us were anticipating drama to start in our home country. At airport check-in we were informed that Jesse's passport, while valid, needed to be valid for three months beyond our return date....and mid-March was just about a week shy of this requirement.  Yeah.  So after a quick family huddle, we decided that Jesse would go to Seattle to get a new passport and that I would proceed on with the boys as planned.  The first flight was just the three of us.  In San Francisco we met up with Sally (GranMama) and she helped me get everyone to Vienna safely.  

It was a challenge to get reunited with Jesse.  He got his passport without problem.  Then his flight got delayed in Newark.  They boarded and sat on the plane for 5.5 hours waiting for the snow to stop.  In Frankfurt they rebooked him on the next flight to Vienna.  Sally and the kids and I had already left Vienna at this point and were taking the train to Salzburg.  The four of us got the rental car and drove to Berchestgarten arriving in the evening.  Jesse hopped on a train to Salzburg directly from the Vienna airport.  Unfortunately, part-way through the trip the train engine had problems... They had to get pushed back to the station and get on a different train which doubled the overall trip time.

Finally Jesse arrived in Salzburg and took a cab to the house in Berchestgarten.  We are so happy to be reunited!

Here are a few photos from traveling, our walk around Vienna, and taking trains.

PDX

Lufthansa

Austrian Air

Jonah sleeping, Ezra not sleeping.

Good morning Vienna!

Super cool shoe store

Over the Danube

Beautiful sunny day

We took the U-bahn (subway), S-bahn (train), and Westbahn (train)

Going to Salzburg!

Our train had a special car just for kids... Ezra enjoyed the extra space to climb.

Made it!

The foothills are dusted with snow.  

Summer Trip to Bellingham

I compiled a short, 4 minute video from our recent camping trip up north to visit family and friends.  Bellingham is a 5.5 hour drive from our house, but it takes us about 7 hours to make it there with stops for the kids and meals.  It's a haul, but sooooo worth it to see this special group of people and enjoy one of our favorite places in the summertime. 

There was a lot of bike riding and no broken bones this trip.  Yay!  Jesse rode "Cougar" cleanly which is the trail he broke his wrist on 2 years ago.  We did have to go to urgent care at one point to have a foreign object removed from the eyeball-side of Jesse's eyelid.  Best $30 copay he's ever spent!

Mr. Maniac

Today, Ezra turns 4 years old!

And he is also debuting a new nickname: Mr. Maniac.

Over the past month, Ezra has become a climber.

He scales up conventional climbing tools like this ladder to the top bunk.

It did not take long before Ezra was testing his emerging skills at every possible opportunity.

I began discovering Ezra perched on high places all around the house.  

He really enjoyed the location of this side table.  He would use the rocking horse to climb up and then pivot around so he was reclined.  This was the best position to check out the ceiling fan.

Ezra would turn the ceiling fan on and off with his toes at the wall switch....of course.

Sometimes I would discover him practicing headstands in his crib.

Every day a new summit was attempted and conquored.

And then came the realization that he could drag chairs around to facilitate out of reach platforms.

All this activity has introduced a parenting dilemma---we are thrilled by Ezra's developmental leap and are so excited for him....but we don't want him to think that standing on the dining table or kitchen counter will earn him a round of applause....or, at least, not every time!

Jesse and I see a reflection of our own personalities in him as he finds joy in exploration.  We recognize his persistence and inquisitive nature are utilized for creative problem solving.  A lot of Ezra's physical limitations make his methodology seem a little odd.  But where a typical child would rely on strength to muscle through some of these climbing challenges, Ezra is very thoughtful, careful and in many cases, makes smarter use of balance and leverage.

It's also really fun to see his sly smile as he admires his accomplishments.

His climbing abilities allow him to explore areas of the house which were previously less intriguing. 

Ezra's new favorite hiding spot is inside the drum of our washing machine....when I can't find him, that's where he is playing.

In addition to climbing UP Ezra has been experimenting with balancing on unstable surfaces like soft cushions and skateboards.

Well, Mr. Maniac, you have earned that title.

A year ago, Ezra was just starting to walk independently.  And before that, Ezra could only walk with maximum assistance or a supportive device.  

And now he's figuring out center of gravity. 

We are so proud of you Ezra!  Happy Birthday.

 I'll leave you with a short video of Ezra playing at the park....he's come a long way!

Rescued Plants

After I harvested our garlic, there was a large void in the garden.  It was an awkward time to plant anything because summer was in full swing.  Plants that would enjoy the heat wouldn't have enough time to produce if I started them from seeds.  I needed starts--but the season for that had passed.

Behind one of my favorite organic garden stores I discovered some plant starts.  

The sign said FREE and there was a reason.  These were the leftovers...they were sad little plants, yellow leaves, root-bound in their containers, and hadn't been watered.

Free plants was just my bare plot needed--they wouldn't be any worse off and maybe they would grow.

Thanks to fluffed up soil, chicken manure, sunshine, and water---the neglected plants came back to life.

At the time of planting, I wasn't sure what I was even putting in the ground because the plants were no longer labeled.  I could tell generally that I was planting some kinds of peppers, eggplant and some vines...watermelon?  squash?  It was fun to discover what was actually growing.

Today the weather shifted; it is much cooler and we are going to have rain for several days.  It was time to harvest all the heat-loving veggies and fruit.

I also picked my flowers and made two lovely dahlia bouquets.

I'm so thankful for the rescued plants....

....and to have so much color to make the grey days cheerful.

Thank you Nanna for the gift certificate for the dahlia tubers.   And thank you Mom for the chicken manure.