Colorado and Kansas

We headed west for Thanksgiving stopping first in Colorado and then over to western Kansas. I got to meet my Colorado cousins in person for the first time. It's easy to see why Bodie says so many good things about them - they sure are fun. We ate an enormous Thanksgiving meal followed by a fun day of basketball, visits with Uncle Jim and Aunt Rosie, and an adventurous day at their super cool zoo.

The giraffe exhibit was incredible, you come (literally) face to face with dozens of giraffes. I would squish my face into the fence, dangling the lettuce out and grunting at each giraffe as they came near. When they gobbled up lettuce from my hand, I usually fell over or took off running - but then quickly returned for the next round of giraffe encounters. Check out the picture with the giraffe eating lettuce OFF OF Bodie's head! Simply awesome. They also have the most impressive variety of bears my parents say they have ever seen in a zoo including a HUGE grizzly who looked like he was getting really close to hibernation.

For those of you who follow this blog, Colorado Springs is where Bodie fell off of Dave's shoulders and fractured his skull three and a half years ago, http://piantanidafamily.blogspot.com/2011/04/colorado.html. While quite a while ago, my mom was a bit nervous about "returning to the scene of the crime," especially repeating a family basketball game. There Bodie is, shooting a basket - not on my dad's shoulders this time. Fortunately, we all remained intact and we had a wonderful time.

We then traveled east to my nana's family farm in western Kansas. She is the oldest of seven kids and they grew up in a small town called Scott City, Kansas. The family farm and ranch have remained in the family and my dad refers to it as a HUGE playground; I'd have to agree. Harvest season is over so we lucked out and got to play with our family - farmers work incredibly hard, so finding down time was a treat.
We stayed with our fun cousins in Garden City and packed in ten times more fun than we could have ever thought possible. My Uncle Luke has a rock star collection of cars and hosted a ton of cousins, aunts and uncles at his "shed" for a party for us. Uncle Luke and I have several of the same cars, the only difference is mine are about two inches in length and say Matel on the bottom. Oh, and it's not just a car shed, it's got tons of toys including a basketball hoop so I had some down time to practice my shot (I'm getting closer!).

Cousin Chris and Uncle Bob let us play with their "toys" and Uncle Bob took Bodie out to do donuts in the field in the ginormous tractor. My mom said she felt like a tiny petite flower next to this equipment - I guess that's a good thing. I felt like an ant, (yes, that tiny speck under the 120 foot sprayer in the picture on the right is ME!)

And I'm told no Kansas trip would be complete without something outrageous, so we checked out the World Record Holding Largest Hairball. Yep, I said hairball. Here's the proof. Surprisingly, this massive thing was actually bigger - it's lost some density over time. But in it's glory days, it was 55 pounds and 37 inches in circumference. Yikes. Of course we took a photo!

Thanks to all of our amazing family for such a memorable trip. Looking forward to doing it again!

Ringing the Bell

Today I attempted to teach our boys about giving and kindness. It didn't exactly go as planned.

I signed us up as volunteer "bell ringers" for the Salvation Army. We went to our assigned local grocery store at our assigned time and got our red aprons, red collection kettle, and the famous gold Salvation Army bell.

Now for safety. I had a one year old and five year old on the curb of a busy parking lot, (no, none of this was well thought out when I gleefully signed us up). At the last-minute suggestion of a friend from Idaho - I'm convinced God contacted her directly - I brought our red wagon and strapped both boys in, put a festive Christmas blanket on their laps, and labeled it with a sign that said, "Santa's Back-up Sleigh."

Bodie joyfully put reindeer antlers on his head. I put an extra long Santa hat on. Gates happily threw his Santa hat on the ground along with his shoes, socks, and jacket; it was 45 degrees with an impressive wind.

Knowing it would be tough for two little guys to sit in a wagon for ninety minutes,  I sweetened the deal, telling the boys that every time we got five donations they could have a chocolate kiss. I envisioned crowds flocking to us, pulling every last dime from their pockets, praising the boys for their efforts as they stuffed their faces with chocolate kisses.

We attached our kettle to the stand outside the store and began ringing our bell. From the first ring of the bell, the traffic pattern of people going into the grocery store drastically changed. People walked 50 to 200 feet out of their way to AVOID us and go in the other door. We were like human repellant; a giant anchovy in the middle of an otherwise delicious pizza.  

To make matters worse, I had done some pretty good build up with the boys about how wonderful it is to give and how when you give, it makes others feel good and they want to give too. My pep talk did not include, "People will not make eye contact, pretend they didn't hear you shout 'Merry Christmas,' and walk face first into the glass of the exit door just to avoid you," (true story, it happened SIX times!)

Fortunately Bodie was committed to earning a chocolate kiss. He shouted Merry Christmas over and over and over again. Gates rung the bell, ate the bell, dropped the bell and rung it some more and after 90 minutes, we rallied 16 donations.

So here's what I learned...

• I will forever make eye contact with the Salvation Army bell ringers - whether I donate or not, I can always be kind,
• While writing a check would have been easier, there is no substitution for experience,
• Wagons (and inspired friends) are life savers,
• I never want to be a perfume sample sprayer in a department store, and
• I am a glutton for punishment because we have a second shift on the evening of the 22nd...Bell Ringers, Take Two!

Batman!

While I've never actually seen an episode of Batman...or a Batman movie...or a real Batman comic book...or basically anything other than Batman clothing, I love him. I dressed up as Batman for Halloween and then requested a Batman birthday party. Lucky for me, my parents obliged and we celebrated in full Batman style.

We had a Batman cake, wore Batman masks, and then played Shoot the Batman discs in the Joker's mouth, knock down the Penguin's cups with Batarangs, Batman Batman Joker (Duck Duck Goose), Batman/Joker (Red Light/Green Light), Sleeping Gotham City (Sleeping Faries), Freeze Dance to the Batman theme song, Batman Says (Simon Says), and whacked a Batman Pinata. Like I said, we celebrated in FULL Batman style.

Thanks to my awesome friends for helping me celebrate, I had a blast!

Getting to Know Gater

Because I entered the world with a bit more "commotion" than Gates, friends and family had a unique opportunity to get to know me from a very early age. From my birth to heart surgery to full recovery, my parents shared a lot about me and my personality.

I recently realized that Gates (fortunately) was not afforded the same "get-to-know-you" opportunity. I thought I'd share some fun facts about my little brother.

Nicknames: Gater or The Destroyer
Often compared to: A caveman or small dinosaur
Favorite words: Done, goal, hot dog, dad, hike, and shhh
Favorite noises: Grunting (like caveman)
Favorite foods: Pretty much anything
Favorite non-foods he likes to eat: Toothpaste, hand sanitizer, sidewalk chalk, dirt, and hairspray
Favorite thing to throw: Anything
What makes him laugh: me

Favorite item: His blue blanket
Fastest way to make him mad: Put shoes on his feet or a hat on his head
Fastest way to make him happy: Let him smash something (a fort, a block tower, etc)
Most impressive meal: At one breakfast, he ate a banana, strawberries, a waffle, 4oz smoked salmon, a smoothie, and a turkey dog (wow, I know)
Most impressive snack while grocery shopping with my mom: A banana, an apple, and a power bar (the guy at the checkout counter was impressed)
Best friend: me
Favorite game: Hide-and-go-seek chase
Favorite appliance: The microwave
Favorite activity: Tackling people, smashing stuff, and pushing buttons (on toys, elevators, phone, appliances, doorbells)
Best sound: His laugh. He cracks himself up all the time and laughs like an old man, it's awesome
Loves: Music, dogs, balls, and ANYTHING I'm doing/playing with
Skill: Stellar climbing skills. We keep finding him on top of stuff (closet shelf, patio table, ladder)
Disposition: Slow to warm up to new people and places. Can be feisty if you don't give him his space. Once he's comfortable, look out. He'll tackle you and explore every corner of a new environment

He's pretty awesome. I hope you get to know him as well as you've been able to get to know me. If you do, I guarantee a lot of laughing.

Halloween

What's not to love about this holiday - candy, dressing up, parades, playing tricks - non-stop fun! We had several Halloween events so we decided to dress in different costumes for each one. Here are some of the highlights...
Bikers

 
Football players (and spider cookies)

 Batman, Robin, the Batmobile, and the words from the comic strip

Gates not only got to be my sidekick, as Robin, he got to operate the smoke machine while I ran through it.

Our grandparents came to town and joined in the craziness. We had around 500 trick or treaters - insanity but so much fun (my parents bought 500 glow lite bracelets and we went through all of them!) Whether you're 1 or 100, Halloween is definitely a treat!

Zombie Walker

It's official, Gates is a walker! He's been teasing us for months, walking a few steps and then crawling away. My mom is convinced he's been break dancing in his room when we're not looking. But just in time for Halloween, Gates has perfected the zombie walk. He laughs the whole time - maybe he knows it looks like a zombie walk - with his arms and legs a little stiff shuffling along. Way to go little brother! I'm excited for our first race!

Festivals

Fall is a time full of festivals and our family partakes in all of them! From the hay rides to the corn mazes to the over-the-top 500 foot slides, what's not to love about this time of year?!?!

While I went last year, I slept through most of the action. This year I slid down the slides, road the bikes around the track, fed the animals, bounced in the moon bounces, climbed in the castles - if a festival had it, I did it. A few new discoveries this year included a ball sling shot - which, by the way, my mom says she wants to build in our backyard. A giant sling shot is attached to two posts. You insert a ball, pull back, aim at the target, and let 'er rip! Our mildly competitive family stayed at this activity for well over an hour.

Pictures tell the story best, so here are some of the highlights...

 

 

One of the biggest, and most random, highlights was bumping into the Hutchins family at Pumpkinville. It's a long story - and I was actually asleep in the stroller for most of this - but here's the gist. After playing all day outdoors at the Leesburg Animal Park and Pumpkinville, we headed indoors to a play yard because it began to rain. Most every else left at this point, but my mom and her friend chatted on a bench next to a half-wall while Bodie and his buddy played with a little girl on a playland structure. A woman walked over and said, "I can't believe it, it IS Lisa Lybbert." The little girl Bodie had met in the play yard was the niece of one of my mom's closest friends. Here's where it gets confusing...the friend, Amy Hutchins, lives in Washington state. Her parents live in Utah. Her brother's family lives an hour south of DC. They all grew up in California together. Anyway, it was Amy's parents who were visiting her brother's family, all at Pumpkinville at the same time - SMALL world and a big treat to see them.

The BEST part of the festivals was, by far, the events of this video. Thanks to my awesome dad and video technology, we have watched this seven seconds over and over and over again...laughing every single time. Long live the fall festivals!

Uncle Rick

Uncle Rick popped in town unexpectedly for a quick business trip. He was in DC for about 48 hours and we scored a whole evening with him!

We picked him up from the airport, showed him how to eat a variety of snacks in the car while we waited in traffic, played in the yard, ate dinner, tackled each other, and he read us bedtime stories. Pure awesomeness.

Brakes!

I am obsessed with riding a bike. Yes, I know, people say I need to walk first. But really, if I can ride a bike I don't think I'll ever need to walk. Biking is much more efficient and looks super cool. In that vain, I regularly sit on my tricycle in the backyard and pretend I'm riding. While I haven't actually peddled an inch, I know I look pretty good in the seat.

Bodie, as you know, is a bike riding machine. He got on his bike, started peddling, and never looked back. No training wheels, no fear, and no shortage of wipeouts. Speaking of wipeouts...we were headed out on a family ride last week. I was connected to my dad in the trailer, then Bodie, then my mom. There is a busy street between our house and trail. Bodie usually walks his bike across the street, down the hill, and then begins his ride on the trail. But my mom announced this would be the day he'd navigate the busy street and the hill on his bike. It was awesome. Bodie confidently rode across the busy street and safely turned down the side street toward the trail. My mom was praising him from her bike as they rode down the hill. Then we heard her...brakes Bodie, brakes! Bodie BRAKES! BRAKES! USE YOUR BRAKES!!!! SMASH!

Somewhere amid the praise for navigating the busy street, Bodie took his feet off of his pedals and panicked, forgetting how to slow his bike. His bike accelerated down the hill at rapid speed toward the trail and stopped abruptly as he hit a metal guard rail at full speed. Ouch.


NOW I understand the value of helmets. (Bodie should be a spokesperson for our Nutcase brand helmets.) He went head first into the guard rail with the right side of his face taking the second hit. The helmet absorbed 90% of the crash, his sunglasses 8%, and his right eye 2%. A shiner and a small cut under his eye, that's all he got. Helmets RULE! And his steel bike? He hit so hard that his handle bars folded - yes, folded - down to the frame because of the impact. Luckily fixing that just required a tool my dad carries on his bike.

After a minute of crying, and before my mom could get the cold water bottle on his eye, Bodie said, "Let's get going mom. It hurts, but I'm fine." WHAT?!?!! My big brother is a stud. He just smashed his head into a big piece of metal and he's more concerned about getting back on his bike to ride to the park and swing on the monkey bars. Bodie protested, but my mom did get the water bottle on his eye while my dad repaired the bike. And we did make it to the park.

Re-cap

While we hope this blog is somewhat entertaining to friends and family who follow us, we also use it as a family journal. So in that vain, we have a few items we need to post. Think of this as a quick, disjointed re-cap on the past two weeks in the Piantanida house.

Dave and I attended a friend's wedding on the lawn of the National Building Museum. They set it up like a casual backyard BBQ in the middle of downtown DC - very cool. Great company, great setting, great couple.


Bodie started Pre-K. What's the difference between preschool and Pre-K? To a four year old, a lot. It just means that next year is kindergarten; Bodie is already talking about what's next. The night before his first day of school I asked him, "Who would you like to drive you to school?" I was implying me or Dave - Dave was happy to take the morning off of work to escort him to his first big day. Bodie's reply, "Kari." (Kari is his buddy Poppy's mom. Poppy goes to his school.) Me, "Um, Kari? Not me or dad?" Bodie, "Yea, Kari. You guys have met my teacher. I need to introduce Kari to my new teacher and show her where my cubby hole is." Me, "Um, okay, I'll call Kari." And he was off. He loves school, loves learning, and LOVES the giant social pond. And we love how much he loves it.

New park tricks. Both Gates and Bodie have been charging the parks and pushing themselves to try new challenges. This is the "year of the monkey bars" for Bodie. He decided that even if he can't reach the monkey bars at most playgrounds, he was going to learn to cross them. He continues to learn but really enjoys the physical challenge. He's even figured out how to climb on top of and bear crawl across the top. "Look what I can do," is said an average of 58 times per park visit, (but who's counting!)

While not walking yet (5 steps is his current record), Gates plays on the park equipment like he's 8 years old. He climbs unassisted up any height of stairs, finds a slide, barrels down it, wiggles off to the ground, crawls back to the stairs, and starts all over again. He also loves climbing up the slides, going backwards down the stairs, and repeating it all over again. It is so fun watching them try new stuff and see how far they can push their little bodies.

Linus

As you may remember, Linus from the Peanuts carried his blanket everywhere. So does Gates. While he is definitely a rough and tumble little guy with nicknames like bruiser and the destroyer, he is also totally and completely in love with his little, blue blanket.

Often carried in his mouth or on his head, this blanket has seen more sights than most people see in a lifetime. It's been out of the country, on the beach, to the park, and in the bathtub. Yes, the bathtub. My mom also wants me to mention that it has seen the inside of the washing machine almost the same number of days it has been in Gates' possession. With such a wild life, detergent is its best friend.

Thanks little blanket for bringing so much happiness to my brother's life.