Family Time

We had an especially great three-day Martin Luther King Day weekend. We did tons of stuff as a family and I had two great afternoons of one-on-one time with Audrey. We didn't take a camera anywhere, though, so no photos with this post.

Saturday morning we went to the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. Even though I went to college at the UW and walked by the museum every day for a couple of years and have lived near it for decades I had never been inside. Audrey's preschool class went there for a field trip a couple of weeks ago and she really wanted to go back. Audrey mostly just wanted to run laps around the exhibit space, but I was OK with following her. She especially likes the volcano you can walk through and the rhino "fossil" (a cavity formed by a rhino that was encased in lava and then decomposed away) that kids can crawl into. Once she got tired of doing laps, we all gathered in the lobby where there were handmade plush dinosaur parts (tails, claws, "combs") that we could strap on. The girls weren't into it at first but warmed up to it and we spent a long time there.

On Sunday Carol took the girls to the grocery store, which has a playroom for kids. They love it, and Carol gets to shop unmolested. Then when Charlotte went down for a nap in the afternoon I took Audrey out for an adventure. It was relatively cold out (about 40 degrees) but the sun was out and made it feel warmer at our house. I threw some jackets in the backpack and Audrey and I hiked down to the Whale Tail Playground (near Alki Beach) through Schmitz Park.

The playground is at the opposite end of a soccer field from Alki Elementary School. Just as we emerged from the woods into the field, another girl about Audrey's age was unwinding the string to start flying her Winnie the Pooh kite with her parents. Audrey was fascinated and watched for a long time. The she approached the girl and I went over and stood by the parents. The two girls were having a quiet conversation standing about five feet from each other. We parents commented to each other that we wished we could hear what they were saying.

Apparently their negotiations were successful. Soon Audrey was running along beside her new friend Margot as Margot flew her kite (it was perfect kite wind). And soon after that Margot was letting Audrey have turns. It was the first time Audrey has ever flown a kite and she was thrilled. We did that for about 20 minutes or so. Audrey was getting a little possessive, so I suggested that she and I head to the playground. Audrey was surprisingly amenable.

Not too long after we got to the playground Margot and her mother appeared. Audrey played with Margot for about an hour while we parents shivered and watched. Then Audrey and I headed for the local coffee shop and got hot chocolate and a cookie and then caught the bus back up the hill to our house.

When we got home Charlotte was up from her nap. We packed up and headed to the YMCA for our weekly family swim. As soon as Audrey's water wings were on she jumped right into the pool and had a great time for an hour. She swims really well with the "floaties". Charlotte splashed around the side of the pool for half an hour, then finally let Carol hold her and walk around in the pool. She even let Carol dip her head in the water so she could blow bubbles.

Monday was a similar pattern. In the morning Carol took the girls to a West Seattle Moms gathering at a coffee shop that has toys for kids. Then when Charlotte went down for a nap Audrey and I headed to the Pacific Science Center for the annual model train show. Audrey loved the model trains, although she has a pretty short attention span and constantly wants to run to the next thing. The nice thing about being with her one-on-one is that she can do whatever she wants and I can just follow along. She got to color a wooden train whistle to bring home and control a model train for a while. The highlight for her was riding in the caboose of a little wheeled train a guy was driving around the plaza. It had about 6 cars each of which could hold 4 kids. She also made a friend in the kids play area inside (a favorite rainy day destination for us) and played there for about 45 minutes while I tried to stay awake on a comfortable bench. I didn't think it would go over well with Carol or the authorities if I lost Audrey by falling asleep while supposedly watching her.

Carol read somewhere that the infamous "terrible twos" is really a couple of peaks at age 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 where kids are stretching their boundaries and testing yours. That seems to be true, because Audrey is clearly emerging from that phase and at the moment she is a really pleasant, cooperative, agreeable person to be around. Bedtime is a joy. She calmly snuggles into our arms while we read her bedtime stories and goes to sleep with no resistance (and sleeps all night again - yipee!). I feel fortunate to have a really close relationship with her. I must say that even at her "worst" Audrey was an angel compared to some stories we've heard.

Of course, Charlotte is just entering the 2 1/2 year old phase. Charlotte has already made it clear she has a much stronger stubborn streak than Audrey ever had. She also has a strong preference for Mom if she's around. I'll do in a pinch, but if Carol is around Charlotte is a pure Momma's girl. Charlotte is saying more words all the time. She doesn't speak many real sentences yet, but she's communicating enough that her frustration level is slightly better.

I always feel like a weekend is a waste if I don't accomplish something. Usually it's some list of chores. But this weekend I went to bed Monday night feeling a great sense of accomplishment for all the great time I got to spend with my family, and especially tons of quality time with Audrey. I'm a lucky man to have these three wonderful girls in my life.