Pagina Ocho

Mom's Li'l (Green) Monster

2012-01-25T15:03:00.006-06:00

I don't know why I didn't think to offer one sooner, but today was Dean's first taste of a Green Monster.

First taste...

"AAAaaaah!"

Books We Enjoy: Tuesday

2012-01-21T12:44:00.009-06:00

A picture is worth a thousand words, and we have discovered that while exploring new books with Dean.

A current favorite picture book is Tuesday by David Wiesner. It is very deserving of the Caldecott Medal it received! The entire book is virtually wordless, yet it is gripping and full of adventure as one Tuesday night, frogs leave the drudgery of their pond to fly through a town on their lily pads.

Dean and I first learned of this book in September at the Minnesota Children's Museum Storyland exhibit (visiting through Feb 5, 2012). At the time, I had never heard of it, but Dean enjoyed looking for hidden frogs, playing with the clocktower, and making friends with the cat (who, here, has frogs for pupils).

Remembering it from our trip, I sought this book out at our last visit to the library and have not been disappointed. It has beautiful illustrations and needs no words to be more captivating than many of the children's books we have read. Dean "asks" to read it before nearly every nap and bedtime.

One thing I really appreciate from this book is that Dean picks out favorite features of the illustrations (the cat lurking in the shadows, the dog running through the yard), and also the telling of the story varies depending on the narrator. Certainly John and I come up with different plot details, and when Dean gets older, he can tell us his own version.

Independence Day(s): Products to Empower

2012-01-18T12:51:00.006-06:00

I have often heard "You can't force a baby to eat, sleep, or poop," but right now, pretty much anything has to be Dean's idea. Drinking, brushing teeth, putting on socks...

We have tried to create a home environment that is conducive to Dean's participation in all aspects of home life.

First and foremost, his room is very accessible to him. Toys and books are always available to explore. He has a floor bed rather than a crib. A mirror and artwork are hung at his level.

Things are not off-limits or too expensive to enjoy for a time and change out once Dean outgrows them or develops an interest in new things. It is a space he really seems to enjoy and we, as parents, like it, too. It is a fun place to be together.

Having such an "available" bedroom presents some challenges, but we have been working out solutions. A few months ago when the time changed and it was dark earlier/later, we thought having a way for Dean to turn on his own light would be helpful. The KidSwitch was suggested to us, and we gave it a whirl.

Dean took to it right away. He is best at turning the light off right now, but he can get it on as well. This is such a simple solution and works like a charm! One day while I was showering, Dean put himself down for a nap and even turned off the light. It was very sweet.

I also want Dean to participate in food preparation, or at least just be able to see what I am doing in the kitchen. It works much better now that we have this Kitchen Helper Safety Tower, and I have both hands free to stir, chop, measure, etc. rather than worrying about him falling off a regular step stool or chair pulled up to the counter.

Another challenge with a toddler has been hand washing. He LOVED it as a baby but was becoming increasingly resistant to it has his independence grew. Plus, it is really awkward to try to hold him up, help with soap and water, all while he is trying to reach the faucet, fiddling with the drain, reaching for the towel, grabbing the soap bottle...it's like he has eight arms. I discovered the Aquaduck Faucet Extender and decided it was worth the price if only to reduce the handwashing battles.

Such a simple solution that empowers him to do it himself. I pulled up a step stool and viola! Now Dean can reach the water and is willing, nay...excited, to wash his hands any time I suggest it.

Those are a few things we have incorporated into our routines that have made a big difference. As our little one grows and gains even more independence, I am certain we will be looking for more of these creative solutions!

While It Lasts

2012-01-10T20:41:00.006-06:00

It seems like we have been saying "it's the last nice day" for about two months now, but Tuesday was another unseasonably warm day. By all accounts, it would be the last one before real winter set in. Spoiler alert: It is now Wednesday and today included falling temperatures, snow flurries, 40 mph winds, and a winter weather advisory.

After a long nap, Dean was in good spirits, and we spent quite a while outside. We started off with a walk around the neighborhood. He has taken to raising one hand at passing cars. I'm not sure if he's waving like the Pope or saying, "Slow down! We're walkin' here!" This particular gesture was directed at the school bus, so hopefully, it is not the latter.

When we were almost home, we spotted some deer in our neighbor's yard. They came to our backyard and circled around to the front. Dean was very interested -- an interest that eventually scared them off.

After the deer scattered, we looked for a new source of entertainment. Anticipating a normal Iowa winter, we put away outside toys long ago. I got creative and give Dean rides on our two-wheeled dolly. We went up and down the driveway, around the parking pad, across the yard...you name it. Every time I tried to stop, Dean got right back on, so I knew it was a hit.

It was a very fun afternoon enjoying sunshine and 60-degree temperatures in January!

Kicking...The Habit

2012-01-07T20:41:00.003-06:00

On a day when he was wearing a "Future Quarterback" shirt, we finally captured a video of Dean kicking a ball. A future football star, just not the football we were thinking.

There was a time when we thought the only dribbling he would do was onto his bib.

Books We Enjoy: Sing-Alongs and Cut-Outs

2012-01-02T14:12:00.011-06:00

Dean love books. We read almost constantly throughout the day as he seems to prefer books to toys. Of course our bedtime routine also involves reading several books (seems like we often read between 5 and 10), and he always manages to "convince" us to read just one more despite having almost no words.

I thought I would start a new blog feature to introduce you to some of our favorite authors, titles, or types of books. Dean gorges himself on a book for a week or two, moves on, and then returns to that book after a "cooling" period. So, over the weeks and months to come, perhaps I can create a series of these posts.

First up are two of his current favorite types of books.

Sing-Along Stories

Dean loves music, and despite a terrible singing voice, I love to sing. We both enjoy Sing-Along Stories. We received Skip to My Lou when Dean was an infant, and have been reading it a while. It includes verses I didn't know from my own childhood and cute illustrations to both describe the lyrics and encourage the readers to talk about what is going on. In a house filled with animal antics and a frantic little boy, there is a lot to discuss, even on pages with only a few words.

Dean loves pointing out the clouds of flour billowing out of the pantry, the plates that didn't make it to the cupboard, and the parents as they return to the farm from their errands.

We recently checked out another one of Mary Ann Hoberman's Sing-Along Stories from the library. After a reading or two, Dean now cannot get enough of Miss Mary Mack. Again, the book contains a number of verses that were new to me, but they really make for an entertaining tale.

Miss Mary Mack-Mack-Mack and an elephant have a grand old time in her backyard-yard-yard. I spent hours jumping rope and hand clapping while reciting this story as a youngster. Dean and I don't do that yet, but at this rate, we will all have it memorized by the time he is old enough!

Another sing-along book we love is the Backyardigans Jingle Bell Christmas flap book. The text of the book is written with the same cadence as "Jingle Bells", so you can either read it or sing it. We have sung this book so much (regardless of the season) that when Dean hears the real version of "Jingle Bells" (or someone says the phrase), he finds that book in his bookshelf and asks to read it. John and I also appreciate the detail with which the book was crafted. The inside of the flaps are decorated to match the scene when opened. Most flap books overlook that detail.

Cut-Out Books

Dean has already started showing interest in letters, and by chance we discovered Laura Vaccaro Seeger's One Boy at the library on our last visit.

She is known for her book, The Hidden Alphabet, and this book has a similar concept. As you turn the page, a cut-out reveals a portion of the previous page's phrase. For example:

ONE boy -> all alONE

three APEs -> big escAPE

Dean especially likes the apes page, thanks to another favorite title, Goodnight, Gorilla. However, he's not so sure about the ten ANTS in his pANTS.

We also checked out Seeger's Lemons Are Not Red at the library, and it is a great way to introduce colors and the concept of "Not".

Also using cut-outs, pages explain what color an item is not. You then turn the page to reveal what color it actually is and what item is the original color. For example:

"Lemons are not red. Lemons are yellow. Apples are red."

Dean really seemed to enjoy this book except for the last page. At the end, the moon and night sky are described, and he almost always would cry! We're not sure if it was because he thought that since it was nighttime in the story, he had to go to bed or that a dog is shown sleeping outside at night. Whatever it was, the last page was sad to him. Because of the tear-inducing finale, we ended up returning the book to the library early, but hopefully he will want to come back to this book when he is older!

Another cut-out book we read a lot is Five Little Ladybugs. Dean received this on his first birthday and immediately took to it. Cousin Kathryn inadvertently borrowed it and returned it at Christmas, and Dean has rediscovered the joy of this book. He loves real ladybugs, too, so this title is a big hit. It also came with a hand puppet which adds to the fun!

Excitable Boy

2012-01-01T20:24:00.003-06:00

Dean was getting some grief for his poor taste in music after his affinity to Salt n Pepa became public knowledge. Here, he proves that he appreciates Warren Zevon and connects the lyrics of this song to the howling skill he learned while reading a couple books.

Closing Out 2011

2011-12-31T21:04:00.004-06:00

The last day of 2011 started off on a sour note with Dean waking up sick. We suspected he was coming down with a cold yesterday because he ended the day sneezing quite a bit, but we were also hopeful that it would just pass. He hasn't been sick since Memorial Day, so we wanted to keep the streak alive. Alas, by this morning he was awfully congested.

After a big breakfast at Iowa Bakery Cafe on its last day of operation, we enjoyed a visit from Aunt Anne and Mariah this morning. We all took turns running laps around the house with Dean and worked on puzzles. Dean is getting quite good at his house pets puzzle and just opened a new nesting puzzle. A few minutes with cousin Kathryn at Christmas and he has really sharpened his puzzle skills. He will probably help us finish our 1,000-piece puzzle by the end of the week.

Late in the day, we went on a walk around the neighborhood. It has been unseasonably warm, and we noticed it was almost 60 degrees when we returned home from some errands. You can't beat that on December 31st in Iowa.

On the walk tonight, the sky was filled with geese and beautiful colors. Both proved difficult to capture on film. There was a cloud with an honest-to-goodness silver lining and, later, a vivid display as the sun dipped below the horizon. While much more spectacular in person, you get the idea:

We finished off the walk by treating the birds to some tasty treats and then settled in to make some treats for ourselves. Seed and suet for them; gyros with homemade tzatziki sauce for us.

Despite clearly not feeling 100%, Dean was a big help with both. However, we settled a sick little Dean into bed early and started a big NYE celebration with a movie that wouldn't play in our DVD player, unsuccessfully searching for something on TV (gave up after watching 5 minutes of Lawrence Welk), some puzzle work, and now blogging. As I am typing this, John is drinking ~~Two~~Three-Buck Chuck out of a jam jar. Living it up, as per usual.

Here's to a speedy recovery for our little man and a happy and healthy 2012.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-02T21:32:00.003-05:00

What says "fall" more than a trip (ha!) to a pumpkin patch? This afternoon, we welcomed autumn by frolicking in the Land of Orange, Patch's Pumpkins and Honey Farm in Adel.

Dean and I had visited an orchard earlier in the week, so I suspected he would like to see all the pumpkins and run around outside. Oh, how I underestimated his enjoyment of the visit. Not only are there acres and acres of pumpkins, but animals to admire, pet, and ride, plus tractors to inspect, and a corn pit to play in. There are also bounce houses, cow "train" and rack rides, and more. It seems with each passing year, Dean could find more to see and do!

It was a great day and fun to catch up with our friend Liz (and her animals) while giving Dean the opportunity to experience many new things!

Dean and the Gorilla

2011-09-23T13:59:00.005-05:00

After just a few readings of Eric Carle's From Head to Toe and Laurel Porter-Gaylord's I Love My Daddy Because..., Dean picked up on how to imitate a gorilla. This was his first opportunity to really demonstrate his knowledge.

We're in front of the lowland gorilla at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

I'm just resting my eyes

2011-08-18T09:20:00.002-05:00

Dean had fun sitting on our big chair yesterday, but he quickly realized why I only see half of every movie John and I watch from it.

First Swim

2011-06-30T20:10:00.002-05:00

A day with a heat advisory, a high of 96 with heat index in the low-100s, called for a trip to the pool for Dean's first swim. Today Dean took two great naps (almost 3 hours total! ::angels singing::), so it seemed the stars were aligned for a great day at Valley View Aquatic Center!

Everyone else in the metro area had the same idea.

I stayed home with Dean (see napping, above) while Aunt Anne, Grandma, and Mariah went on ahead to scout a spot. They arrived to find bus loads of kids already there and a long line waiting to enter as soon as anyone left. They called around and found similar stories at other area pools, so we decided to head down to the lake in our neighborhood instead.

We loaded up and walked to the lake. Mariah carried half the gear herself! We got Dean's ear plugs in and strapped on the headband the ENT recommended to hold the plugs in place. He wears plugs for every bath because he has ear tubes, but he was a trooper with the headband, too!

The beach was all ours so we headed in to the water and the fun began! It was a nice, low-key introduction to the water, and I'd call the first swim a real success. Dean seemed to enjoy the whole experience, despite the glaring sun, blistering heat, and getting scolded for eating sand.

He liked to splash and kicked his little feet like a natural. He even wanted to stick his face in the water. I wouldn't let him though -- hey, it's lake water and he's got ear tubes! Before we know it, this little daredevil will be jumping off the dock or swinging out over the lake on the rope down the beach.

The other obvious sign he enjoyed himself was that he was the happiest kid in the world when we got home. He had all sorts of things to talk about and was happily playing well past his usual cranky time. I'm sure he was telling his pals Hooey, Chopsy, and Ellsworth all about the fun they missed down at the lake.

Basket of Hats

2011-06-27T20:11:00.004-05:00

Today as Dean was drifting off to a nap, I was thinking about putting together a basket full of items with different textures for him to explore when he woke up. He loves digging through baskets, buckets, or basically any container full of items. Rummaging is one of his favorite hobbies. By the time he's in high school, his skills will be worthy of the American Pickers, not Black Friday at Walmart.

One thought morphed into another, and in a matter of minutes, I decided to scour the house for a variety of hats for him to investigate. Little did I know, he would also enjoy trying them on and admiring himself in the mirror.

Behold, the basket of hats:

A Cat, A Kanteen, A Caregiver, and A Rash

2011-06-18T19:15:00.004-05:00

A few pics from the last couple of weeks:

Dean waves to Greystoke, a neighborhood cat that makes a regular Sunday morning appearance for kitchen scraps and ear scritches.

Dean practicing with his new, trail-approved, water bottle. Yes, we overpaid, but it's Dean, it's a Klean Kanteen, and it's coming out of the vacation budget.

Dean asleep, and keeping it classy.

Dean bids adieu to Tammy, his primary caregiver at daycare, as the family Crawford moves on to alternate arrangements. Tammy is wonderful and gave us a book of photos from his time in Cell Block Infant. We will all miss her.

Saturday night, after a big day of travel, family reunions, more travel interrupted by a short conversation with one of Iowa's Finest, a powerful and fast-moving rash on John's arms, and finally, some turkey & vegetables, Dean settled into some pre-bed play time. Again, keeping it classy.

4 firsts

2011-05-22T09:17:00.002-05:00

[1] First shiner - but you should have seen the other guy, er, the other book shelf

[2] First blueberry mustache - not all of that is blueberry, there is some black bean residue in there too

[3] First whatever this is

[4] First apocalypse survived

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/21/doomsday/index.html?hpt=C2

And this doesn't even include the other firsts that we had, such as "first time Dean was found standing in his room", and "first time Dean was found in a heap under the baby gate, crying".

Phew. That's a big weekend, and it's still Sunday morning.

P.S. Blogger is not allowing me to change to our normal font, Trebuchet. This isn't a stylistic shift or a missed detail, but rather a technical issue.

Abracadabra! Alakazam!

2011-04-04T21:11:00.006-05:00

For quite some time, Dean has enjoyed his cups.

We stack them up and he knocks them down.
We nest them and he dumps them out.
He holds two and bangs them together.
He grabs one, tries to rattle it, accidentally lets go, and throws it across the room. You know, the usual. :)

Tonight, he stretched out to knock over my towers from his tummy.

Once that became too easy, Dean started using the cups to work on his magic act. Ah yes, the old tablecloth trick!

First up: some toys.

Next up: Mom's china.

Record breaker

2011-04-03T21:26:00.012-05:00

It was a shocking 87 degrees today! If this is what March's "out like a lion" brought, I'll take it.

A beautiful day had been predicted, but the actual high blew all expectations out of the water. We ran errands starting mid-morning, which included three stops in the same shopping center. I love when we can park the car and walk from store to store. Especially when the weather is so nice, it makes shopping feel like a proper outing rather than a checklist.

Having a book in hand to donate to Dean's daycare room for part of the "Month of the Young Child", our errands were hitting on all cylinders when I realized I forgot the diaper bag at home. It was nearing lunch time for all of us; back home we went, determined to make it a brief stay so we could enjoy the weather more.

With a little nap and a lot of lunch, we decided to find some geocaching to do that would involve a park or trail. Aunt Anne and Cousin Mariah were joining us (by "us", I mean "Dean") so this had the potential to be great! Park the car, load Dean up in the backpack carrier, and head out on an adventure. Sounds simple enough, right?

I'll get back to that shortly, but first, an interlude: On the way to the chosen trail head, we had the windows down, sunroof open, tunes cranked. Dean was on cloud nine, enjoying the breeze whipping through his hair, and was chatting away in the back. I couldn't contain my happiness. My heart was in my throat and my cheeks hurt from smiling.

John drove right to a cul-de-sac where we accessed a trail head for the Raccoon River Valley Trail and, per the plan, we loaded Dean up into the carrier.

Within a few minutes, we were within 200 feet of our first cache. Then, the batteries died on the GPS. Hey, no big deal! John had a spare set. Popped those puppies into the unit and...nothing. Dead.

We forged ahead, knowing the general vicinity of the cache and Aunt Anne spied it. It was a relatively new cache and the swag included several books. John traded a couple of bucks for a Bill Bryson paperback. A good find that was our first and last of the day.

With our geocaching plan thwarted, we moved on down the trail and found a playground with infant swings.

Dean enjoyed the swinging (his second time at a playground) but outside swings seem to have the same effect as his indoor swing. Zzzzzzz

We headed back toward the car before Dean was fully asleep, but it wasn't long before the warm sun, rhythmic bouncing, and boring adult conversation became too much for Dean to resist. His eyelids got very heavy...

...and then slammed shut.

Dean & Sprouts

2011-04-03T09:56:00.004-05:00

Dean and I went to Costco to get the barest of necessities for the week- Brussels sprouts and formula. Dean was looking smart in his new hat. While there, a kindly older gentleman smiled at Dean, then me and said, "You've got something special there." How nice. He looked familiar but I didn't recognize him until I got home and recalled the encounter.

Sock it to me

2011-03-27T20:13:00.003-05:00

OK, let's get this out of the way first. Dean got a new hat!

New hat and all, we headed to northeast Iowa for a long weekend, starting with a visit with Yia Yia and Grandpa in Cedar Falls. While lasagna was baking, we took the opportunity to visit the Bluedorn Science Imaginarium in Waterloo (gratis -- thanks to our Science Center membership!). It is geared toward older kids, but when has that stopped us?

One of the day's events was Bubble Mania. We missed the demo (rumor has it a child ended up inside a bubble), but we had some fun of our own.

Dean got up close and personal with some plant cells.

After fun with an air cannon, some static electricity, echoes, and smoke rings, Dean learned that holograms look 3D but feel flat.

Back at Yia Yia's house, we had dinner and...well...this happened:

Next stop on our trip: Dubuque and its National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. Dean tried to barter with some pelts and struck out. He checked out lots of fish and turtles, learned about the power of water, and giggled at the river otters.

Later, Dean channeled Mark Twain while piloting a riverboat.

After all that learning, Dean was pretty tuckered out, so we scouted out a place to stay and ended up at the historic (= drafty) Redstone Inn. Of course all the excitement of a new room to explore, and some tickle fights, meant a nap was out of the question.

We left our dignity in the room and headed out for dinner by 5:00, only to find our restaurant of choice shuttered (seeking new management) and several others closed for the day. Deciding Taco Bell would be admitting defeat, we thought A&W would be a little more respectable, only to find it was a gas station convenience store that maybe sold A&W root beer. We ended up in Tony Roma's, which is like paying more to admit defeat. On the way in, someone (not naming names) lost a sock, which was returned by the hostess.

Dean, did, however, sit in his first restaurant high chair here...and checked out the selection of martinis.

Immediately after this picture was taken, Dean threw his first restaurant high chair fit and had to be escorted out of the restaurant, losing his other sock. The 2nd sock was returned by an employee of the adjacent hotel. John had our food boxed up, gathered up the array of toys (and socks), and, officially admitting defeat, we headed back to the Redstone. In bare feet.

After putting Dean to bed, we ate our tepid Tony Roma's in the hotel room bathroom. DOUBLE DOG DEFEATED.

Under a Watchful Eye

2011-03-19T13:19:00.012-05:00

Dean has had fun exploring new things this week. Of course our son would think the best things to play with are those that are not age-appropriate so we've been keeping a close eye on him.

First, a mylar balloon. He was very focused on the string and trying to reel in the balloon floating above. I love watching his little mind processing things like this.

While we were trying out the seat height in preparation for his first meal in his highchair (rather than the bouncy seat), Greystoke, our neighborhood cat friend, came up on the deck. Dean was absolutely spellbound by the cat. He kept a close eye on her. I picture him saying quietly, out of the corner of his mouth, "Don't move. She might see us."

We also have found that Dean is a big fan of playing with plastic cards and paper (credit cards and money?), so we brought out a Periodic Table placemat, courtesy of the Syrings, for a little pre-meal exploration.

He tasted Americium and checked out the noble gases as if they were scratch-and-sniff stickers. Alas, noble gases are odorless. Your first chemistry lesson, my boy.

After a successful first highchair meal of avocado with cumin, we moved on to exploring a pile of dried beans. We've let him play with them in the bag before so we just knew the loose beans would be loads of fun. I wasn't able to capture all of the fun, but Dean loved scooping up handsful and letting the beans cascade through his fingers. I cannot wait to see this kid in a sandbox.

John later fashioned two new homemade toys...the Whole Grain Rattle and a Pony Paintbrush (inspired by one of Dean's favorite books).

Whole Grain Rattle ingredients:
-1 sippy cup
-6 pieces of pasta
-1 buckeye
-Pinch of red lentils
-Dash of popcorn kernals
-Dried black beans to taste

Pony Paintbrush ingredients:
-1 keytag rewards card
-6 lengths of cord from babyproofed Roman shade

Don't try this at home.

The Boys are Back in Town

2011-03-18T16:02:00.008-05:00

Thursday, Dean Sprout and I took some time to hang out, just us fellas. The day started with a little extra sleep and a big breakfast of bottle, garbanzo beans (with garlic) and rice cereal. I forget what Dean had. After naps, pant changes, playtime with Hooey (the book-reading parrot) and 10-sies we were ready for the mall. Yes, I could not think of anything more manly than a trip to the mall. Plus, for a geocahing project I needed some perfume sample bottles.

While there I was treated myself to some Chik-fil-a and a lot came together to make one of my best fast food experiences. I noticed a LOT of mothers with children and I double-noticed that most of the mothers were young - like mid twenties. Kids having kids, really. Two such ladies allowed D and I to cut in front of them in line, the cashier offered to let me taste the chicken salad prior to ordering, the coke was extra fizzy, the fries were hot and crisp without any burn risk, Dean was in a great mood and a very pleasant crew member policed my area and topped off my soda. I'm sure she would have checked the tire pressure had I had the car in there.

On the way out, we took a detour through the Barnes & Noble where I scored this amazing prize. I am clearly looking forward to a few years from now when Dean and I have a few hours to spare. I also have 5 pounds of sodium acetate waiting for a little (a lot of) fun with super saturated solutions.

After the mall, another feeding and nap we forged out to a local park for a hike. He loves riding high outside. This picture was taken the day before, but I was without the camera...you get the idea.

After our walk, Dean had just enough energy to eat some more, poop some more and yuk it up with Grandpa Gruber, who managed to escape the paparazzi long enough to play with us.

A great day, and a good (first) night of sleep out of the bassinet!

Growth and Gruel

2011-02-12T08:18:00.005-06:00

February 1 was Dean's half birthday. Can you believe 6 months have passed already? Dean can't!

Friday, February 11 was Dean's much-anticipated 6-month doctor visit. I've been very curious about his growth. Looking at pictures, it is clear he has filled out considerably, but he seems pretty lean. Meanwhile, he is outgrowing things quicker than expected. New hats and new socks have been necessary. His car seat's last days are in sight, and the size 12M Bears pajamas he got for Christmas, which seemed built for a toddler at the time, are actually fitting pretty well.

The verdict from the appointment? Dean is tall and skinny! I haven't the slightest idea where that trait might have come from! ;)

Stats as of 2/11/11:

Height

27 inches (72nd percentile)

Weight

15.0 pounds (10th percentile)

We are praying the groundhog was correct in predicting an early spring so some germs will get wiped out of daycare. Dr. R said getting through winter should do wonders for Dean's sniffles and ears.

Otherwise, Dean got the thumbs up on development and readiness for solids! We'll be interested to see how he grows with solids in the picture.

This morning, we mixed up Dean's first batch of rice cereal, got the camera ready and dove in!

First taste:

Mmm...tasty gruel.

Dean thinks he can run the show...

...and this is the result. Classic.

He seemed to take to the spoon-feeding process like a duck to water, but he didn't seem too impressed with rice. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. All in all, it was definitely a successful first experience with (semi)solids!

His hips don't lie

2011-02-06T20:08:00.003-06:00

Today was a big day of discoveries.

This afternoon, Dean sat independently for long enough to officially record on the milestone calendar! He sat like it was old hat and played with his cups. He was pretty stable. From time to time, he would list, but often he was able to right the ship without intervention. He also felt comfortable enough to reach in front of him to get cups that were beyond his reach.

He played and played with the cups, sitting on his own almost the entire time. In all, it was probably about 20 minutes worth of sitting!

This evening, he and I were playing with other toys, and he suddenly started shaking all his rattle toys.

He discovered the best rattling occurred when he hit them against his hip. It was as though he was playing the tambourine! He also tried this with non-rattling toys and cast those aside. Without question, he has figured out what rattles are for.

The milestone stickers are piling up on February 6. Thank goodness there's no "First Super Bowl" sticker, and he held off on getting a tooth for at least another day!

Friday Fun

2011-02-04T20:41:00.004-06:00

I have mentioned Dean's daycare reports before, and now we know that his substitute caregiver, Tara, is the source of the best ones. I look forward to the reports on Fridays when Tara takes care of Dean. It always sounds like he has a lot of fun with her!

From today:

"My disposition today: Happy, busy, and talkative.
Activities I did today: Dean enjoyed My Favorite Animals and Touch & Feel: Puppy with Tara and Blake. He also enjoyed the soft bus and people with Matthew. Dean also had fun in the exersaucer where he talked and laughed with Teddy. He had tummy time with Matthew & Max with maracas, the new octopus musical toy, the Move & Crawl Ball, and soft battery-operated train. Dean also enjoyed soft books and the animal gym."

The fact that Dean was talkative today makes me smile. Teddy must be quite the conversationalist!

Dean says "Mama" and similar things quite a bit. Of course I cannot get it on video, but sometimes he goes on and on and on. If his babbling now is any indication of things to come, a scene like this is in my future:

I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until...

2011-02-04T06:34:00.002-06:00

On Wednesday, Margaret was the recipient of a day off of work, courtesy of the Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2010. She was also the recipient of some big smiles, courtesy of our Dean-shaped baby. A few are shared below.

Dean "at the gym"

Dean shows off is Chimney-sweep eyelashes

Dean Frustrated by the Paparazzi that seem to follow him everywhere

Austin Powers + Fight Club = The Family Guy

2011-01-30T10:53:00.004-06:00

It's no secret that we are big fans of Netflix. We find it convenient and cost effective. Most importantly, we find it accurate. What? The Netflix rating, for which the company gave out over $1M in prize money to enterprising mathematicians, has us pretty much pegged.

For those unfamiliar, Netflix has a rating to predict how much the user will like each movie that is tailored to that user. Take, for instance, The Parking Lot Movie. We have not seen it, and I bet that you haven't either. Netflix has rated that as 3.8 for us...what did they rate it for you? I suspect it's different.

Anyway, we've learned that if Netflix says the movie is 3 stars or greater for the Crawfords, we'll like it (probably 95% of the time). If it's rated under three we won't. Even when we think we know better, Netflix has been right - I'm looking at you, The Informant! Now we check Netflix before going to the theater, even. Leveraging these ratings, Netflix suggests movies that we would like. Of course they don't know about our 3-star cutoff, but they constantly find movies with high Crawford-based ratings and suggest them to us. We frequently watch the suggested movies and are rarely disappointed.

Recently we were trolling suggestions, trying to find something to fill a quiet hour when we noticed the following:

Somehow Netflix's enterprising mathematicians solved the age-old question: what do you get when you add Austin Powers to Fight Club? Kryptos, you're next.

Clamming up

2011-01-16T11:10:00.007-06:00

Why does a baby stop doing whatever it is you were trying to capture on video the instant you get out the camera? This must be one of Murphy's Laws of parenting.

Yesterday, I was trying to record Dean's chatter for the umpteenth time. This is what I got: 1.5 seconds of "Mama" and 31.5 seconds of...well, I don't know what. Before this, he was chattering away for a good 5 minutes. Trust me.

Christmas 'wich

2010-12-31T09:44:00.005-06:00

We love sandwiches. Perhaps that's a bit hyperbolic, but it's near enough to true that it serves its

purpose. One of my favorite PBS shows is the program "Sandwiches That You Will Like" (Netflix) which is a program that highlights some of the more iconic sandwiches around the US, and one of the more compelling sandwiches in that program is the muffaletta from Central Grocery in New Orleans. In case you've missed out, the muffaletta is an Italian meat sandwich where the Pièce de résistance is an olive salad. Central Grocery is the birthplace of the muffaletta, and almost certainly the only thing heavenly in the entire city. It is also difficult to do business with. Twice, while in NOLA last Christmas we were denied our taste. I left the city dejected, Margaret was undeterred.

Cut to Christmas 2010, Margaret gave me genuine Central Grocery olive salad.

Chopped up a bit to sandwich-size it:

After a trip to Grazianos (a local Italian deli) we had all the necessary supplies for the olivy goodness that is a muffaletta: genoa, mortadella, provolone, ham, Italian bread and olive salad.

A tasty sandwich, a thoughtful wife to make it happen and a boy too young to eat all the meat - what more could I want?

Oh yeah...a glass of water. This was pretty salty.

Side Note 1: the olive salad also made a great addition to calzones that we fabbed from Graziano's sausage and Trader Joe's pizza crust.

Side Note 2: at that point in the week Margaret had lost almost all of her ability to taste rendering the calzone deliciousness moot.

End Note: a picture of Dean because I know that's the only reason anybody reads this rag.

First Christmas

2010-12-27T17:50:00.004-06:00

The first Christmas with your first born is certainly one of the times parents will never forget.

Ours started off a little rough with all three of us under the weather. We were supposed to head up to Cedar Falls on the 18th for Christmas with Yia Yia, Grandpa, Aunt Liz, Uncle Steve, and their families. However, plans changed with John racing home from work sick on Friday. Dean and I headed out early to try to avoid the germs and left John home to recover. We seemed to avoid the stomach bug, but we both had coughs and sneezes all weekend.

John was missed at the gathering, and it was a shame he didn't get to see our nephew Alec open one of his gifts from us -- a variety pack of fake mustaches. He seemed to love them and donned "The Grandpa" right away.

One of the gifts Dean received was a playmat from Yia Yia. Within a few minutes of playing on it, Dean rolled over (a feat he hadn't repeated since late November) and one of the next times, he managed to get the parrot in one hand, the monkey in another, and the giraffe clenched between his feet. One day, he even managed to played himself to sleep. The gift is an obvious hit!

By the end of the day, Kathryn (15 months) was proudly pointing and proclaiming, "Baby Dean!" whenever she saw her cousin. What a fun day!

With a week to recover, and two trips to the doctor for Dean, our collective health improved, and we had a wonderful Christmas weekend together.

We started off by going to Christmas Eve service at Lutheran Church of Hope and were joined by Anne, Gary, and Mariah. We chose the 3:00 service, thinking it would be lightly attended. Driving up and seeing the traffic, we realized we were mistaken. Opting for satellite parking and riding the short bus to the building, our late arrival meant the worship center was already full -- to overflow seating we went. However, we had a good view thanks to video screens. Dean had a great time on Aunt Anne's lap, took a quick nap, and was awake by the time we got out our candles for the singing of Silent Night by candlelight.

We then headed to Osceola for Christmas at Grandma Laurie's house. Dean was in great spirits. Cousin Mariah and her dog, Maddy, are a constant source of entertainment!

Grandma Laurie made Dean a quilt where the blocks are associated with family stories. She also made a book of those stories to go along with the quilt. It is a precious gift and will be a treasured keepsake for us all.

Mariah got Dean the Dr. Seuss book Oh Say Can You Say? with the stuffed parrot named Hooey, which Dean was thrilled by.

What a great holiday it was: hearing the story of Jesus' birth, spending time with loved ones, and sharing traditions and making memories with our precious little one.

Great Grandma!

2010-11-13T20:01:00.005-06:00

We are back from a great day spent with family - we went to LuVerne to see Grandma H. The last time we saw Grandma was in May, and I came home with Grandpa's old calculator...the exact calculator that can be seen in The Shawshank Redemption, when Andy was doing taxes for all the guards. Oh, Andy!

It's a 2.5 hour drive, which can be tricky with Dean's past history in the car, but today Dean was on his best behavior. Perhaps it had something to do with Mom and Anne doing cartwheels in the back seat trying to keep him entertained. They played with animals, played peek-a-boo and spent about 60 miles crinkling one of the busiest child toys I've ever seen.

At Grandma's house we visited, had lunch (including orange Jello-carrot salad), and got some great pictures.

I even got another great story: The highway that ran past Grandma's house (where she grew up) was actually maintained by the farmers with adjacent land. She went on to explain that the state didn't have any money at the time (early 1930s) because "times were kinda rough" so the farmers were given the equipment to do the job in lieu of recompense. The maintainer, as she called it, was a road grader of sorts that her dad would hook up to the mule team and level the road. Before learning that the road was dirt (Highway 169, btw) I asked if it was paved then. Grandma's response was an emphatic "Goodness no, who had heard of pavement at that time?"

Our trip home was cheesy. That is, we made our normal stop of the Goldfield Cheese Mart to pick up curds so fresh Margaret had to slap their face. Dean had such a residual good mood when we got home that we even had time to EAT A WARM DINNER...TOGETHER!

After putting D to bed, we were cleaning up and putting away his stuff, and we came across one of his journal entries, which I've transcribed, below.

Journal entry 105:

The big ones are in rare form today and quite a dichotomy. They are certainly an advanced race, as they are able to position items near there [sic] mouths with ease and grace, but the same ones still have not developed object permanence. They keep covering me with a wet burp cloth and are surprised to find me still there when they move it. They entertained themselves for what must have been 23/25000 ths of my life, each time asking "where's Dean?" before removing the cloth yelling "here he is." I'm right where you left me, strapped into this seat with no way out. Where else could I be!? Regarding the confinement chair: I'm currently attempting to dissolve the straps with my own saliva. Trials 1 through 57 have been unsuccessful, but until I can master my opposable thumbs, this is my best means of escape. I think my mission has been compromised, though. The one called "mom" keeps wiping my face and chin before a meaningful dose can be administered.

Out and about

2010-11-10T21:48:00.005-06:00

Truth be told, we planned on being more adventurous with our baby than we have been. We have been impressed with the active lifestyles of friends with kids (thanks, Syrings!) and want to introduce Dean to things we enjoy early on.

However, the first three months were filled with more crying than anticipated which makes even small things like strolls in the mall or trips to the grocery store a wee bit intimidating...let alone trips, parties, meals out. Being the quiet, fade-into-the-background type, I'd rather not draw attention to myself by lugging a wailing child around a store unless it is absolutely necessary.

One notable trip to Target, I got into the checkout line, and immediately, the crying began. I somehow managed to pick the slowest line in the store. The cashier thoroughly inspected every purchase before scanning it, presumably trying to find the UPC. Think the wailing baby sped her up? No chance. When it was finally my turn, I cursed the fact that I had decided to stock up on yogurt. Each container individually inspected, rotated, scanned. Excruciating. On the way out, mortified, I heard a gentle voice behind me. "Excuse me, Miss?" Turning, I saw a kind looking woman wearing a necklace with a prominent charm that read "FAITH". "Do you need help?" she asked. Sigh...I just wanted to become invisible.

But, the tide is turning a bit. Partially thanks to getting ear tubes and partially thanks to just growing up.

We have ventured out more lately -- even, dare I say it, spontaneously. No diaper bag, no nothing. Sure, we still have our moments, but overall, things are improving.

Here are some highlights of our latest adventures:

A day of geocaching in Pella and Lake Red Rock.
Trying out Aunt Anne's sunglasses.

Pit stop at Steak 'n Shake on a visit to Coralville.
Can I have Chili 3-way yet?

Watching Cousin Maddi earn her black belt in taekwondo.

Enjoying the World Percheron Congress at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Impressive horses and hitches on a beautiful fall day!

Breakfast at Mimi's Cafe (Last time we were here, labor started!)
He fussed the whole time so we left early.
Of course, he fell asleep before we reached the car.

First visit to the Science Center of Iowa.
After enjoying the traveling Da Vinci - The Genius exhibit,
you can see how much he learned from the permanent displays.
Does this count as "learning by osmosis"?

Hi Ho, Hi Ho

2010-11-01T20:18:00.004-05:00

Dean's highly anticipated first day of daycare was today, as I returned to work after 3 months of maternity leave. He seemed to do extremely well there. His primary caregiver, Tammy, was off today, so he got to know Tara who will typically be his go-to gal on Fridays.

Tara handled cloth diapering like a pro despite not having been present for my demo last week. Dean came home in the same outfit so that's a major success in my book.

I particularly like the report of Dean's activities they sent home.

"My disposition today: Relaxed, happy, and friendly

Activities I did today: Dean enjoyed rocking with Tara and Stacey. He looked outside at big friends playing and waving. Dean enjoyed bubbles being blown by the fan. He relaxed in the bouncy seat. Dean played on the activity mat with Matthew. He listened to Tara read stories."

They also reported that Dean napped for an amazing grand total of 3 hours and 55 minutes (in 5 sessions). Quite impressive. Having just had tubes put in his ears Friday, he's been very sensitive to new sounds, so we didn't expect him to nap much at all, let alone a respectable amount. He was even asleep when I arrived and looked perfectly content until I picked him up to put him in his car seat.

It is amazing how quickly the evening went. We got home a little after 5 pm and started his bedtime routine with a bath at 7 pm. That's an hour earlier than usual, but we all have to get around earlier in the morning now. Poor guy is already a slave to the grind.

Mom and Me

2010-10-20T17:38:00.011-05:00

If Dean could write, here is what he would have said about Wednesday.

Dad had to go to St. Louis for work, so Mom and I tried to make the most out of our day together.

I heard him leave this morning about my usual wake-up time, but I drifted back to sleep. The next thing I knew, it was almost 8:30 am. Wow! I have never slept so long (almost 12 hours straight!) so I was awfully hungry. The big zebra by my bed made me smile though so I didn't cry to let Mom know I was awake. She must have heard me talking to him.

Mom made me breakfast (the usual) and I scarfed it down. Eight ounces in no time. My belly was stuffed so I took a nap. Who cares if I had just gotten up?

When I woke up from the nap, we did our usual playing. I talked to Mom about the colorful toy keys I have, and she held the up so I could see them. I decided I should try to swat at them and connected several times in a row!

I ate some more, tried to doze off but spent most of the time lounging and kicking my legs. I really like looking at those fan blades on the ceiling. They never seem to run out of energy to entertain me.

After lunch, we went to the grocery store. Dale, the man who bagged Mom's groceries, offered to load them into the car for us. That was awfully generous (they don't usually offer to help) because she had quite a bit of heavy stuff, and I couldn't lift things for her. On the way out, Dale talked to me about all the bubbles I was blowing. He said before long, I'll be blowing soap bubbles. Not sure what he means by that because isn't soap in your mouth only when you're bad?

I got annoyed when the car stopped moving on the way home. I cried until Mom opened my window and I felt the fresh air. It was like being outside!

When we got home, Mom and I spent some time on the front porch. It was a very nice day today. It was warm despite the breeze. All that wind helped clear out those nasty gnats, too. Mom has taken all their bites for me so far so I'm glad they weren't out today.

I was very intently looking at the leaves rustle on the birch tree.

After a while, I started to get hungry so Mom made me dinner. It was only 4:30, but I'm not ashamed. Some say I'm an "old soul" and look very distinguished for my age so dinner at 4:30 is just practicing for those early-bird specials I hear my grandparents can get at restaurants!

While I waited, I listened to some tunes lent to me by my cousin, Mariah! I thoroughly enjoyed the music, and there was a song I thought was appropriate given that Dad is out of town. Part of it said:

"Think of me everyday

Hold tight to what I say

And I'll be close to you

Even from far away

Know that wherever you are

It is never too far

If you think of me"

Here I am giggling to the funny lyrics of another song and making those bubbles that Dale was talking about at the grocery store.

After I was done with dinner, I swang in the living room while Mom watched me and ate her dinner. I don't think I will be allowed to eat in that fancy room when I get bigger so I'm not sure why Mom could eat in there. I'm telling Dad when he gets home.

I must have nodded off in the swing because when I woke up, the sun was kind of runny in the sky, like those egg yolks Yia Yia and Grandpa dip toast into. Mom dressed me in the hoodie Grandma gave me and we went out on a walk.

Guess what! The clouds had turned pinkish orange while I was asleep! Mom called it "salmon", but I think that is a fish.

Around the halfway point, we saw the moon and this cool, red tree. By "we" I mean Mom because I had fallen asleep thanks to the fresh air and bouncing.

Thankfully two big dogs and one little dog (who thinks she is a big dog) barked at us and woke me up so I could enjoy the rest of the walk and keep Mom company. By the time we got home, five deer had come to our yard. Mom said they were probably eating acorns but I'm not so sure. Those things taste terrible! They should have gone for the basil.

Tonight was bath night so I hopped in the tub after 8:00. Mom didn't fill it as full as last time, and it wasn't as fun. I still found enough water to splash in though.

Afterward, I got into my ~~jammies~~ bedclothes (very grown up since I'm the man of the house tonight), had another meal, and now my eyelids are getting h...e...a...v...y. I'd better sign off. Can't wait to see Dad tomorrow. Good night!

Fall Flowers

2010-10-07T17:48:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure whether it is the recent warm temperatures or the effects of a wet summer, but we have enjoyed a new burst of color in our yard. Flowers I thought were done for the season have had a late surge.

Flowering maple, clematis, phlox, snapdragon, and geranium in all their glory.

Smiles, Splashes, and Special Treatment

2010-10-05T20:01:00.002-05:00

Here is a recap of a few of my favorite moments over the last couple weeks:

Smiles on the changing table...

Splashing around in the tub...

Special treatment at the UNI game...

Dean Sprout

2010-09-25T21:46:00.004-05:00

It seems like Dean has been doing nothing but eating and growing for the last 8 weeks. It's no wonder he tends to be crabby.

Now weighing in at 10 pounds, 5 ounces and measuring 22.5 inches long, he already looks so much bigger than just a few weeks ago and is outgrowing some clothes.

John, being the math dude that he is, has been keeping an Excel spreadsheet of Dean's measurements and plotting his growth. During a big stretch on the changing pad Friday, I was able to get a good measurement, and we have a better curve for Dean's length. A little regression analysis later and here's what we know:

If Dean keeps up his current growth rate until he is 16 years old, he will be 421 pounds and 20.8 feet tall. Apparently, we're raising a Burmese python! Obviously we know this growth rate won't keep up. If it does, he's going to need one heck of a limo for prom.

http://animalblawg.files.wordpress.com

The ways of the Crawford

2010-09-22T12:38:00.003-05:00

Despite Dean's young age, we've taken a few opportunities to educate him on what it means to be a Crawford.

There's geocaching and Blizzards...

Trips to the Iowa State Fair...

Family walks around the neighborhood...

Watching football (with an impromptu nap) on lazy Sunday afternoons...

...and much more fun to come!

We are family

2010-09-12T14:32:00.006-05:00

Dean has had some quality family time recently.

On Friday, September 10, John's Uncle Mark and Aunt Gracie came over to meet their great nephew. It was wonderful to see them. Dean stopped crying when Mark held him, so clearly Dean likes him as much as we do!

On Saturday, September 11, we headed to Cedar Falls to celebrate two nieces' birthdays, celebrate my sister's second anniversary of being cancer-free, and welcome my stepdad back home from completing a course of radiation at Mayo.

Dean immediately smiled when he met Grandpa Gary. We captured just the tail end of his grin.

Before we headed back to Des Moines, we got the five cousins together for a group shot. The birthday girls are in the middle.

Dean has also been fortunate to have Aunt Anne and Cousin Mariah babysit him. As you can see, Mariah is wise to follow the "never wake a sleeping baby" rule.

Anne and Mariah also got to witness the comedy that bath time can provide. Dean seems to love the water, assuming his paranoid parents get it warm enough. He is pretty content to sit there and splash around for quite a while.

Photo Update

2010-09-07T06:24:00.002-05:00

Here is a short update with just a few more photos of Dean, or has he likes to be called, El Guapo.

He wasn't crying here, we just touched his chin

Sufficiently soothed with the "windshield wiper"

El Guapo!

Sleep Deprivation Humor

2010-08-24T08:57:00.003-05:00

When sleep deprivation kicks in, some things seem much funnier than they normally would. For instance:

Dean seems to be able to destroy even our best swaddle efforts in under a minute thanks to his busy hands and feet and strong legs. I often quote a clip from The Office, wondering if Dean has a small, brass key stashed somewhere.

Video is here for your amusement.

When trying to see a list of ideas to soothe a crying baby that John was looking at, I saw "Stroke gently on the head" and thought it said, "Smoke gently in bed."

We've taken a few pictures capturing Dean in funny, although involuntary, moments:

Introducing the star of our show...

2010-08-11T17:13:00.002-05:00

...Dean Olson Crawford!

Born Sunday, August 1, 2010

12:45 am

7 pounds, 3.7 ounces

20 inches

He has blue eyes with John's long eyelashes and lots of brown hair like me. Dean has long fingers and very expressive hands so I anticipate lots of shadow puppet productions in our future.

Auntie Em! Auntie Em!

2010-07-22T19:25:00.004-05:00

Early Sunday morning, we woke up to the severe weather sirens (formerly known as tornado sirens). While meant as a warning for those outside, they are close enough to awaken even the deepest sleeper in our house.

We watched the radar for a while (didn't think to go to the basement), and I headed back to bed. Soon enough, the sirens blared again, and I headed back downstairs to see what was up. Shortly thereafter, the power decided to go off, on, off, on, and then off all in about 20 seconds. By this time, it was clear we had a major storm on our hands. I heard reports later that the area had straight-line winds of 65-85 mph. No tornado, just A LOT of wind.

After things settled down after 4 in the morning, John and I managed to sleep until 8:00 or 8:30 and then went out to surveyed the damage. What else was there to do since we still had no power? (It ended up being off until about noon).

Here's what we tackled.

One pear tree pushed over, torn out by its roots and another pear tree (in the background) at a severe angle:

An apple tree lost half of its major branches:

Lots of small twigs, leaves, and debris in the yard. This is evidence of the force -- a wood sliver ripped from a branch and driven into the ground like a knife:

The wreckage, ready for garbage day:

While the yard looked like a fruit salad, we were relatively lucky. Our backyard neighbors lost two huge trees right by the house and had other significant tree damage.

One tree fell on top of the other, both landing on their fence and very close to their back door:

As if the wind wasn't enough, their tree on the middle/left was struck by lightning:

Overall we are thankful a) no one got hurt b) nothing fell on our house or our neighbors' houses that we can tell and c) the damage John and I had was manageable with the tools we own. We didn't have to hire anyone to clean it up.

What a way to spend a Sunday!

Back on Track

2010-06-29T20:26:00.006-05:00

We have been waiting for this for, literally, years. A new car, a baby, world peace? No no no.

Thanks to a renovated track and a local superstar Des Moines hosted the USATF (Track & Field) national championships. Four days of sitting in the sun and watching some of America's ~~prettiest~~ best athletes perform at world-class levels. Two American records fell (women's javelin and high jump) with a variety of other world-best performances. Longtime friend Jonathan joined us for one of the best in-DSM weekends we've had.

We had 6th-row seat near the finish line and were able to snap a few photos during the meet. We had far more opportunities than pictures simply because we let the camera rest and just enjoyed the show. Margaret was a trooper and one of only two pregnant women that I saw at the meet. I'm not sure how she made it through Saturday without needing medical attention for heat stroke and dehydration?!

A few of the highlights were

Hometown hero Lolo Jones winning her prelim heat

Everybody's favorite, Allyson Felix, takes a break from the 200m & 400m to win the 100m

Nick Symmonds (waving) and UNI product Tyler Mulder before the 800m

Walter Dix (lane 4) and Wallace Spearman (lane 3) in the 100m

Kerron Clement starting the 400m

Christian Cantwell tosses a monster shot: the shot is above the "k" in "nike running"

Wallace Spearman after winning the 200m in a blistering 19.77

David Oliver (lane 6) attacking the hurdles

We're already stoked for the 2012 Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR. You hear that, Jonathan? We're there...

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack

2010-05-26T18:50:00.010-05:00

We had a full weekend with family, food, and fun.

First up: Friday at the Civic Center! The penultimate show of the '09-10 season was South Pacific. Neither of us knew what to expect so imagine our surprise when songs we knew revved up. Tunes like "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair", "Some Enchanted Evening", "Bali Ha'i" and "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy" had our toes a-tappin'!

Next up: Saturday birthday party. Our nephew, Alec, is turning 8 so we celebrated with lunch, presents and the cutest cupcake garden ever! Ok, it is the only cupcake garden I've ever seen, but this was outstanding. All the items, veggies, tools, and signs, were edible.

It was great to see the Wilbers and the whole family. Baby Kathryn is growing up and is as adorable as can be. Ian is still a little monkey and Alec impressed us with his identification of all 50 states! WOW. Aren't they a handsome crew?

We also celebrated our mom and stepdad's 25th anniversary. They went on a cruise to the Panama Canal (among other glorious destinations) this winter to celebrate in style but are also in Door County, WI this week for a getaway.

Before heading west, John and I stopped at our most beloved Coralville landmark (other than sister Liz's house, of course)...Steak 'n Shake!

Not only has John had a powerful hankerin' for a chili dog lately (who is supposed to have cravings in pregnancy?) but it was a featured item on the menu. However, John learned a valuable lesson: Never, ever choose against the Chili 3-Way when at Steak 'n Shake with a chili craving. I had a steakburger that was OK, but honestly, I was in it for the milkshake. Nothing beats the heat like a shake from this place! There are too many to choose from, but we BOTH decided to go for the double chocolate fudge shake. Thirty-three grams of fat never tasted so good.

Sunday: We started off the day with a sermon that included our pastor demonstrating his mad Wii bowling skills and then headed to Principal Park for more spectator sports. It was Drake Day at the Iowa Cubs (which I lovingly referred to as "Drake Me Out to the Ballgame"). After a grabbing our free shirts, hats, and picnic lunch on the Mezzanine, we found our seats. It was a hot and humid day so we stayed long enough to cheer the Cubs to a 9-3 lead over the Sky Sox. The local boys ended up winning 11-7.

On our way back west, we grabbed 4 geocaches to bring our total found to 316. We then headed to Hy-Vee to take advantage of the weekend's Hot Deals. Normally, I wouldn't mention it, let alone post a photo of groceries, but this was an impressive trip. If Iowa Girl Eats can do it, why can't we? Thanks to the Hot Deals (steals like 12 oz of cottage cheese of 68 cents!) and a $5 off coupon, we got all this for $43.46!

After such a full weekend, Sunday evening was quiet time for relaxing and watching a long-neglected Netflix rental. We prepared for the week ahead, which for me includes a 4-day weekend. We'll catch you up on those details when the dust settles from the unofficial start of summer!

Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream

2010-05-14T12:28:00.010-05:00

When you cross a woman with growing pregnant belly with a man with a historically bad back, what do you get? A new mattress!

That's right! We finally bit the bullet and bought a new mattress. Not only have we had the same mattress for our entire marriage, but the mattress was mine in college (and maybe before). I'm pretty sure after this long, the filling was mostly skin cells.

After waking up with lots of aches and pains from many restless nights, we headed to Jordan Creek Town Center and experienced a demo of the Select Comfort Sleep Number Bed. It was heavenly. We were in love.

However, in true Crawford style, we didn't make the purchase after our initial visit. We walked away to "let it marinate". While meat cannot marinate from August 2009 to May 2010 and still be edible, a mattress purchase that has marinated that long is 10 times sweeter.

The new mattress and foundation were delivered, set up, and old mattress hauled away all in about 20 minutes. The crew was very courteous. Despite initially giving the standard 4-hour delivery window, they called twice to give me smaller, more accurate arrival times and came right on time. They stopped short in the driveway to avoid hitting our low-hanging branches with their truck and asked before entering the house if shoes were acceptable. I was impressed.

We will start out with our numbers determined at the demo: J - 40, M - 35 and we'll see how the first night goes. I expect we will be smitten. See how the pattern even exudes love?

Over the river and through the woods

2010-05-09T09:52:00.013-05:00

Everybody join in.

...to Grandmother's house we go!

On Saturday, John and I piled in the recently resurrected Cook Van to head up to Lu Verne, Iowa for our spring trip to Grandma Hanselman's house. We typically head up this time of year with John's mom, sister, brother-in-law, and niece to help with some tree/shrub trimming, window washing, and a few odd jobs around the house.

We have several traditions on this trip, most of which I will get to later, but this year also included a couple new elements.

One of John's aunts (Vera) was headed out of town about the time we were heading into town, so we were on the lookout for her van. When we crossed paths, Gary flashed the lights, we all waved, and made a big spectacle of ourselves. As the vans met, we realized this wasn't Vera. Wrong van. Oops! Needless to say, when we did cross paths with the real Vera, our display was a little more civilized.

Having the unseasonably cold weather that we did, the chores were truncated (pun intended) to two: pulling a dead limb out of a tree and mulching a freshly-planted flower bed. John and Gary climbed high in the tree and managed to get the broken limb out with only a small hacksaw and a dull hatchet for tools. Mariah supervised...meaning she was ready to call 911 at a moment's notice should the need arise. Or should I say fall in her lap. Laurie, Anne, and I tackled the flower bed and got it ready to be covered in preparation for the frost warning that night.

With chores done and no signs of improvement in the cold, windy weather, we headed back inside for a hearty lunch. We had a tasty spread: lasagna, green beans, fresh fruit, and Parmesan bread, with lemon cheesecake bars for dessert.

During the course of lunch, one of John's uncles and two aunts stopped by. The highlight of the lunch conversation started by discussing possible names for Baby Crawford. Unbeknownst to one another, John's mom, grandma, and uncle all suggested Gottlieb, John's great-grandfather's name. "Good, strong German name", they all remarked. Apparently the Eichel doesn't fall far from the Baum.

Anyway, as the name conversation continued, Uncle Paul brought up one of his favorite name related incidents. The Hanselman family would spend time with the Koester family -- mom and dad playing cards and kids played games. According to the Hanselman kids, Marie Koester always had the "best food in the state", including chocolate cake with frosting an inch thick and "snack" sandwiches with ham sliced thicker than a meal-sized portion. The promise of such tasty morsels was motivation enough for the Hanselman kids to willingly make regular trips over to the Koesters' house.

Reportedly, Marie's husband left Germany due to his disdain for Kaiser Wilhelm and took the opportunity to change his own first name from Wilhelm when he reached the United States. He wanted to be rid of any connection to such a controversial leader. The new name he chose? Adolf.

After lunch, Grandma Hanselman was adamant about redistributing some treasures from her basement. With John working for a bank, she was certain he should be the recipient of their adding machine. John remembers spending hours poking the various keys in all sorts of combinations and decided to bring this relic home to save it from the landfill. According to Uncle Paul, Grandpa Hanselman used this to do the family taxes. Nothing "Turbo" about this tax preparation aid.

Grandma wouldn't let this beaut leave unless John also took the other adding machine (to which he has no emotional attachment). The master negotiator won out, and we now have two old adding machines at home on which we can do some cipherin'!

Certainly, this had to have been John's favorite row:

There was also a collection of Zane Grey books that I agreed to take, thinking my stepdad would enjoy them. He reads a lot and enjoys westerns so it seemed like a natural choice. While I ~~was napping~~ wasn't looking, the collection seemed to multiply, and we now have a stack of 34 books that need a home.

A couple interesting tidbits about these books: 1) Most of them have a cover price of 35 or 40 cents. Considering most paperback novels cost, what, $8 now, I thought this was a neat blast from the past. 2) Another blast from the past: a few of the books have a full-color ad somewhere within the pages for cigarettes. Apparently you need a smoke break about halfway through the book. Of course, the ads mention how much healthier their cigarettes are than their competitors.

With full bellies, a van full of Grandma's "donations", and a list of traditions to fulfill, we headed home.

First stop: The one and only geocache in Lu Verne. This marked the first cache found in Kossuth County for both of our teams and our 297th find. Thanks Gary, for the never, ever, ever, ever give up attitude!

Second stop: Goldfield Cheese Mart. We stop here every trip to pick up "squeaky cheese", the beloved fresh cheese curds. Laurie is such a regular there, the owner now knows her by name and insists on a hug. Apparently the real regulars there, who were sitting around chatting, didn't know what to think when we arrived as one was overheard saying, "They must be here to pick up their stuff." Um, why yes, it is a store after all.

Third stop: The Eagle Grove Greenhouse. This is a new addition to the route. Laurie heard they have a great selection of plants and good prices. Boy, do they! They have amazing flowers and vegetable plants all ready to go. John and I picked up three tomato plants and a pepper plant for this year's garden. Each plant was only $1 and are about 4 times taller than what we can buy here for 3 times that price. They look very healthy, too. Laurie picked up some garden plants as well as some flowers, including one of my favorite plants to see while hiking: lupine. Can't wait to see that in bloom!

We had a wonderful time going traveling to and fro, and time spent chatting with relatives is always a treat. Now I'm off to eat some cheese curds, read about a gunslinger, and do some addition.

Rubber baby buggy bumpers

2010-03-26T20:09:00.006-05:00

The 20-week ultrasound revealed that Baby Crawford is a BOY!

The evidence:

His profile:

Hopefully these feet will make use of the football field John painted in the front yard after we heard the news.

Two if by sea

2010-03-21T14:18:00.007-05:00

We are back and it’s not with mixed emotions, but with 100% disdain for this infernal winter. First things first, the Crawfords took a well planned trip to San Diego and it was fantastic. Ever since Glacier NP, we have taken the computer with, to load the day’s pictures, and in the case of our Christmas road trip, to do some blog entries. This trip was no different. We had the computer, but the lack of entries could indicate one of two things: 1) we had such a dog-miserable time that we didn’t do anything blog-worthy, or 2) we had such rocking fun that we didn’t allocate time or energy to blogging.

But we did have a rocking good time. We really leaned on yelp.com, tripadvisor.com and Access San Diego for dining recommendations and have developed a patent-pending triangulation technique to identify what’s of interest to us. And boy does it work! Here are a few of the formulae that we used:

United Flight 471 delayed overnight in Denver < Spices Bay Thai

Sea World + San Diego Zoo = Muzita Abyssinian Bistro

USS Midway intersect Cabrillo National Monument = The Cheese Shop

Torrey Pines State Reserve + Wild Animal Park = Saffron Noodle & Sate

John's desire for one last margarita ≠ the convenient location and rave reviews of Tender Greens

In addition to all the gastric pleasure, other notable activities included:

Strolling through Balboa Park and listening to the organ concert on a lazy Sunday afternoon

Touring the USS Midway museum, then seeing the USS Stennis pull out of port while at Cabrillo National Monument

Seeing a baby roan antelope stagger around 40 minutes after it was born at Wild Animal Park

Learning about Mayan scientific advancements, including skull surgery at the San Diego Museum of Man

Understanding why the Hotel del Coronado is included in 1,000 Places to See Before You Die

Paying homage to the lowly potato with lunch the day after St. Pat’s at The Field

Learning the way to a roadrunner’s heart is with a salamander, not a bouquet of roses

Baby's first science lesson

2010-02-28T10:28:00.002-06:00

It could only be a matter of time, right? Thanks to Mike and Mara the time is closer than you'd think.

This week, we came home from work to a package propped up against the front door. Surprise!

Having high expectations for the inevitable nerdiness of baby Crawford, the Syrings were on the ball and sent a three-pack of Periodic Tables to us. Deliciously, the PTs are place mats so after dinner we can dine on such morsels as: bromine is the only non-metal that is a liquid under standard conditions, or that osmium will boil at 5012C, because I had completely forgotten that.

We really like that Teddy Graham's first gift would be "building blocks."

I don't know if that's fitting or ironic, but it's awesome all the same. Thanks, Syrings.

Expanding Family...and Waistline

2010-02-21T14:10:00.003-06:00

Within the last week, we have started to widely announce the big news that a little Crawford is on the way.

We're expecting the little one around August 12, 2010. I have been feeling well. No morning sickness whatsoever; no particular cravings. It's been more about quantity than specifics when it comes to eating. However, one notable Sunday morning, I had to leave the kitchen while making chocolate pancakes. I had broken out in a cold sweat and had started feeling a bit green. As soon as I was sitting down (away from the griddle) I was fine though. Since then, I've made and eaten pancakes without incident. Crisis averted.

Despite my linebacker-sized appetite, my weight gain has been minimal. I am starting to show a bit, but my pants still fit (especially with the ingenious BellaBand for help).

We have had a peek at the baby, who we are pretty sure waved at us. The baby was very active...reaching and kicking and doing entire body flips. What a sight!

Stay tuned for more developments!

Winter can be blah

2010-02-03T18:35:00.011-06:00

With a record breaking nearly every day, it has been quite a winter here in Iowa. The groundhog predicted 6 more weeks of winter, but I'm thinking, "Only 6 more weeks? I'm not sure the snow will be gone by then!" We are up to 56 days with 5+ inches of snow cover with no end in sight. The Des Moines metro area still has 10 inches on the ground, and another storm is heading our way. This winter, not only have we had mountains of snow but also a major ice storm, multiple blizzards, and icicles almost a story long.

John and I have been thinking with all the blahs about winter, what is good about it? Here are 10 things:

1) Shoveling provides exercise without leaving home.

2) After snow falls, hay bales look like frosted shredded wheat in a giant bowl of milk.

3) When days of melting are followed by cold nights, you wake up to frozen fog. We have had more frozen fog this year than I can remember in the rest of my life combined. It wraps the trees in the most beautiful, white jacket. When you look closely, you see an amazing crystalline structure. This picture is from our yard, but the Des Moines Register also has a frost photo gallery.

4) The ice storm we had made for treacherous driving, but everything seemed to be trimmed in icicles for at least a week afterward. Some signs and buildings had such regular patterns of icicles that the scene looked completely staged. The Des Moines Register has an ice storm photo gallery, too.

5) Cabin fever is a great excuse to go out to a movie. We didn't want to succumb to the Avatar hype, but the 3D version really was spectacular. We love our Netflix membership, but there is no substitute for an in-theater experience for movies like that.

6) Motivation to make warm, cozy food. This winter we have done a better job at meal planning before shopping, and as a result, we have tried many new recipes. A couple of my favorites have been Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatball Ragu and the fluffiest Gingerbread Cake ever (page 15 of the catalog). Our cake was about twice the height as the picture and not the slightest bit dense. We are currently making our own chicken stock from the remnants of a roasted chicken and plan to make chicken & noodles tomorrow!

With all this time cooped up, I've been reading several food blogs that provide endless inspiration on top of the cooking magazines/e-zines we receive. One of my favorite blogs is Iowa Girl Eats. Check out her site before tomorrow (02/04/10) at 3 pm central and you might even win Greek yogurt! I love her vibrant pictures and endless enthusiasm about what she eats.

7) Sun dogs. A very cool phenomenon that we have seen a couple times this winter.

8) Eagles! Go down to the river in the winter, and you are likely to see multiple eagles without turning your head. We saw two in a mid-air battle one day and even got a beautiful view of one not a mile from home last weekend.

9) During and immediately after a snow storm, it is very quiet outside. Road noise is muffled and generally fewer people are out and about. This was an even more monumental experience when we lived on Urbandale Avenue, a main thoroughfare in Des Moines. Now, our road doesn't have much traffic, but the peace and quiet while shoveling is still noteworthy.

10) If it is cold enough, you can make snow by throwing a pan of boiling water into the air. Not that we need any more snow, but we did this last winter out on our very own driveway. Science is fun, and I guess winter can be, too.

Vacation wrap up

2010-01-05T22:08:00.003-06:00

10 states

9 nights

8 trips to the Mississippi River

7* geocaching states

6 legs of the trip

5 capital cities visited

4* national parks visited

3 thousand miles (2,912 to be exact)

2 major holidays

1 road trip

Here are the photo highlights.

* more or less

Great Scott

2010-01-02T21:07:00.006-06:00

Our final stop was in none other than Fort Scott, Kansas. We could have made it all the way home, but why not have one more day of vacation? In planning the route, we decided Joplin, MO wasn't far enough and Kansas City was too far. Fort Scott was the next major town on Google Maps, so we looked into it.

It turns out there is a National Historic Site there and some geocaches in town. Sounded like a good destination! We looked up hotels in Fort Scott on TripAdvisor, and we were excited to find the #1 rated hotel had vacancies. The Courtland Hotel and Day Spa was a neat place! It was built in 1906 during the railroad's heyday. We spoke, at length, with the owner Frank about the hotel, the town's history, and the fort. He was very informative, friendly, and hospitable.

The lobby and "living room" areas are filled with beautiful furniture. Our room was very cozy. Just what we needed for our last night...and guess what? Cuarto ocho!

After a self-guided tour of town, stops for geocaching and dinner, a little Rose Bowl, we rested up for the morning's visit to Fort Scott National Historic Site. It opened at 9 am and we were there shortly thereafter. It is definitely their slow season and due to the cold (it was ~3 degrees plus wind), they were only going to open the buildings if visitors arrived. The hearty Iowans we are, we didn't let the cold stop us.

The fort was built in the early 1840s to protect the border between the United States and the "Permanent Indian Territory". The concept of "Manifest Destiny" quickly led to a rethinking of the frontier and whites began expanding westward. The fort was no longer needed by 1853. It was used on and off during the Mexican War, the Bleeding Kansas era, and the Civil War, but soon enough, all the buildings were privately owned. The site underwent major renovations from the 1950s through 1970s, and today preserves the history of the area with interpretive exhibits in 11 buildings, a museum, and one of the most informative NPS videos I have seen.

You get to visit living quarters for the infantry and the officers, and the exhibits reveal the startling contrast in living conditions. The officers each had a 3-story, 6-room abode. This is the kitchen in one of the officers' quarters.

The outside world thought the soldiers lived too luxuriously, but their daily ration list would have me believe otherwise. They ate very little for breakfast, lunch was basically broth with a bit of salted meat, a piece of bread, and a "bowl" of coffee. Similar menu for dinner, but they may also get some potatoes or vegetables. Of course, scurvy was a frequent guest at the fort. When marching, the soldiers each had a daily ration of one pound of hard tack, which is a very dense cracker. The visitors center had some for sale today, so John and I will sample the hard tack soon. The Quartermaster storehouse was full to the brim with provisions for the men. Lots of salt pork!

We also enjoyed visiting the guardhouse, which was used as a jail, and the magazine, which was the storehouse for the fort's gunpowder. The barrels of DuPont gunpowder displayed at the Fort Smith magazine tied very nicely into our visit at Mammoth Cave, where we saw the historic salt-petre mining operation. DuPont used salt-petre from Mammoth Cave to get its start in the gunpowder business!

Despite the cold, this was a great visit. We were the only people at the site, so we truly had the place all to ourselves. The NPS has done a great job with this site and have added great features like a cell phone interpretation option, the wonderful video, and a junior ranger program that is coming soon. I hope more folks will visit Fort Scott. And don't forget to stay at the Courtland if you're in town.

Hot Springs in Cold Winter

2010-01-01T18:45:00.004-06:00

We left New Orleans on Wednesday and headed north to Hot Springs, Arkansas. It was a long, but uneventful drive and soon enough, we arrived at our new resting point.

This is a good point in the vacation to let you in on a hint: TripAdvisor works! We have many examples, some of which I will share here, but the general idea is that by using the reviews travelers have posted to form an overall opinion, you can get pretty good advice on where to stay, where to eat, what to do in a town or city you have never visited (or anyone you know has ever visited). We have found TripAdvisor to be a better resource for this sort of information than, say, the Travelocity-type sites.

We booked a room in Comfort Suites, TripAdvisor's #1 rated hotel in Hot Springs, and man alive were we pleased. It's a bit off the beaten path at about 3 miles from the historic district, but it was perfect. It turned out to be an almost brand new hotel and very sparsely occupied, which means no line for the waffle machine at breakfast! The free, hot breakfast was awesome. Our room was very nice (and all are suites for no more money!), the parking lot was safe, and the staff was wonderful. Everything you want in a hotel.

So, with a great place to stay, we had a very restful night and lovely morning and then headed to Hot Springs National Park. The weather turned out to be great for sightseeing (mid to upper 40s aided by some sunshine).

The park is in the town itself and preserves the hot springs and the historic bathhouses that are built up around them. It also includes the source of the water in the surrounding mountains, the Grand Promenade (a walking path behind the Bathhouse Row), and some 26-miles of hiking trails.

The Visitor Center is in the Fordyce Bathhouse (seen above) that has been renovated and is open to a self-guided tour. We toured all the floors of the bathhouse and here are some highlights:

In the basement, you can view the spring that runs under the Fordyce and supplies the "curative" waters -- where it all begins.

The largest room in the Fordyce was the men's bathing room. The statue in the center provided drinking water (the beloved spring water) for the men to enjoy while sitting on the marble benches and waiting for their bathing stall, behind one of the wooden doors, to become available.

The ceiling in this room was a beautiful scene with Neptune's daughter, mermaids, and other colorful designs.

An oft-prescribed addition to a healing regimen was vigorous exercise. If one didn't feel like strolling the Grand Promenade or hiking the trails, the Fordyce had a fully-equipped gymnasium. We got a kick out of thinking of society's upper-crust men swinging from these rings and throwing medicine balls at each other.

The Hubbard Tub was deep enough to allow for underwater treatments and included an overhead transport rail for non-ambulatory patrons.

There was a music room and parlor where men and women alike could relax and socialize after their treatments. The stained glass was beautiful and bright and the furnishings were of highest quality.

After enjoying the bathhouse tour, we walked by the other bathhouses (two of the eight are now fully-operational). The Quapaw is one of those open for business.

We made our way up to the Grand Promenade for a lovely stroll. Along the promenade, and throughout the entire historic district for that matter, are open springs and spring-fed fountains. Very neat to see them steaming away!

Then, in true Crawford fashion, we hiked up to the top of Hot Springs Mountain, ignoring the convenient "auto route" (road) to the top. Kidding aside, it was a nice hike, and there is a lovely view from up there. The hike down sounded like a recipe for disaster, as we chose a new route that included "Short Cut Trail" and "Dead Chief Trail". I wasn't sure what we were getting ourselves into, but it actually was a great route. I'm glad John spotted it on the map.

The water is good to drink, so you see many locals filling trunk-loads of bottles and jugs from the fountains throughout downtown. We filled our own water bottles at one of the spigots and tried to savor it as long as possible. It isn't often you experience natural (non-store bought) water that is completely odorless and free of any taste. Mine lasted only until northwestern Arkansas.

We were in Hot Springs for New Year's Eve and had a nice dinner at yet another TripAdvisor recommendation...the #1 ranked restaurant in Hot Springs, Cafe 1217. This place was a dining highlight, which is saying a lot after our New Orleans experiences! 1217 would be a star in New York, let alone in a town that isn't known for fine dining. John had the Greek Burger and I had the Black Bean Burger, both served with, what they call wild rice, but we call the most delicious salad ever. We were so enthralled with our selections, I forgot to take pictures until there was only a garnish left on the plates. I think I realized this shortly after I said, "I wish this sandwich would never end." You'll have to settle for this picture John took of me after he finished his tasty minted lemonade.

We headed out of Hot Springs this morning for our final destination before returning home. It's a place you've probably never heard of but tonight we're staying in another top rated hotel and tomorrow we will visit our fifth National Park Service facility.

Eating Our Way Through New Orleans

2009-12-29T21:06:00.004-06:00

We've done many interesting things in New Orleans, but the meals we've had have been quite notable themselves.

Before heading out, we checked out a book from the library to have an insider's guide in hand. Being the frugal people we are, I took some time on the drive down to make notes on the interesting "1-dollar sign" restaurants in town, mostly in the French Quarter. John also knew some background on NO's food history.

On Evening 1, we found ourselves at the Gumbo Shop. What better way to start than a place known for its gumbo? Even at, what, 5:15 pm, the line was already out the door, down the entryway, out onto the sidewalk, and at least half the width of the restaurant. Several jokesters walking by quipped, "Is the food there that good?" Turns out we were flanked by return customers (either NO natives or frequent visitors) who assured us the food was indeed worth the wait and is the best in town. Score! We got two dishes and split them: red beans and rice and the chicken/sausage gumbo. Both were excellent.

On Day 2, at Oak Alley Plantation, we had more gumbo and a po-boy, one of New Orleans' famous sandwiches. Both were tasty and went down so fast the camera was an afterthought.

The next location on the list was Cafe Du Monde, the original coffee stand in the French Market area of New Orleans. This place opened in 1862 and is known for its cafe au lait and beignets (fried bread with powdered sugar -- a French-style doughnut of sorts). Again, the line was staggering, but being somewhat crafty and fully hungry, we discovered a separate to-go line that was less than 1/3 the length of the main line. Sneaky, sneaky.

We got the requisite fare and headed to the street. The amount of powdered sugar on the doughnuts is INsane. John estimates 1/2 inch of powdered sugar remained in our bag when all was said and done. We both had on black coats; I added blue pants to the mix. Needless to say, we ended up looking like a flocked Christmas tree. One of my shoes still has a powdered sugar spot. The nearby streets are completely white.

We also had dinner at Cafe Maspero, which is known for its pastrami (and for its cash-only operation). We both felt like more creole food though, so John ordered the red beans and rice and I had the jambalaya. Neither were outstanding, but the dishes were hearty and satisfying.

Last night, after wandering down Pirate's Alley for a geocaching adventure, we found Pirate's Alley Cafe and Absinthe House. John has been wanting to try absinthe for some time now and this place didn't seem too pretentious. We came back after dinner at Maspero's and John gave it a try. The herb-based spirit itself is a bit green and cool looking, but in the Parisian-style presentation, it really came to life. The bartender poured the absinthe in a glass and balanced a sugar cube on top. She lit the drink and sugar and then slowly added ice water. The oils in the herbs do not mix with the water, so briefly (when illuminated from below), you see a swirling effect that looks like fairy wings. This gives the drink its nickname, the green fairy.

Two days in a row we got blanked at Central Grocery, home of the muffuletta. They were closed Monday and today when we arrived they were "sold out". How do you sell out of your claim to fame?!?

Dejected but not destroyed, we headed to Mother's instead. Known for the "world's best baked ham" -- specifically in the Famous Ferdi, a po-boy with ham, roast beef "debris", cabbage, pickle, mustard, and gravy (actually juice). While we were eating, they carted EIGHT (yes, eight) full-sized hams by us. They smelled so good! This is half of my half of the sandwich. SO glad we split one!

Tomorrow we say goodbye to the creole and cajun mecca as we head out on our first leg of the drive home. Undoubtedly there will be something good to eat along the way, but New Orleans food has been tough to beat. Bon appetit/voyage.

Plantation Tour

2009-12-29T20:25:00.003-06:00

On Monday, we drove west of New Orleans to "Plantation Country" and took a tour of Oak Alley Plantation. The mansion was built in 1839 by Jacques Roman for his new wife. It is a beautiful home with interesting features.

The kitchen was a separate building to reduce risk of fire (think open flame cooking) and to keep heat away from the main house (think Louisiana's sweltering summers).
The dining room has a punkah, a wooden fan, that was operated by a servant during dinner parties. It was said the operator needed a special touch to keep the guests cool and the flies away, yet not extinguish the candles.
The mattresses were stuffed with Spanish moss and became rather lumpy overnight. The headboards had a detachable rolling pin so one of the morning chores would be to smooth out the mattresses for the next night.
The original plantation bell is still in use. Each plantation had its own bell tone and its own set of rings. In this area, plantations are long and narrow, and despite being a 1,200-acre sugar plantation, the house is surprisingly close to the neighbors (everyone needed river access). Therefore, in the day, it was important to know your plantation's bell tone and code. Do three rings mean dinnertime or the owner died?

The most distinguished feature of this plantation is the row of perfectly spaced oak trees. There are 28 Virginia Live Oaks that create the most grand entrance imaginable. Our pictures don't do it justice, so please check out their website! It is beautiful.

The main set of trees, running from the Great River Road (which runs right along the Mississippi) to the house, stretches for a quarter mile. The trees are an estimated 300 years old and have a life expectancy of 600 years.

Kentucky Fried Road Trip Waltzes to Tennessee

2009-12-26T19:26:00.006-06:00

Stage 2 of the Crawford Christmas Road Trip led us from St. Louis to Bowling Green, Kentucky (home of who knows what other than Kirk, our favorite TV news producer). Bowling Green is certainly a sleepy town on Christmas, but we thoroughly enjoyed watching Sherlock Holmes in their Great Escape theatre and our dinner at Ruby Tuesday. Bowling Green positioned us perfectly for a morning tour of Mammoth Cave National Park, the bonus destination of our trip since we headed out two days early. Our first experience in the park was coming across this rafter of wild turkeys, undoubtedly thrilled at their own great escape from Christmas dinner!

We took the first tour of the day, the Historic Tour of Mammoth Cave with Ranger Bruce, and descended into the original entrance.

The Historic Tour is a 2-hour, 2-mile excursion with stops in the Rotunda to see remnants of salt-petre mining, the Methodist Church, a walk on Broadway (last Christmas we were also on Broadway -- in NYC!) and Audubon Ave, a squeeze through Fat Man's Misery, a view of the Bottomless Pit, and a climb up Mammoth Dome.

While others were enjoying the room of Great Relief (both the cave version and the nearby restroom version), John and I squeezed back for a picture in Fat Man's Misery. It turned out to be Tall, Bald Man's Misery as John cracked his head on a low-hanging rock. The blow knocked him off his feet! The picture doesn't do it justice, but he's skinned up in three areas with a couple goose eggs, too.

Mammoth Cave is surprisingly dry and is not known for its formations. It is, however, incredibly long and, as Ranger Bruce explained it, laid out like a plate of spaghetti. You get the feeling down there that anywhere you turn you could walk for ages. With a steady 54 degrees, very little water, and no wind, things are very well preserved. Several mummified Native Americans have been discovered in the cave, and the wooden pipelines and troughs we saw used in salt-petre mining were original. They are estimated to be from the early 1800s!

One of the formations on our tour: flowstone.

And Giant's Coffin:

They conserve electricity on the tours, so the areas are not overly illuminated and the ranger shut off lights behind us. You quickly appreciate the bravery of the early cave explorers who used only small oil lanterns and candles to light their way. The video below is of Ranger Bruce discussing the what the short (6 hour) and long (10+ hour) tours used to be like. He is holding an oil lantern, so you get an idea of how dark it would have been.

The two hours went by quickly, and before we knew it, we were back on the surface. After a nice walk to the Dixon Cave overlook, we headed out toward our next stop: Memphis.

After checking in to tonight's hotel, we got a recommendation for a BBQ joint that seemed to be the real deal: off the beaten path and the place to be...Charles Vergos' Rendezvous.

As the sign states, "In Downtown Alley Since 1948", it is in an alley! From the outside, you would never know how awesome it is both in food and atmosphere. And they are the model of efficiency. We had our meals (John=ribs; Margaret=pork shoulder) before our taste buds had time to prepare themselves.

After dinner, we walked the couple blocks down to Beale Street. I had the Marc Cohn song in my head the whole time. "Walking with my feet 10 feet off of Beale..." John, however, did not know the lyrics until today, so that alone made the walk worth it. It was really quiet there tonight, but it was neat to see the sights nonetheless.

We're staying on Union Avenue tonight (also ala Marc Cohn) so maybe tonight we'll see the ghost of Elvis. Stay tuned!

Room with a view

2009-12-24T22:13:00.003-06:00

With Iowa weather what it is, we headed out on our planned road trip a couple days early. John had the great idea to head east first, where the temperatures were expected to be higher and the non-frozen form of precipitation was predicted.

Our final destination is New Orleans, but we're taking a roundabout path to see some sights (and states) one or both of us have not seen.

We made a skeleton plan and a couple reservations this morning, packed in a whirlwind, and were on the road by 11 am.

The drive was wet, but the temperature was over 40 degrees most of the way. We managed to stay on the correct side of the low that is bringing precip from Minnesota to Louisiana. Tomorrow looks to be more wintry however.

Shortly after 7 pm, we arrived in St. Louis for our first overnight stay. I cannot say enough about the Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch. Out one set of doors is the Arch; out the other is the historic courthouse. On top of the views, it feels like we have the place to ourselves tonight. We enjoyed the free drinks in the lobby, admired the life-size Lewis & Clark scene, used the exercise room to bring life back to our road-weary legs, and saw 2 people the whole time.

Perhaps the most telling evidence? We booked our room this morning, and THIS is the view from our room (we can literally see this while lying in bed):

John tried to figure out what Lewis and Clark saw across the lobby but had no luck. I think Lewis can see into the future and the "free", hot breakfast that will greet us on Christmas morning.

That's all for now, but more updates will be coming! Merry Christmas to you all.

Corporate flakes

2009-12-23T14:03:00.003-06:00

Thanks to buddy Mike, we have the answer to a burning question: Does Target have the same decorations everywhere?

As we traipsed around our Target the other day, I wondered if in warm climates, Target is still decked out in wall-to-wall snowflakes. So I queried Mike and the answer is YES!

Thanks, Mike, for sending this photographic evidence. Not only was I amazed to see the exact same decorations in an Arizona Target as our own here in WDM, but I immediately noticed the shopper in short sleeves and no coat. Jealous.

Christmas Miracle

2009-12-20T20:40:00.007-06:00

Today we celebrated Christmas with John's family, and part of that tradition is a sweet roll called Crispy Cookie Coffee Cakes (or C4...boom!). They are a tasty cinnamon roll with lemon zest in the dough and glaze. They are indescribably good. In fact, it could be, and has been, said, "It's not Christmas without them." We volunteered to make them this year. In pre-party discussions, John's mom gently reminded him to remember the lemon zest at which point John admonished her, "What do you think this is, amateur hour?" Apparently so...by the C4s making the blog, you may have guessed something went awry.

The.dough.didn't.rise. We know what you're thinking:

1) The yeast was new.

2) We were careful about the water temp, and even the scalded milk was cooled to the requisite temperature.

3) The recipe calls for rising in the fridge overnight.

We did all that. What we didn't do is bank on our fridge being too cold for yeast to do anything but hibernate. John noticed the problem at 3am today (don't ask!) but couldn't do anything about it then.

In the morning, brilliant sister-in-law Marjorie recommended proofing the dough in the oven. What could it hurt? Maybe all was not lost. Maybe Christmas didn't have to be cancelled.

After trying two different "quick rise" techniques (and with a spare batch of traditional cinnamon rolls on stand-by), the yeast started to assert itself. Yes! Signs of life!

About that time we had to head to the party, so we packed up the dough, thinking the mere presence of John's mom, Laurie, and Aunt Lynn (both of whom could make C4s in a coma) could right the ship.

By late afternoon, Laurie declared it "dough time". We gathered, wringing our hands, pacing, wondering if the dear C4s would pull through. Laurie worked her magic and battled a too-sticky dough with the steely nerves of a bomb defuser. She popped the first batch in the oven, and we all waited for a tense 12 minutes.

And guess what? They turned out!

A typical C4 is about 4 bites. Today we had Texas C4s that were a 4-course meal, but otherwise, they were just dandy. Great flavor and texture. As big as your head, but who would complain about that?

Death Storm 09

2009-12-09T09:01:00.011-06:00

That's how it is being tagged in Twitter. Usually the local stations sensationalize storms and make it seem like the world is coming to an end. I take the "I'll believe it when I see it" approach. Well, this time, the "Storm of the Decade" actually materialized. Schools, malls, general businesses (including major employers) are closed, interstates are impassable, and travel is not advised.

It is difficult to capture the magnitude of the snow in pictures, but we have received at least 15 inches. The wind is sustained at 25-35 mph and gusting to 50 mph. Our yard is pretty open, and the wind is whipping across north to south. Even with a line of pines on the north side, there is a whiteout in our yard at times.

Of course, local TV stations have reporters out in the weather. It's like we are having a winter hurricane. It must be similar...except that there is snow instead of rain, and instead of flooding and a storm surge, we have huge snow drifts!

Having been up since 5:30 am thanks to the howling wind, curiosity got the better of us by 8:00 am. We had to venture out briefly because we can see this out the south door downstairs. Anyone want to grill tonight?

This is looking out the south side on the upper level. Check out the snow on the roof peak of the lower level!

Because a drift forms on the north side of our garage in a typical storm, I was curious what we would find on that side of the house. By 8:00 am, there was already a big drift there, and the wind has gotten worse since then. There is a ~3 foot drift across the entire span of our garage door and at various points the length of our driveway. Maybe we should have put up a snow fence.

As horrible as it is to shovel, I do find the drifting pattern fascinating. The driveway is bare in places and drifted up to 3, 4, or 5 feet high in other places. The formations and patterns are like waves. If only we knew how to surf.

Next, John ventured out to the road. This gives you a sense for a couple things. 1) How much snow is blowing. You can barely see him! 2) How much shoveling we have to do. Last night, just when we started on the ~6 inches that had already fallen, our neighbor with a lawn tractor snow blower attachment made two passes for us and was done. I'm not sure how we'll get to work tomorrow if that Christmas miracle doesn't repeat.

So, there's John at the road. I'm standing in the 3-foot drift right in front of our garage door:

While he was out there, I decided to capture the howling wind and the whiteout in a quick video and nearly fell over. I am not exaggerating when I say, "Oh, the weather outside is frightful..."

John mentioned the other day that many Christmas songs refer to snow, and questioned whether the season would feel incomplete living in a desert. Those of you living in Arizona may relate to the phrase that is in my head this morning: "At least you don't have to shovel heat."

The best dog

2009-11-22T19:23:00.002-06:00

Arnold

B: May 15, 1997
A: October 15, 2000
D: November 21, 2009

A good boy.

Weekend wrap-up

2009-11-15T18:01:00.010-06:00

This photo pretty much captures our weekend in a nutshell.

Saturday morning we participated in our first geocaching event, WWFM VI: Fall Classic. The event was a flash mob where participants played whiffle ball in the most frenzied manner possible for a mere 13 minutes. John was on the winning team (they won 10-0), but I managed to make a few good plays in the field for the "non-winning" team which I was on with our brother-in-law Gary. It was a blast! Photo credits to John's sister, Anne.

Note the contribution differences between Margaret and John. I'm just sayin'...

The fortunes above are from Saturday's lunch at Fong's Pizza downtown. We needed to refuel after the whiffle ball tournament, and we had seen this place on our way to Friday night's entertainment (more later).

Fong's specialties are truly unique: Asian-inspired pizzas! We chose the Moo Shu Pork Pizza and had Wheat Breadsticks for dessert. The Moo Shu was good, but next time (oh, yes, there will be a next time!), we plan to try the Crab Rangoon Pizza. The Wheat Breadsticks were the most delicious pizza-place dessert I've had. What's not to like about sticks drizzled with honey and served with a peanut butter dip?

So, Friday night, we went to the first of this year's Willis Broadway Series at the Civic Center: Rent. It is subtitled "The Broadway Tour" because the lead characters are played by the original Roger and Mark -- Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp! By the way, the less-publicized role of Woman With Bags was also played by an original cast member, Gwen Stewart. The voices were outstanding. We had a bit of trouble following all the details of the plot, but it was definitely entertaining and the tunes are catchy if nothing else.

What would make this weekend more unique and outstanding? Seeing the Drake Theatre production of Cabaret, of course. That's exactly what we did Saturday night. Thanks to an employee discount and coupon, I got both tickets for $4 (total)!

We have had the Cabaret soundtrack for years but have never seen it. We were not disappointed. The students were phenomenal, the story was compelling, and the set was top-notch. The plot definitely isn't for the easily-offended, but Drake Theatre's production was high class.

We ended this weekend with a bit more geocaching and an uncharacteristic raking session. It was definitely a weekend to remember!

Something isn't right...

2009-11-15T17:09:00.004-06:00

Is this how you're supposed to jump in a pile of leaves?

Confession: we haven't been very good about raking leaves in years past. I'm sure there has been at least one year we didn't rake at all. Gulp. However, this year we have been taking advantage of the unseasonable weather and raked leaves with abandon. John came up with quite a 2-person process that is quite efficient, saves countless lawn bags, and (dare I say it) makes raking fun!

Thanks to John's birthday present (a Gorilla Cart), our trusty friend from Beaverdale living (Toro Super Blower Vac), and an assembly line that would bring a tear to Henry Ford's eye, we have raked our entire front yard and about half of our backyard this year. Today was our third team effort. In all, I'd say we have done ~30 bags, plus covered our garden and other beds. There is definitely more to do (and more leaves to fall), but we're not going to let perfection get in the way of good enough. :)

As is, I'm sure our downwind neighbor is confused by our industriousness. Something isn't right...

Move that bus!

2009-11-15T15:51:00.004-06:00

We had our own personal Extreme Makeover: Home Edition this fall. After needing exterior paint for quite some time, debating to "hire or not to hire", and waiting out an insanely wet October, it is finally done!

Thanks to Painting Pros, John's 5-day weekend, and quick customer service from MidAmerican to move our electric meter, the project took less than a week. Our house was transformed from a country green/gray to a taupe color with a red door! I love the names of paint colors. This house is something like "Sautéed Mushroom" with "Heavy Cream" for trim. Sounds like the start to a tasty, tasty sauce.

I think the red door ties in the brick and (although you can't really tell from the photo), the updated house color accents our new shingles nicely.

Even the shed got a little love. Maybe we'll paint this door red, too, eventually.

Our paint was in such a sorry state, we "oohhh" and "aahhh" every time we drive up now...like it is a brand new house.

Arnold

2009-10-27T21:16:00.006-05:00

A haiku tribute to our dog, who had a rough week.

Hunter of rabbits
Scared by his own flatulence
Thief of all blankets

Garden fresh

2009-10-18T14:10:00.004-05:00

If anything good can come from the weather getting colder, the flavor of autum recipes is it. You may recall we planted a garden this spring. We've had several gardens in the last ten years, but this year we planted some new things. In addition to harvesting corn for the first time, we also had a nice crop of buttercup squash.

Neither John nor I had heard of buttercup squash until we bought the seeds, so we didn't know what to expect. It looks like a mix between an acorn squash and a butternut squash (both of which I enjoy), so I thought, "How bad could it be?" We gave it a whirl.

Shockingly, the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook had heard of this squash, and yesterday, I fired up the oven to roast a couple of these babies. Roasting them took about as much effort as it did to grow them. Zilch. It turns out buttercup squash tastes similar to, but much sweeter than, I remember from other types of squash. It is very tasty on its own. No sugar, no spices. Just squash. As I mentioned to John, it is hard to believe it was made from just dirt and sunshine.

This morning, we both had a hankering for another fall favorite, pumpkin pancakes. After a failed attempt to locate a breakfast coupon for one of our favorite restaurants, Mimi's Cafe (featuring pumpkin pancakes now, by the way), we decided to make our own. John headed to the store to score a can of pumpkin. Another failure! Maybe there is something to this alleged pumpkin shortage.

Fortunately, John bravely determined our roasted buttercup squash could fill in. After all, it was just waiting at home for its chance to shine. I had found a recipe for pumpkin pancakes that included, in my opinion, the requisite spices -- cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger -- so we just swapped squash for pumpkin.

In large bowl, mix:
2 c. flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. cinnamon

In small bowl, mix:
2 slightly beaten egg whites
1 1/2 c. skim milk
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 c. canned pumpkin

Add small bowl mixture to large bowl. Stir just until moistened. Heat griddle, brush lightly with oil. Pour batter by scant 1/4 cup onto hot griddle. Makes 16* pancakes. (*ish)

These puppies were excellent. The pancakes were spicy and moist with a good pumpkin flavor. The only comment I could muster was, "Yum!" I highly recommend this recipe and buttercup squash.

Bonus: we have about 4 more cups of roasted squash to eat, so I'm thinking "pumpkin" bread, "pumpkin" muffins, "pumpkin" bars...if anyone needs some vitamin A, come on over.

2009-10-15T20:12:00.006-05:00

Youtube is wonderful, isn't it? Where else can we see Mentos fizzing in Diet Coke and a wedding party dancing down the aisle? But once in a while there are some true gems. Talented people getting a platform to share their mastery with all the nation, not just those few people lucky enough to be sitting around the bandstand. Yesterday we happened across just one of those gems and thought that it would be good to catalogue a few of our favorite youtube musical performances.

Andy McKee is an incredible guitar player. Here he plays an original song but also has a great cover of Toto's Africa.

Keeping on the guitar theme, this cat rocks on the ukulele. The song is transformed around 3:00, so don't get out too early. If I were that uke, I'd be weeping too.

Still keeping in the guitar theme, but with a Bollywood flair, here is some heavy duty percussive bass.

Something off the beaten path, this cat pairs beat box with harmonica

To close out, this dude, with limp hair and doughy hands absolutely WAILS on the accordian. Seriously. Don't laugh, just push play.

Be a rainbow

2009-10-10T19:30:00.007-05:00

The Bucksbaum Lecture Series at Drake has brought in distinguished speakers ranging from Salman Rushdie to Bob Costas, Ben & Jerry to Jane Goodall, Ken Burns to Magic Johnson. Last spring, we were treated to a lecture by Bill Bryson, Des Moines' favorite son.

This week, the 24th Bucksbaum Lecture was given by none other than Dr. Maya Angelou. Can you believe it? At the 11th hour, I received tickets for the reserved seating area, and we were in the 12th row. I never imagined I would ever be so close to Maya Angelou!

The Knapp Center was packed with an estimated 8,000 people, a record crowd. At times we were all roaring with laughter and at other times, we were silent. She was engaging, encouraging, witty, and wonderful.

Maya shared stories from her life as well as some of her poetry. She even sang to us. All the while, she expressed to us the importance of our interactions with people -- those we know and love but also those we encounter only briefly or for a season. A minor interaction can have a major impact on someone's life.

The light you bring to this world can brighten the darkest of places in other people's lives and bring them hope. You can be a rainbow the clouds.

My words cannot do it justice. Read more details about the lecture and see photos on Drake's website.

Dancing Through Life

2009-10-04T20:20:00.004-05:00

It would be exhausting if it weren't so fun, the weekend, that is. Friday, we got to (finally) see Wicked. It's worth the wait and despite the over-the-top hype did not disappoint. Big costumes, catchy tunes, energy and an incredible attention to detail. Wicked had it all in spades. Plus, the happiest song about hate ever made. While it was technically part of the 2008 season ticket package, it's a good kick-off of the 2009 season at the Civic Center.

Saturday, we enjoyed dinner with the Kloudas followed by the Drake theater production of House of Yes. There is a movie with the same title staring Parker Posey, which we didn't enjoy as much. Fortunately for us, Margaret got tickets earlier in the week because it is family weekend at Drake and the play was packed. Normally the shows aren't so busy on Saturday nights but it was packed like a quarter cup of brown sugar. And since we were late getting out of dinner we went barrelling around corners on two wheels, screeching into the theater in a cloud of dust. We had to climb over a bunch of moms and dads that didn't seem too happy about us getting there late and out of breath.

Sunday brought some sun, and with it doughnuts, a new map of Des Moines and a (very very) minor celebrity sighting, apparently. It also brought a trip to the state capitol with our GPS receiver and a tape measure. Below is picture of the capitol reflected in the Hoover Building.

Sunday also brought the taste-testing embarrassment of my life. Starbucks offers a taste test comparing their instant coffee to the brewed. I failed. I'd like to say that it was rigged - I'm sure it was, somehow - still, I dropped the bean. For somebody with a history of having a discerning, if not discriminating, palate, this was quite a blow. Fortunately I was still able to taste the aspartame in Margaret's steamer.

Arnold had a big weekend too. After a busy morning of chasing the sunlight across the living room floor, Anne brought Maddy over to introduce the two dogs. We're going camping with the Cook crew next weekend and thought to acclimate the dogs prior to setting up tents. As expected Arnold was ambivalent while Maddy was completely bananas. We took a walk around the neighborhood and "visited" neighbor dog Lady - something that usually softens Arnold's old-man heart. Arnold finished the weekend off by chewing on his toenails, scratching his ears and solving the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle.

Nieces and Nephews

2009-09-30T20:41:00.005-05:00

Spending time with our family has been a major highlight of the fall so far. This past weekend we were able to see most of our immediate family in three days.

On Friday, Margaret's dad stopped by on his way from Missouri to a class reunion in Sac City. Although a brief visit, it was nice to see him. He dropped off some fishing equipment for Margaret's sister, and, as it turned out, a rod and reel that was Margaret's.

We then headed up to Cedar Falls for the night and stayed with Margaret's mom and Gary. Bright and early Saturday, we cruised down to Coralville not just to deliver said fishing equipment, but primarily to see niece Maddi in the 4th Annual Southeast Iowa Invitational Taekwondo Tournament. Hosted by Maddi's gym, Anderson ATA Family Taekwondo, the tournament drew competitors from Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and Washington.

The kids were split into groups by gender, age, and rough rank. Maddi's group had 5 girls from 6-10 years old, two with green belts and three with blue belts. (See the ranks here!) First up was the forms competition. Maddi demonstrated the form she tested with for the green belt and did a superb job. She was very crisp and had no hesitation between the 48 separate moves. Very impressive!

Next, the girls donned their protective gear and went head-to-head in a sparring competition. Green belt Maddi has certainly progessed to the point in the journey where "The pine tree is beginning to develop and grow in strength." Her power and confidence were clear, even against the girls two ranks higher. Check out the kick to the head Maddi delivers (hint: she's on the far side)!

When all the points were tallied, Maddi headed home with a lot of hardware...1st place in sparring and 2nd place in forms. Trophies or not, we're so proud of you, Maddi!

After a celebratory lunch at an Iowa City favorite, we headed to Marion to meet our new niece, Kathryn. She is a source of joy for her mom, dad, and two brothers, and we can see why one of our nephews reported "She's a little package of love from God to us." What a cute little bundle she is!

Right now Kathryn seems to have inherited some of the coloring and characteristics seen in the Greek side of our family, but we suspect she might be a blonde when all is said and done. At any rate, she started off on the right foot by being born on Labor Day (all three of our nieces have been born between September 1 and 7).

We thoroughly enjoyed horsing around with our nephews, too. What good are aunts and uncles if they can't get the kids all wound up before heading home?

Ian is quite the acrobat, and Alec reminded us of the fun times we had playing "pizza delivery" on our last visit. Not only that, but because Alec is quite a salesman, we ended up sealing the deal on our annual pie.

We then headed back up to Cedar Falls for dinner to quell John's craving for Rudy's Tacos and cheered on the Iowa Hawkeyes in their win against Penn State. Go Hawks!

As we have mentioned in previous posts, our geocaching hobby is in full swing. While the weather is holding out, we have had the opportunity to do more caching with John's family. Niece Mariah has been a huge help on many of our treasure hunts. Among other sacrifices, she has gotten wet, dirty, and bitten by mosquitos, all for the team! Mariah gives it her all.

Parents, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, inlaws, outlaws, they are all great. Time with family is always well spent.

What if?

2009-09-10T20:39:00.011-05:00

What if you found out you could change the world?

From September 3 through 7, Iowans of all ages took over Hy-Vee Hall in downtown Des Moines to package meals for the hungry by volunteering time and resources for Meals from the Heartland. Teams of 8-10 assemble packages, each containing rice, soy flakes, dried vegetables, and a vitamin tablet. Each package takes only a moment to assemble and will make a casserole to feed 6 people.

The atmosphere of teamwork and camaraderie at these food packaging events is electric, and a 2-hour shift seems to fly by! We all seem to gravitate to tasks that suit us, and the assembly line would make Henry Ford proud. Some people pour ingredients, some weigh the packages and adjust for accuracy, some seal and box the finished product. Some seem to loaf...um, I mean supervise.

Once packaged, boxes containing 216 meals are stacked on pallets, wrapped for shipping, and sent to countries around the world. This year, meals will be sent to Haiti, Ghana, South Africa, and Israel, to name a few. Some will also be sent to New Mexico and some will stay in Iowa.

John organized the 2nd annual family team, which we affectionately called Calypso Breeze. Our team consisted of John's immediate family (mom and aunt, sister, her husband and daughter) plus a dear family friend, a couple friends of our niece, and two of our favorite medical school students. We had a blast! Here's a picture of the bunch:

You will notice that none of us happen to be wearing the requisite hairnet, having already finished our shift. However, those puppies are fuel for good comedy. Laurie and Lynn (right side of first row), while sporting the hairnets, were informed by some youngsters, "You look like our lunch ladies!"

We had a great time with this group, and during our shift, our table packaged 3,456 meals!

On Monday night, we returned with another group. Seth and Heather, friends from church, invited us to fill in on their team, Cotton Gin. We shared lots of laughs while on the clean-up crew, preparing containers for storage. Never before have I seen so many plastic totes in one place. It was a very dusty job but was definitely something that helped out the event organizers as the final meals were being packaged. I'm not sure who thought to pose this way, but I think the dust went to our heads. The guys are even arranged by height. How precious.

When the dust settled, we discovered the goal was surpassed with over 4 million meals packaged in 5 days! Watch the video about Meals from the Heartland.

Back from vacation

2009-09-04T20:57:00.009-05:00

We just returned from a week in Glacier National Park. Words cannot describe the beauty; pictures don't do it justice. From the moment we arrived in Montana, our cares melted away (no pun intended). It is easy to understand why John Muir wrote that Glacier has "the best care-killing scenery on the continent".

There is so much to see here, but with the retreating glaciers and unspoiled wilderness, you just have to get out and hike! The weather was perfect. Mornings were a bit chilly (low to mid 50s) but every day was sunny with highs from 75 to 85. Most days were marked by at least one hike so we'll share a bit about our favorites. At the end of the post, you'll see our highlights reel of pictures. We took over 500 pictures total, so paring it down to 60 was a feat.

Grinnell Glacier: the most accessible glacier in the park requires an 8.75 mile (round trip) hike with 1600-foot elevation gain. This is even after taking a 1.5 mile boat ride!

We went on a ranger-led hike to reduce bear risk, and it was Ranger Monica's last hike of the year. She was a great guide and even found John's hat which had fallen sometime during the return (but we did not discover this until the very end...waiting for the boat).

It was a beautiful day but quite windy at the glacier itself. The last 0.5 mile climb was up the glacier's moraine -- steep and crumbly. Regardless, seeing a glacier up close was certainly a highlight of the trip. Not only was the glacier spectacular, but there were two lakes and a waterfall in between.

This video, of the falls from the glacial melt into Grinnell Lake, was taken at the farthest point in our hike.

Iceberg Lake: another long hike (10 miles round trip, 1200 ft gain) paid off with views of a beautiful, secluded lake. It gets its name from the icebergs that, until recently, floated in the lake. There were only a couple ice cubes when we were there, but it was still a great hike.

The day before, hikers saw 7 grizzly bears en route, which prompted us to again go with a group. Along the way, Ranger Lynne provided education, including a plant identification activity. We learned a lot on this hike and enjoyed the company of our fellow hikers.

Avalanche Creek and Lake: our first hike of the trip. The creek was a raging torrent, which surprised us. We think of creeks as small trickles, but as you will see in the photos, this was quite impressive. No raccoons will be washing their food in this creek!

At Avalanche Lake we discovered that if we held the camera up to the binoculars, we had a powerful zoom and could take some pretty decent pictures of far-away features and animals.

We also hiked out to Johns Lake (which is actually a bog) and on the way back, we came across two hikers who were clearly lost and exhausted. It turned out they were Glacier Park, Inc. employees exploring the area on their day off from the t-shirt shop in St. Mary. GPI employs college students, mostly from abroad, and these two lost souls were Anka, from Romania, and Debbie, from Taiwan. We gave them a ride to nearby Lake McDonald Lodge where they could catch the shuttle bus back to St. Mary.

Redrock Falls: For the first couple days of our stay in the Many Glacier area, this trail was closed due to bear activity. Bears are feeding now on berries that are ripening to fatten up for the winter. Our last morning in Many Glacier, the trail opened, and after hiking almost 20 miles the two days before, the 5-mile hike seemed like an easy after-breakfast jaunt. The falls were incredible and we were thrilled the trail was open. We channeled our inner mountain goat and climbed on the rocks for quite some time. The falls were on many levels, so this video gives you a sense of the magnitude.

Miscellany: Huckleberries are everyone's favorite in Glacier (including the bears) and you can't swing a walking stick without hitting something huckleberry related. We had these huckleberry treats:

Milkshake
Ice cream
Lager
Bread pudding
Float (made with huckleberry cream soda)
Saw them in the wild on the vine

At one point, we were driving down the road and a bee flew in the open window, bounced off the door post, and stung John in the back of the head! Ouch, man! Not sure who was more surprised, John or the bee.

The ranger-led programming was strong in the park. In addition to the hikes, we participated in:

Native Use of Plants - Campfire talk
Bears! - Campfire talk
Wet 'n Wild Glacier - Campfire talk
Historic Many Glacier Hotel - Ranger tour
Teeth & Tails: Beavers - Campfire talk

We stayed in Glacier Park Lodge one night, which is in East Glacier, MT. This is a beautiful lodge and was the original stopping point for passengers arriving via the Great Northern Railroad. The depot (now Amtrak) is literally across the street from the lodge. There isn't much to do in this town, so we amused ourselves by greeting the train and passengers arriving that night. They still use a wagon for the baggage, which we found remarkably endearing.

The next morning, on our way to breakfast, we rounded a corner to see a herd of stampeding horses barreling right at our car! It took a minute to get the camera going and my poor cinematography doesn't quite capture what we experienced. This video doesn't do it justice, but let's just say we were shocked!

Here are our favorite photographs. Click on the slideshow here to get a larger view!

Milestones

2009-08-23T17:21:00.008-05:00

This week was full of milestones for the family Crawford.

We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary, the tin/aluminum anniversary. "The pliability of tin and aluminum is a symbol of how a successful marriage needs to be flexible and durable and how it can be bent without being broken." We took a few photos outside the church where we got married for posterity.

On Friday night, we went to Whiterock Conservancy's Star Party and gazed at celestial bodies like never before. There was a bevy of amateur astronomers who brought their high-powered telescopes and expertise. Among other things, we saw: globular clusters M13, M22, and M27, Mizar (a double star in Big Dipper's handle), an Iridium satellite that flashed its solar panels at us, several meteors and other satellites. The pièce de résistance and "star" of the show was Jupiter. We could see 4 of its moons and stripes. Supposedly, we could have seen the Great Red Spot, but neither of us could make it out. It's amazing how much you can see without the city's light pollution. Even the Milky Way was obvious.

After stargazing, we camped for the first time as adults, other than in our backyard. Arnold behaved very well and seemed to really enjoy himself. Our tent was ~20 feet from the bank of the Middle Raccoon River which provided a great soundtrack for the camp out.

Our car hit the 8888 mile mark -- a very appropriate milestone to post on Pagina Ocho. A palindrome and a vertical and horizontal mirror image. Nice.
We witnessed our first neighborhood fire. We were awoken Sunday at 2:45 am by what we assumed to be an alien attack, having just watched War of the Worlds. It turned out to be the pump truck revving up to douse the fire at our neighbors' wood pile, a few doors down. Because our neighborhood has no fire hydrants, any fire could get out of hand quickly. Fortunately, there was enough water on hand to get it out before it spread to their garage.

Margaret had her 5th anniversary at Drake. Look, they named a building after me!
We are about to eat the first corn we've ever grown! Unfortunately, some yard critters have already eaten most of it, but that must be a sign it is ready. We took a couple years off from gardening to improve the soil and it has paid off.

ISF 2009

2009-08-16T10:39:00.007-05:00

This week brought the State Fair to us, one of the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, in all its deep-fried gloriousness. On Wednesday evening, we watched the parade downtown. It was a hot, humid evening, and both the parade entrants and parade goers were sapped of energy by the time the parade reached us at 9th Street. Note to self: sit closer to the capitol if it's hot next year.

The parade is candy-free, but we saw several of our favorite entrants: the Isiserettes, the high-energy lady from Van Cleve Dance Studio, the Cedar Falls High School marching band, and the guy with no parade purpose other than to show off his monster car stereo.

We spent Saturday at the fair and had one of the most disappointing fair food days ever. Indecision was our enemy -- too many choices and we didn't have a plan. Add all the free samples into the mix and it turned ugly fast. The Elwell Family Food Center was always on my mind, but when we actually made it there, the food sampling inside left a bit to be desired. However, we scored free pizza samples and a free M&M ice cream treat just outside. The Agriculture Building also had the usual sample line, with the crowd favorite, egg on a stick.

The highlight of the day was running into John's family. With 100,000 people there, you don't expect to be at the Super Bull at the exact same time as someone you know, let alone your family! Great minds think alike. We also ran into our neighbor at the Maytag Family Theaters for the Iowa Birds of Prey show put on by the Pella Wildlife Company and the Wildlife Care Clinic. At the show, we saw Screechie, the cute, blind screech owl. These two encounters compensated for our poor food performance.

This is a great display of skill but you also see evidence of the heat of the evening: the second of two ambulances that were needed on our corner to rescue people who collapsed from the heat.

The Isiserettes always impress with their energy and talent.

Awesome

2009-08-07T20:43:00.011-05:00

This morning I was introduced to an uplifting site: 1000 Awesome Things. A simple concept...just a list of awesome things, moments, situations, with pictures and narrative guaranteed to have you saying, "That is awesome!" Some are so specific, I thought I was the only one (like # 977: The smell of gasoline), and some are things you know are awesome but you have taken them for granted (like #800: Getting a splinter out of your finger). There are so many on this list I love. I cannot begin to mention them all but it made for a happy afternoon.

John and I have had fun thinking of our own list of awesomeness after work. Here are some of mine:

When your favorite song/movie comes on the radio/TV.
The sound of stirring a pasta salad.
Picking up the phone to call someone and there is a caller on the line already.
The scent of dryer sheets.
Seeing someone singing in their car.
On a walk, you smell that someone is grilling.
Sleeping with the windows open.
Getting postcards from friends and family. Especially those written by the kids.

Today alone, I've had a several awesome experiences.

This morning I discovered I won a giveaway from one of my favorite bloggers. Failed Feminist will be sending me an embroidered bookmark and a copy of ReadyMade magazine. Awesome!
My co-worker brought treats to work for the second day in a row. Scotcheroos yesterday and chocolate chunk cookies today. Thanks, Terry!
John and I have been enjoying West Des Moines parks this summer and a particularly fun find is Southwoods Park. Last night, we were hiking in the woods (more Glacier NP practice!) and happened upon an awesome treehouse. The picture doesn't do it justice but this puppy has a rope bridge, some sort of cargo pulley system, a nice roof and siding, and there is even a zipline nearby! A zipline? Seriously? Holy smokes!

How awesome is it to have can/bottle deposit money to blow on something frivolous? I'm about to find out! While John was at poker night tonight, I decided to return to Southwoods Park with a garbage bag in hand, ready to pick up bottles and cans. It made me sad on our hike last night to see how much litter there was on the disc golf course, so I tried to make the park a little more awesome. I easily collected a huge garbage bag full and plan to cash them in tomorrow. FYI, disc golfers seem to like Gatorade more than Powerade and prefer Pepsi to Coke.
Remember candy necklaces/bracelets that were popular years ago? Well, I got one at our 60s-themed work picnic, and Arnold discovered how awesome it tastes. Don't worry; it's his now. :)

What would you include in your list of awesome things? Go ahead...think, live, and be awesome. Barney Stinson would be proud.

Balloons and Bananas

2009-08-02T07:58:00.010-05:00

Overpriced food and gas-bags full of hot air? It could be the mall or a little league game, but was actually the National Balloon Classic in Indianola. Sister Liz brought down Maddi and John so we joined them Friday after work for an evening of watching balloon pilots attempt to knock over an outhouse. It was pretty windy so most miserably missed the target. I should note here, that the balloon pilots have only the ability increase and decrease altitude but no other steering mechanism, so even ending up in the correct general area is impressive. Maddi provides an interpretive dance between the ballooning competition and the "night glow."

On Saturday we attended Adventureland on Drake's dime. Friends Michelle & Jeremy joined in on the fun as did Banana, the cheery stuffed soul that was a "prize" we gained by virtue of stumping the age guesser. A special thanks to Michelle, Jeremy & Margaret for bringing down my apparent age. A double special thanks to Banana for so much potassi-yum.