A Stroll Through Our Week

Franklin seemed to enjoy the trip up to Wallace Falls. As Emily put it, he didn't really notice the falls themselves, but the other hikers were fun to see!

Four miles in two hours—not a bad pace, considering our handsome load:

(More stats and details here.)



Part of the thinking lately has been to live it up around town, seeing the sights and some friends before we head out on the three-week (!!) road trip.

Had dinner with Laura:


First he was just flirting, but then he crossed the line:

Rascal ;)

And he wished Jamie a Happy birthday:


We added to our My Lunch(es) with Peter series:




We met up with Bria for Ethiopian... and Franklin had his first ride in his stroller!

I think he likes it!

Finally, I know kids aren't supposed to watch TV until they're two, but who's going to tell this guy he can't watch the Olympics? :)

Franklin Beasts It!

Another fun week in the wild with my friend Franklin.

He seems to like the print his Grandma Rhonda and Grandpa Ray sent:


And he had another nice lunch outing with Peter:

To keep track, I've started a set on Flickr.

And he was a great sport when his mom and I went out to see another movie. This time Beasts of the Southern Wild:

Not quite sure I would use words like "joy" or "joyous" as in the New York Times and the New Yorker write-ups, but it was certainly full of life. And unlike any other movie I'd seen in some time. Memorable and compelling, if not always exactly fun...

And as you may have heard, he was happy meeting some babies at the drop-in class (16 babies with parents; still just one dad), and luckily they were happy to share their toys:


And of course he enjoyed brunch with Wendy last weekend:


Okay, reader. Better go. Lots to read, write, and get ready before the road trip begins next week!

Down East Madison

Busy—and fun—week for young Franklin! New toy:

Yum!

We also spent a fair amount of Tuesday down the hill to the east on E Madison St.

View Near Madison in a larger map

We've been trying to make a habit out of the Next Months class at Birth and Beyond. It's been really nice to get some expert advice, and great to meet and trade stories with other parents (but why are they all moms? no offense, but what year is it? Anyway...). And of course Franklin has enjoyed meeting and seeing the other babies.

He also had the chance to hang out with some slightly older kids: the Meredith Mathews East Madison YMCA has a Kids Corner where Franklin spent an hour while his mom and I did some yoga. On the one hand, it was perhaps the least relaxing yoga ever, since we both kept wondering when someone would send for us to come get an upset Franklin (answer: never—nice job, bud!). On the other hand, it was a good start, and it was great to hear how all the other kids loved Franklin :)

His mom even made sure he came prepared:


Well, that's about it for now. Onward toward the weekend!

Near and Far

Franklin in the summer—what could be better? Took the bus (two, actually!) over to West Seattle last week to visit his mom at work:


He also charmed some of the Sisters of Providence, and even one of the Daughters of Mary:

If you're curious about the relationship between the two orders, this write-up looks promising.

He also had a fun Skype call with Rodrigo and Joaquim:


Pretty fun to compare daddy daycare stories. It even seemed fun to see some synchronized spit-ups :)


And what about that cute hat Franklin's wearing in the inset above? Awesome gift from Sally. Franklin had fun showing it off on our walk to the farmers market the other day:


Finally, Jen came by for a visit.

Kid must be nearly three times the size he was when they first met!

Cute Guys and Dark Skies

Not really sure that the little guy is teething, but he sure likes his new toy:

Cute wooden lasso made by Maple Landmark.

Although it hasn't always been easy, we've been getting a little better with naps and bedtimes, which recently gave Emily and I a chance to contemplate some of what we give up living in a wonderful city like Seattle. Warning: some of this show is a downer. Worth it, though, on the whole.


And we're hoping that our upcoming road trip will give us a chance to introduce the little guy to some perspective on just how little he really is...

I'm especially excited about the Night Sky Program at Badlands National Park, where we plan to camp for a night.

I mean, look at that sky: Can't wait!

Wondering how the plans are shaping up? Us too! But we have a rough route mapped out: View Larger Map
If you're curious, Google says that's about 5,162 miles. Glad I'll have such great company!

Speaking of, in our weekly roundup of what wound up on Facebook, here's Franklin keeping me company while I did a little research on Plato and akrasia (remember that? I can't seem to resist the temptation to revisit the topic...):

And look what a gracious host he was last week when we had some company over: