Christmas came a little early this year for some of us. With a week off in mid December, we took advantage and headed to the west coast. Flying with Noah is an evolving experience. Initially, it was easy. Small baby, little movement, no big deal. Then he got squirmier as he got older. Now, he's two, meaning he has to have his own ticket - make it any easier? Not really. If you'll notice, there are no pictures from the flights in this post. He's a handful, requiring attention pretty much constantly. And we're still working out the kinks in our system. We thought maybe it would work just seat-belting him in, instead of lugging the car seat around the airport and using it on the plane. Let's just say that experiment failed.
Anyway, we did finally make it to Portland, after a brief layover in MN. We headed up to Mt. Hood for the first few nights. Noah, a native Michigander, shamefully had never had opportunity to play in the snow. His first winter, we was too tiny, not even crawling. The next winter there was literally no snow! An anomaly which likely will never be repeated. And so far this winter, there hadn't been any. But off to Oregon we went, where there's always snow... if you go to a high enough elevation.
But before we could find the snow, we found the MatchBox cars...
Little did Grandpa know what he was getting roped into. Noah could play with cars for days and days on end! Fortunately, all the playing, and hanging out with family...
...led to Noah tuckering out at a very reasonable hour. I'm sure the time change had something to do with it, too.
But that did mean he woke up at a very unreasonable hour, too. C'est la vie!
But what did we wake up to, but a bunch of fresh snow!! How exciting! After driving around for awhile before realizing that we forgot our sleds, we eventually settled in a somewhat protected area for some frollicking.
Noah loved it! He couldn't get enough! He just kept staring at it. At first, he was so excited just to have it on his mittens. He would occasionally put his snow-laden mittens to his face - I'm not sure if it was to feel the cold or the softness or what, but he couldn't get enough!
Very soon into the play time, the inevitable happened: someone taught him about snowballs. Hard to really say who was responsible or how things went down, but he took to the idea very readily. Mama was the initial target, but very quickly his sights set on Uncle Alex, and that's where they stayed. For a long time after the trip, when people asked Noah what he did in the snow, he didn't mention any of the other things you'll read about in this post. All he said was, "Throw snowballs at Uncle Alex!"
We did all the obligatory fun snow things, though... Noah learned how to make a snow angel. He did remarkably well. And we must've gotten him in enough layers, because he didn't mind lying in the snow. In fact, he was a little reluctant to get up!
Noah didn't want to leave. But we had to force him. The little bit of exposed skin he had was getting cold. We had to bribe him to get him home. What better motivation than cars?
Well, cars and hot chocolate!
After getting rejuvenated with hot chocolate, and a night with slightly more rest, it was time to venture out in the snow for another day of fun. Luckily, when we awoke in the morning, there were several inches of snow on the ground, so we went around Libby's parents' condo, rather than driving up the mountain!
And since we didn't have to drive anywhere, we didn't forget the sled! Noah walked for a bit, but it was definitely more fun (and more efficient) to give him a ride.
But even more fun than pulling the kiddo was finding a few hills to go down. Everybody loved taking a turn with our little guy during his first sledding adventure.
But whether he was sledding or not, Noah was just having a great time... flinging snow at Grandma. Throwing snowballs at Uncle Alex. Sitting in the snow. Making another snow angel. Life is good.
After trudging our way back to the condo, Noah participated briefly in the making of snowmen and he partook in some yellow snow (snow with Kool-Aid sprinkled on top... nothing gross) before heading back inside.
Then we headed back to the city, where there was no more snow. But there was something arguably better: presents! It was time to celebrate Christmas with Libby's family. Noah was a little bit slow at getting back into the habit of opening presents, but once he got going, he loved the results. He's funny how enthusiastically he embraces each new toy. Every single time, he unwraps a gift...
...and then, hands it in the package to the nearest adult, and demands, "Open it!"
And he'll be content playing with that one new toy, not even realizing the possibility that there are more presents for him, until you finally get his attention and point out another gift. Anyway, he got some cool toys and an interactive book of Wheels on the Bus that the whole family enjoyed.
And story time is always closely paired with brushing of the teeth... we like our nighttime routine...
We ventured into town to visit Powell's, the massive bookstore. Noah wasn't very excited about that possibility, but we could've told him we were going to an opera (or something equally long and excruciatingly boring for a little boy) and it still wouldn't have diminished his excitement about our mode of transportation... the train!
After Grandma and Uncle Alex read him what probably seemed like every book in the kid's department (while Mama and Dada picked up a few Christmas gifts for the kiddo), it was back home, where Noah got to play with Sandy's daughter, Grace! If I'm not mistaken, Sandy and her husband met ballroom dancing... So, I guess it makes sense that Grace liked dancing so much, and Noah was certainly happy to oblige.
Family dinner at Libby's parents' house... good times! So exciting that Noah took the following two pictures of Uncle Jim and Aunt Bonnie:
Noah likes them. Although, I guess it's logical he likes Uncle Jim, since Uncle Jim did let him try to drive (http://babyegle.blogspot.com/2012/05/portland-tale-of-two-cities.html)! This time, he let Noah try his glasses! That Uncle Jim... aways broadening Noah's horizons!
But even during a dinner with family, you know what you can squeeze in if you try? Cars!
One of the last significant outings we had in Portland was visiting their science museum. It's designed so that you take an escalator to the top floor and then work your way down. Well, on the top floor, they have an area for kids... the kids' science lab or something to that effect. Noah really never made it out of that section. They had a cool water section with several water tables - fountains and balls and cups and all sorts of fun times! They also had a big area with a play market and play kitchen so kids could buy/sell (plastic) food to one another and then go prepare it in the kitchen. And a gigantic sand box with toys.
Last, but not least, we paid tribute to Noah's Great Grandpa Gene, who died in October. We were glad that Noah had gotten to meet him a few times, and it was a good day of family and sharing and remembering... and a chance for Noah to see pictures and remember Great Grandpa Gene again.
And like all good trips, it ended with bedtime stories with Grandma!
