California adventures: Camping, Train Town, and Caden’s first haircut

We’re playing blog catch-up now—we’re over a month behind—which is testament to how hard Dada and especially Mama worked during our time in California. We arrived at Bodega Marine Lab on July 16th and spent three weeks enjoying our old haunts in Sonoma County before heading north for a week in Alaska.

In California, we enjoyed spending time with friends and colleagues, and Caden brought home some really fun projects from his “California school,” including a bird feeder, lots of paintings and drawings, and some beautiful paper flowers that are decorating our dining room table. He spent workdays at the home of an acquaintance of ours who used to work at BML.

Last month, before we headed to Alaska, we escaped for a one-night camping trip to Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It was our first camping trip in almost two years—last summer’s move put a serious crimp in our camping schedule—and we re-discovered how nice it is to spend time sleeping under the trees and swimming in a river. The campground was a short walk from the Eel River, and Caden and Dada had fun trying to catch the little steelhead and minnows that would nibble at our feet while we waded in the river. Just before we packed up for the drive back, we headed down to the river again, where the sun was shining on the water. Mama and Dada tried to coax Caden in, but he was content to play in the sand while we swam. When we returned to the riverbank, Caden had a surprise for us. He said, “I made you a birthday!” and held out his bucket. He’d filled it with sand and planted sticks upright in the sand: his version of a birthday cake.

We also took Caden to Lonnie’s Barber Shop in Sebastopol for his first haircut! He seemed to appreciate all of the fuss, held very still, and was very excited to receive his lollypop reward at the end. Caden’s hair was becoming pretty crazy, especially when he woke up in the morning, but we held out for Lonnie’s because Dada knew that they were really good with little guys there, as both Owen and James can attest to.

A final adventure before heading to Alaska was a trip to Train Town in Sonoma. The centerpiece of Train Town is a scale-model railroad that passengers can ride on. We rode the little train through tunnels and past waterfalls to a scale-model town where we saw—as Caden will tell you—goats. It was a great outing for a train-loving two-year-old.

First haircut: before
and after!

In the barber chair

Eel River breakfast

Trying to catch minnows

Stitching party!

Train Town

No time to say goodbye

Before heading west to California, we enjoyed summer treats, outings, and the Fourth of July in Massachusetts. Caden finished his “Massachusetts school” for the year, and we hosted our friends Anne and Bonnie over the holiday weekend.

One of our weekend outings was to Russell Orchards, where we had fun picking late June strawberries and meeting some friendly sheep. Caden quickly became an adept strawberry picker, and we soon filled two pint containers. The strawberries made wonderful decorations for a Fourth of July flag cake—a tradition in Mama’s family—that we shared with Anne and Bonnie during their visit. On the fourth, we took the blue train into Boston, where we walked the Freedom Trail with Anne and Bonnie. Caden’s favorite part was the “statue” busker we met outside Faneuil Hall, though he was a bit shy when we got close to her.

The weekend before we left for California, Mama flew down to Washington, DC, to go to Amy’s wedding—a fun reunion with college friends—while Dada and Caden did projects around the house in preparation for our trip. The highlight of Caden’s weekend was finally getting to meet the ice cream man who drives by our Massachusetts house every day. Caden got a red popsicle, and he still talks about it a couple of weeks later.

Cheers!
I made pizza
The "statue" busker

The Girls in Washington, DC

Flag cake

At Old North Church

Weekend wanderings

We’ve developed a typical Saturday summertime routine. Our first stop is the YMCA, where Caden plays and Mama and Dada get some exercise. When we get to the Y, Caden always climbs the stairs to the front door. He has become quite a determined climber of anything climbable and often refuses help—or a hand placed to keep him from falling—by pushing us away, saying, “No! I do it!”

From the Y, we go to the Marblehead Farmers’ Market to do as much of our week’s veggie shopping as possible and share lunch or a treat. The Farmers’ Market is at the middle school, which also houses the Magic Hat thrift shop (it benefits the local schools), so we wander over to the Magic Hat, where Caden plays with the toys while Mama and Dada look for bargains. After that, we usually swing by the post office—which sometimes involves a walk down the rail trail—before heading home.

A week ago, our friends Sal and Liza invited us to spend a beach day with them (and of course, Caden’s friends Summer and Mae!) in Cohasset, which is south of Boston. Liza grew up there, and her dad has a sailboat moored in the harbor, so the boat served as our base of operations. Caden had a great time experiencing different boats: we spent time in a canoe, on the sailboat, and in a skiff. And he still talks about the neat Scooby-Doo life jacket that Sal and Liza shared with him. We ate lunch on the sailboat—the kids lined up along one side—before heading over to an island in Cohasset harbor for the afternoon. The beach was great, with sandcastles to build and destroy, shells to collect, and a not-too-cold ocean to wade in. Mama and Mae even went swimming! Caden spent most of the day sitting between Summer and Mae, because they kept arguing about which of them got to be next to him. After an entertaining dinner at a pizza parlor—the kids lined up along one side of the table—we headed back home.

No, Mama, I paddle!

Little sailors

Sandcastle

I a big kid

For lunch on Father’s Day, we stopped at Woodman’s, a neat old seafood restaurant in Essex. We ordered way more food than we could eat: a crab roll for Mama, a clam roll for Dada, and a kid’s clam strip meal for Caden. Caden ate a few clams and made a valiant effort on his fries, but Dada ended up with enough to eat for both lunch and dinner.

Caden has been trying on “titles” for himself these past few weeks. He seldom calls himself a baby anymore, and really wants to be a “big kid.” When he does something correctly, especially if he’s really pleased with himself, he’ll announce,“I a big kid!” Sometimes, he teases Mama and Dada and says, “I adult!” He also throws “toddler” into the mix. It can get pretty silly at times.

Lately, he has been saying “I a big kid” a lot when he uses his potty chair or goes to the bathroom using the big toilet. And, best of all as far as he is concerned, he gets to flush when he’s finished.

In other news, our last swimming lesson was this past week. Classes run for six weeks, and we’re leaving for California in just over three weeks, so we’ll have to wait until we get back for more fun in the pool. As you can see, Caden loves the water!

Big kid potty

Eating clams with Dada

Row, row, row your boat

For Father's Day, we ventured up the coast to Essex, where more wooden fishing boats were built than in any other place in the country. We wandered around the outdoor exhibits at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum, where Caden found this song-inspiring dinghy:

A bittersweet trip to Oregon

Two weeks ago, we travelled to Oregon to remember Caden’s great grandma, Ama Jean, who passed away on May 25th. It was a bittersweet visit for Mama and Dada, but to Caden it was a great adventure and a chance to spend time with some of his favorite people, especially Ama and Adad.

It was Caden’s first jet trip in his own seat, which gave us all more space and made him feel comfy in his carseat. We spent lots of time outside while we were in Oregon, especially at the Godard family filbert orchard just south of Corvallis, and Caden was especially excited about the tractors. Cousin Sandy even learned to drive the small tractor so that he could give mini hayrides!

Caden was also able to play with Auntie Sally, Auntie Misty, and Uncle Jerry. While we were there, Auntie Sally left for her Teach for America assignment in Hawaii, so it was extra-special to get to spend time with her. We also spent a fun afternoon with Auntie Misty and Uncle Jerry at their place in Dallas, Oregon. Caden was so worn out after days of nonstop fun with few chances for a good nap that he fell asleep on Jerry and Misty’s living room floor.

On the way back up to Seattle for our flight east, we stopped in Portland to visit with Amy, Owen, and the chickens. Owen showed Caden how to fish from a kayak, and we all enjoyed tasty burgers on their back porch.

Our jet trip back featured a bit of excitement: a tornado warning evacuated our Cincinnati airport terminal into the baggage tunnels. Caden’s a big fan of tunnels, so he liked our underground adventure. Once the storm had passed, we headed back up to our terminal and eventually caught our flight home.

Godard cousins

Cousin Sandy's hayride

Bubbles with Juliana

Napping at Jerry and Misty's

Farewell hugs from Auntie Sally

Corvallis riverfront park

Fishin' with Owen

Tornado tunnel!