The Police, Live

It is comforting to know that the response time of the Lancaster PD to our house is well under the five minute mark. I know this because earlier this week Jack, sensing some kind of emergency perhaps related to our quickly dwindling supply of Cheerios, dialed 911. I assume the 911 operator was distressed enough by the repeated cries of "No", the high pitched squealing, and the quick hang-up to register this call as an honest-to-God emergency and sent a car right over. Of course Jack had been dialing the phone all morning, perhaps some of you on the speed dial received similar unexplained calls, but it never occurred to us that he had been successful in his attempts. I was upstairs changing a particularly ripe diaper when I heard Otis barking and growling more menacingly than usual - it actually spooked me a bit. Dan went to check on the cause of the commotion and found a LPD officer standing at the door. "Someone here called 911?" he asked. Dan assured him that nobody here would have done such a thing, then it dawned on him that one of us here just might have. I can only imagine the guilt stricken, horrified, chagrined look on his face as he explained to the officer that our infant son who could be heard happily hooting away upstairs may have managed punch in those numbers while playing with the phone just a few minutes ago. Luckily the officer was very nice and did not issue us a ticket or even give us a warning. However, I fear that our name may now appear on some kind of list down at headquarters, the don't bother rushing on over there list. On the bright side, I do think that it speaks highly of Jack's fine motor skills development that he was able to dial 911 with such ease.

What we did for Summer Vacation

We just got home from our first big family vacation. We were gone for 20 days, went to two states, took four different airplanes, visited friends and family that we hadn't seen in over a year and some that Jack had never met, and returned home exhausted.

The Cabin
Our first stop was the Cabin in Springfield, Oregon. It was Jack's first glimpse of his eponym, the McKenzie River. He was mesmerized watching all that water. Every morning Jack and G'Pa would take a stroll around the cabin, visiting the trees and picking blueberries. We had breakfast at the Vida Cafe, fed the geese and fish, hung out in Eugene where we enjoyed fish n' chips at Neuman's, peach ice cream at Prince Puckler's (a recent stop on the Obama tour - he had mint chip and green tea, go-figure), and strolled through the University of Oregon campus. Mimi got lots of Jack time, volunteering to babysit while Dan and I fished with Dad, took the kayak down the river, picked 16 3/4 pounds of blueberries, and even went out for a fantastic dinner downtown. To top it all off, Uncle Wolphie came up for a quick visit during which we had a Jacktail party to introduce to Jack to the upriver friends.
Before we left for California we stopped in Portland to visit old friends Ben and Heather and their 3 girls. They had never met Jack, and we hadn't met their youngest daughter Piper. Jack was awed by the girls. It was great to watch them run around - it was like he finally realized how to play like the big kids. It was also nice for the adults to get a chance to catch up and see each other as parents.

Placerville
Next stop was Placerville, California and our first glimpse of Dan's parents new house. They did a fabulous job, Jack especially loved the pantry/toy closet. In P'ville Jack met his Great Uncle Steve and Aunt Kathy for the first time. He also got a chance to meet his Uncle Al ans Aunt Jo and his 2 year old cousin Addison. Jack loved Addi, the feeling was not exactly mutual. Addi is a shy little guy and was a bit overwhelmed by the chaos and noise that is Jack. So there wasn't much playing together, but I think in a few years they won't be able to get enough of each other. A few highlights of the P'ville visit include a lovely and long dinner with Alex and Jo while Mamie and Oompah babysat the boys, introducing Jack to the extended Washburn family and Bridge gang, and spending time with Tim, Kate and Ben who we hadn't seen in over a year and getting a chance to catch up with them.

Once again Jack proved what an easy-going, fun little guy he is. He met a lot of new people and was always easy with a smile. And in each new location he was quick to find the toys and make himself at home. He adjusted to the time change shockingly easily, Dan and I may have had a more difficult time than he did. He was also good on the many flights. Of course he fussed - he refused to nap on travel days and for a boy who has to move being cooped up made him pretty stir crazy - but he also flirted with other passengers, read his Maisey books, and enjoyed strolling up the aisles with Dan.
The worst of it actually came once we arrived home. Jack had become used to having his every desire catered to by doting grandparents. He got treats, was picked up if it even looked like he was about to cry, had new toys to play with, and was basically spoiled. Upon arriving home, Dan and I had the audacity to set him down and let him entertain himself. It did not go over well. It has taken us a week to get things back to normal. Jack has remembered that he can play by himself and has stopped begging to be picked up, for the most part.
It feels good to be home, to have survived our first of many family vacations. I'm already looking forward to the next trip.