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So, just before we left California, Nan and Grandpa treated us to a day at the Oakland Zoo. This was very exciting for us. We've been to the Honolulu Zoo, of course, but this zoo is larger and nicer, and our adult to child ratio was 3:1 (a treat for Mama if there ever was one)!
Kathleen was delighted by the zoo from the moment we walked in. She immediately spied the flamingos and their watery habitat and didn't stop talking about "birds" and "water" for a good five minutes. She happily trotted all over the zoo, watching the children and the animals with equal interest. She seemed particularly impressed by the chimpanzees and gorillas climbing and swinging all over, the alligator chilling on the bottom of his tank, the lizards and little yellow tree frogs, and the turtles, both in the water and on land. She was also quite taken the with fruit bats (there was a horde of them), which Mama frankly found very, very creepy.
The zoo also has a train, which we didn't ride but Kathleen loved nonetheless. The train must have passed us every three or four minutes, and each and every time Kathleen would stop whatever she was doing to yell, "Toot-toot!" and make the sign for train. She found the train no less exhilarating the thirtieth time it passed than she did the first. (The same could not be said of the rest of Kathleen's entourage.)
The day of fun and sun and animals gave Kathleen an enormous appetite (she wolfed down 3/4 of a grilled cheese sandwich) and fantastic afternoon nap. Thanks for another great adventure, Nan and Grandpa!
Well, Mama's grand plan to get the Golby girls home via space-available seats on Air Force flights from Travis to Hickam AFB had at least one flaw... As it turn out, the California schools began summer vacation just one day after we missed our commercial flight. The space-available flights out of Travis have been packed, and Kathleen and I haven't had a chance to get on one. Not even close!
But we've been completely enjoying our extra time here in California. We've been able to do some really fun things! We took a trip into San Francisco to check out the Embarcadero Center and the (newly remodeled -- well, new in the sense that it happened since I left for college, anyway) ferry building for lunch and people-watching.
Another day we traveled to Walnut Creek to visit our friends Jenny and Zach (Kevin was at work, so we didn't get to see him). Jenny and her husband Kevin lived in Munich when we lived in Schweinfurt, and the last time Jenny and I saw each other, Kathleen and Zach were teeny-tiny babies-to-be. Only a month apart in age, the kids played together really well. They had a great time with all the toys in the backyard! So, not only was it great to for me and Jenny to catch up, it was also fantastic to watch Kathleen and Zach play together.
In another throw-back to our days in Germany, Kathleen and I visited the Ikea in Emeryville this week. It was a little surreal for me -- I kept expecting things to be in German, and I kept wanting to say Ee-kay-a, like Germans do! Kathleen loved trying out the toddler-sized tables and chairs and all the other fun kids things. While we were there, Nan got a little tent, which has become Kathleen's favorite hideout. She drags her toys inside, hosts tea parties inside, and reads books inside. She also occasionally commands attendance a tea party. Nan, Grandpa, and Mama have all been commanded to "sit" in the tent!
Otherwise, we've been keeping plenty busy at Nan and Grandpa's house. We take walks, push the button to call the elevator, swim in the pool, and color with our magic color markers. Kathleen has discovered the broom and likes to "help" sweep the kitchen. She also realized that the wagon isn't only good for riding in... it's good for pulling. She has insisted on pulling it, even when it is completely loaded down with groceries and must weigh far more than she does! Always independent, Kathleen refuses any help at all!
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Mama has begun to have terrifying visions of delivering the next baby Golby in the passenger terminal at Travis AFB, still waiting for a flight. Consequently, we finally purchased some tickets to head home to Oahu on Monday. Before we know it, we'll be back to real life on the island... no thanks to the Air Force! (We're mostly kidding, just for clarity. We know we have no right to expect space-available travel, and that we're not even close to the Air Force's mission. We know, we know!)
We spent the day with Grandpa O'Connor and celebrated not only Father's Day, but Auntie Caroline's birthday. The morning started off quietly, as everyone perused the Sunday paper.
You can tell that Kathleen really loves her Grandpa, and wants to be just like him. After we read the news, Daddy called. That was the best part of our Father's Day. Later in the day we celebrated with a special dinner and cake, and that was fun and tasty, too!
But even though our day was lovely, we really missed Daddy. We do, after all, have the best Daddy ever, and we wish we could have been together to celebrate as a family. We were really happy to be able to talk (or in Kathleen's case, babble) to Daddy on the phone, though. That was a big blessing. Happy Father's Day, Daddy! We love you and we miss you and we can't wait to have you home. Hopefully your presents will get to you soon...
We tested out our first Gymboree class last week. We'd been to Gymboree to play before (for an open, play-gym session -- you may have seen the photos on flickr), but never for an official class. Nan and Auntie Caroline both raved about the class and the teacher, so Kathleen and I went to scope it out.
Kathleen absolutely could not care whether we attended a "class" or not. She just wanted to play on all the fun equipment. She climbed up ladders, slid down slides, burrowed her way through tunnels, and tested every rocker and teeter-totter in the building! The teacher was encouraging children to jump from one of the play structures, but Kathleen wasn't remotely interested in that. The play structure had a a slide, and if one could slide, why would one jump? Kathleen was particularly enamored of the toddler-sized basketball hoop. As soon as she saw it, she was perfecting her dunk.
Kathleen is a very physical little girl, and it seems that she'll be rather athletically-inclined. Honestly, she seems so interested in all things athletic that if I hadn't been there when she was born, I might wonder whether she is actually related to me. (If you ask Jim and my father, they'll tell you about how Kathleen watched -- truly moved her head to watch -- a Duke basketball game when she was only one day old.) She loves to run, to throw, to kick. In fact, those words have been some of the most recent additions to her vocabulary. It's hysterical to watch her run and kick a ball as she yells her version of "kick" the whole time. "Ball" is another one of Kathleen's favorite words, and she will repeat it over and over and over again as she plays. In fact, "kick" or "throw" is a pleasant reprieve from Kathleen's "ball" mantra!
So, although we might not be back for a class at Gymboree, until Kathleen's old enough to be enrolled in organized sports, we're going to be spending a lot of time running around playing our own versions of "sports." Look for us at the park. . . or on a patch of lawn . . . or maybe even in Nan's living room!
Because we don't want to fly with head colds (which we STILL have) and because no one ever wants to leave the fun that is Nan and Grandpa's, we're actually going to stay in California just a little longer. Kathleen has finally adjusted to being here -- she's sleeping normally and she runs to get hugs and kisses from her grandparents and has even allowed Mommy to slip out for a few moments of alone time. Plus, we want to spend more time with Aunt Caroline and meet up with some of the friends we wanted to see, but didn't manage to because of our sickies. In a last minute decision, then, we'll be in California until we're well. Thank goodness for the Air Force and Space-A, because we'd never be able to afford this extended vacation otherwise!
So, despite Kathleen's horrific cold (which she lovingly passed on to me), we've been keeping fairly busy here in California. Well, to be completely accurate, we sort of alternate between being busy and being not-busy. We'll have a couple days we spend just resting at my parents' house, and then we'll get out and do something fun for Kathleen. Not that there isn't fun for Kathleen at my parents' house. They've made sure there's plenty to do! There's a doll house, which Kathleen loves; she pushes and pulls all the dolls through the front door. And there's a baby doll, and lots to pretend with -- a toy stroller, a toy highchair, a toy bottle, and plenty of blankets. And there's a rocking horse that Kathleen rides like a champion.
But even with a rocking horse, there's only so long a toddler (even a toddler with a cold) can be stuck indoors!
On one of our get-out-of-the-house adventures we visited a park that my family used to visit when I was growing up. The park has been completely redone since then, and now it features a neat little water-play area. It was a really warm day, and Kathleen took to water-play like, well, like a fish to water!
Another day, when Kathleen was mostly well and I was marginally well, we joined my sister Caroline and twins Sophie and Daniel at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. It was a great, busy outing for Kathleen. She got to climb through all sorts of exhibits -- bounce on waterbed-like "lilypads," squirm through tunnels, make things bubble and squeak -- and play with (well, near) other children. And after all that fun, we had a tasty, if chilly, lunch overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.
And then, this weekend, Nan and Grandpa took Kathleen to Train Town in Sonoma. I wasn't feeling well, but the marvelous thing about being with grandparents is that there are people to help out. So, even though I went to Train Town, too, it was definitely the Nan and Grandpa show!
We all rode the miniature train together. Kathleen wasn't completely sure about it at first, but she warmed up quickly and enjoyed watching all the fun things we passed. The train stopped at the petting zoo, which she loved. It amazes me that Kathleen isn't afraid of the animals, or even of feeding them. When the train ride was done, we took Kathleen on her first spin on a carousel. She had her very own horse, and I stood beside her the whole time. She was nervous and a little squirmy until the carousel started up, but when the horse began to move up and down, she just beamed. I tried to capture her glee, but coordinating a hand on Kathleen to steady her and managing the slow camera proved too much for me. All I managed was this shot after the ride... but it's her first carousel ride, preserved.
