Stay Classy

California Dreaming...

I don't think I ever appreciated LA in January until I spent January somewhere else. Wait... you mean everyone doesn't get to go to the park in t-shirts in the middle of winter?

I am now a huge fan of the January trip to LA. We spent a fabulous week visiting family, surprising people with the news of another Durban baby, going to a fabulously un-crowded Disneyland (!!), and wearing t-shirts to the park in the middle of winter.

Well, some of us did. Others hunkered down in sweatshirts and napped in the park in the middle of winter. Which, as far as I'm concerned, is just as good.

Even better than playing in the park in January? Swimming in January. Poppi Ken's pool just might be Brady's favorite place in the world.

Zack has a growing affinity for it as well.

My mom spent a day with us at Kidspace... which, being LA in January, somehow also involved a waterfight.

The boys also spent a few days beating up on Uncle Andy, which is also among their favorite activities.

And then... Disneyland with Paul's whole family. But that deserves its very own post!

I miss you, LA!

Leaving LA

The last day of our vacation was spent with Paul's parents. We went to a small airport near their house where you can watch the plane take off and land from really close. The boys, as you might imagine, thought this was very cool. Then we went over to a playground at a lake right next to the tiny airport, so there were still a lot of takeoffs and landings to spot. 

 

 

Brady, meanwhile, explored the lake with his grandparents. And by "explored", I mean "dragged around with a pouty face because he hadn't had a nap in days and was getting a cold". (Sorry, Grandma Carol and Grandpa Bill! I swear that was not my kid!)

 

 

The Durbans, gortunately, are pretty easygoing and didn't hold it against him.

 

 

De plane! De plane!

 

Splash!

Our trips to LA tend to involve a LOT of time in my dad's pool.

(My favorite part of this photo is that both of my kids are making their ridiculously exaggerated "CHEESE" faces.)

 

Zack had never really spent any time in a pool. He liked it.

 

And he quickly figured out how to splash. First a little...

and then a lot...

Poppi Ken took the brunt.

 

Fortunately, he's a good sport.

Once Zack was all tired out and much calmer, Andy volunteered to take him. Good call.

 

Trains, Planes, and... well, mostly just trains

A trip to Travel Town is quickly becoming tradition during our visits to LA.

 

 

This time, it was my mom who was subjected to train-o-palooza. That's the great thing about grandparents-- they pretty much don't care what the activity is, so long as they get to hold the babies.

After exhausting the train-related options at Travel Town, we quickly realized that Memorial Day in LA is not a great day to do... well, anything. Anything we could think of to do (and a few places we actually drove to and the right on by) were crazy crowded. So back to the park it was. (Side note-- before having kids, it would never have occured to me that I would end up spending half of my vacations at playgrounds. And yet, here we are.)

Brady got to play more with Crazy Uncle Andy, which is a very highly rated activity in his book.

 

I believe that immediately after this next photo was taken, Brady's arms were ripped from his body and he went flying across the park.

(No need to point out the safety issues involved here. I was not aware of it at the time, and did a major double take when I looked at the photos later. They don't call him Crazy Uncle Andy for nothin', apparently.)

 

We attemped the obligatory group family photos, which started out well...

 

And, as is to be expcted with small children, quickly devolved.

 

But that's ok. I like the candids better anyway.

 

Contrary to what all the group photos might suggest, we did not in fact hire a photographer to follow us around LA. The group photos are courtesy of my brother's adorable girlfriend Lindsey, who put up with my family in all its combinations for three solid days and came out smiling. This girl deserves a medal. :) 

 

Back to LA

No, we're not going back to LA. I am, however, finally getting back to all the photos I took during our vacation and never shared. It's only been... well, a month. I'm pretty sure my family has completely given up on me at this point. But look! Pretty pictures! See?!?

Actually, this first photo will mean nothing to anybody except for my parents and the few people who were around back in my dad's Victory Films days. I was about Brady's age when my dad worked in this building in Sierra Madre, and apparently I was obsessed with walking on this wall. It was this wall that started a period of years of wall-walking obsession, so natrually when we found outselves in the area we had to force Brady to walk on it. He was not obsessed, but my dad got to be all nostalgic anyway.

 

Other than wall-walking, the other big event during our trip to LA last month was my... wait for it... 30th birthday (cue dramatic music). Actually, I feel pretty good about turning 30, and my new decade started out on the right foot, with a beautiful day in a beautiful park with my beautiful family.

 

(Doesn't it look like Brady is going to catch it? I assure you, he did not.)

 

Zack more or less learned to walk while we were in LA. I blame my dad and his fiance Mishka, who helped him practice all the time. Thanks for that-- make him mobile, then send him home. :)

 

Clearly, he is practicing for years of cheesy posed little league photos.

And then my camera died. Thankfully it was just a battery, but I missed a lot of the day, including a wonderful dinner with an awesome ice cream cake and drinks out with some friends. Suffice to say it was a great day... and my dad did take plenty of pictures in my stead. He forwarded me one of the group:

 

Happy birthday to me! :)

LA Vacation: Part I (The beach!)

We've been back from LA for a week now, and I'm just starting to sort through the massive number of photos we took. As always, we had a fabulous time... but also as always, there wasn't nearly enough time with everyone we wanted to see.

We did, however, make time for the beach. Given that we were in town for my 30th birthday (!!), I was given a lot of say over where we spent our time... and if I have any say in the matter, we will always go to the beach. Forever and ever, amen.  

Poppi Ken is known for his sandcastle skills. He helped Brady brush up.

Meanwhile, Zack got his first taste of the sand (literally-- I wish I had pictures of the faces he made), and then got to dip his toes in the ocean, which he loved.

The beach was good. Happy. Warm. Brady was in love with the ocean, running from the waves and screaming ridiculous things like "Everybody follow me-- I'll save you!" while dashing up the beach. We ran down the shore, and he discovered the joy of popping those weird green seaweed bubble-thingies. He found pearly shells that he begged to take home and then promptly forgot about as soon as we were in the car.

I really, really miss the beach.

Scenes from a Family Vacation

Obviously, we've taken vacations as a family vacation before-- but somehow, our recent trip to LA seemed like an official Family Vacation. Maybe it was that it was in the middle of July, which in Los Angeles is the height of tourist season. Maybe it was that we stayed in a hotel for part of the trip, which we rarely ever do. Maybe it was the day we spent at Disneyland, where we were surrounded by thousands of other people on Family Vacations. Or maybe it was that it was our first attempt at traveling as a family of four, which felt a whole lot like a circus act. Whatever it was, it was somehow different. It was also an exhausting mix of wonderful, frustrating, exhilarating, infuriating, relaxing, and crazy.

And that, I'm pretty sure, is the definition of a Family Vacation.

It began when we left the house at 5am on Tuesday, drove to Omaha, unloaded two carseats, two giant suitcases, and two carry-ons jammed with toddler and baby gear, and flew to Denver, where we faced a 3 hour layover with an already cranky toddler. Thankfully, I discovered that the mezzanine level in the Southwest concourse is completely empty... and so we spent a good hour running up and down the long, empty hallways.

By the time we got on the plane for LA, Brady was passing out, and he slept for the first half of the flight (and whined for the second half, but I'm choosing not to remember that part). If you're ever trapped in the Denver airport with a toddler, take the train over to Concourse C and head up to the second level. I can not recommend this highly enough. I also have a new appreciation for the endless entertainment that are the moving sidewalks.

By the time we reached Pasadena, we were tired, hot, and cranky. Thankfully, my dad lives in a complex with a pool. Serious water fights ensued.

Zachary preferred to lounge in the poolside shade.

The first few days consisted of lots of pool time, a trip to the Arboretum that only lasted about an hour thanks to the intense heat, and frequent trips to the various restaurants we don't have in Nebraska. There was also park time with Grandma Margot.

And then we got all touristy. People said we were crazy, but we braved Disneyland in July. Yes, it was crowded, but we didn't wait longer than 20 minutes for any ride. Yes, it was hot, but we bought a ($18!!) spray fan that made it bearable. Yes, two of us had infants strapped to us, but you'd be shocked how many rides (Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Small World, Pinocchio, Snow White, the Carousel, the Little Train, etc) you are allowed to ride with a baby. Yes, the kids got tired, but our little troupers hung on for a full 10-hour day of fun.

So yes, it was totally worth it.

Besides, where else could you subject your 2-year-old to a scene like this one?

Once Brady realized Pluto wasn't actually going to grab him, he was ok. He even squeezed his nose a few times.

My brother came down from Santa Barbara to spend the day with us, which was awesome. Brady does love him some Crazy Uncle Andy. 

My BFF Heather and her sister Holly (and Holly's adorable baby Annabelle) came too, which was amazing. We figured out that Andy, Heather, Holly and I haven't been to an amusement park together in literally about 20 years... and here we were, having to take breaks in the shade because we had our own children in tow. Crazy.

Satisfied customer.

Because apparently one tourist destination wasn't enough (Family Vacation, remember?), we also spent a day at the LA Zoo with Grandma Margot. Again, it was hot (sense a theme here?), but we decided not to let it slow us down. It was a good call, because my mom had a good day with her boys. 

We followed up the zoo with more time in the hotel pool. Zack did some more lounging. He's lazy like that.

We capped the day with a late-night run to In-N-Out. Brady ate an entire grilled cheese, which made Paul very proud. If Brady didn't like In-N-Out, I'm pretty sure Paul would have demanded an immediate paternity test.

 

The main event and reason for the trip, however, was Paul's parents' 50th wedding anniversary.

50 years. Seriously. That, friends, is a really long time. And a really good excuse for a really big party. So on Saturday night we joined 100 or so other friends and family to celebrate.

There were, of course, the obligatory family pictures. You don't get the kids and grandkids all in one spot very often, after all.

But more importantly, there was a whole lot of dancing and laughing and hugging. Family talked about days gone by, old friends caught up, and everybody marveled at all the good that can come out of 50 years together. It was pretty amazing.

 

In all, it was good. Yes, there were moments when one or both kids pushed us to the brink of insanity (it turns out that having two kids in a hotel room is kinda hard). Yes, Paul did declare on the plane on the way home that "We are never flying anywhere ever again until our children are old enough to be rational". But between those moments were a lot of laughs, some great memories, and a lot of time with the people who matter most.

And THAT is a Family Vacation.
  

Teach 'em young

1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...

U!

C!

L!

A!

U-C-L-A...

Fight...

 

Fight...

Fight!

(Thanks for the new UCLA jammies, Poppi Ken!)
 

On the road again...

Alright-- let's wrap up this vacation recap. Be forewarned, though-- this last post will include enough photos to make your retinas bleed. When a trip turns into a mini-family reunion, the photo-taking tends to get a little crazy.

Anyway, Thursday started early as we hit the road for the 6-ish hour drive from my dad's house in Pasadena, CA to my cousin Evan's house in Scottsdale, AZ. I didn't know how Brady would hold up for that long in the car, but he did surprisingly well. He didn't sleep, of course, until the last half hour, but it certainly could have been worse. Probably not surprisingly, nobody really felt like having their picture taken after that many hours on the road, so there is no photographic evidence that Thursday even existed. We hung out, watched the sun set through all the cacti, went out to dinner (where we discovered that Brady loved egg-drop soup-- is that weird?), and talked until late.

As most days tend to when kids are involved, Friday started early too. My cousin's little girl Elle and Brady played for awhile, and then decided that it was time to wake up Uncle Andy (my brother). We probably could have stopped them-- but what fun would that have been? As a general rule, college students are not used to waking up at 8:30am with toddlers jumping on their bed. We figured it was time for Andy to expand his horizons a little. 

Evan is a member of a really beautiful golf club, so we decided to spend the day there. Given that it was 74 degrees (!) in January (!!), that meant a lot of pool time.

  

After going back to the house for showers and naps, we spent the evening back at the club for diner (and pool, pinball, running wildly around the patio, breaking up fights over crayons) with yet another set of cousins. That, folks, is a lot of Silvermans in one place.

It was great.
 

It was so great, in fact, that we decided to do it all again the next morning at my cousin Heather Ellen's house in Phoenix. Of course, there was more family bonding/catching up/playing/talking/eating... but most importantly, there was a big backyard and adult-sized tricycles. So cool. I totally want one now.

There were also cousins to play with...
 
 

Horses to feed...

Uncles to climb...
 

...and then, sadly, families to say goodbye to.

 
Then it was back to the airport for the flight back to Nebraska. Thanks to Elmo and the portable DVD player, the flight was another smooth one, and we landed in Omaha just in time for Brady to pass out in the car, putting him perfectly back on Nebraska time (I wish I could say I had enough foresight to have done that on purpose, but I suppose I'll take credit for it anyway).

All told, it was the best vacation we've had in a really long time. All that time with family was amazing, and I'm so grateful that I'm actually more connected to my extended family as we all get older. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Also, I'm glad to have all those pictures of sunshine to remind me that it actually exists this time of year.

Speaking of all those photos-- how are those retinas feeling?

On trains and ducks

After spending Monday with my mom, we trekked back to Pasadena to spend a few days with my dad. Because Tuesday morning brought more perfect sunny weather, we decided it needed to be spent outdoors. This time of year, it's probably a safe bet that my family (and most other Nebraskans, for that matter) suffers major deficiencies in Vitamin D.

Travel Town in Griffith Park was the verdict. They have really cool trains.

And places to walk and chat with your Papi Ken.

And point out engines with your Dad.

And... Oh no, Brady, get up! Get up!!! (Kidding. That train hasn't moved in decades.)

I can't quite put my finger on why, but this picture really creeps me out. It must be something about the way the light is coming in through the windows, but Brady looks like a ghost left over from when this train was on the rails. (It also may or may not make me think of the little girls from The Shining. Why oh why must everything make me think of the little girls from The Shining?!?)

Phew. This picture is much happier and less scary.

After lunch at CPK and a trip to Ikea (which was really just frustrating-- they had so much stuff that fell into the "we need that" category, and yet don't offer shipping. Grrr...), on Tuesday night we did absolutely nothing. Seriously-- we crashed hard. After days of go go go, we picked up takeout for dinner and laid around and watched bad tv. It's vacation, right? That's allowed.

On Wednesday we were back up and at it, and met my friend Erin and her kids at the Arboretum. Thanks to some drizzle that morning (oh, no! scary water falling from the sky!), the place was deserted. It was, more or less, just us and the ducks.

So Brady and Erin's son Jack ran through the trees.

And had snacks in the trees-- in developmentally-appropriate bowls, of course.

And climbed waterfalls (well, Paul, Brady, and Jack climbed waterfalls while the rest of us waited at the bottom-- that's them waaaay up there).


Sometimes I remember why people pay so much to live in Southern California.

(Tomorrow-- off to Arizona!)