Late Summer and Vacation!

Family Vacation to Northern Michigan

• For the album, click here. 
• We left on a Friday night and put Zach to bed in the car. Frank drove us to Youngstown, OH, and we did okay getting Zach in the hotel room. He was not as cooperative as our March trip to Vermont, but he got to sleep fairly quickly, and we all slept until about 8am. 
• We stopped in Ann Arbor and visited around Zingerman's. Frank and Zach quickly found a park, and I brought a picnic. Zach loved the pesto pasta. 
• Back in the car, we made it Interlochen for a grocery store stop and then headed the rest of the way to Glen Lake. 
  
• On Sunday, we discovered the Old Settler's Park near our house. Zach really loved their swings and encountered the merry-go-round for the first time. On the dock, Zach swerved and wobbled such that he nearly fell off the dock. Frank fell in righting him, and cut his hand. It was a great save! We headed in to Traverse City for lunch and had to improvise when Spanglish was closed. Luckily, there was an awesome pizza and bakery on the quad, so we carried out pizza to Left Foot Charley's and sampled their wine and cider. The winery/cidery had a sand box with truck, so Zach had a blast. Other kids and families filtered in and out. 
  
• Monday - Friday we settled into a routine. We mostly got started a little late and had breakfast together. We'd get Zach to Julie's, and on MWF, he played with three older boys and one 14-month old girl.  On T and Th, there was a fourth older boy. He loved Julie's set-up. She has bikes, cars, and tractors galore to ride. Her basement was enticing, and she had them outside a lot with her pool and water table. Some days Zach didn't want to leave. She remarked at how much he drank and at how after the first day, he would go to the room where he napped and tell her when he was ready for his nap. We'd pick him up with plenty of time for playing at Glen Lake at either the park or in the water, and on Friday night, we took him to the Hop Lot Brewery. 
  
• Frank and I took off for different adventures: hiking in nature preserves, roller blading two days, canoeing one day, and spending a relaxing morning by the fire on Friday. The weather was fairly chilly. After a leisurely morning, we explored Sleeping Bear Dues near Port Oneida. We visited a lot of our favorite places: Black Star Farms, Spanglish and tried out new ones: Pleasanton Bakery, Left Hand Charley's, and Hop Lot. We ate out on the deck at our house a couple of days too and read. We took naps!
  
• On Saturday, it took forever, as usual, to pack up and hit the road. We stopped at Shorts Brewery, and, oh, how it has changed! When we last went two or three years ago, there was no table service. They've expanded, and there was a long wait, so we got food to go and ate on the outside grounds of a local grill. Before heading out, we filled our growler at Shorts. 
• At Polecat, we had a lovely time with Nancy and Sara Gay, and Edguardo joined us on Sunday. (He and Zach did not have as much time to speak Spanish together as I would have hoped.) We all handled dinners with Sara Gay delivering two delicious meals. Zach was a hit, and our flexibility was tested feeding him in several different locations!
  
• Frank, Zach, and I toured around mostly together, visiting Petoskey's and Boyne City's waterside parks. Frank watched Zach while I rollerbladed two mornings, and I watched Zach in the afternoon while Frank sailed on two days. We got in the water two nights and visited Rudbeckia Winery and Burnt Marshmallow Brewery for lunch one day. Their kids car track was a hit. Zach befriended "slow man" on a visit to Camp Seagull. We also went into Charlevoix and uncovered their splash pad and purchased the signature vacation milkshake (now $9) from Kilwin's. 
  
• Nancy, Sara Gay, Edguardo, Frank, Zach and I had really nice evenings together. Zach would eat, and we would snack while the chef cooked. We all "cheers"ed Zach, enjoyed a couple fires, and had delicious dinners after he went to bed. 
• On Wednesday, we took forever to pack up again, and hit the road at 11am. We stopped again in Ann Arbor at the park and made it home around 1am after standstill traffic on the Ohio Turnpike for 30-45 minutes. 

Zach - Of Note

Tumbling this month!

• At Julie's, Zach learned the fist bump, jumping, and got tickled. Now, he says, "tickle, tickle."
• He continues to LOVE playing in the car. It's a good rainy day activity. 
• Loveys. This month he decided he must have his sheep blanket in his crib, and we sent it with him to Julie's every day. At home, he doesn't take it to daycare. Now Bunny is his first stuffed animal lovey. 
• Every UPS driver on our trip was Mo!
• Teething returned with a vengeance! A rough night for Mr. Zacharoo. 
• Zach was very taken by steam from boiling water on the stove. I tried to show him it was hot, and he remembered when he saw the same dish later that evening and wondered if it was hot. 

Zach's Words

• Zach is really good at singing “Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!”
• "Cheers" continues to be a fun and routine activity in the evenings.
• At our house in Michigan there were stuffed deer (2) and duck memorabilia. He impressed us by knowing both words and pointing them out!
  
• Apple sauce is "apee sauce."
• It's hard to tell the difference, but he says, "Alexa," which also sounds a little like "outside."
• At Polecat, in Michigan, it's fairly steep, and Zach learned the word while we were there. 
• "Food" and "hungry"
• First sentence: "I did it!"

Susan & Frank

• We got out to see the movie, Wind River, which we enjoyed. 
• The latest season of Hinterland
• And tons of vacation fun

Good Food

• Lasagna and modified turkey vegetable soup (with in season veggies) on vacation and dinner on the screened porch overlooking the lake
• Breakfasts in Michigan. We brought everything in to the table and ate together with a view of the lake
• Lemon raspberry tart, peach brown butter tart, ham croissant with dijon mustard, cheddar bacon scone, and bars/cookies (great for the trail) from Pleaston Bakery
• Best vacation lunch was the afternoon at Blackstar Farms. Yummy pizzas, cider, and wine. They use the grape skins in their pizza crust, which is thin and crispy. Very tasty!

Excursions & Visits

• Two brunches at the Shaheepskys. At the first one, Sisi took Zach for a ride, and he melted down on the eve of our second brunch date when we reminded him of the fun he had via a photo, and he became obsessed with the photo on the phone. In September, our turn around the block in one of the toy cars led him to meet another "slow man." This one with a dog! Zach gave him a high five. 
  
• Visits with Sara Gay, Nancy, and Edguardo in Charlevoix
• Gamma and Daddy Bob ("Bob" to Zach) and Jeff visited too!

Professional Fun Stuff (or just Fun Stuff)

• A bit of professional bonding with an eclipse viewing at work
• Finished two books: Rosa Parks: My Story and Midnight Blue
• LeaderAMP continues to provide some great coaching
• Renegade, unsanctioned stars!
• Connections: Avizia and Tiara and Artisan E-Learning and Diane. She gave Zach a book she wrote. Very cool. 
• SCORE Awards were great!

Bugs & More

Of Note

• Zach loves Mo, our UPS driver. They have had a good time seeing each other over the summer. 
• He has loved playing in the car. 
• Zach enjoys dancing. We turn on “Hand Clap,” and he dances. He bobs his head and high steps in place. He seems to know a lot of “moves” for songs too. There are some new ones for “The Wheels on the Bus,” and he knows how to "fall down" in "Pocket Full of Posey."

• Zach loved finding the new playground by the church. 
• At Clemyjontri Park, Zach enjoyed the train once he sat in my lap. 
• Theme for the summer: buggy and a TON of mosquitoes bites for me every day. :(
• So many nice interactions with neighbors. One keeps water in her bird bath for him. The family with two dogs who played ball with him one weekend day. 

On his "cycle"

• Also, this month Zach continued to be obsessed with his tricycle and told us to “sit” on his tricycle, so he could push us on it. So funny!
• We took Zach to the Fairfax County 4-H Fair, thinking he'd like it, but he didn't seem to care about the fair that much, but he LOVED the kid-sized tractors and didn't want to share. 

At Frying Pan Park

• We met Aliana and family at Burke Lake and walked around the 4.5 mile lake path. It was nice to see them, and Zach and Ev played a bit together. The day was so nice, we drove out for a winery lunch at 868 Vineyards. We got bbq sandwiches and wine slushies. I really liked their bbq, but the bugs were terrible, not like my lovely birthday dinner night, so we did not hang out long.... 

Frank & Zach kayaking!

Zach and Frank went to the beach during my conference. They drove out at bedtime on Friday and came home on Monday. Thanks to Kate and Tristan for making the weekend awesome and sending me so many great pictures. Zach is lucky to have such an adventurous Dad!

Tristan, Zach, Frank

Tristan & Zach

Tristan & Zach

Zach's Words
He said “soap” a lot after one Sunday bath night. He's saying “big car,” "van," "truck," "stroller," and he says “tv” quite a bit, which is a puzzle since we don't do anything with him and the tv….

Susan & Frank

• We rollerbladed on the W&OD. It was a scorcher, but there was a nice breeze and some shade at times. We went to Senor Ramon’s at Crooked Run Brewery afterwards, and it was delicious! 
• Met Frank for lunch at Mesob Ethiopian restaurant. 

Good Food

• Anniversary Dish: Appetizer: baguette, salami, olives, and cheeses. For dinner: summer checca pasta (tomatoes roasted) and roasted green beans, fennel, zucchini, and red onions. Quite tasty.
• Mary Kay, Stephen, and Hance visited, and the adults enjoyed a delicious meal of salmon, rice, and a carrot/radish/mango slaw with a southern Indian peanut/coconut spread. 
• Blue Apron pork burgers and roasted potatoes. 

Excursions & Visits

• Fun evening at Katie and Suji’s. Their new place is so nice, and Zach had a great time exploring!
• The weekend at Gamma and Daddy Bob's.... Nice cool morning at Mom and Dad's. We had so much fun in the morning with coffee and playing on the patio. Zach got to the park AND a winery, Valerie Hill. They have a great space for Zach. I did a tasting and bought three bottles, including one for us to drink with our picnic. When we arrived there were cows in the field next door mooing away! We met Eleanor (30 months) and Severa (17 months). Eleanor and Zach drank water out of a nasty tank using their blocks as cups. Good times. Everyone was enamoured of Zach. It was as lovely day. 
• Nashville concert with Emily at Wolf Trap. There was a lot of emoting!
• Time in Baltimore post-conference: coffee with Kathleen, my Druid Hill Park walk, and stops at favorite locales (Golden West, particularly)!

A cartoon from NLC keynote

Professional Fun Stuff

• Listened to the rockin’ music that could have been part of our ComplyRight video, but I think it was a little too rockin’ for Simple Steps to Hiring Your First Employee. Called Chris Merritt, and we played phone tag, but it was nice to kind of connect!
• Bobby has left candy presents around my desk, and that was really fun. I found two of them and then a third later in the day. 
• Great mentoring sessions with Patti and Jeanne. With Jeanne, I was able to sit outside at Lake Anne and enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL weather.
• Values-Based Interview Guidelines got a fair number of kudos! Woohoo! 
• NLC: Good drive to Baltimore with Katie. The conference went the best of them all so far. I got to see Antara and Ellyn. Martin was awesome to work with. There was time for some good SCORE Team bonding, and I got to chat with so many awesome volunteers! Tim Gilligan's keynote was fantastic and inspirational!

Summer is Here!

Zach
Just after our last blog post, Zach got a haircut! We were at the pool on Father's Day, and I realized it was so long that I could pull it altogether, twirl it, and snip. We had to do a little shaping and evening, definitely wasn't the best haircut, but it was not bad! And though I missed his hair, looking back at pre-cut photos, I like his new haircut better! (It's probably time for a trim now.)

Of Note

• Lawn mowers as entertainment

• Clemyjontry Park! He loves the school bus! He hated the carousel!

• Zach took off his diaper one night, and it wasn't pretty! He pointed to his BM and said, "uh,oh." We can't put him to bed with access to his diaper. Lesson learned.
• Locked himself in Frank's car with the house and car keys. 

• The month of smoothies: pb, banana, and milk; peach and milk; cantaloupe and vanilla yogurt. He's drinking them out of his own glass!
• The best video ever of Zach on the slides at Luv 2 Play for Harley's birthday party! Those places are amazing.

• Really loving breakfast with Zach. I love to get up in the morning and hang out with him before he starts insisting on "outside."

Zach's Words:

• Saying "please" without being prompted
• Working on getting "Mommy" and "Daddy" with the right one of us
• Knows "tree," "sky," "airplane," "outside," "diaper," "all done," "damnit"????, "poop," "pool," and "Bye, bye pool."
• He tells us to "sit," mostly with him while he's eating
• He says "all done," and starts handing us his food items
• He called tomatoes on the counter "balls."

Father's Day

On Father's Day, Zach took me to breakfast at Lake Anne Coffee House. We gave Frank a little time to himself, and he enjoyed playing in the fountain. He stole a sugar packet from Cafe Montmartre, and he sucked nasty fountain water through it. Good times! When we got back, we took Zach to the pool, then the haircut, as mentioned above.

Excursions & Visits

• Patrick & Jen came over for dinner, and we made the Green Grocer's turkey and zucchini meatballs with a yogurt sauce and a sweet potato and kale salad. Both delicious!
• Enjoyed having tacos at Crooked Run Brewing and meeting Emily R.'s parents. Good to see Aliana too!
• Sam, Julia, and Zahra stopped by
• Visit to Gamma and Daddy Bob's for the 4th of July. Jeff and Auntie Em came too!

• Kathleen came to visit the weekend before my birthday. We made a yummy lamb chili with raita, rice, and green bean and fennel salad. We trekked out to Bluemont Winery and Zach loved dancing to their musician, Tony. One of the group's there told me how cute they thought Zach was and how much they liked my "Nevertheless She Persisted" shirt! :)
• Chinese takeout with the Shahipskys. The tricycle obsession begins.

Birthday

Susan at the National
Gallery of Art

• The Mall. It was really great to have some time to myself! I took the Metro and listened to NPR, got a cappuccino from Le Pain Quotidien and walked to the Hirshorn. Finished my drink in their lovely garden by the fountain. Went in and checked out the Aiwewei exhibit. Headed over the National Gallery and visited their East of the Mississippi, Urban Scapes 1920-1950, Rineke Dijkstra photographs, and an American Art before 1950 exhibit with Hopper, O’Keefe, Steiglitz, etc. On the way back to the Metro, I got a peppermint lemonade and a bagel for lunch. Yum! Dinner with Auntie Em at Bar Taco. 
• Multiple birthday desserts! Leah made me Bourbon Brownies and Auntie Em made a peach and blueberry crisp. So yummy. 
• Watched Mumford & Sons concert DVD on Friday

• Dinner date at Grandale Vintner's Table on Saturday. We lucked out with the weather. Lower humidity and a truly spectacular and unusual July evening. We sat out at the winery and at the restaurant, and after dinner, we walked around the grounds.

Susan & Frank

Birthday dinner at Grandale Vitner's Table. See above!

Personal & Professional Fun Stuff

Going down on the Mall for the Folklife Festival was definitely a great time. That Sunday's weather was slightly cooler and less humid, so we enjoyed the unicycles, trapeze artists, and acrobats.

Museuming just a few days later is always a treat. 

• Blue Apron and the Green Grocer - continue to be tasty 
• Banana mint chocolate chip milkshakes
• Enjoyed reading Lauren Graham's Talking As Fast As I Can and starting the writing process she highlights (for 10 minutes/day for 3 days) :/
• Fun professional stuff included 
• Being introduced to Ultimate Software and LeaderAMP and considering the CPLP. Diversity & Inclusion focus and good convos with Diversity Works. What a cool game! Reconnected with Sally Jue who's now with Cook Ross. Two great mentor conversations with Jeanne and Patti. 
• Steve said I was probably the only person in the office that never misses deadlines. He agreed I had been very proactive this past year and flexible. 
• Some good runs, especially a couple of Sunday mornings!

Busy Days

Family photo!

Zach
This has been a big month for Zach's words!

• He is now saying "Mommee" and "Daddee" and for a brief time, he had it right calling me "Mommy," and Frank, "Daddy." In fact one night, Frank got home late, and when he heard him at the door, he said, "Daddy, daddy" exuberantly. Lately, "Mommee" has been both of us. 
• He's got "please" down now. 
• He's become obsessed with the fans in the house and enjoys using the switches. "Fa" for "fan" is a new word. 
• Gamma got him a cookie monster t-shirt (the best!), and I think everyone has been commenting on it, so he's added "gookie" and "gracker."
• Late month trips added "boat" and "beach" to his favorite letter, "b."

He loves buses!

• "Bus" continues to be a favorite, and when I was in Atlanta, he got to see a bus when we chatted via Google Hangout!
• "Baby" for all those other children who are SO much younger than him. He says it when we walk past Eric, Rachel, and Teddy's house.
• Zach is saying "nose" and can point to his nose!
• He's saying, "hi-yo" for "hello."
• And "fehfee" for "paci." Then, I say "gacko," "ho-hum," "hee-haw," etc.

at the pool

Water Themes: the pool, the lake, and the beach. Three weekends in a row!

Great Stories/Of Note

• I taped trash bags to his window before the blackout blinds arrived. Classy. He's still waking up early, though. We had a few later mornings, but in general it's late in the 5am/6am hour. No good. :(
• Zach's 18 month appointment. All is well, and he doesn't go back until his 2 years old!
• His hair just keeps growing!
• Lots of singing! He signs along with the "Wheels on the Bus," and he knows all the movements for "Monkeys Jumping on the Bed." He holds his head when we say, "One fell off and bumped his head." He wags his finger, "no" when the lyric says, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed."
• He's been loving his "red strawberry" toy from Auntie Em. Frank likes my impersonation.
• Kathryn, one of his teachers at daycare, told us one day, "It's a good thing he can't have sugar...." We asked a while back that he not be given cookies or ice cream, and that turned in to a medical note saying he can't have sugar. That boy has energy!
• Sometimes he puts two chairs together and sits in one and waits for a friend. Awww. 
• He loves showing us that he can put his milk in the right place!

Mother's Day
A busy day unlike last year when I was sick! I did Zumba at the Reston Town Center and then headed to Breaux for a picnic with Frank, Zach, and Kathleen

Excursions & Visits

• Maryland Brewer's Association Brewfest. Zach had a great time people watching, and we got to sample some terrific beer! Thanks, Janna. 
• We had a bbq at Auntie Em's house. Gamma and Daddy Bob came, and Zach got to meet Tiffany!

Susan & Lucy

• Memorial Day with Gamma and Daddy Bob and the awesome Woodstock playground. A visit to Cave Mountain Winery. 

• Old Ox with Emily and Andy

• Lake House and tubing! A visit to Old Bust Head and a very affordable growler of their Russian Imperial Stout. Meeting Daryn and his story of taking their 5-year old to the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. They walked miles every day. He takes her to conferences, and his work is in peace studies. Very cool to be reminded of that great work. How does non-violence really work as an alternative to war?
• Lewes and the beach.

Zach on his great,
granddad's chair!

Park in Lewes

Frank and Zach in the bay

Susan & Frank

• Reckless Kelly show at the Birchmere! 
• Kicked off summer with a rollerblade on the W&OD and lunch at Mesob, the other Herndon Ethiopian restaurant

Personal and Professional Fun Stuff

• Cooking - tried out Blue Apron, and we had some great meals, namely spicy Korean chicken and meatball subs. Trying out recipe kits from the Green Grocer now.... 
• Dinner of spicy Korean chicken with roasted potatoes and cabbage and mushrooms for dinner with the Vigionier wine from Cave Mountain, strawberries for dessert, and a basil and mint tisane. Yum!
• Caught up with Tracey!
• Association for Talent Development in Atlanta. Some good sessions! Diversity resources, etc. I saw the Omni of NKOTB fame and shared with Paige! Walked by the Fox Theatre. Ah, Phantom of the Opera, and walked to stumble upon a "fresh, hot, now" Krispy Kreme. Met an aspiring business owner and visited a local brewery where she told me about her business idea. 
• Women, Work, and Life Well-Lived course by Gallup

the tisane

May Updates

It's been a good month since our last update. 

Zach
Time Change and Longer Days Chaos. As the days get longer, Zach's been getting up early. If I wake up at 5:45am, I'm only a few minutes ahead of him. That's been rough, so it was really nice when he Zach slept until 8-ish and us too on a Saturday morning.

Zach loves this toy!

New Words

• Still saying lots of "Mama," but it's still not me. 
• "Mine" and "more"... We're trying to work on "please."
• Two syllables! "jacket" and "cracker"

In the tunnel at daycare

The Latest

• When he throws a tantrum, sometimes I laugh at his ridiculousness, and then he laughs too!
• Books: Roar, Roar, and he can say "roar, roar," Thomas the Train, and Wheels on the Bus where he sings and signs wheels, wipers, and money - clink, clink, clink and bops.  
• He loves mountain lion from Grandad, loves his chair and Thomas the Train book from Gamma and Daddy Bob, loves his tent from Emily Rogers, loved his plane from Kate and Tristan, loves his baby Mozart ball from Robin, loves the ark from Francisco and Juliana.
• LOVED throwing his ball down the slides outside. We'd throw it up the slide to him. It's like skee ball.
• Loves to watch us jump and try it, walking on tip toes, and playing with Easter eggs
• Vibrating with excitement. We need to get a video of this. 
• The hair dryer. 
• He's also been loving licking nut butter off of MumMums, crackers, etc. and same with refried beans. 
• Evie's mom said (even after he'd taken Evie's bottle) that he was so sweet to Evie and would come over in the mornings and say, "hi."
• Zach has moved from Infant 2 to the Toddler Room
• He's not running to me for hugs when I pick him up :( He runs past me...to keep playing.

Zach at Udvar Hazy.
He kept saying "hi"
to the mannequin
displays.

Stories about Pacifiers!

• Zach is so cute when he picks up his pacifiers in the morning. He always says "Uh, oh" for having lost them. If he's had two, he finds them both and switches out putting them in his mouth. 
• Zach knows where his pacifiers are, and he fishes one out when he "needs" it!

Starbucks. Continued.
Everywhere we go, Zach is a hit, but it's interesting how much more philosophical the comments are at the Starbucks at American Dream Way. This month a man said, "Just so you know. I'd do it again." 

Fun Stuff

• Beautiful light in the woods on one of my runs!
• Duolingo for French and German and Slow News podcast (checked it out, not into it yet!)
• Baby Language App taking shape!
• Learning about mind reading

Zach does not have
a lovey, but for a
couple days, his
little owl fit the bill.

Friends & Family

• Date Night to Beltway Brewing and sushi!
• Weekend with Mom and Dad and visited Cobbler Mountain Winery with Mom, Dad, Emily, Jeff, Frank, and Zach. A very fun day and place! They have a play room under the stairs, and we loved the Jeffersonian cider. 
• Visit down to Charlottesville, visits with Jeff, and Tim, Meaghan, and Nolan.
• Great to catch up with: Aliana, Katie, Mary Kay, Abby (trip into to DC), Anna, and Sara from GHCC VISTA days!

Zach at Enyate

Food 

• Chicken in wine dinner at Ralph and Chuckie's with Sam, Julia, and Zahra. Didn't remember that chicken in wine was a Maudie dish, so everybody loved it, and we had seasonally appropriate asparagus and strawberries for dessert! I made my bread!
• We took Zach to Enyate, and he was a hit! Both brothers picked him up and sat him on top of the bar. He was very wary, but they won him over. The older brother/owner made quacking noises, which he loved!

Professional Fun Stuff

• Raubia and I led the Lunch & Learn for the April birthdays and showed the SCORE Training Communications Styles module and used the discussion guide! It went over well!
• Traveled to Indianapolis for the Central Region Meeting (saw Charlie Bumb from Traverse City and met Sharon from Petoskey) and saw Sara Nienaber! 
• Held two distance walking meetings! Checked in with Sofia (and I walked and we talked). Katie and I had a walk and talk meeting a few weeks ago.
• Reading my ATD magazine and sharing insights. Using improv to be a better listener. 
• Connection with Lisa Taylor of the Challenge Factory and her book, Retain and Gain, and how it relates to SCORE's Megaphone of Main Street. 
• The Side Hustle podcast. Thank you, Greer!
• National AC Meeting: Set up to meet with Steve M., Ann, and Eileen outside of the meeting hours. They're so awesome.