Zach the Photographer, Bubble Joy, Fire Safety, A Teamwork, and More

Zach - Of Note

• Played with Zachary Bear and pretended the bear was a baby. Pretty adorable!
• He keeps telling on himself, for example: "Ms. Randy wouldn’t let me use the iPad b/c I didn’t help clean up the kitchen, but I did help clean up the couches, etc."
• Building bridges in dirt (on walks home)
• Zach has gotten very into taking pictures

  

  He took this one of me!

• Poor hygiene (itchy bottom and, so, daily baking soda baths and cream), injuries (cut by his eye brow and swollen lip - I nailed him with a frisbee), and sickness (stomach bug) - a rough month! He got sick; we got sick. He and Frank did get a flu shot! I'll get mine soon!
• When he got the stomach bug, I gave him his Halloween costume early!

  

  Zach is Gekko!

• Zach has been meowing and ruffing a lot this month
• Zach and Frank laughed like witches
• Week of Oct 7 was fire safety week and Zach lived his best life!
  
• Playing with the cluster kids: Logan & Cora and Teddy and Jewell
• Running a race in his Gekko costume! He came in second!

  

  Making a break for it
  (in green)

• We played at "freeze" at Crooked Run and later in the month Zach played the Freeze Dance song - I think this is from dance class. Zach asked Alexa to play it, and we had a blast!
  

Grateful for (some excerpts): 

• Susan: Zach, my coffee, dancing, Auntie Em's birthday, walks, runs, Rae's content expertise

  

  As seen on
  a walk to school

• Zach: Mommy and Daddy, yummy food, Thai food, Sean and Niko, and his teachers, the train, "It doesn't hurt to poop."

Sleep Update

• Zach has been doing some smiling and laughing in his sleep this month. 
• Otherwise, same old, same old!

Empathy Corner

• Zach is very perceptive. 
• He asked about Owen, Joey, and Wyatt from Michigan, and we texted Julie. She wrote back: "He’s a sweet, thoughtful boy."
• Frank talked about how Zach suggested that he put his visor down, and Frank said, “Is the sun in your eyes,” and Zach said, “No, it’s for you, Daddy.”
• He said, “Have a good day,” with no prompting as we left the Zumba gym one Saturday. 
• Zach suggested that “we need to get bug food” to lure the bugs away from me. 

Zach's Words & Songs, Dancing, Music, Soccer, and Spanish

Who can throw the
ball furthest?

• One day when I left for work Zach said, "Make sure you have a great day!"
• He is loving music lessons. He took a couple piano lessons too, and is excited to play the piano at Chuckie's. 
• Zach commented on the musical instruments in the music at Crooked Run. What?! He also tells Frank he wants him to keep the music loud in Frank's car; this is new. And, he started singing a Carbon Leaf song that he'd heard in Frank's car, and I could tell what he was singing!
• "This is a teamwork," referring to when we needed to work together to go up the hill (to the summit) on American Dream Way on the way to CT! We rode is tricycle a lot to/from school this month!
• One of the vendors at the farmer's market told Zach he liked his shoes. Zach said, "My Mommy got them for me." Teehee. 
• Soccer Shots sent home that Zach has great dribbling skills and he embodies "try your best."
  
   
• Zach closed his eyes and bopped to Mrs. Potter by the Counting Crows and said, "Rock it out, people."
• Zach wanted to join Spanish class with Ms. Randy, and they send videos that are terrific. See here. He also said, "Buenos dias" to me one day unprompted!
  

Zach's Birthday Wishes: Fireman Sam, Elivis, Penny and a pole and Venus and Jupiter (emergency vehicles from Fireman Sam) and Spider Man (What?!) and a Paw Patrol cake

Susan & Frank

• Frank and I hugged this morning, and Zach said, “Aww…” or something like that. He is the SWEETEST boy! 
• A nice hike at Seneca Regional Park and dinner at Finn Thai
• Ran/walked a 10K+ (Frank and I did the old loop - from before Zach was born - from Lake Fairfax Park on Colt's Neck to the Cross County Trail and connecting with the W&OD to come back)
• Nice dinner and discussion at Red's Table

Good Food

• We made a raspberry milkshake and Zach added applesauce. Hmmm...
• Zach enjoyed Gamma's 'grass (lemongrass??) soup at Auntie Em's birthday party. 
• Dinners (and a lunch with Tammy's Zumba crew) at Tacos and More
• Zach and I had a blast at the Vienna farmer’s market. They had a donut truck, and we got him a breakfast sandwich - just sausage on a crummy bun, but he liked it!
• Vanilla latte at Bikelane Brewing
• Zucchini hash
• Sigga's apple cake
• Zach wanted to go to the coffee shop and get hot chocolate, so we did!

Visits with

• Kathleen and Brian; Zach and I met them at Stone Tower on a VERY hot September Sunday, but still fun!
  
• Mom for her birthday in Woodstock

  

  Zach took this pic too!

• Lunch at La Ong with Auntie Em
• GoCanvas picnic
• Parties: Mila and Chloe
• Auntie Em's birthday! Cake and Thai food. Zach took this picture of all of us toasting!
  
• Call with Kathleen
• Nice encouraging messages from Mary Kay
• Aliana and family and new friends at Emily and Andrew's wedding

  

  Zach at the wedding

Fun Stuff (Personal and Professional)

• Tammy was the sub at Zumba one Monday night, and it was AMAZING! I really needed it. Then, I went to her first class at Lifetime. I miss Tammy.
• Zach told me he loves my Mother's Day necklace, and he also complimented my hair one day!
• Values! Mine are knowledge (experiences, growth, information, etc.) and Caring
• Good leadership institute. I really do love those folks! What, not why! I loved Sam's takeaway!
  
• Reading Insight by Tasha Eurich and doing the book's exercises, finished Brene Brown's online leadership courses, and met with Brian from the Table Group
• Turtle screen shot of one of my walks with Auntie Em!
  
• Appointments with Auntie Em - glad I could be there

Childhood Favorites Revisited
Things we did as a family: musicals, ice skating, Star Trek: The Next Generation, movies like the one with Cher and Dennis Quaid. Hiking with Dad, family reunions.

The Tetons. My favorite photo from my sister's vacation

End of Summer, including Northern Michigan Vacation

View from Empire Bluffs Trail
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Zach - Of Note

• Was convinced that sticks were stronger than rocks. We experimented one Friday evening.

• At home, he was super-keen on building “trophies” out of his big blocks, and he made one for me and himself, and one for Daddy. Super cute. In the morning, he tiptoed into Frank’s room and left it for him. Adorable!
• I have been going to the library and getting Zach lots of books. (They were a hit on the trip.) Those Level 1 "Step into Reading" books can be very strange. Now in mid-September, it's the book fair at school. He pines for books every morning!
• In Michigan, Zach had a blast at Julie's:
• He remembered and loved playing with Owen, Joey, and Wyatt. 
• He and Wyatt played volleyball with a balloon over a baby gate! They built forts inside. 
• No naps, though! He went to bed earlier and slept later to make up for it. 
• He got soaking wet every day. He enjoyed the purple squirter and her hose.
• He loved a motorcycle helmet and also wanted to play with instruments.
• I played classical music one morning over breakfast, and Zach thought the classical music was “scary” or something similar; I said it was dramatic, and he didn’t like it. So, he asked Alexa to play the Fireman Sam theme song, and then he loved that I played Disney music. He impressively belted out songs from Frozen.

• Zach and I started walking "the long way" to school the week of September 9. It is a 2-mile endeavor and takes an hour. We go through the forest and the tunnel, down to the valley of yellow flowers. We throw flowers and leaves in the stream. We walk up the hill and see the kids waiting for the school bus. We walk along Wiehle to the fire station and chase each other down the W&OD. We see the CT bus with Mr. James or Vanessa driving, and finally, we walk past the loading dock and up the hill to Childtime. It's a blast! The first day, Zach thought part of the walk was smelly, and he said, "Something smells 'not delicious.'"

• Zach wanted new shoes, and they needed to be orange and light up. I found some, and he loves them. He said, “they’re awesome.” They were also on a list as his top favorite thing as they shared at school!

Funny dress up pictures:
postal carrier and fire fighter

• Zach made fruit salad (grapes, apple sauce, banana, pear) for his breakfast and wanted to save some for Daddy, but ended up eating it all. :)
• He is really not into drawing or writing his letters! 
• Zach drew scribbles, which he called mountains, and I told him I was grateful for his mtn pics!
• We decorated Bob's card, and he said, "I'm not good at this," or something like that, and I had to remind him that it was colorful!

Grateful for (some excerpts): 

• The pool, “all of it." I told him I was grateful for him over multiple nights, and he said, "You can't always say the same thing!" He also didn't like my answer of "reading a book."

With his cousin

• Zach is grateful for: the boat, his cousins, me and Daddy; Mommy is grateful for Zach, Amanda (at work), small acts of kindness, zucchini hash
• Grateful for: Emily sent me flowers, nice card from Judie (work), walking, Zach, yummy food, Yvette
• Grateful for: Andy and Noelle (at work), my sister, Mom and Dad, and Z said MOD Pizza

Sleep Update

I'm still going to sleep with him and getting up and doing 1-3 hours of other stuff (reading, watching Netflix, and even laundry one night).

Zach has had a rash this month since we got back from Michigan, and he's been waking up in the middle of the night more often, so sometimes he wakes and notices I'm gone. That's a little challenging.

Empathy Corner

• He wanted to get together with Evera and family and wondered about Esher and how he was doing! Really?!
• He asked Mom and Dad about Woodstock. "How's Woodstock?" "Tell me more."
• I also told him that Gamma and Bob bought him a new Michigan shirt, and he, unprompted, thanked them for it.
• Zach and I were getting ready to go to the farmer’s market, and he got with the program when I told him he'd get to see Auntie Em. He said, “I love her.”
• One morning I tried a bunch of dresses to wear since it’s to be 95 degrees! Zach really liked my black dress with beading. When I stood on the stool, he said, “Mommy, you’re going to hurt your ankle again!” and he looked pained and worried for me.

Zach's Words & Songs

• Pool, school, cool, and stool - two syllables, sounds so funny
• Zach got another haircut and said, "Mommy, I like my haircut."
• Greg = Break, and if we try to pronounce it Greg, he corrects us. (From PJ Masks)
• Zach said something like, “I’m a big boy; I can turn on the sink and peel a banana!”
• Zach enjoys colored rubberbands, and I "hung" them up in the car. He called them "color handlebars."
• He reminded me that it was dance class day and he would need to wear his dance class uniform. I had found his white shirt, and he said, “Where was it?” as if he’d been looking for it! Cutie pie!
• He used the word "ridiculous" yesterday and asked what it means "to interrupt."

Good Food

• Cooking: roasting potatoes, green beans, and shoshito peppers and sometimes garlic and eggplant 
• For Zach anyway! He enjoyed my mac and cheese (made with American cheese slices left over from the beach), and he put Clementine oranges in with the mac and cheese. What a creation!
• I took myself to lunch at Lake Anne and had their briney chicken sandwich. Very yummy. 
• I love Senor Ramon's!
• My Territory meals of salmon and the tempeh with beets and butternut squash were GREAT! On Thursday, I had the tempeh/beets/butternut squash and some of Auntie Em's yummy upstate New York cheese. Thank you for sharing, Auntie Em!

Visits with

• Tim, Ralph and Chuckie, and Leah's family at her mother's memorial service.
• Aliana and family; we took a walk and enjoyed the train at Burke Lake.

Zach's first
ice cream cone!

• My colleague, Ashley, and her daughters Carter and Chloe. Ashely made a wonderful dinner, and Zach got to have ice cream in a cone. The first ever cone experience, I think!
• Ran into Janette (Fields) from GHCC days at Lake Anne
• Lunch with Jenifer

• Family on the Michigan trip and in Charlevoix

At Lake Anna

• Frank took Zach on the boat at Lake Anna with Michael, Leah, and family
• Auntie Em on several evenings after her breast cancer diagnosis, and connected Auntie Em and Yvette
• Dad's birthday! I made him a peach cobbler, and we all went to Cafe Sano

Fun & Not So Fun Stuff (Personal and Professional)

• Went to see the movie, Luce. I found out after that it was based on a play. Makes sense. It was so over-the-top!
• Lots of support. Very grateful.
• Calls with leadership/OD colleagues: Brian from the Table Group and Stacy
• Finished the book, “Getting Naked,” by Pat Lencioni, enjoyed reading "Sum It Up," and finished the latest Maisie Dobbs book
• Deployed e-learning module, Meetings the GoCanvas Way

Volta!

• Finished Stranger Things. Loving the latest released season of Heartland.
• Very not fun - another round of layoffs, and that included a couple people who I really liked a lot. :(
• Nice runs in Lake Fairfax Park and lots of walking.

Vacation to Michigan Highlights

See all photos and videos here.

At Blackstar Farms

• We had some truly delightful weather, which lent to two beautiful evenings outside. 
  
• The day we arrived, we stopped at Midlands Brewing Company. We had a picnic outside and a band was setting up for a Saturday night concert. I got a video of their warm up to "Livin' on a Prayer." 
• The other nice night was at the end of the trip. On Friday evening, I went for a walk and ended up on the Empire Bluffs Trail, and it was a perfect night, beautiful light. 
• On Sunday, Zach and I went to the grocery and farmer's market. We were trapped outside Empire waiting for the Ironman triathalon to end, and I did not handle it well. That afternoon, Frank took Zach to the Lake Michigan beach at Empire, and they played on the playground and in the water of South Bar Lake.
• It was really nice to stay in Empire and be able to go out for runs in town. I did that a lot. We went for walks and Zach rode his scooter around Empire, and we ran races-tag-dinosaur tag-ambulance game outside the house on the quiet road.
• Zach got into "tell me something silly," while we were in Michigan. His was often "How would you like to ride on a blueberry chocolate tractor." I asked about eating breakfast with crocodiles. 
• We talked about silos driving to Julie's, and called the route "Silo Highway."
• Frank talked about how creative Zach is getting. They built sand castles and Zach put in rocks as windows.

• Mom and Dad took Zach to Moomer's, and he got ice cream all over!
• I went rollerblading on the Leelanau Trail.

• Mom, Dad, Frank, Zach, and I had dinner at Black Star Farms, and Zach loved "riding" the bear.

• Visited Saint Ambrose Cellars (rainbow), which was great (aside from their lame food truck). They had a lovely outdoor area and great libations.
• We had a great time at Grand Traverse Commons as always. We got food from Spanglish and drinks from Left Foot Charlie's.
• We made our way over to the East Arm and had a really yummy lunch at Bonobo Winery.

• The weather cooperated, and we went canoeing on the Platte again and had a picnic from Mary's Asian Cuisine food truck.
• Frank took several baths with Zach and they had a blast.

• He got many-a-Super Wing.

• Zach crashed a birthday party at Lake Ann again, and got in the photo!
• We got pizza and beers from the Lake Ann Brew House and watched the band for a while.

• We took Zach on the Pierce Stark Drive Sleeping Bear Dunes driving tour, and he loved the last stop of the dunes and lake overlook. There was a para glider, and he played in/on the sand dunes.

• We enjoyed some beach time.
• On our way to Charlevoix, we stopped at Oryana. I love that place. I got lunch and breakfast items, and the scone was very tasty even when it wasn't warmed!
• Zach played at a Charlevoix playground I'd never been to and played with a lot of other kids. One kid, a big kid, said "See you later, kid," when he left since they hadn't introduced themselves!
• Stayed overnight in Charlevoix, and got to meet Till. We also chatted with the Silbergleit's and it turns out Alice(?) is really good friends with Susan Sheahan, one of my SCORE leaders.
• Zach loved playing with the ancient fire truck, and he put his Super Wings on it.
• He also loved playing on the beach and on the dock. He jumped in to Frank too, which was a BIG and COLD jump.
• We had dinner by the water all the way downstairs, which was nice.

• Zach got to go out for a ride with Sara Gay, and she let him steer! I rode too; what fun!
• Zach was a great traveler on two 12-hour drives! We played a lot of "I spy with my little eye."

Summer - Flying By

Zach - Of Note

• We have started a practice where I ask Zach what he's grateful for at night before bed. He says the best things: Gamma and Bob, Mommy & Daddy, friends!
• We are loving the beautiful butterfly bush!

• Several week day visits to the pool and running into all kinds of friends at the pool: Mr. James and family, Merrick, etc.
• Zach got a wasp sting at Lake Fairfax (his first)
• Zach got surprises a lot this month for car trips. Super Wings and Paw Patrol
  
• A library visit with Zach, though he did not understand that EVERY book you might want is not at the library and was very disappointed that there were no Paw Patrol books
• Zach puts stuff in the trunk, then stands on the bumper, pushes the button, and jumps down, so it closes. Amazing!
• Zach and I have “gone for a little walk” before I take him to school a few times in mid-August

Sleep Update

So, right, I'm going to bed with him and mostly falling asleep, so I wake up at weird times (11pm, 2am, 4am). Sometimes I get some stuff done, and I'm getting plenty of sleep!

Empathy Corner

• In the mornings he asks, “How did you sleep?”
• He still asks about my foot.
• When we went to the beach, we stopped at Cult Classic Brewing, and they had a food truck, so we ordered lunch. It took FOREVER. The guy in front of me ordered for four people, so there was that, but still. By the time we got our food, I was ready to hit the road, and I was melting down. I'll admit it. Zach said, "Calm down, Mommy. Take a deep breath." I did not teach him that, but I'm trying to remember it for him and me!

Zach's Words & Songs

• Zach says, "I love you, Mommy," and I say, "I love you." He says, "No, you're supposed to say, 'I love you too.' You always forget that."
• Frank said, "Zach is so cute. He loves spending time with us; he wanted me to read to him in the castle; I tickled him; and he put his arms around me and said, 'My Daddy.'"
  
• Zach loves to use the made up word "Nooker." ???? Sometimes he's Zachary Nooker.
• I got new Athleta shorts that are white and pastel swirly. Zach called them sparkly. I said swirly. He said, like a unicorn!

  

  Speaking of unicorns

• Zach says, “That's not nice from you.”
• Zach complimented my black shirt. It reminded me that he complimented Lilly's pant suit outfit at the beach, but he called it a dress. Teehee!
• What’s up with this new definition for the word “spicy”? Childtime uses it. For example, "emotions" are a spicy word for "feelings." Hmmmm....

Susan & Frank

• Anniversary at Senor Ramon's (with no liquor license) - gotta make up for that! I mean, we love Senor Ramon's but, no. That's not a 14 year wedding anniversary worthy event. 
• Two nice dinners at home
• We went out for my first run post-ankle injury in Lake Fairfax Park. Fun!

Good Food

• Peets iced Havana cappuccino
• With Kathleen's visit, she brought a BALT (bacon, avocado, lettuce, and tomato) sandwich from Atwater's. Yum!
• Fresh tomato pasta sauce with basil, spring onions, garlic, fish sauce, fennel, and corn. Parm and mozzarella.
• Lots of great zucchini hash!
• Apple House doughnuts!
• Kiersten's homemade cookies with Oreos
• I made the basil, olive, salt and roasted garlic, shoshito peppers, potatoes, and green beans. We had fresh tomato sauce; rosemary focaccia, beets w/ goat cheese and walnuts.
• Auntie Em's burger!

Visits with

• Zach spent two weekends with Gamma and Bob
• Met Kathleen at Breaux; what a fun afternoon! She came back and had dinner with us at MOD pizza :)
• Ashley - took her out for a drink after she got her job at GC!
• Michael, Leah, Bennie, and Sisi - two weekends in a row. Zach said, remember when we met Michael and Leah at the playground, and I rode in Michael's car? That was great!
  
• Tim, Meaghan, and Nolan at Paradise Springs Winery for Nolan's birthday. 
  
• Zach enjoyed time in the woods and spent a lot of time sweeping up the forest floor.
  
• Walk with Katie
• Great beach weekend with the Ubers! Zach LOVED playing with Tristan and Hance. He also loved Thomas' pirate ship playground with a pole to slide down. See Lewes photos here. 
• Melanie and husband, Ben
• Auntie Em
• Leah’s and Dammann family and friends at Leah's mom’s service. Ralph and Chuckie and Babs and Charlie were there. Good to see them. Chuckie gave us beautiful flowers from the farmer’s market. 
• I told Zach that this weekend he and I have a playdate with Carter and Chloe, and he said, "Like Emmy's Chloe? And there's a Carter too, like at school? Two Carters and two Chloes?!" I said, "It's like when we were at the beach and there were three Susans." He agreed, "Amazing!"

Fun (and Not So Fun) Stuff (Personal and Professional)

• Birthday Fun continued. Emily took me out to Clyde's!
• Sometimes we get to watch Stranger Things, Season 3
• A guy at One Life suggested I might make a good hair model for his portfolio. What?! What?!
• I very much enjoyed the recumbent elliptical; continued to push my foot too hard! :(
• Great Leadership Institute in July. Good content and varied presenters, and a great common messaging for the meeting communication. Plenty of curve balls, but rolled with it. Feedback sandwich examples were good, and I had to stand "awkwardly close" to all my presenters. Tee hee. Some good promoters (Thanks, Katie and Eric!)
• Travel to California for K1 HR Summit. Good professional food for thought. Beautiful locale. Bonding with colleagues. Good walks. Tennesseans and line dancing!
  
• To remind myself for two or three truths and a lie sharing. Married on rim of Crater Lake, speak Welsh, visited all 50 states, hiked a 14’er. Which one is the lie?
• Watched Dead to Me, entertaining
• GoCanvas' Harry Potter Potluck
• Frank bought a car!
• No more Tammy at Zumba :(
• We called Gamma and Bob on their 49th anniversary!
• Got to rollerblade in Lewes and on the W&OD. A new path in Lewes. Very nice!
• Fun organizing Judie's birthday 
• A good Mission to Bars event. We got glasses and stickers!
• I'm obsessed with Garmin Connect and MFP!
• Just fun work stuff...still. 
• Cohort groups. Great interactions: Worked with Sam, Megan, and Will. Bought Amanda a coffee to congratulate her on the second Training Tuesday. 
• Strengths work with CSM Team!
• I identified my rock out song: Human and my "get over it song":  Let It Go by GBS. Other relevant mood-appropriate songs: Setting the World on Fire, Change Your Mind, One Love, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, Not Ready to Make Nice.
• 7 Levels of Leadership presentation and connecting with a local leadership colleague

High Summer

Zach - Of Note

• Time in the water is amazing this summer. We got season passes to the Water Mine and after three visits, Zach went back to preferring the Reston pools. Either way, it's a great way for us to spend time outside and together on hot, hot days! He has also been to the pool with Gamma and Bob in Woodstock!
• Zach has a belly flop/swan dive technique that he uses to jump in and he kicks and paddles with his arms well. It's amazing really. Others love watching his enthusiasm! He's started doing underwater summersaults, and on Sunday, 7/14, he started trying to dive and even did a flip. Frank was with him, so I have trouble imagining it, but it was impressive!

  

  Exhausted after the pool

• He moved up to "the big class," and he's loving summer camp! He loves his Camp Curiosity shirt, water bottle, and backpack! In the first days of summer camp and having his backpack, he packed it to go camping and called his summer camp shirt his “camping shirt.”
• On his visit to Mom and Dad's, Zach picked out chips from the Route 11 Potato Chip Factory that he specifically wanted to buy for Mommy and Daddy, and he picked out a canoe brochure for us too! Teehee. So cute. 
• We still get a lot of mileage out of competition and “beating” each other. To eat broccoli, to put on his socks and shoes, to brush his teeth. Teehee!
• Sean told Zach he needed to give me a kiss and a hug when we arrived at daycare one morning. Zach was distracted by showing all his monster truck and talking about his firefighter’s jacket. Very cute! Sean said, “Zach you need to give her a kiss and a hug.” 
• We said goodby to Jayla this month. So sad. She and Zach ran each other ragged on her last evening! 
• Zach went with me to Harris Teeter for colonoscopy prep items (yuck!) and he LOVED the fun cart. We took a tour all over the parking lot. 
• Zach played at the pole park, and then a bunch of kids showed up, and he got to play kickball with them. I got eaten alive for this first time this summer by mosquitoes. 15 bites. :(
• On our June date night, Zach did a voice to text message to me on Emmy's phone. Adorable. He said, “Mommy, where is my iPad; this is Zach” and “Thank you, Mommy, I love you.” 
• Zach got a second Fireman Sam swimsuit this month, and we called Gamma and Bob in the car on the way to daycare because he was saying how much he loved his swimsuit and kissing it. Too funny!
  
   
• He was obsessed with the full entourage of Sesame Street characters, which I introduced by putting them on the shelf above the mirror in the bathroom. He spotted them within hours of me putting them there. They were quickly replaced by his bear, Zachary, and then the Super Wings (Jett, Jerome, and Dizy) water toys. 
• He’s so excited by Thursdays during summer camp: splash day, dance, music, and the ice cream truck. OMG!
• Family trips to breweries: Backyard Brewing (on the way to Woodstock) and Ocelot
• Zach is playing with coins now and we get a coin now when we aren’t listening. Hmm...
• I read The Montessori Toddler on my trip up to NYC this past month, and to appease Zach, the recommended writing down what he was trying to express, so I created a wishlist for him, which he calls "his sign up" and "his map," and we record the things he wants. 
• Zach got black raspberry juice on his legs, and it looked like he had all these horrible bruises. Frank and I were so concerned and incredulous until we figured it out. 
  
• They made another "build a bear" this summer, and he picked the most vibrantly colored one he could find (neon orange and green) and named his bear, Zachary. In fact, he's taken to naming everything (Lego men, etc.) Zachary. 
  
• “Tow truck party” for Zach at Home Depot. He met up with Ava and got a chocolate banana milkshake with Frank. 
• I took Zach to the Metro. He was so excited. He took his tow truck and his white car and played in Ballston, on the train, and at Auntie Em’s. 
  
• Took Zach to the pool twice in the evenings this week, and it was fun, fun, fun. I've been treading water a lot too with my bum foot/ankle. It's good this happened in summer! 
• A serious deluge on Monday, 7/8. Serious. I outfitted Zach in his water shoes, and we waded through the river that was our sidewalk to the car. He had on my old rain jacket and his backpack, so all stayed dry. Good job, Zach. 
• Zach really is doing a good job of playing by himself with his airplane (M&M), tow truck, cars, etc. 
• He loves Season 2 of Super Wings because Jimbo's niece, Skye, is now the coordinator/dispatcher. He loves Skye. 
• Today Zach asked on the way to school if I remembered Jeff and Terry. I was so taken aback! I thought, "When has heard us talk about Jeff and Terry?"!!! Then, I realized he meant Jim and Terri. Wow! 

Sleep Update
Same old, same old. I sleep with him and maybe fall asleep with him more often than in past months around 9pm. I sometimes don't fall asleep and will watch Netflix or read in bed with him. Sometimes I wake in the middle of the night and watch a Netflix show or lately I've gotten up and done some productive things on the computer, like writing this blog. He stirs and wakes more easily in the AM, however, so I'm wary of leaving him in bed by himself. If he stirs and sees I'm not there, he'll come looking for me and get up earlier than I might want.....He goes to bed at 9pm and wakes after 6am most of the time. He's still napping at 1-2 hours/day. 

Zach's Words & Songs

• When I picked Zach up after my visit to Chicago, he didn’t run to me for a hug or hello, but was dying to show me his backpack for summer camp! Then, he ran down the hall to say, “Mommy, how was your day?” I said, “Good,” and asked about his day, and he said, “Good, thanks for asking.” Amazing! 
• Zach said, “I like holding your hand, Mommy. I never told you that before.” So cute. 
• Zach asked me to brush his teeth to get out the graham crackers and peanut butter! 
• Zach says, “Look at the mountains, Mommy, they’re so beautiful.” I’m indoctrinating him to be a mtn boy! 
• Zach said, “I love corn” at breakfast one morning! More corn for Zach. 
• Zach says now “On your marks, it set, go!” He doesn’t understand that it’s “On your mark, get set, go!”
• He can belt out the Super Wings Intro song
• Zach has just started to refer to me and Frank by our first names if we don’t respond to “Mommy” or “Daddy.” Too funny! Seems early and young! Learned some cool things during Rae’s empathy training recording!

Empathy Corner

• Zach asked one morning about my visit with Auntie Em's, "What did you do together?" He also asked, "How is your foot, Mommy?" Are 3.5 year olds this aware of others' lives, feelings, emotions? Seems remarkable! 
• Zach continues to ask me how my foot is every day, and "I'm sorry you hurt your foot, Mommy." Are all kids so thoughtful?

Susan & Frank

• Frank and I went roller blading and then had a burger and milkshake from Melt in Leesburg. All specials and seasonal! A southern fried green tomato and pimento cheese burger and a strawberry milkshake!
• See "Birthday" below too!

Good Food
In Chicago: 

• The ceviche sample from the Botanic Gardens cooking demo
  
• The Schmidt family Father’s Day dinner of Cotsco marinated skirt steak with chimichurri, roasted poblanos and asparagus, salad, bread and brie. Cookies and mango and raspberries for dessert. 
• Emily's blueberry zucchini bread. I shared it with my Leadeship Institute and they loved it!
• On a beautiful summer solstice day, the Fordams met for dinner at Cafe Sano and had a good meal and played by the lake.
• Breakfast, post-colonoscopy, at Lake Anne Coffe House. Yum! 
• Cooking: garlic scape pesto, roasted eggplant and carrots. Poached chicken, orzo pasta, and oatmeal and basil pesto 
• The cookies from Levain’s in NYC were AMAZING! I had them on the train headed home, and they were warm and gooey. :)
• 4th of July cookout and leftovers of baba ganoush, especially. Yum, sour cherry tart!
• Auntie Em had Zach and me over for dinner. She shared an Aslin sour beer, Volcano, and her corn and bean soup. 
• I got two tofu dishes from Territory this month, and they were AMAZING. 
• A Fair Winds Brewing Company stout and cheddar soup. Yum!

Visits with

• Chicago (continued): Met Adrienne on Sunday for a second visit at the Goddess and the Baker, and we had a great time catching up more! I took the train up to the Botanic Gardens and a lovely time with Pam and Yvette. We got to see a ceviche cooking demo and sampled the food. Yum! I crashed the Schmidt family Father’s Day dinner. 
  
• Hance and Zach and Mary Kay and I had a fun time at Savage Mill. Zach brought his Sesame Street characters and had a blast with them. We had breakfast and then walked along the path by the river and quickly ended up in the river. With water shoes on the boys had fun, and Hance played with a worm. Ewwww. They enjoyed throwing rocks and seeking out spider webs! 
  
• Gamma and Bob; Zach was obsessed with his water wings that weekend!
• Sofia
• Greer! Great work on train for July LI on feedback, beautiful water views, music, reading! Vietnamese at Vietnaam (good conversation and ridiculous portion sizes), Cooper-Hewitt museum: mushroom shroud, etc., Central Park, Tiffany room at NYHS, cookies at Levain’s bakery (chocolate w/ pb chips and choc chip walnut). I got a  carmelized onion  flatbread too. Train back. 
  
• Kathleen - by phone
• Katie
• 4th of July with all the family and Charlotte!
• We've seen a lot of Auntie Em in the last few weeks, and it's been great. She and got together for some significant time on July 3 and 4, and she's gone to the pool with us and she and Jeff came to my birthday brunch at Crooked Run/Senor Ramon's/Daybreak

Fun Stuff (Personal and Professional)

• Sales Bootcamp Celebration with Amanda at Bonchon
• Meeting with Candice! She's such a wonderful, professional colleague!
• Colonoscopy. All went well. The prep was pretty easy (much better than June 2014), and I could eat until 12noon the day before. Wow!
  
• I sprained my foot/ankle on July 3. I stepped off a stool and completely misjudged the distance. I had my backpack on and was ready to run out the door, and I think the extra weight didn't help. Oww! I stayed home and iced and elevated and did a good job for a few days, but I pushed it and did too much too soon, so I went to the doctor and got an X-rays and an air cast. Nothing broken! 
• June Leadership Institute was good, but I added NPS as a measurement, and it was a bit of a challenge. Some people rated a 6 and said, "great training," What?! 6 and below is a detractor, peeps. Stephanie told me that she is not a fan of NPS, so she and I will chat!
• Strengths Cohorts, especially Seal Team 6's June/July meeting. Loved it! I had a blast prepping for the July Leadership Institute by listening to three podcasts on the way to NYC. Also, because of my foot/ankle injury, I worked from home and watched Brene Brown's "Difficult Conversations" modules. All wonderful. I pulled together an LI Advisory Council, and I love them.  
• Buti yoga!
• Enjoyed The Break on Netflix, though I disliked the ending a lot. Watched Wine Country and elevated my foot
• Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear and Elon Musk's biography are both great!
• My Fitness Pal has been going well; just hit a bit of snag with my foot injury so that I am not able to exercise as much/vigorously. (Though, this did alert me to the recumbent elliptical machine. Amazing.) Now, with the injury and lots of celebration (4th of July, birthday, and anniversary), I'll be off my game for a few weeks. I now have a Garmin vivosport to track my steps, exercise, etc. It's totally fun!
• Listened to the Fresh Air interview about “How an All Female Crew Sailed Around the World.”

Birthday

• Judie and GoCanvas were awesome! Judie got me all variety of breakfast pastries and an Amazon gift card. Wow! GC sends out b'day wished on Slack, so everyone weighed in, which was nice. They sang to me at the crab feast at Quarterdeck. 
  
• The Fordams had a great morning: farmer's market, exercise (recumbent elliptical for me instead of Zumba, unfortunately) and then brunch at Crooked Run/Senor Ramon's/Daybreak. Emily brought me cupcakes and a tiara!
• For dinner, Frank and I went to a Red's Table and Fair Winds Brewing Company food and beer pairing dinner, and it was tasty, though all portions were too big, and we felt a bit ill at the end. :(
• Lots of nice text message birthday wishes and cards from family and Mary Kay and Hance. So sweet!