Water Logged

We went on a last minute trip to Myrtle Beach, SC last week as a sort of “bar trip” for Jonathan. We were only there for a few days, but we packed a lot of fun and even more sun into our time.

Minutes after arrival, we went down to check out the pools at our resort. Lincoln loved riding the “boats” on the lazy river and resting on the poolside lounge chairs.

                                                                                          

                                                                                                        

Jonathan was really excited about the beach on this trip, so we headed down there (our resort was right on the beach) on the morning of our first full day. Although he seemed to be pleased at first, it turns out Lincoln doesn’t much like the beach. Or more specifically, he’s not on board with the tide coming in. When the first wave came in unsolicited and splashed over us, Lincoln started crying and asked to go back to the room. But, ultimately, he settled for cuddling with me under the umbrella while Jonathan swam.

                                  

Lincoln, however, did love the kiddie pool at our resort. It was only a foot deep and featured a sunken pirate ship complete with water-shooting canons and water-dropping buckets and barrels. In other words, it was a two-year-old’s paradise and we spent the majority of our time in Myrtle Beach in that kiddie pool.

                                               

Lincoln could barely be persuaded to get out for a picture. Here he’s pleading to get back in.

                                                                                          

                                                                                                     

But even Lincoln needs to rest sometimes.

Jonathan enjoyed some more beach time while Lincoln and I rested in the room in the afternoon. He didn’t tell me until we were about to leave (so I wouldn’t freak out), but apparently the lifeguards pulled everyone out of the water because of a shark during that time. I wasn’t too pleased when he told me, but apparently the lifeguards were pretty casual about the whole thing so it must not have been as frightening as I generally picture it.

Most of my childhood beach memories involve flying a kite, so we picked one up to see if Lincoln would also enjoy it. I am happy to report that, as long as we weren’t too close to the water and he could keep his sandals on, he did. It was incredibly easy to fly it, too, since it was pretty windy down by the water.

                                                                                       

                                                                          

                                                                                            

Myrtle Beach has a nice boardwalk area that we enjoyed walking around. There were lots of kitschy little shops, ice cream stands, and general tourist traps. We got some ice cream and listened to a band play in one area. The lead singer had a nice voice, but the band was called “The Potato Heads.” I, personally, think that may be what’s holding them back.

                                                                                            

We tried the beach again the next day; but Lincoln kept asking for the “yellow boats” in the lazy river, and it was ridiculously windy so our umbrella kept flying away. We didn’t last long.

                                                                            

We spent the rest of the day in the kiddie pool. Lincoln fell asleep on a lounge chair at about 4 o’clock after playing hard all day. When he woke up an hour later he wanted to get back in, but the day was cooling off and it was time for dinner.

                                                                                      

That evening we went to “Broadway at the Beach,” a very Downtown Disney-like experience without all the Disney stuff. When we got back, pretty late, Jonathan thought he and Lincoln should go night swimming. Lincoln thought this sounded like a great idea, but when put in to action he decided otherwise. He only lasted a few minutes on the yellow boat before he decided he’d rather be sleeping.

We waited until the last minute to check out the next day so that Jonathan and Lincoln could have the maximum amount of pool time possible. I think Lincoln might have been a little upset when he woke up at home the next day and didn’t get to put on his bathing suit and jump in the pool immediately. Maybe we can do it again next year.

To Whom It May Concern:

One Fun Day

For some reason we decided to jam our weekly allotment of fun last week into one day. It was a fun day, but we were all very tired by the end of it. We started off our day at the zoo. It was pretty hot, so a lot of the animals weren’t out in the open, but we got to see our fair share at some of the inside exhibits.

My personal favorite was the large ape house. The gorillas were very playful and entertaining to watch (Lincoln was still talking about them the next day) and the orangutan was very interesting.

                                                  

The zoo is (sort of) near the Shake Shack, so of course we had to stop there for lunch before heading home for naps!

That evening we decided to attend a Washington Nationals game. Tickets are dirt cheap on StubHub, so we thought we should take advantage before the season’s over. Lincoln was in complete awe from the moment we walked into the stadium.

Look at this look on his face!

Lincoln kept insisting that he and Jonathan trade hats. This worked out well for Lincoln, but Jonathan looked a little silly…

                                                                                                  

                                                                                        

When we asked Lincoln if he was ready to go home (it was getting pretty late) he kept saying, “No! (While gesturing to the field) Watch!” This boy sure loves sports!

More Ithaca Visitors

We were lucky enough to have even more visitors from Ithaca! Lindsey, Bryan, and Norah stopped by for a quick tour of our new apartment and a delicious lunch at our favorite quick service restaurant, Potbelly’s. It was so nice getting to visit with our friends and picking up right where we left off (well it’s only been about 3 weeks, but I have a feeling it will always be like that with the Hickeses.)

Here are Lincoln and Norah in their matching high chairs. Lincoln is normally not interested in sitting in a high chair, but since Norah was he decided he needed one too.

Most Potbelly’s restaurants employ a musician to serenade patrons as they dine. Lincoln and Norah couldn’t help but get up and dance to the nineties throw backs this fellow was playing. The dads were nice enough to dance along so that the moms could talk.

                                                                                

Thanks, guys, for stopping in to see us! We’re happy Bryan’s parents live so close!

Visitors

We were lucky enough to have some friends come spend the night with us a few days ago. Lincoln has been having serious play-date withdrawals since we left Ithaca so he was really happy to have a friend come visit (and so were we.)

We haven’t got to see Natalia, Brandon, and Ellie since the beginning of the summer, so it was really nice getting to catch up and hang out for a little bit. Thanks for stopping by, Jacobsens!

Air and Space

Since we’ve moved to the DC area and left all of his friends behind Lincoln has been a little bored. Here he is reading a book on our bed. He’s very committed to his future in the NBA.

We took a break from unpacking last week and went on an excursion to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, the companion facility to the Air and Space museum. It is a huge hanger full of all kinds of aircraft. Lincoln was in seventh heaven. When we arrived he was running around in circles and shouting, “Airplanes! Airplanes!”

We were especially excited that the first thing we saw was this Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest plane in the world. We had read about them in a few airplane books and it was really neat to see one in person. The plaque said the last time it was flown, from LA to Washington DC for display in the museum, it made the trip in just over one hour.

                                                                                        

We were also pretty excited when we thought there was a space shuttle in the museum. However, it was the space shuttle Enterprise, essentially a test shuttle that was used in atmospheric test flights. But it was still pretty cool. And big.

                                                                                        

There were so many airplanes and other aircraft (including the very Jetsons-looking helicopter below) to see that I’m sure we only walked by a fraction on them. But since we live so close now and Lincoln’s love of airplanes doesn’t seem to be diminishing, I know we’ll be back!

                                                                        

Lincoln and Norah Say Goodbye

Lincoln, sadly, had to say goodbye to his first friend a few days ago when we moved from Ithaca. Lincoln and Norah have been together since Norah was first born, just three months after Lincoln. They’ve spent a lot of time together over the course of their two+ years and Lincoln still asks to play with her daily. It’s hard explaining to a two year old that their friend now lives more then 300 miles away.

Even though they didn’t understand that we were about to leave forever, Lincoln and Norah sure seemed like they were trying to make the most of their remaining time together. They spent about 30 minutes running toward each other with open arms (I wish it had been lighter so I could have gotten some action shots) and hugging tightly, only to release and repeat.

They would pat each others’ backs and laugh. It was incredibly cute.

                                                

There were even a few smooches exchanged. While helping me write this, Lincoln exclaimed, “Norah kiss!”

Hopefully we’ll still get to see Norah (and her parents) on a semi-regular basis because I know Lincoln misses her already.