Zoo Tunes, Family-Style

(from Terri)

Ro got us tickets to see Tears for Fears for my birthday (yes, the same band known for 80s hits such as "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", among others).  I was super excited to not only get to see Tears for Fears on my actual birthday, but also to see a concert at the Oregon Zoo with the whole family.  

Radha got to check out some of the zoo exhibits before the show, but not all of them as there was a long line we had to go through to even get to the concert lawn.  We will definitely be visiting the zoo again soon.

Once we finally made it to the lawn we quickly grabbed one of the seemingly last pieces of lawn real estate and got Radha and ourselves fed during the opening act.

Radha enjoyed the crowd scene, and also provided some entertainment to us and the blanket "neighbors" as well.  She had a blast dancing to the music, crawling onto other people's blankets (everyone around us was incredibly kind and commented how well behaved she was), and making herself fall down on purpose (total comedian!).  She devoured her dinner (vegetable pasta, turkey, peas), a banana, some blanket neighbor's crackers and watermelon, and some of our baked beans.  I think she was inspired by the Asian pig she saw earlier that afternoon.  *oink oink*

Ro had picked up some earmuffs for Radha's hearing protection earlier in the week.  Although she didn't keep these on the whole time, and the concert wasn't especially loud, I think it was a good idea.  I suspect these will come in handy for more family concerts down the road!

The concert was great!  Tears for Fears played nearly all of their hits (80s and beyond) and after all that rockin' out and huge dinner, Radha fell asleep in her dad's arms (notice the multi-tasking that Ro is doing here with his new iPhone).

Even despite the long wait for the shuttle bus after the show, it was pretty much a perfect birthday celebration with fun music, friends, and most importantly, family.

Skyrockets of Smiles

(from Terri)

Guess what we did for the 4th of July?  A whole lot of nothing but taking it easy, which was fine by me. Ro, Radha and I are taking it easy for the most part this summer. 

July 4th weekend is the time of Portland's annual Waterfront Blues Festival, and while we didn't go to the fest, we did have a really nice morning walk on the 4th across the river where the festival takes place. 

Radha kept cool in her cute summer 4th of July dress from Grandma Sandy (if you look closely enough, you can see little stars and cherries on her dress and inside the cherries are little flags!)

The Girl in the Mirror

(from Terri)

It's been a lot of fun seeing more of Radha's toddler personality come out these days!  She just turned 14 months last week and the girl is actively on the move (much to Mookie's dismay). The other day she made me laugh so much by putting on this little "show" in front of the hallway closet mirror.  As her Grandma Sandy says, "Our little ham!"

Feeding Goats

Another one from the Niabi Zoo, with Radha helping Ro feed some hungry goats.  It sounds like she was crying but it was more excitement over the goats than anything.

Choo-Choo Train

A quick video from our QCs vacation of Radha jumping with joy on the zoo train.

First Visit to Momma's Hometown!

(from Terri)

We have finally caught up with our post-vacation chores and errands and ready to share about our recent trip! 

We had an amazingly relaxing and enjoyable vacation back to my hometown area, the Quad Cities (Bettendorf, IA/Davenport, IA/Moline, IL/Rock Island, IL).  I was thrilled to bring Radha to my hometown, show her some of the sights, sounds and tastes of the QCs, and have her spend some long overdue quality time with the Wiley side of the family.

It was our first plane trip with Radha, and the longest car ride yet (we flew to Chicago and picked up a rental car there).  Ro and I were both a little anxious about the trip, but our mantra was, "Go with the flow."  To our happy surprise, Radha was a very mellow and happy traveler, and charmed our fellow passengers.  On the way there she didn't sleep much on the plane, but ended up napping the entire 3 hour drive to my dad's place!

Some of our trip highlights were:

• The visit to Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley, IL:

This is the same zoo I went to as a kid.  I was happy to see major improvements in the years since I've been there, but saddened to learn that the long-time matriarch elephant, "Kathy Sha-Boom" died a few years ago.  Radha had a blast; it was her first experience at a zoo ever!   She jumped with excitement during the train ride and especially seemed drawn to the giraffes (I wonder if she made the connection from her toy giraffe at home, or the painting of a giraffe on her wall that we show her every morning after she wakes up?)

• Trip to Shady Lakes Campground in New Windsor, IL (about 30 minutes south of the QCs) where we took a dip in the pool and lounged on the patio of my brother-in-law's family's camper.

What do you mean the water's fine?   Brrrrrrr!

Splashing in the pool with her Aunt Danelle at my brother-in-law's family's campground pool. Too bad it wasn't warmer out!

• Walking around Black Hawk College (across the street from my dad's place).  Radha is weighing her college options already.  ;)

• Walking on the Ben Butterworth Parkway that follows the Mississippi River.   Radha saw the Mighty Miss for the first time, in addition to a huge gaggle of geese.
  

• Barbecue with relatives at my cousin Jesse's house with great food (my Grandma had made an awesome rhubarb cobbler), great company and lots of animal entertainment.   Jesse and his wife Helen have one dog, one puppy, and several cats.  The dogs gave Radha lots of kisses.

• Lots and lots of playtime with Grandpa Cody since we stayed at his place.  She had grown a lot since he last saw her last summer!

• Radha also got to meet one of her great-grandmothers, my Grandma King.  Don't they look like they've known each other for years?
  

One afternoon was especially hot, so Radha cooled down on the patio in just her diaper, splashing with a bowl of water and some kitchen toys.  The simplest things!

For the entire set of trip pictures, take a look at my Flickr set here (warning: there are a bunch of food and toy pictures that not be of interest to some of you!)

She's a big girl now!

(from Ro)

We just got back from a week-long visit to Terri's hometown(s), the Quad Cities. We stayed with Radha's Grandpa Cody, and got to see lots of relatives and friends. I must admit I was a little apprehensive about the trip, since it would be our first real extended time away from home and routine. Radha would be sitting on our laps in a plane for 4 hours, in a car seat longer than she had ever been, sleeping in a different place etc.

Radha was able to deal with the changes in routine and schedule quite well. She slept when she needed to, and thrived on the new sights and people. And getting out of the same (admittedly pretty rigid) schedule made me realize that she's not an infant any more, but a bona-fide toddler! She's expressing joy, humor, frustration, and opinions in a way she never has before. What a character!