The boys had a ball joining a phalanx of little pals in picking apples & running around Moss Landing yesterday. Here’s a little gallery, which for fun you can compare to last year’s somewhat drier outing to the same orchard. (Henry looks so much older now!)
Man, were little Henry’s patience & self-control put to the test on Sunday. Birthday girl Charlotte’s parents had laid out a beautiful spread of cupcakes & other sweets just at eye level for wandering tots. Again & again Henry would walk past the table, cast a covetous eye, and ask, “Mom-O, Dad-O, is it time for cupcakes now??” To his credit, though, he restrained himself for several hours while other birthday activities unfolded.
Until, that is, he saw little Hazel Wiggin (aka the fierce Honey Badger) giving herself a mustache & wisdom spot with a cupcake. The Wiggins needed to head out early, so Hazel got to enjoy a cupcake early. I captured G-Man’s response to catching her red- (er, white-)handed. 🙂
As in, “Ladies Love Cool Finnegan.” 🙂
On Friday preschool pals Magdalena & “Cosita” decided it was time to sandwich-hug our big guy. This shot happened to catch the moment as he transitioned from good-natured smile to fixing me with a gaze of “Get me out of here, Dad-O!”
Every man must face his fears—and for a small man hair-washing is a big one. We’ve been bribing Henry to stay cool & calm for quite some time now, sometimes with mixed results. The other day we plied him with a couple of blue M&Ms. He was delighted to get them—so much so that he held onto them a bit long, smearing his face & chest like Mel Gibson in Braveheart. Behold:
Henry Nack: *Not* a fan of having his head fooled with. He’s a pain at hair-washing time, and he can put up a real stink at the barber shop. Yesterday he was in rare (as in, terrible) form there, but behold the transformative power of a lollipop! Can you believe this is the same kid, in photos separated by no more than 10 minutes?
Oh, y’know, just a typical Friday night with party man Hen… 🙂
The lads seriously enjoy reading the Lego-themed books that Grandma Nack has been sending their way. (In fact, they frequently go around in their “Lego crook” identities of “Hank” & “Butch,” making as sinister & raspy a laugh as the under-5 set can.) Check ’em out:
Apropos of nothing, Happy Friday. 🙂
Back in Leadville this summer, I watched our delighted boys bury their cousin Patrick in pillows, turning him into a “sandwich.” I typed away as the guys played, thinking I’d flesh out these bare notes, but somehow I never got around to posting the photos or story. Now I’m left with just a few semi-random bits plus a rather fun gallery of pics. Enjoy. 🙂
“Revenge of the Sandwich”
“Watch this, people!!”
Watch out for the boney feet
Fried Finny
BBQ sauce truck (Trasher); blood truck (?)
Last weekend we took the boys to the annual Scottish Highland Gathering and Games in Pleasanton, so they could witness the majesty of strong men in kilts, bagpiping, sheep dog trials, “hairy coos”, and haggis. We all had a ball.
As you’ll see from the gallery, there was a lot going on. In addition to the “oreo” cows, we got to see birds of prey like Kayleigh and (li’l) Bob the owls. Kayleigh was an enormous Asian hunting owl, while Bob was just a wee screech owl. We watched the sheep dog trials and met the sheep, and saw some beautiful antique British racing cars, one of which looked very much like Sir Topham Hatt’s. There was also a kids’ area with games and face painting. The lads even got to practice the art of pitching toy sheep stomachs (haggis vessels) into a cauldron!
Everyone was especially enthusiastic about the caber toss, which features enormous, strapping, kilt-clad lads and lasses hoisting what’s essentially a telephone pole up-and-end-over-end before it hits the ground with a loud “thunk!”. Needless to say, the guys wanted to practice their own caber-tossing skills at home with an appropriately sized prop, an aluminum extendable paint-roller pole.
After all that fun, combined with gorging on carnival food and ice cream, the guys completely crashed in the car on the way home. I thought Finny might never wake up!
At this weekend’s Highland Games (a celebration of Celtic culture, especially through throwing heavy objects), our guys were smitten with a pottery-making demonstration from a kindly older lady who says she’s been teaching her art for 40 years. In this little gallery you can see their rather intense focus, and in the video below (in which—fair warning—not much happens), you can see the demo in action:
Today was a big day for Mr. Finnegan Nack. He got his first real bicycle!
John and I had been talking recently about getting him one, and when we went to the bike shop today to find a replacement for John’s stolen bike, Finny instantly bee-lined for the kids’ bikes. As soon as he laid eyes on “his” bike (and he referred to it as such), he got on, started to ride, and would not get off. Now, mind you, this is the same kid we’ve had to cajole into riding his pushbike, and who only last week rode his Big Wheel all the way to the park up the street. So when he continued to endlessly ride the little bike around the store, and asked if we could get it, how could we say no?
He LOVES the bike. He proceeded to ride his bike all the way home from the bike shop (just under a mile!), take a quick break for lunch, then hop back on and ride it all around the neighborhood, ride it around and around at Hummingbird Park, which has a circular sidewalk “racetrack,” ride it home, take another quick break for dinner, then ride it up the street to “train track park,” ride it around and around at the park, then ride it all the way home!
I think he’s feeling like such a big boy to have his own vehicle to ride. He can snap his helmet straps himself, and he’s essentially mastered the coaster brakes already! He loves the little orange plastic bike bell we got him – he rings it all the time while he’s riding. John notes that he also loves braking hard and leaving little skidmarks on the sidewalk (true!). He’s even taken a couple spills and he just dusts himself off and gets back on, which is great (and very unlike Finny!).
I have never really seen him this excited about anything physical – so we are thrilled to see family bike rides in the near future (probably with Henry in the bike trailer, which he really enjoys – he wants me to ring my bike bell constantly, and I hear him laughing his head off back there).
Toys, schmoys: All a guy needs for comic gold are some food props and a bit of cheek (in every sense).
“Hey Dad-O,” says corn-chip-wielding Finny, affecting a Southern drawl, “Aaah a hayseed! Lookit mah hay!!” And in the second shot below, he’s stuffed his cheeks (Brando-style) full of grapes, then fascinated himself by driving them around his mouth.
It’s hardly a secret that our dudes dig all things railroad (note to self: Post birthday Lego pics ASAP!), but even I didn’t know they could get this into “training”: the boys spent easily two hours today attending to “Little Buttercup,” an 1899-vintage steam engine on display at San Jose’s History Park.
No snack breaks, no potty shots could stay these intrepid workers from the greasy completion of their self-appointed rounds. Back and forth they went, toting every filthy bolt, nut, “dipstick,” and piece of wood they could find to “Engine” (as they named “him”). We were aided & abetted by the almost-as-old retirees who patrol the shed (read: drink coffee & grumble about Obamacare). The boys would shove bolts into holes, pile up wood on buffers, etc., and I’d reward them with a booming “Oh, thanks, guys–I feel much better!” Again, this went on for hours… Here’s a little photo gallery.
At last a conductor finally asked us to stop, and the guys were pretty crushed: “I miss Engine!!” they blubbered almost all the way home. (Let’s blame the lack of food & nap a bit, too.) Still, we had a pretty terrific time; Engine now features prominently in T.A.L.B.; and the guys can’t wait to drag Mom-O back to the shed. (Hah, tag, you’re it, hon!)
Oh, that reminds me: Margot is in Europe this week (hence the lads’ free-range filth exploration), and this morning she sent a note detailing her ride on an electric train in Oslo. The guys loved it, as you’d imagine, drawing a fun response from Henry. Here, have a listen:
[audio:http://www.jnack.com/micronaxx/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/WHAT.mp3|titles=WHAT]
(In case the gray triangle above doesn’t work for you, here’s a direct link to the audio file.)
The parenting racket can, on occasion, be a bit lonely: It’s hard to be spontaneous, to go places, to catch up with friends. Every so often, though, it’s great to remember that we’ve got some great friends and, hey, they can come over!
Yesterday we took advantage of the perfect weather to host a little backyard shindig featuring Margot “The Thrill on the Grill” Nack’s expert BBQ stylings & a variety of treats (guacamole, cobbler, and more) from visiting pals. The small fry ran around like crazy, tiring themselves out pretty completely (see the last photo in our little gallery for proof from Finn). Who knows, we just might have to make a habit of this. 🙂
Who knows what got into the dudes this AM? Having gotten up early, I thought I’d sneak downstairs to do a little work—only to be intercepted by G-Man standing in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs. Both boys announced, “We’re ready for brutalizing!!” and demanded a little “sugar fuel” in the form of chocolate ice cream (a tiny dose of which I was happy to supply; hey, I grew up on Bill Cosby). Finn literally pumped his fist (below) over some buttered bread, after which we were off to his room for a solid half hour of wrestling (me: Doug the Dog; Henry: Doug Jr.; Finn: a dog named “Skateboard”). To borrow from the Marines, “We horse around more before 8am than most people do all day.” 🙂
Our little Mr. Henry Nack officially turned 3 today! We had a big birthday party for him while we were with the rest of my family in Colorado last week, complete with a VW Beetle-shaped cake, homemade ice cream, and presents; check out the photos. Today we had another, smaller party with our friends the Wiggins at the park down the street. This time we celebrated with a big ol’ pizza and a tiny little cake, and lots of running around!
Although Henry has not really grown much taller during the past year, he has made enormous leaps and bounds in other ways – both literally and figuratively! Figuratively, he’s become so articulate and conversant – especially in the last couple of months. He easily articulates pretty complex ideas and observations, and recounts events and conversations in great detail. He and Finny have extensive conversations and make up elaborate narratives while they’re playing. And literally, he has started hopping and jumping around like crazy, especially when he gets excited about something. For a little guy, he gets pretty good air! He also loves physical horsing around with all of us, and usually starts laughing uncontrollably when we tumble around with him.
His love of vehicles continues unabated, and he reaped many wheeled and winged presents for his birthday – including new variations of his favorites, Lightning and Mater (from Pixar’s Cars). He is also nuts for fire fighting, and was THRILLED to receive his fireman “backpack” – which is a tank you fill with water, then pump out the attached sprayer hose (usually onto his brother).
His fondness for owls is also going strong, and he received a couple of terrific owly gifts. Grandma Nack gave him a beautiful book about an owl flying around at night, and his Auntie Laura made him a super-cute little knitted, stuffed owl with big brown eyes, named “Roy,” just like the one his cousin Patrick has.
We can’t wait to see what Henry’s next year holds in store. He’s off to a terrific start!
Sometimes a guy just has to be a good bad uncle. 🙂
For years we’ve driven past a large collection of rusting, abandoned mining equipment, along with a bunch of huge rocks that get used in each year’s Boom Days drilling competition. We’d never stopped to explore them, though—until now. On Thursday nephew Patrick joined the Micronaxx & me on a little excursion. Because the gate was locked & marked “Private Road!,” we parked nearby, then swung the “minor miners” across a little stream & scrambled up a 20-foot slope made of loose rock. “Brea-kin’ the law, brea-kin’ the law!!”
At this point if you’d imagine I was thinking of Will Ferrell’s hilarious bit about George W. Bush exploring an abandoned mine shaft, you’d be right. 🙂 Happily we avoided all manner of scrapes, tetanus, lockjaw, cave-ins, lightning strikes, and more. (Seriously, it wasn’t dangerous, or I’d never have taken the guys there; it just seemed a bit rakish & daring.) The four of us hoofed it to avoid some impending rain, and the next day we returned with Mom-O. Here’s a gallery that combines shots from both visits.
Finnegan meets neighbor Finley. 🙂 (Click for larger.)
We’re here in Leadville for another 4th of July with my entire family – my folks, my sister and her family, and our Nack clan of four. We’ve got 10 folks, including 4 rambunctious boy cousins, staying here at the Liggett casa.
We love coming here and celebrating Independence Day – it’s really a scene out of a Norman Rockwell painting: A few blocks of 100-plus-year-old main street decked out in flags and red, white, and blue bunting, a terrific parade featuring the local firemen, park rangers, rescue personnel, Smokey Bear, baton twirlers, bike riders, military veterans, and the 4-H club (complete with live chicken riding on the hood of the 4-H truck!).
We formed our own little parade as we walked down hill towards main street to watch the real deal. The kids came prepared with empty sacks for candy and wide eyes ready for the festivities. Henry was literally jumping up and down with excitement during practically the entire event.
After the parade, we walked up the street to the fire station’s annual cookout, where we investigated the fire pole, toured all the vehicles, and ogled the boots, coats, and helmets. We feasted on hamburgers and chips (Finny wolfed down 2 cheeseburgers!) before heading out to the open house at the Leadville airport. Once there, we saw several vintage planes doing fly-bys, sat inside the life flight helicopter and met the paramedics, and also toured several other small craft on the tarmac. Here’s a photo gallery from the day out.
We all returned, pooped from all the excitement (and lack of oxygen!), and are now taking it real easy while Grandpa gets the homemade peach ice cream base mixed and ready for the freezer. Happy Fourth of July from the high country!
[Just for fun, here’s last year’s gallery.]
