Day 709 - "It'll be alright; Sister's here"

Protective instincts are a pretty cool thing. It's not uncommon to see them in all forms of life.

Think about the mother dog cautiously protecting her newborn puppies, even as her owner picks them up. There's also the cheetah out on the savannah, trying desperately to protect her cubs from a starving pack of hyenas. You even see those kind of protective instincts in cattle. I've definitely seen cows willing to take a run at someone just for putting an ear tag on their calf. 

Of course, there is one more species that is super protective of the young. I'm talking about the older sister, bravely trying to protect her younger brother from any harm. With that, it's time to write about Ethan's trip to the doctor on Tuesday.

A trip to the doctor for any Holt child is always mild cause for concern. For one thing, our children are perpetually undersized. To clarify, their weight is always a little shy of what it should be. For another, you have to realize that our kids don't really get sick. Therefore, pretty much any time they visit the doctor, it's for a regularly scheduled exam. In other words, a shot is coming!

As one can probably gather from what has been written thus far, Ellie tagged along on this doctor's appointment for her younger brother. For me, my job was not only to keep Ethan happy and safe, it was also to help keep Ellie entertained and out of trouble. Lucky for me, Ellie's protective nature took center stage, giving her plenty to keep her entertained. 

During our time in the waiting room, Ellie kept a steady stream of board books coming for me to read to Ethan as he sat on my lap. Once we headed back to the exam room, she actually became even more helpful as she climbed up on the exam table and kept Ethan company while we waited for the doctor. It was honestly pretty adorable watching the two of them stare out the window at the snow-covered ground with Ellie providing a running commentary for Ethan of everything they were seeing. 

What's all that white stuff out there?

Soon enough, Ellie's job came to a temporary end as Ethan's doctor made his appearance. Ethan got a mostly good checkup as he had met all developmental benchmarks and was healthy. The one thing that our doctor had a problem with was Ethan's weight. Lucky for us, Ellie's struggles with the same issue as a baby convinced our doctor that things were alright and Ethan would grow eventually. In the meantime, we just needed to add formula to his milk and make sure we're feeding him breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day. With that, our doctor made his exit while we waited for the inevitable shot.

Before we knew it, our nurse returned to the room, syringe in hand, to deliver Ethan's shot. While I didn't really think much of it, Ellie felt much, much differently. I glanced at my daughter to see a never-before-seen look spreading across her face. Her eyes were squinted in pure anger and her lips contorted into a semi-growl as she glared menacingly at the nurse. The look intensified all the more as I helped hold Ethan's little arms as the nurse delivered the injection in Ethan's right leg.

Once the nurse left, it was time for us to head home. As I gently helped my shrieking son back into his pajamas, I glanced over at Ellie to see that the look of disdain had disappeared. Instead, it had been replaced by one of pure love and concern as she stroked Ethan's head, telling him over and over that "It'll be alright; Sister's here." 

As a parent, you have no idea just how much that little exchange warmed my heart. It really is great to see that evidence of how much my kids love each other. Now, if only there was evidence everyday instead of just on special occasions. Oh well, guess we should take what we can get, right? #DaddyWrite

Day 704 - The Art of Choosing the Perfect 'Hot Wheels'

What kind of gas mileage do you think a '64 Chevy Nova Wagon gets? This is one of those questions that I would forgive people for not knowing the answer to. The good thing is that I know the answer (thanks to Google). It's a robust 16.1 miles per gallon. At least that's the case if one is referring to the real deal. If it's a 1/64 scale toy car being pushed around the room by a three-year-old, that changes things quite a bit. 

 

Just in case it's not clear where I'm going with this, as of today, Ellie is the proud owner of a 1/64 scale replica of a 1964 Chevy Nova Wagon. I realize this may be a bit unusual of a toy for a little girl to play with so I'll explain a little further.

Back in September when we were on our trek to Illinois to see Uncle Ryan, we stopped off in Hannibal for a bite to eat at McDonald's. There, Ellie was lucky enough to get to choose her Happy Meal toy all by herself. She could have gone with a Barbie toy or a Hot Wheels car. It didn't take much convincing by me for her to go with the Hot Wheels. I honestly couldn't have been more proud.

Of course, it wasn't quite perfect. Rather than being constructed of metal with painted-on graphics, it was plastic with stickers. For the record, it didn't take Ellie long at all to begin systematically

removing the stickers. What was evident though, was just how much fun Ellie had playing with that small, red F1-style car. In fact, it was enough fun that I stored away the idea of letting her pick out a much nicer Hot Wheels car all on her very own. Lucky for Ellie, today marked that day.

This morning, Ellie, Ethan, and I decided to make a quick Walmart run this morning in order to pick up some prints of our family pictures and a gallon of milk. Since we hadn't really been out of the house much this week, I chose to take the opportunity to make at least a couple of rounds throughout the store. Obviously, it goes without saying that part of those rounds included perusing the toy aisles.

Ellie, for her part, was absolutely ecstatic to be looking at toys. Each aisle we went down resulted in more and more things that struck her fancy. As we walked by a large Hot Wheels display, I had a flashback to my idea. In fact, once I saw the list price of $.94, I knew the time had come. As soon as I asked Ellie if she wanted to pick one out for herself, she jumped at the opportunity. Little did I know just how difficult that task could be for a three-year-old.

Once of the first ones to catch her eye was a purple Indy-style race car. Normally, I wouldn't have an issue with that choice. However, the enormous chrome skull on the front of it made me think we could do a little better. Next, she latched onto a white Ford Mustang with orange racing stripes. As a racing enthusiast, I personally adored that option. However, Ellie wasn't quite ready to make her final decision.

She dug into the bin one more time to find exactly what she was looking for, the aforementioned '64 Chevy Nova Wagon. However, this wasn't just any old Hot Wheels model though. This model sported possibly the most unique paint job in the history of toy cars. The base model is hot rod red with yellow-tinted windows. From there, I want to point out the yellow front wheels AND the blue rear wheels. Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the tie-dye graphics covering the roof and sides of the vehicle. There's one more thing. The massive 'E' adorning the roof of the wagon.

I honestly wish I had taken a picture of the sheer joy erupting across my daughter's face upon finding her prize. However, the memory will just have to do. As soon as we reached the car, Ellie had me tear open the packaging so that she could play with it all the way home. The playing didn't cease when we got home as the Nova actually was at the dinner table for lunch time. Imagine if you will, Ellie eating a PBJ with one hand while pushing her new car back and forth across the dinner table. It was quite a sight if I do say so myself.

This brings me back to my original point. Yes, a real Chevy Nova Wagon isn't going to get the greatest gas mileage. However, in seeing the miles Ellie has already put on that little car this afternoon, I can tell the "gas gauge" isn't going to hit empty any time soon. #DaddyWrite

Day 702 - Just Keep Swimming (and Shivering): The Arkansas Adventures, Part II

Hey,  you're back! Just like you promised. That makes me so happy that I won't even mess around with a lengthy introduction that you likely find yourself wanting to skip through so that you can get to the story at hand.

After we finished up our afternoon at the Scott Family Amazeum, we headed back to the Eliasen home for some more afternoon fun and dinner. If you were to ask Ellie the single biggest thing she remembered about our time at the Eliasens, I would almost guarantee she would mention the giant swing first and foremost.

When I say 'giant swing', I'm not exactly sure what you have in mind but I am positive that your vision of it is wrong. For one thing, it is very much not for kids. Suspended from a branch at least twenty to twenty-five feet in the air, the swing enables a person to get quite the running start before propelling themselves out over a small ravine (for lack of a better term). If you'd prefer not to go flying over the ravine, you can instead use your feet to push backwards off of the tree trunk, sending you flying back the way you came. 

Of course, once Ellie saw this beast of a swing, she immediately wanted to ride on it. However, it only took one session of swinging while sitting on my lap for her to realize she was in for more than she bargained for. And I quote, "Too high, too high, too high." Lucky for her, Malachi's dad had some smaller versions of the giant swing inside his shop that were more her speed.

Actually, inside that very shop was where we ate our supper for the evening. Malachi's dad had a beautiful fireplace built in his wood shop so that he could work out there year round. Of course, a bonus of such a feature is that it is also great for roasting hot dogs even when the weather's a little chilly outdoors. After our dinner was over, unfortunately it was time for us to head to our hotel for the night so that we could put the kids to bed.

Actually, I should restate that last sentence. Our plan upon arriving at the Springhill Suites was to put the kids straight to bed. Fortunately for Ellie though, I can be a bit of a pushover whereas fun things are concerned. Therefore, after completing our check-in (and subsequent long conversation with Carl, the front desk guy), we headed up to our room where Ellie and I quickly changed into our swimsuits and headed down to the indoor pool for some swimming.

One thing about indoor pools is that they are normally warm. Not this one. It probably took me the better part of five minutes to get brave enough to finally dip in the water up to my shoulders. That was not the case for Ellie. With her life jacket buckled on, she immediately threw herself into the water and began happily doggy-paddling around the pool. I wish I could say that the water got warmer the longer I was in it, but that would be a lie. Overall, it was still a fun experience.

Once we got back upstairs to the room, we each took a quick shower to get the chlorine off before we all headed to bed with Bethany and me in one queen bed, Ellie in the other, and Ethan nestled in his pack-and-play over in the living area of our suite. Now, if you've never seen a toddler with a queen bed all to herself, I assure you it is quite the sight.

Not a great picture, but you get the idea.

After a good night's rest, the first thing Bethany and Ellie did was raid the continental breakfast downstairs where Ellie fulfilled her lifelong dream of eating a waffle in a hotel. Actually, I don't know if that's really her lifelong dream. It is, however, something she greatly enjoyed. After that, the four of us headed back to the pool for family swim time. Even Ethan got in on the action although it did lead to a dramatic quivering of his lower lip. After about 40 minutes of swimming, we headed back to our room, washed up, and checked out of the hotel.

Waffle!!!

The last stop on our Arkansas adventure was back at the Eliasen house where we spent the afternoon enjoying the beautiful weather we had been lucky enough to receive. Between playing frisbee, swinging, and chasing cats, Ellie had quite the time. Finally, after a meal of really, really, really spicy tacos, it was time for us to load up and head back to Kansas City.

All in all, I'd say that our very first overnight stay in a hotel room with any kids, let alone two, went really well. No one screamed through the night, alienating guests through paper-thin walls. No one got sick or injured. In fact, the worst thing that happened over the entire weekend was Ellie getting pushed down by a dog. Either that or her getting a toothbrush as a kid's meal prize. Verdict is still out on that one. #DaddyWrite

Day 701 - 'Amazeum' Times Await: The Arkansas Adventures, Part I

Allow me to share a short conversation that I had with my wife this past weekend.

Bethany: "Did you ever blog about our trip to Arkansas?"

Me: "No."

Bethany: "Wait, you've got to blog about that. It was the kids' first time staying in a hotel."

Me: "Yeah, I probably should."

Yes, it's true. I let a very noteworthy moment in the life of my kids go by with nary a documentation. That's not a good thing. Never fear though as I will be following through on my promise to my wife and documenting this moment (or series of moments).

The Saturday before last (i.e. October 26th), Bethany and I loaded up the kids in the Traverse and headed due south on 71 (or I-49 if you rather) towards Arkansas. This wasn't just any old weekend away. We actually had a big reason for going which was to go visit Tabi and Malachi Eliason after they moved down there last spring. In fact, since they moved down there, they added another member to their existing family of three (Cassie) with the arrival of their son, Wyatt. Needless to say, we were excited to make his acquaintance and they were just as excited to have us visit.

After arriving a little before noon, we let the kids burn off a little energy at the Elisason's before loading them back up and heading to Braum's for some burgers, fries, and shakes. At this point, I feel it necessary to point out the oddity that is the prizes in Braum's kid's meals. Ellie received none other than a toothbrush. It was definitely the most random kid's meal prize I had ever seen. Ellie didn't seem to mind one iota. In fact, she was excited and couldn't wait to brush her teeth with it. It's just as well since she kind of needed a new toothbrush anyway.

After we finished lunch, we had honestly been planning on returning to the Eliasen house to let the kids play or maybe even heading to our hotel for an afternoon splash session in the pool. Malachi had other plans though as he had been doing some research and had come up with a great way for our two families to spend the afternoon: the Scott Family Amazeum. Allow me to blatantly steal from the Amazeum's website for a brief moment in order to properly describe it.

•  The Scott Family Amazeum is a hands-on, interactive museum for children and families located in Bentonville, Ark. A museum with a foundation in the arts and sciences, the Amazeum encourages creativity, curiosity and community through exhibits, educational collaboration, and programs, workshops and camps. Amazeum experiences include a climbable tree canopy, indoor cave, tinkering hub, nearly one acre of outdoor space, and ever-evolving daily pop-up activities.

Sounds pretty cool, right? Ellie thought so as well as we spent the next couple of hours exploring everything the Amazeum had to offer. If you're wondering, her personal favorites included the five-foot tall 'Lite-Brite' display, the Water Amazements (where she pretty much got soaked), and basically anything else that made noise or enabled her to crank a wheel or pull a lever. 

Oh yes, there's one last Amazeum exhibit Ellie loved. I bet you'll never guess. It was the Market (proudly brought to you by Arkansas' own Walmart). Honestly, Ellie could have spent the entire two hours we spent at the Amazeum "shopping for groceries", "paying for groceries", and then starting the entire process all over again. Of course, part of this experience also included Ellie getting territorial over "her" groceries and anything else she happened to be playing with. Before it was all said and done, Bethany and I had to pretty much drag her out of the Market kicking and screaming all the way. 

Ethan and I even took part in the fun!

As Tabi eloquently phrased it (and I less eloquently paraphrased it), "You know what's rough about Ellie being so tall and seemingly mature for her age? People watching that unfold just thought you had a really bratty five-year-old instead of a normal three-year-old that's big for her age." Bethany and I could not have agreed more.

At this point, I can see that there is much more to write about from our weekend in Arkansas than can fit nicely in one blog post. Therefore, I'm going to go ahead and tie a nice little bow around this post for today and then I'll finish it up tomorrow. Promise to come back, OK? #DaddyWrite