Sorry for the lack of posting, we've been all over the place, and mostly without a PC to type up a blog post.
Last week Mara and Rohan headed back to WI for a residency interview, and while Mara went there, Rohan hung out with the Syring family (since the Bacon's will see him in Germany in <3 weeks!). Aunt Shelly took him to a wildlife sanctuary and then he hung out an played with G&G, Chris, & Jackson. Mara came back after her overnight & interview (which went great!). After more playing they woke up at 4am for Rohan's breathing and took him to the ER. It was most likely croup, so they gave him a steroid (which he reacts really well to). That didn't slow them down though, they hit up a parade where Rohan got so cold his lips were blue and his teeth were chattering. That's an AZ boy for ya...:) They also played at Michelle's friend Lisa's with her kids. They slept well that night! Michelle and Mara also found time to workout a couple times that day too, so they slept just fine also. After breakfast the next day, Mara and Rohan were headed back to warmer climates, but they had a blast. Thanks for all the hospitality from both Syring's and Bacons!
While Mara and Rohan were gone, I had the house to my self. I spent most of the time keeping busy with running, climbing, and cleaning (so easy to do without Rohan!). Saturday I meet up with Jeanette and we headed out to Superior, AZ for TufaFest. Tufa is a climbing pro shop in the 4 indoor climbing gyms around Phoenix (it's also a type of rock). Scott, the owner, put on a festival for all the patrons of the gyms. There were probably 100+ people who got their early and climbed. We didn't get there in time to climb, but we got some great chili (and other food), and got an outdoor movie (Reel Rock Tour). One cool thing they did was build a bar that afternoon from scratch. They had tons of spare wood and fence parts. It turned out awesome, and was a blast to watch them work. They named it "Burn Bar", more on that later. After keeping warm by the fire, and meeting tons of new people, we went midnight bouldering at around 1am. We used headlamps and small lanterns donated by Black Diamond. It was a lot of fun, and I even got a couple routes in myself (not too bad for my weak bouldering skills coupled with m the cold!). We came back around 3am and the bar lived up to it's name, and we burned it. We did remove the liquor first though...:) The next day we had planned on climbing and desert yoga, but the wind and rain put a damper on that so we had to call it off...:(
After Mara and Rohan got readjusted to AZ warmth and time, it was just in time for Thanksgiving. We started off the day by hiking up to Tom's Thumb in the McDowell Mountains near our place. It's a great hike, with awesome views, and some climbing areas to check out. Rohan loved the hike, and was out with in 20 min. Linus was, as usual, cactus prone, and within 8 second of being on the trail, we had to pick a large chunk out of his paw. By the time we got to the top he was really chewing at his paw and not using it. Upon further inspection, we found a HUGE ant that he picked up and must have been biting his paw (see pics of the ant below). He was fine after that, besides a few burrs here and there. The views back across the valley were awesome, and we could see all the way to South Mountain, Estrella Mountain and the White Tanks. Now that we know our way around PHX better, it was a lot easier to pick out landmarks.
After the hike we cleaned up and headed to Sasha's for Thanksgiving. We also had an invite from Greg & Nico, but we had already committed to Sasha's. If they were closer we would have hit both for sure! Sasha had about 25 people, and TONS of food. Her family (sans brother) were in from Miami, FL, so it was good to see her Mom again, and finally meet her sister. Rohan loved crawling under the tables and charming everyone he met. Somehow he got a nice red wine stain on his shirt...:)
Friday after Thanksgiving we skipped the Black Friday crap, and headed back out to Superior for an overnight camping trip. I had been out there a couple times to climb and camp, but Mara was always busy or out of town, and she wanted to see the area. The temps were chilly (about 68°F) but also pretty windy. We found a GREAT site with an area we could put the tent to be protected from the wind. The fire-pit, however, was pretty exposed. We decided to hike a little to warm up, and due to lack of trails, we just hiked out into the desert boulder field and went from boulder pile to boulder pile. It was fun climbing on stuff and exploring. Rohan loved the ride too...:) We got back to camp, ate something quick, then headed out on another hike to the rock climbing/bouldering area I had visited last weekend. It was a lot different in the daytime, but glad we could see our way this time without headlamps! We found a couple people bouldering and talked to them a while. Turns out they were at TufaFest as well. They told us of some cool places we'll have to check out when we don't have Rohan & the dogs in tow (and when we get a crash pad!). After the hike Rohan crashed for a while, and we warmed up by the fire, made some coffee and enjoyed the outdoors. Rohan did fine at night, but I think was a little weirded out at first by the darkness and the eerie light cast by the fire. He did fine though and had a blast power lifting logs and drawing in the sand.
After some chilly temps in the morning (low of 33°F, car said 39°F), we headed back home and relaxed a bit. We did have to make our second stop by Triple C Coffee House in Superior. If you get a chance, they make an AWESOME chai, homemade bagles, and the granola is the best I've ever had. They also support the CUE program for kids. I wish they were closer!!! After we got home Mara and Rohan made some xmas cookies for a party Jeanette was throwing. Rohan had a blast decorating, and clearly showed his preference for decorating with his left hand. No one at the party seemed to mind the extra sprinkles...:)
Sunday was pretty low key. Football, running, and crockpot chili pretty much sums it up. We have to start running with gloves and hat now...:( We also took some time to go through all the pics & videos from WI & AZ over the last 2 weeks, so enjoy the bonanza!
What blog post would be complete without a jumping video? A failed jump this time...:
Rohan playing in the desert dirt:
Rohan decorating cookies for Jeanette's party:
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
The Siege of The Pillow Tower
Not a whole lot new this week. Mara was on call twice this week, so most of the week was spent with Mara recovering post call, and Dad trying to wear Rohan out. That is becoming increasingly difficult.
Mara being on call usually means we get to meet for lunch the next day since she is usually off around 11am. It's been nice to have the break in the day too, and walk around downtown PHX without Rohan. When she is on call I usually follow our normal routine of taking him to the park across the street and kick the soccer ball around. From last week's post you can see how much he loves to run! This week there was a huge tournament there, and all the fields were taken. There is plenty of room on the sidelines so we can still kick it around. Rohan usually just watches everyone else play though. This last time a ball went out of bounce came right over to us and he ran up to it and kicked it about 15 feet back towards the field. Everyone around us clapped and was pretty impressed that a 20 mo-old was that coordinated. Rohan was pretty proud of his achievement...:) The rest of Saturday morning was spent watching/playing football, and building a kick ass fort. We used his tent from his room as a bedroom, the mattress from our hide-a-way as a hallway, and all the cushions and blankets we could find. It reminded me a lot of when we used to build forts at G&G's farm using the spare mattress on the stairs in the breezeway...good memories...:) The dogs eventually got curious and Schroeder got a little rowdy and knocked most of it down. Rohan didn't seem to mind and kept jumping on everything and tearing the rest down. Greg swung by and grabbed Chipotle with us. He's been working and studying so much it was nice to catch up with him a little as we he was on his way to a clinical rotation in the ER. FUN!
Sunday, after Mara got off work, we grabbed some picnic items and hit up a park Mara came across on one of her Peds rotations called Desert Horizon Park. It was an awesome park with tons of play equipment, swings, open spaces, and Rohan's favorite, a baseball game! There was a game between two Hispanic League teams. We watched 4-5 innings of it before Rohan started passing out on his way home on his soccer ball.
We spent the rest of Sunday grocery shopping for cookie ingredients and other essentials. Mara and Rohan made cookies (with toffee!!!) while I watched football and ate cookie dough. After supper and relaxing we reserected an old favorite of Rohan's, the pillow tower. He attacked the tower with ferocity for over an hour. Mara and I even got in the action and wore our selves out in the process...:)
Hope everyone had a great weekend. I heard it snowed in WI...that's a shame...:P
Turn your back for one second and Rohan does this:
Rohan still LOVES to attack the pillow tower:
Mom's turn to lead the charge:
Dad's turn!:
For those who want to the experience of the pillow attack, here is a first person view:
Mara being on call usually means we get to meet for lunch the next day since she is usually off around 11am. It's been nice to have the break in the day too, and walk around downtown PHX without Rohan. When she is on call I usually follow our normal routine of taking him to the park across the street and kick the soccer ball around. From last week's post you can see how much he loves to run! This week there was a huge tournament there, and all the fields were taken. There is plenty of room on the sidelines so we can still kick it around. Rohan usually just watches everyone else play though. This last time a ball went out of bounce came right over to us and he ran up to it and kicked it about 15 feet back towards the field. Everyone around us clapped and was pretty impressed that a 20 mo-old was that coordinated. Rohan was pretty proud of his achievement...:) The rest of Saturday morning was spent watching/playing football, and building a kick ass fort. We used his tent from his room as a bedroom, the mattress from our hide-a-way as a hallway, and all the cushions and blankets we could find. It reminded me a lot of when we used to build forts at G&G's farm using the spare mattress on the stairs in the breezeway...good memories...:) The dogs eventually got curious and Schroeder got a little rowdy and knocked most of it down. Rohan didn't seem to mind and kept jumping on everything and tearing the rest down. Greg swung by and grabbed Chipotle with us. He's been working and studying so much it was nice to catch up with him a little as we he was on his way to a clinical rotation in the ER. FUN!
Sunday, after Mara got off work, we grabbed some picnic items and hit up a park Mara came across on one of her Peds rotations called Desert Horizon Park. It was an awesome park with tons of play equipment, swings, open spaces, and Rohan's favorite, a baseball game! There was a game between two Hispanic League teams. We watched 4-5 innings of it before Rohan started passing out on his way home on his soccer ball.
We spent the rest of Sunday grocery shopping for cookie ingredients and other essentials. Mara and Rohan made cookies (with toffee!!!) while I watched football and ate cookie dough. After supper and relaxing we reserected an old favorite of Rohan's, the pillow tower. He attacked the tower with ferocity for over an hour. Mara and I even got in the action and wore our selves out in the process...:)
Hope everyone had a great weekend. I heard it snowed in WI...that's a shame...:P
Turn your back for one second and Rohan does this:
Rohan still LOVES to attack the pillow tower:
Mom's turn to lead the charge:
Dad's turn!:
For those who want to the experience of the pillow attack, here is a first person view:
Monday, November 8, 2010
Week of jumping, playing and baths!
This week we continued our habit of wearing Rohan out at the Scottsdale Sports Complex across the street. It REALLY gets him running and working on his coordination by kicking the soccer ball. His stamina has been increasing every time, and now he's running 3 and 4 lengths of the field, all while dribbling the soccer ball, as well as falling and being generally distracted by almost everything...:)
Mara has been working hard in the Pediatric ICU, and I have been hitting a crunch at work trying to get lots of experiments done at work before we go to Germany. I can't believe it's only 5 1/2 weeks away!!! We are insanely excited, an have already started planning and working out logistical issues. We can't wait to to meet our newest nephew, Lucas too! One thing I do want to accomplish is finding out where my Syring family came from. I haven't had too much luck tracking down a town of origin. Sadly, many of people who knew the genealogy have passed away. Hopefully I'll be able to get some info so I can take advantage of the 19 days we'll have in Europe.
The weekends have pretty much revolved around watching the Hawkeyes, followed by finding a park or area for Rohan to run. He's gotten a TON of baths recently since he usually finds an area that has been recently watered, or picks up grass or sand/dirt and dumps it on his head...:) We've been adding bubble bath to the mix, and he loves bathtime even more now!
One thing we realized this week is how much Rohan's daycare has been incorporating music and dancing into his curriculum. Mara found a channel on Pandora Radio called "Toddler Radio" and Rohan knew almost all the songs, and even had a couple of dance moves within the songs. We had no idea he knew so much. It was a great way to get him tired for bed, and by the end, he was just staring at the computer and listening to the songs.
We've also been letting him jump off almost everything. He's been piling the pillows up by the couch and jumping on his own. As you can see from the photos and video, his form is coming along well also. We've even started tossing the football to him mid-air for an added measure of difficulty. He'll have the best hands on his Pop Warner team...:)
Sunday we took some time in the morning to check out a new coffee shop called Dazbog. Their slogan is "I like my coffee tall, dark and Russian"...:) We loved the coffee, and it was a lot less like Starbucks than...well...Starbucks. Afterwards we caught Tim, Allison, & Cameron on webcam. Cam was adorable, and he kept saying "Hi Rohan!". Rohan was completely speechless and really just stared at the TV screen. I think he recognized everyone, but wasn't sure how they were interacting with him. It was great to catch up with them and see how much Cam has grown and become a big boy rather than just a big baby. I think we'll find more time to catch up that way, especially since they are no longer just a short drive away!
Not much else to report. We've scaled back our running a tad to adjust to our busier schedules as well as the small fact we won't be running much while we are in Germany, then have the full marathon less than 2 weeks later...should be a lot of walking, but we'll still have fun with it...:)
We hope everyone back in the Midwest is enjoying the last throws of Fall. Mara said it snowed in Amherst today...it was 75°F and beautiful here. We don't mind if people live vicariously through us...:)
Enjoy the pics and tons of video!
ShapeShifter Fun!:
Rohan Explores The Webcam Before Our Visit With Tim & Allison:
Stifling The Screams:
Jumping & Catching:
Dad's Sandals Are Better Than Mom's Heels...:):
Airplane Soccer
Rohan Runs The Pitch & Scores A Goal:
Jumping Practice:
Testing The Cookie Dough:
Pandora Toddler Channel:
Mara has been working hard in the Pediatric ICU, and I have been hitting a crunch at work trying to get lots of experiments done at work before we go to Germany. I can't believe it's only 5 1/2 weeks away!!! We are insanely excited, an have already started planning and working out logistical issues. We can't wait to to meet our newest nephew, Lucas too! One thing I do want to accomplish is finding out where my Syring family came from. I haven't had too much luck tracking down a town of origin. Sadly, many of people who knew the genealogy have passed away. Hopefully I'll be able to get some info so I can take advantage of the 19 days we'll have in Europe.
The weekends have pretty much revolved around watching the Hawkeyes, followed by finding a park or area for Rohan to run. He's gotten a TON of baths recently since he usually finds an area that has been recently watered, or picks up grass or sand/dirt and dumps it on his head...:) We've been adding bubble bath to the mix, and he loves bathtime even more now!
One thing we realized this week is how much Rohan's daycare has been incorporating music and dancing into his curriculum. Mara found a channel on Pandora Radio called "Toddler Radio" and Rohan knew almost all the songs, and even had a couple of dance moves within the songs. We had no idea he knew so much. It was a great way to get him tired for bed, and by the end, he was just staring at the computer and listening to the songs.
We've also been letting him jump off almost everything. He's been piling the pillows up by the couch and jumping on his own. As you can see from the photos and video, his form is coming along well also. We've even started tossing the football to him mid-air for an added measure of difficulty. He'll have the best hands on his Pop Warner team...:)
Sunday we took some time in the morning to check out a new coffee shop called Dazbog. Their slogan is "I like my coffee tall, dark and Russian"...:) We loved the coffee, and it was a lot less like Starbucks than...well...Starbucks. Afterwards we caught Tim, Allison, & Cameron on webcam. Cam was adorable, and he kept saying "Hi Rohan!". Rohan was completely speechless and really just stared at the TV screen. I think he recognized everyone, but wasn't sure how they were interacting with him. It was great to catch up with them and see how much Cam has grown and become a big boy rather than just a big baby. I think we'll find more time to catch up that way, especially since they are no longer just a short drive away!
Not much else to report. We've scaled back our running a tad to adjust to our busier schedules as well as the small fact we won't be running much while we are in Germany, then have the full marathon less than 2 weeks later...should be a lot of walking, but we'll still have fun with it...:)
We hope everyone back in the Midwest is enjoying the last throws of Fall. Mara said it snowed in Amherst today...it was 75°F and beautiful here. We don't mind if people live vicariously through us...:)
Enjoy the pics and tons of video!
ShapeShifter Fun!:
Rohan Explores The Webcam Before Our Visit With Tim & Allison:
Stifling The Screams:
Jumping & Catching:
Dad's Sandals Are Better Than Mom's Heels...:):
Airplane Soccer
Rohan Runs The Pitch & Scores A Goal:
Jumping Practice:
Testing The Cookie Dough:
Pandora Toddler Channel:
Monday, November 1, 2010
Happy Halloween!
Rohan has a BLAST trick-or-treating this year. Last year he hit up 2 houses before losing interest, but this year we went around Heather & John's neighborhood and Rohan walked the whole time! Mara put together a bucket for him to use using some of his artwork from daycare, it looked really cute! Who knew Mara had a crafty side!?!? :) Rohan was a little hesitant trick-or-treating at first since he's never really had to walk up to strangers and ask for things before. Once he realized they were putting things in his bucket, he was all about it. By the end of the hour he was walking up to houses on his own and holding out his bucket, then waving bye as he walked away. It was adorable...:) Everyone loved his glow-in-the-dark skeleton outfit from Grandma Syring. Afterwards we had pizza, and watched the rest of the Sunday Night Football game then watched Scared Shrekless. Rohan was super-hopped up on sugar and was running all over the place like a crazy kid. All he had was a few pieces of candy, but it was more than he's used to. He didn't put up a fight in the car and was asleep in no time. We think he had a great Halloween...:)
Friday night we had a nice little picnic at a park near us where Rohan was showing off his soccer skills, and also showing us how fast he is. He's no longer running like an infant with straight legs, he's running with bent knees and kicking his heels up. It's fun to see him have so much fun playing! He also showed us his climbing on the playground and climbed up a 6' wall (designed for 5 year olds) all by himself! Wish he would tolerate a harness so we can get him climbing at AZR!
Saturday we met Jeanette out for a bite to eat for breakfast. We hadn't been to the gym this week (with all the running we have been doing), so it was good to see her and Rohan LOVED to feed her strawberries...:) Afterwards we watched the #15 Hawkeye's (should be higher!) stomp the #5 (overrated) Spartans. An awesome makeup for last weekends missteps. We spent the rest of the day hanging out and playing.
Sunday we took the dogs to the dog park in the morning and enjoyed some outside time where Rohan could play with the dogs and the dogs could play with the dogs. Rohan wanted to watch football so we ended up at a new sports bar near us (Amore Sports Grill). Afterwards he took a great nap while we did some more running around and shopping before heading to Heather & John's for the night.
It was a great weekend! Hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend!
Rohan & Dad Trick-or-Treating:
Rohan Waits Patiently For Someone To Open The Door:
Friday night we had a nice little picnic at a park near us where Rohan was showing off his soccer skills, and also showing us how fast he is. He's no longer running like an infant with straight legs, he's running with bent knees and kicking his heels up. It's fun to see him have so much fun playing! He also showed us his climbing on the playground and climbed up a 6' wall (designed for 5 year olds) all by himself! Wish he would tolerate a harness so we can get him climbing at AZR!
Saturday we met Jeanette out for a bite to eat for breakfast. We hadn't been to the gym this week (with all the running we have been doing), so it was good to see her and Rohan LOVED to feed her strawberries...:) Afterwards we watched the #15 Hawkeye's (should be higher!) stomp the #5 (overrated) Spartans. An awesome makeup for last weekends missteps. We spent the rest of the day hanging out and playing.
Sunday we took the dogs to the dog park in the morning and enjoyed some outside time where Rohan could play with the dogs and the dogs could play with the dogs. Rohan wanted to watch football so we ended up at a new sports bar near us (Amore Sports Grill). Afterwards he took a great nap while we did some more running around and shopping before heading to Heather & John's for the night.
It was a great weekend! Hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend!
Rohan & Dad Trick-or-Treating:
Rohan Waits Patiently For Someone To Open The Door:
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