Things Henry Likes: Barney, Thomas & Elmo

Our last posting made us think of all the new characters Henry has embraced. He took a liking to Barney early on, and the purple dinosaur has only grown more popular with each new book, DVD or CD we purchase. Henry’s favorite DVD is The Best of Barney, and we can now sing most of the Barney songs by heart. In fact, Henry has been known to ride his trike around the neighborhood singing “I Love You” at the top of his tiny lungs. A close second in popularity is Thomas the Train. Henry discovered Thomas only recently, but he has quickly skyrocketed in popularity. Henry received a Thomas cake and several Thomas books and toys for his birthday. And his Thomas pajamas are definitely his favorite, so much so that he once insisted on wearing the top all day. Other popular characters include Elmo, Cookie Monster, Mickey Mouse and Nemo. Mom and dad are partial to Thomas, if only because the episodes are only 10 minutes long and involve no singing. There is only so many times you can hear Barney sing “Clean Up,” “Apples and Bananas,” or “Looby Loo” before you start to go a little crazy. And according to this report on the BBC, the Barney theme song has been used by American interrogators to break the will of Iraqi insurgents. The insurgents never had a chance.

Henry's 2nd Birthday

This year Henry had not one, but three birthday parties. On the Friday before his birthday (August 23rd), he celebrated with his friends at daycare by eating cupcakes during afternoon snack. Then, on Sunday, he enjoyed a Thomas the Train birthday cake and an afternoon swim at Brad and Tonia Powell’s home, where we spent the afternoon visiting with college friends. Finally, on September 29th, Henry had a joint birthday party with several of his friends from daycare at Hayes Park in Arlington, Virginia. The park has a sprayground (a water spray park for children), a large sand pit, lots of playground equipment, and Henry’s personal favorite: swings. The theme for the party was “A Day at the Beach” (because of the water and sand), and we were fortunate to have some cool (if overcast) weather. The turnout was terrific, and everyone seemed to have a great time playing in the park and eating birthday cake.

Celebrating with Henry were his friends Nicholas Cho and the twins Teddy and Dorothy Huang. Henry’s parents were glad to share the burden of planning and preparing for the party with four other parents. We were responsible for the favors and decorations. For favors, each child received a plastic sand bucket filled with bubbles, playdough, sunglasses, stickers and other small toys. And, yes, we did assemble each of those forty party favor buckets by hand!

Henry received lots of great gifts for his birthday. Mimi Pauline gave him a toddler bed shaped like a boat, which Henry absolutely loved (when his father finally managed to finish assembling it). Mimi Joanne and Paw Paw Bill gave him an inflatable pool for the backyard. It was so hot in August, we let Henry open this gift early and start enjoying the cool water right away. Mom and dad gave him a puppet theater and some puppets. Unfortunately, the pirate puppet that we selected was a little scary looking, so Henry has gone off the puppets for a while. But hopefully the theater will pay dividends soon.

Click below for more photos from the party:

Settling In

It’s been a busy summer (three weddings, vacation and a birthday party), but we’re finally settling into our new place. With the newest Morris due to arrive in late November/early December, we’re working hard to get Henry established in his new room and transitioning the nursery from a safari theme to lady bugs, dragonflies and faeries. Henry received a boat bed for his birthday (see Henry’s 2nd Birthday), so we’re going with a nautical theme for his room.

Among the biggest hurdles has been unpacking and reorganizing our large collection of books. Between the two of them, Elise and Bryant have amassed a small library of medical books, historical romances, crime fiction, English literature and travel guides. As we’ve slowly unpacked our belongings, we’ve often wondered how we managed to cram so much stuff into a two-bedroom condo. We also think we’ll never again be able to live in a house without a basement/loft/playroom.

Henry is enjoying having a backyard and a neighborhood to explore. Our neighbors lent us their sons’ Kettler trike (the Mercedes Benz of training bikes), and Henry has been taking daily rides around the block. One of our favorite routes is to run down to the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, which sits atop a large hill with great views of Washington and Old Town Alexandria. There’s also a family of deer which lives on the memorial grounds, which we occasionally see in the evenings.

So far, the commute into Washington hasn’t been bad: about 30 minutes in the mornings and a little longer in the evenings. Most days we’re able to avoid the evening rush hour. Bryant has been taking the VRE (Virginia commuter train) home from work, which is a lot more civilized than the Metro. Occasionally Henry also rides the “choo choo,” although his patience for sitting still wears thin after about twenty minutes.

Our new church (St. Mary’s) is located in Old Town, and we’ve enjoyed strolling down to the waterfront after mass for brunch or coffee. With all the activity this summer, we haven’t had the chance to explore Old Town much, but we’re hoping to do some more sightseeing this fall.

Our New Home

Finally, some pictures of our new digs. It's just a rental, but we call it home.

California 2009

This year’s family vacation was a weeklong trip to Southern California. Our friend Desiree Sumilang was getting married in Malibu, so we used the occasion to sightsee in Los Angeles and visit our friends Mike and Penny Hunt in Encinitas. Along the way, we took Henry for a quick daytrip to Disneyland. Below is a detailed account of our vacation:

Day One: Having barely unpacked from our recent house move, we gathered our belongings and headed to Dulles Airport at 6:00 am for the six hour flight to LAX. We worried about taking Henry on such a long flight, but he did remarkably well on the plane. To make things easier, we purchased a separate seat for Henry and invested in a portable DVD player. At first, Henry wasn’t too sure about the headphones, but after he got used to wearing them, he happily sat for 30-40 minutes watching his Barney DVD. A long nap and some of Henry’s favorite books (and corndogs for lunch), helped us survive the flight. Transferring from the airport to our vacation rental was a challenge, especially with our toddler accessories in tow, but we managed to arrive with no major problems.

For our stay in Los Angeles, we rented a condo on the beach in Santa Monica. The location was excellent: literally just across the street from the beach, boardwalk and pier. Unfortunately, the building was undergoing major renovations and, at first, looked uninhabitable. However, the interior was fine, and, in the end, it proved to be an ideal base for our explorations.

After settling into our condo and stocking up on groceries, we all stumbled into bed early.

Day Two: We were still tired from the flight out, so we decided to spend our first day relaxing at the beach. Henry was operating on East Coast time and awoke (very) early. To get through the morning, Bryant made some coffee and took Henry to the playground. This was to become a morning ritual. Henry has recently become very enamored of swinging. He is happy to sit and swing for an hour at a time! And it’s the perfect early morning activity, since a half-asleep parent can push a swing back and forth without too much energy or attention.

After breakfast and a long session of applying sunscreen (another daily ritual), we all headed to the beach (with our small caravan of towels, bucket, shovel, beach ball, water and snacks). Henry loved digging in the sand, knocking over Bryant’s sand castles, and chasing the sea gulls. The ocean was very cold, so Henry never got much further than sticking his feet in the water. It was July 4th and, by lunchtime, the beach was packed. When it got crowded, we headed back to the condo for some food and an afternoon nap. Afterward, we took Henry to the Santa Monica pier. There we rode the carousel, played in the arcade, and ate ice cream. We also took Henry on the Ferris wheel. He was fine (he wanted to stand up in the gondola), but mom and dad were leery of being so high up with a squirmy toddler. It was a wonderful way to spend the holiday. We had such a fun day, we all went to bed by 9:00 pm, just as the fireworks were starting up.





Day Three: The morning started off quietly: we took Henry to the playground and, during his morning nap, strolled along the pier. Bryant and Elise were able to enjoy a coffee (and some adult conversation) and even spotted a seal swimming in the ocean. Later, we met Elise’s cousins Mark and Tina Grossman for brunch in downtown Santa Monica. They took us to a wonderful cafe (Urth Caffé), and afterward, we all wandered over to the farmers’ market, which was hopping with people. Eventually we made our way back to the beach (and the swing sets) where we visited with Mark and Tina while Henry played.

In the afternoon we drove to Malibu for Desiree’s wedding. The ceremony was held at Saddlerock Ranch in the Malibu Hills. The ranch is a working vineyard and makeshift zoo, with many exotic animals on the grounds (zebra, ostrich, bison, peacocks, etc.). Desiree insisted that kids were welcome, and the outdoor location proved to be ideal (during the vows, Bryant and Henry went to look at the parrots). After the ceremony, Henry played lawn games with some of the other children and explored the gopher holes. As you might notice from the pictures, Henry’s attire (suit and bow tie) slowly grew more casual as the evening wore on. Desiree and Bryant worked together at A&O in London (and Bryant worked with Desiree’s fiancé, Eddie, at Citigroup), so it was a nice occasion to visit with old friends. The wedding itself was lovely and went on well into the evening.

Day Four: Having stuck close to Santa Monica for several days, we decided to explore some of Los Angeles. We braved the LA freeways and headed to the Hollywood and Highland Center to see a bit of historic Hollywood. First we visited Grauman’s Chinese Theater (which was crawling with tourists and street performers dressed as famous movie characters). We checked out the actors’ handprints in the courtyard and saw the makeshift shrine to Michael Jackson at his star on the Walk of Fame (the memorial service was the following day in downtown Los Angeles). We then walked over to the El Capitan Theater where Disney Studios holds its premiers. The theater itself is quite historic (Citizen Kane and Gone with the Wind both premiered there), but Henry is still too young to sit through an entire movie. Instead, we had lunch at the Disney Soda Fountain next door. Henry enjoyed climbing on the Mickey Mouse statute outside and, when lunch arrived, eating his Mickey Mouse shaped waffles (actually, more of the waffles landed on the floor than in Henry’s stomach).

After lunch we returned to the Hollywood and Highland Center and played in the outdoor fountain (in the picture below, you can just make out the Hollywood sign in the distance). Henry fell asleep in the car ride home, so Bryant and Elise took the scenic route back through Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive. Being a devoted reader of People magazine, Elise was able to point out the exclusive nightclubs, restaurants and shops were the rich and famous hang out. In the evening, we headed back to the beach one last time to watch the sunset and play in the sand.

Day Five: We said goodbye to Santa Monica and headed to Anaheim in preparation for our visit to Disneyland. Most of the day was spent packing up and relocating to our hotel. We stayed at the Homewood Suites just down the street from the Disneyland resort. It was much warmer in Anaheim (away from the ocean breezes), but fortunately the hotel had a nice, cool swimming pool. We played in the pool and went to bed early, ready to be at the Disneyland Main Gates at 8:00 am sharp!

Day Six: Our initial plan was to make a short stop at Disneyland. We planned to be there half a day, at most. After all, Henry tires easily and many of the rides seemed too elaborate for a toddler. In the end, we spent eight hours in the park. After reading up on various strategies for beating the crowds (and investing in a software program to help plan our day and minimize wait times), we decided to arrive as early as possible. We didn’t quite make it at 8:00 am (everything takes longer with an almost two-year-old), but we did get there early, and it paid off. We were able to ride most of our selected attractions (Peter Pan, Dumbo, Casey Jr.’s Circus Train) with little or no wait and even managed to take in a few extras (Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, The Mad Tea Party and Pinocchio). Henry’s favorite ride was probably It’s A Small World. The combination of slow boat ride, colorful costumes, and cheerful music was perfect for him. When the crowds picked up, we headed over to Toon Town and visited Goofy, Donald and Mickey’s houses. In Mickey’s house, Henry got to meet and have his picture made with the famous mouse. Henry wasn’t too familiar with Mickey Mouse before our trip (his favorite characters until now were Elmo and Barney), but by the end of the day, he was wearing his mouse ears and clutching his Mickey doll, just like Disney intended. Henry couldn’t quite pronounce Mickey, so he became known to us as “Emick.” After lunch, we tried a few older rides (The Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean) and finished off the day with some shopping (of course) and a train ride around the park.

Day Seven: We spent the morning at the pool and after lunch packed up (once again) for the last leg of our trip. We headed south along the Pacific Coast to Encinitas, just north of San Diego. There we visited with our friends Mike and Penny Hunt. Penny was Elise’s roommate at Albion College, the maid of honor at our wedding, and Henry’s godmother. She and Elise have been best friends for over 15 years. Mike and Penny live a few blocks from the beach in Encinitas, one of the best surfing towns on the West Coast. We checked in at a nearby hotel and spent the afternoon at Moonlight Beach before heading over to Mike and Penny’s for some homemade fajitas. Henry seemed particularly excited by his new surroundings and refused to sit still for dinner! Elise also was excited (as she always is) to spend time with Penny and catch up on life.

Day Eight: Mike and Penny were at work during the day, so we took Henry to the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park. The park is a companion to the famous San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park. It’s located in the San Pasqual Valley and exhibits animals in their natural habitats. The centerpiece of the park is a large enclosed area where you can take a tram ride to see the animals, as if you’re on safari. This was the eighth day of our trip, and we were all feeling a little tired. It also was extremely hot in the valley, with temperatures into the high 90s. Our first stop was the Petting Kraal, where Henry got up close with some deer and antelope. Then we visited Lorikeet Landing where you can purchase a cup of nectar and feed the birds. Unlike the deer, which were pretty laid back, the birds were completely out of control. As we stepped into the enclosure, they immediately swarmed us, landing on our arms and shoulders and fighting for the nectar. Bryant had Henry and Elise had the nectar, so Elise bore the brunt of their attack. At one point several landed on Henry’s head, which he did not like at all. Also, because the birds were eating nectar all day, there was a constant stream of projectile bird pee. We stayed for a brief visit and then went for lunch. By now, we were all really tired and hot. We jumped on the tram ride, but Henry was cranky and squirmy, and we spent most of the ride trying to keep him from jumping overboard. At this point, we figured it was best to head home, so we trekked back toward the parking lot. As we were leaving, Henry spied a statue of an elephant and began repeating “elephant” over and over again. He had just learned this word, so we figured we better take him to see a real specimin. So, we pulled ourselves together and hiked back to Elephant Overlook, where Henry got a great view of a large African elephant. Then it was really time to head home. Henry slept the whole way back, and we were all able to recuperate a bit before heading over to Mike and Penny’s for dinner.

Day Nine: We spent our last day in California with Mike and Penny. They took us to brunch at a great diner in downtown Encinitas where we all ordered something with fresh avocado. After brunch, we repaired to the beach and had a relaxing afternoon swimming, playing in the sand, and (for Mike at least) surfing. While playing at the beach, Penny introduced Henry to his first raisins. In the evening, we ordered pizza and spent our last night hanging out with Mike and Penny, wishing we didn’t have to make the long flight home in the morning.

Day Ten: Our return trip was uneventful. Once again, Henry did great in the plane (even better than the ride out). It was particularly nice to return to our new home, with plenty of space for our suitcases and souvenirs (which would remain unpacked for weeks). We had a wonderful time in California, but were glad to be back home (and stationary) for a while.

Henry's going to be a Big Brother!

With all the excitement surrounding our recent move, we haven't had the chance to post the big news: we're expecting another baby in December. It seems Henry is going to have a sister. Elise is moving a little slower these days but otherwise doing fine. Bryant is wondering if he can figure out how little girls work...

Dogs Don’t Lie

No mention of Columbia Heights would be complete without a word about our neighbor Mr. Tim. We first met Mr. Tim during the home inspection for our condo. He walked up with his trademark broom and dustpan and began telling us how the building we were about to move into used to be an open air drug market. (NPR did a story around the same time about some young men who lived in a foster home at the same address; check it out here). We assumed he was drunk or crazy or both and tried to ignore him.

Since then, we’ve learned a lot about our neighbor. He was born in South Carolina, the son of a Baptist preacher, and moved to Washington, DC when he was still a boy. As a young man, he volunteered for combat duty in Vietnam and was awarded a Purple Heart for meritorious service. Later, he came back to Washington and earned a degree in accounting from Howard University. After graduation,* he worked for many years as part of the US Naval Audit Service. For most of his adult life, Mr. Tim has resided at 1306 Park Road, just across the street from our condo. During the really bad years, when the neighborhood was depressed and crime ridden, he would stand watch at night with his shotgun to keep the drug dealers and gang bangers away.

Mr. Tim pretty much owns the 1300 block of Park Road. He sweeps the streets, clears the snow, and maintains the vacant lot on the corner. He knows all the neighbors, and they all know him (even the ones who pretend not to). By his own account, daytime is not Mr. Tim’s element, but in the late afternoons and evenings, especially in the summer, he likes to sit on his stoop with a Steel Reserve and call out to passersby. He even has his own catchphrase: “Dogs don’t lie and dogs don’t steal, but they do kill.” We never quite figured out what that means, but it seems to keep the undesirables away.

Despite his bluster, Mr. Tim is one of the sweetest men you’ll ever meet. He took a liking to us early on, probably because we weren’t afraid to stop and talk with him. He watches our car, helps Elise with the groceries, and on special occasions like birthdays and Mother’s Day, makes us banana pudding. He has saved every birth announcement, Christmas card, and thank you note with Henry’s picture on it and keeps them on a table in his living room. For Henry’s first birthday, Mr. Tim gave him a book of children’s poems that he owned as a little boy and a copy of To Kill a Mocking Bird, for “when he’s older.” With Mr. Tim around, we always felt like we had a good friend in the neighborhood.

Mr. Tim claims to be writing a book about his time in Columbia Heights. Chapter 23 is supposedly entitled “The Morrises Take Flight.” We’re not sure his book will ever make it to print, but we were grateful to get to know Mr. Tim and hear his stories. Mr. Tim always said “I’m not responsible for your education,” but we learned a lot from him.

* When he’s wearing his Howard sweatshirt, people often ask Mr. Tim: did you go to Howard? His reply: “A lot of people went to Howard. I graduated from there.”