The Visser's

The sun was shining, the beach was in sight,  a birthday was at hand and the decorations  just right. A festival of fun, a time to cut loose, a grandiose party with decor by Dr Suess. If you missed all the fun, the birthday hullabaloo, our son Alden turned from thing 1 to thing 2. We ate the green eggs, the ham was delish, everything was perfect, what more could you wish.

What more, dare I say, what more could you lend, I’ll tell you what more, the presences of Friends. There was Charley and Chloe and Cooper and Ben,  Cole and Nick another Chloe and Bergen. Brooke, Brynn and Zade and Adelaide too, and all the mommies & daddies, aunts uncles and grandmothers 2.

A fantastic soiree, hats off to Mommy Suess, who made banners, balloons, cake-pops, and more, even custom tattoos. Thank you all who all attended, we missed those who couldn’t,  enjoy the pictures below you’ll find them quite prudent!

Let’s face it, a child’s first haircut has the potential to be a complete disaster. Sharp objects, having to sit still for more than 30 seconds, strange places, screaming, crying and gnashing of teeth… all of which present an uphill battle.  Luckily, at the bottom of that hill is a salon called Jack and Jill. We learned about this  salon through friends that swore by it and after walking in, we soon realized that this shop knows how to handle children’s haircuts.

The first thing I noticed was the barber chair or barber cars or barber saddles. Instead of your traditional chair, there are those large battery powered cars that children ride in. These cars are mounted on the post that normally houses the barber chair. There was also a saddle, but Alden went straight to the race car. The stylist was friendly and quick like a ninja. Once in the driver’s seat, our little guy had his own HD TV showing an age appropriate cartoon mounted just above the mirror. A couple honks of the horn and rattles of the engine sound effect and out came the scissors. Within seconds, Alden was drooling because he was so relaxed. We definitely came to the right place.

All too soon, he was done and  his first haircut was over. The stylist did a great job and even gave us a lock of his hair mounted on a nicely designed card. While I see most haircuts as a utilitarian process, this first haircut was something special, not just for him, but for his mother and I . The locks on the ground represented 1 year and 9 months of life, joy, happiness and hope. I wanted to keep all the hair that was swept up, but I thought it might be a little strange. Guess I just wanted to hold on to every little part of this little man who I love so much.

All in all, it was an outstanding experience and we will be back often. They even do adult haircuts. I can’t wait to try to squeeze my 260 lb frame into Barbie’s pink Beach Cruiser.

It seems like a rarity in the Pacific Northwest to have a sunny day, in early Spring that falls on a weekend.  So much to our enjoyment, not only did we get to enjoy a sunny day in early Spring, but we also got to hang out with another great couple and their cute little son, for a day at the zoo!   It was really neat to watch the boys expressions as they viewed different exhibits.  And, it was very cute to watch the dads enjoy a moment with their sons on the carousel.  Thank you Rentfrow family for the happy memories!

For New Year’s this year, Mike and I decided we would go out for a night on the town while our kids (Alden and Kiska) went to their grandparents.  This was fairly monumental for us as this was the first time we’d been away from Alden over night so needless to say, we weren’t quite sure what to expect.  I’m not sure who had a better time, us or Alden!

Wishing you joy, happiness and lots of laughter in 2011.

This was the second year Alden went to visit Santa and what a serious visit it was!  We tried to get the little guy to smile but alas, this was the best we could get.  Of course once the photographer looked away he cracked a big smile for his dad.  And, of course after he had a taste of the candy cane Santa gave him, then he was dancing in the mall!  Maybe next year we’ll just ask Santa to hand him the candy cane first.

Happy Holidays from the Visser’s!

It’s that time of year when parents and their wide eyed children flock to Pt. Defiance Zoo for the annual Zoo Lights.  This year Angie, Alden, Kiska and I joined the ranks of families to traverse the paths of the zoo, and check out all the neatly arranged lights…actually Kiska wasn’t allowed in but she made the car ride none the less.

At 17 months, Alden is a mischievous patron, even for a zoo. He loves his independence, so rides in the stroller were short lived as he preferred to run and crash all around the concrete paths. Occasionally we’d come across a music filled area where our little guy would proceed to dance his little rump around.  I never knew that one could “drop it like it’s hot” to a Kenny G Christmas song, but everyday I learn something new as a poppa.

As the night ended, we ran out of time to ride the carousel but we looked at it and he giggled, so I think we’ll have to make sure we get back there soon for a ride.  While I try to cherish them all, I’ll hold this night close to my heart. Thank you Angie for the idea to go.

Cheers
Mike

For snowmen!  I couldn’t resist taking a picture of this little guy (he was only about a foot tall) when I passed him on the road.  Perched up on a cable box he seemed to be greeting all that came his way.  Welcome back Frosty, I’ve missed you!

For daylight savings we decided to not only turn back the clocks but also participate in the “Turn Back the Clock” annual fun run.  Prior to the race I was having my doubts as the rain seemed like it was never going end; however, with the start of the race the downpour subsided and it ended up being really fun.  Props to Mike who not only volunteered to do this race with me, but also managed to place 3rd overall in his age group all the while pushing Alden in a stroller.  Way to go superdad!

If you’ve been reading this blog, or came to Alden’s Birthday Party, or have been in his room, or have viewed Alden’s library…. you probably know by now that we have foisted upon him the love of all things “Curious George” or monkey themes at the least.

Alden’s second Halloween was no exception as both Angie and I dressed in characters that our little monkey would love; Professor Wiseman  and The Man in the Yellow Hat. Kiska refused to stoop to the level of the Wiener Dog (Hadly) so she dressed up as the worlds best dog (she was very convincing).

In our travels of the eve we came across a spooky mansion and we ventured in where we met  The Adams Family, played by Michael and Christine Gregoire.  Apparently on Halloween, Gov. Gregoire invites everyone for a meet and greet at the Gov’s Mansion. (I think this is awesome, our govenor making herself available to the public especially for the kids… too cool!). It turns that they give out full sized candy bars with a label on them from the event. Thousands are given out over the evening I’m sure (there was a line about 25 minutes deep when we arrived). Like a willy wonka concept, 5 of the bars have a golden ticket on the inside of the label and if you get one, you get invited to a special dinner during the holidays with the Govenor, which brings me to some exciting news………

Drum Roll………… We did NOT get a golden ticket. DOH!

We also visited Grandma Jan where hugs full of love were the best treats and toured some spooky neighborhoods, but didn’t do trick or treat just yet as at 15 months, most of this is over Alden’s head. Next year will be a whole different story I’m sure.

As nearly everything in this household, none of this would have been possible without the loving encouragement of Alden’s wonderful mommy, Angie, who prodded me to do something about a costume, took care of his costume and helped us all getting it together.

Hope you and yours had a Happy Holloween )

Cheers!

Mike