Tor Tales: Road Trip!

Helping Aunt Christina destroy evidence

The elusive bubble shark

Those are the only two pictures of us in Newark, because we recently decided to pay Oregon one final visit before leaving the country. Because Lars was doing field work, my brother Tim rearranged his work schedule and flew down from Portland so he could drive up with Tor and me the following day. He was altogether heroic, playing at least four hours of children's songs on the ukelele, cleaning up a massive syrup explosion (not a euphemism), sharing driving time, and making the impossible task of minding both Dendro and Tor at rest stops a possibility. Thankfully, Tor's gotten the hang of "I spy with my little eye," which also helps pass the time. We left at 4:00 a.m. and got to Corvallis by 3:00 p.m.--solid.

This is how I repay Tim's kindness

Oma, Opa, and I took Tor to the local outdoor pool area, which has some crazy water features AND a dedicated toddler time. Tor's usually timid in water, but following Opa's lead, he played the hardest and longest I've ever seen. He went down water slides, floated on a current, and stomped fountains, despite the constant waterlogging of his standard-issue plastic tot panties. Opa even convinced him to endure a tense wait as a massive bucket filled with water and poured down right on Opa's head. We've got to get this kid in swim lessons before he loses his new-found nerve.

Hysterical post-splashdown recap

"Is this thing on?"

Rightfully intimidated

DaDa did not have the Father's Day of his dreams (or at least mine), since he was driving from southern Oregon back to the Bay Area before traveling to Corvallis the following day. Tor and I celebrated with Opa and Oma by going on a hike near my old high school, but we saved the gift-giving for Lars's arrival.

"SUMMIT COOKIE!"

On the way downhill, Tor wanted to walk by himself--which actually meant run--for most of the way. He repeatedly insisted that he was being "careful" while hurling himself pell-mell down the rocky trail, sometimes with sticks (before we made him put them down). Then he found a small log covered with spider egg sacs, pretended it was a guitar, and sang us most of his repertoire, including multiple renditions of "ABC" and "Itsy-Bitsy Spider," as he marched. Even after I stuck him back in the stroller, he kept a death grip on the log, but finally relinquished it when told that we should leave it for other hikers to enjoy.

Carefulness in action

The next night, DaDa arrived, and we collected some sticks and lit a fire in the mini-grill for Tor's first s'mores. Turns out Opa has some serious marshmallow-roasting sticks. And once he'd smeared all the s'mores into his mouth that we allowed him, it was present time.

Getting the motion down before introducing actual marshmallows

Taking every possible photo combination while we waited for the flames to die down

We did not count this as Baby Brother's first Father's Day

Exactly how I pictured him eating it

"Heard your new job demanded slightly more formal attire, so I made you a little something"

Harder to knock over than regular blocks

Oma and Opa had busted out a bunch of the toys that Tim, Christina, and I had when we were kids, and they held Tor's attention pretty admirably. Duplos and the Fisher-Price parking garage were fast favorites. Opa, DaDa, Tor, and I also headed to a place called (I kid you not) Wacky Indoor Bounce, where Tor explored every inflatable play structure on the market.

He's found his sitting position of choice

When DaDa arrived, he and Tor embraced their simian ancestry

"Quid pro quo, Father"

Mounting one of the few non-inflatable toys available

We also drove up to Portland for a visit with some old friends. Dan was the best man in our wedding, and he and his wife Julia have a one-year-old girl, Molly, whom we'd never met. Tor enjoyed playing the big-kid role with her, mostly being gentle but trying to "help" her a little too enthusiastically a few times. It's encouraging that he digs babies, but we'll see how he feels when one is demanding Mama and DaDa's attention instead of another parent's.