Back from Scottsdale

This past week was our visit to Scottsdale, AZ, to visit Grandma Laura, Grandpa Dave and Auntie Haley. Given that the weather has been total CRAP in NE Ohio this "spring" (there is no global warming), a visit with family in a warm climate was very, very appealing to us.The kids travelled pretty well. We thought Lydia would be a good sleeper on the plane, but alas, she was not. Lincoln took a decent nap on the flight from Chicago to Phoenix, and that allowed him to stay up later and get adjusted to the time change. Lydia, on the other hand, vomited such a volume as we landed in Phoenix that it dripped through the bottom of the car seat. She was sick and unhappy for the next 18 to 24 hours. It took her a while to get on AZ time, but she was still a good girl for her grandparents.Lincoln was highly stimulated during the entire trip. There was very active play time and someone to occupy him at all times. As a result, he took naps of between 2 and 3 hours every day.

The hiking was great. We went to the Dixie Mine Trail, as that's one that Grandma Laura and Grandpa Dave thought would be a good one for Lincoln. He did very well. He even got to use his new CamelBak that he received for his birthday. Lydia was a pleasant rider.The plant life in the desert never ceases to impress me. The cacti weren't flowering as much on this visit as our last visit, but what we did see was still beautiful.On Friday, the grandparents took the day off and we spent the morning at the Phoenix Children's Museum. There was a large school field trip with kids who were quite comfortable with pushing Lincoln out of the way, and with parents/chaperones that were equally rude. Lincoln, though, showed good manners and patience beyond his years, and we all had a good time. After patronizing the Chattanooga Children's Museum and the Phoenix Children's Museum, I must say I'm becoming a fan of children's museums!Of course we took in the Phoenix Zoo. The Bighorn Sheep exhibit is still in my top-ten exhibits that I've seen at any zoo. (Akron's jellyfish, Pittsburgh's aquarium, Nashville's gibbons, and Phoenix's giraffes [the best place for an up-close look], and Columbus' otters come to our minds quickly.)One of the really neat things we got to see was one of the rattlesnakes shedding its skin, pictured above. I'm not sure Lincoln could really appreciate it, but Jenn and I were amazed.This was the Trip Of The Pool. Lincoln couldn't get enough of the pool, and he's becoming quite confident in the water. Swimming lessons will be just around the corner. He loved splashing, shooting the water canons, floating around in his boat (while shooting the water canons), and jumping into the water to have me or Grandpa Dave catch him. After a while I started letting him go all the way under the water, and he did a great job of holding his breath for an instant.Lydia had her first pool experience, too.Flashback 2010:2011:Saturday was Lincoln's birthday, and Grandma Laura & Auntie Haley put together a Pirate Birthday Party for him!There was a Pirate Ship Cake, eye-patches for Grandpa Dave and Auntie Haley, a treasure hunt, "sea-themed" Jell-O with Nemo gummies, lots of gold doubloons... it was just a fun time for all of us!

We were sad to come home. Lincoln cried at the air port when it really sunk in that he had just said good-bye to Grandma Laura.
On an unrelated note, the Indians just keep winning and winning and winning. You may recall my analysis of the Indians under Manager Eric Wedge.

Indians closer Chris Perez didn't look too sharp at the end of Spring Training 2010, but he's been hot lately for the league-leading Indians at the start of 2011.

While I'm still not a fan of their current owner, it's fun to watch these young guys win. Of course it'll all come crashing down when it comes time to pay them, but we can enjoy it while it lasts, right? As of today, the Indians have a 4.5 game lead on the Royals (who are perennial faders), a 8 game lead on Detroit (who knows if they'll fold or not, but as long as they're relying on Johnny Peralta, I'll take the Indians), a 10 game lead on Minnesota (when they get their guys back from injuries, look out) and a 10.5 game lead on the White Sox (bury 'em while we can!). Who knows where they'll finish, but a hot start beats a cold one any season.

Staying on this tangent, I have to say I'm pleased with the Browns' draft. Atlanta offered themselves up for highway robbery, why wouldn't the Browns pounce on it? Julio Jones will need to be as good as Jerry Rice to justify trading so many picks away, especially to a proven drafter like Holmgren and his team.