Down with the Downings

Garytt and I really enjoyed having some down time during the trip! We had some time at the Downing household when we didn't have to be anywhere or do anythng specific. We were able to just let the boys hang out and play. It was really fun and relaxing!

Here are a few pictures of the boys playing...they mostly played near each other and not so much with each other. Maybe next time we visit they will have developed more social skills. And, yes, Garytt is still in his pajamas.


Isaiah in his bouncer toy


What? I'm not trying to steal his toys!


Cute picture of Isaiah!


Garytt spent a lot of time reading...especially the Dr. Seuss ABC book!


Please read this to me! Please!


Isaiah on the go!


Garytt standing on his head


Playing together but separately


What are you doing down there?


Using the boppy as a chair to sit and play what looks like a video game but is actually a toy key...is this a little glimpse into my future?


Isaiah got stuck in the boppy.

One game that both of the boys really enjoyed was playing Peek-A-Boo with Jenn through the window of the playroom that looks into the living room. (I think Jenn enjoyed it too!)


Peek-A-Boo!


Jenn disappeared...Garytt is going to find her!


Isaiah is patiently waiting for his mom to reappear

Garytt was also endlessly entertained by knocking down the blocks that Jenn would stack up. He was quite proud of himself everytime he knocked the stack down.







Isaiah didn't really like to let the tower get that high. He likes to destroy it well before that point.


Isaiah knocking down the short tower

Finally, Isaiah decided he would just chew on one of the pieces and look at the camera while Garytt continued the tower game with Jenn.





Garytt also made great friends with one of the Downing dogs. They have a Beagle named Sophie. However, she's not quite sure about toddlers, so she stayed away for the most part. They also have a Schnauzer named Chloe who, apparently, doesn't mind toddlers. Garytt loved playing with her and she loved that Garytt would throw her ball for her! (As many dogs have found out...once there is a baby in the family, the doggie play time is greatly reduced...just wait a few more months Miss Chloe and Isaiah will be ready to throw the ball for you too!)


Garytt and Chloe


Garytt throwing the big ball for Chloe


Chloe is waiting with anticipation

We can't thank Jenn, Nick, and Isaiah enough for opening up their home to us! We had a great visit and hope to do it again sometime!

Splash Pad Fun

On of of the days that we didn't have a lot planned, Jenn suggested taking the boys over to the local splash pad to let them play in the water. I really wasn't sure how Garytt would like it but thought it would be a fun outting.


The splash pad park

He was pretty unsure about the whole thing and didn't really want to touch the water at first.


Staying a safe distance from the water...but looking interested


Moving a little closer to the water

Garytt was quite perceptive and noticed that there was a difference between the concrete where the water could reach and the concrete beyond the splash zone. So, he would often run out of the splash zone and stand just on the dividing line between the two types of concrete on survery the situation again.


Garytt in the safety zone

Finally, he seemed to be warming up to the idea of actually touching the water.





Most of the time he just liked to walk around in the middle but out of the water and watch the fountains. He also seemed to like to stomp his feet in the small puddles and splash the water.


Surveying the area


Stomping in a very small puddle

Unfortunately, Isaiah didn't seem to be enjoying the splash pad that day. (He ended up coming down with a little something and went to the doctor the next day, but at the time we just thought he didn't want to be there.) So, Jenn and Isaiah mostly stayed on the sidelines. A few times Garytt seemed to want to get them involved.


Garytt showing Isaiah that the water is fun

At one point, I decided to go sit down for a bit and just watch Garytt explore. I took a short video of him walking around in the water.



Ok, so, if you have the sound on, you could hear Jenn and me laughing and just waiting for him to get unexpectedly sprayed with water. I feel a little bad that we were just waiting for it to happen, and I was really shocked at how long that fountain stayed off. In the end, it was probably better that he didn't get soaked by it because it might have been too traumatic.

As it was, only a few minutes later, I walked with him over to the other part of the splash park. He was happily wandering around over there and I went to get the camera. When I turned around, he was caught in the water. At first, I thought he was enjoying it...then came the tears.


Frozen in the spray but not too unhappy...probably still in shock


Now I'm mad!

Obviously, I clicked a quick picture and went over to rescue him from the scary water. He was upset for a minute but did go back out and play again, so I guess the damage wasn't too severe.

It was definitely worth the trip over to the splash pad, which was actually part of a really nice park only a few miles from Jenn's house. If we lived there, I could totally see hanging out at that park often! I was bummed that Isaiah didn't seem to have that much fun but he was a good sport and just watched in the shade.

Grocery Shopping and the Park

As I mentioned previously, Garytt and I stayed with a good friend of mine from college during the first part of our Austin trip. When Garytt and I weren't running around meeting family for lunches or weddings, we mostly just hung out with Jenn and Isaiah.

One of our first outtings was to the grocery store. I know it sounds super exciting! But I had to get a few things for Garytt that Isaiah doesn't need yet, like whole milk. I took a few pictures of the boys in the shopping cart with my cell phone because they are just too darn cute.


Buddies...well at least Garytt thinks so


Garytt is really concentrating here...Isaiah seems unsure about what he is doing


Finally both boys look at the camera...or at Jenn, whatever.

On another day, we decided we would take a walk down to the neighborhood park. It was a fairly short adventure but we had a good time.

Both of the boys started on the swings.









Garytt was ready to move on to something else while Isaiah was still entertained by the swings. So, I took Garytt over to the other playground toys.





Those didn't last long with him either. Ironically, we don't even really need to go to a playground to do what he loves best. He wanted to just step down off the sidewalk and back up. I think he would do that forever if I let him.

The Zippe Wedding

Saturday, Sept. 10 was a busy day for us. Garytt and I met up with Justin's mom (Mimi to Garytt) for lunch. I know that Mimi was excited to see Garytt! And I was totally excited to eat Freebirds! Man, I do love that place! We didn't get to visit too long as Garytt needed to nap before the wedding. But we would see Mimi again the next weekend.


Garytt and Mimi at Freebirds

After Garytt's nap, it was time to get ready for the wedding. Of course, Garytt was dressed in his boots and cowboy hat again. Justin's sister, Ashley, met up with us at Jenn's house prior to the wedding so that we could go over there together.


Cowboy closeup


"Yee-haw! Let's go party!"


Garytt and Me


Ashley, Garytt, and Me

Brandon and Melanie's wedding was an outdoor wedding in Plfugerville, Texas with a reception to follow in the adjacent barn. Ok, so coming from the beautiful 70 degree weather in Wisconsin, I was pretty sure that I was going to die at an outdoor wedding in near 100 degree heat. Shockingly, it really wasn't too bad! The ceremony was shaded and there was enough breeze that it actually felt pretty pleasant outside. The reception was a little stuffy until they opened all barn doors to allow for some airflow. But really, I don't think the bride and groom could have asked for better weather for an outdoor September wedding in Texas!

I chose a seat in the very back of the ceremony because I was pretty sure that entertaining Garytt would be difficult through the ceremony. Prior to the start of the ceremony, I just let him kind of wander along the paths and the field.









Here are a few pictures of the ceremony prior to the wedding.





As the wedding was about to begin, I tried to get Garytt to sit in his stroller...


Garytt "reading" the wedding program

Unfortunately, this is what we ended up doing most of the ceremony...


Garytt pushing his stroller...way in the back of the ceremony


Garytt walking around the field during the ceremony

The ceremony was very nice...well, what I caught of it while chasing Garytt around.


Kirk, Shira, and Auggie getting lined up for the processional


Oops! They notice the paparazzi!


The bride getting out of the car...check out her awesome purple shoes!


The bridesmaids...lined up and ready to go.

Ok, I have to admit that the only reason I was able to get the next shot is because I was behind the divider that the bride was hiding behind...yeah, not where I was supposed to be but that's where I was best able to entertain Garytt without him causing problems. I love this shot!


The bride and her father


Walking down the aisle

Now, while I was in a perfect position to get the picture of Melanie and her dad, I was in a terrible position to get any decent pictures of the actual wedding.


Melanie and Brandon


The first kiss


Mr. and Mrs. Zippe!

After the ceremony, there were a lot of formal group shots taken before going over to the reception. So, I mostly let Garytt run around and I chased him.

Now the real bummer is that once we got to the reception, I noticed that my battery totally died in my camera. I do actually have a back-up battery but I thought I would "travel light" to the wedding and left it at Jenn's house...brilliant, I know! So, I didn't get any pictures from the reception.

The dinner started later than Garytt's normal schedule but I noticed we were at table #4. So, I'm thinking, we should be called pretty quickly to go get food. Yeah, apparently, the DJ randomly called out numbers and our table ended up being called nearly last.

So, my best method to entertain Garytt was to let him dance on the dance floor...yeah, he was the only one out there but that didn't seem to bother him. I did get one quick video of him dancing before we finally got food for him.



Garytt totally ate up all the attention he received while on the dance floor! He's quite a flirt with the girls! Anyhow, we had to leave shortly after eating, so we missed the cake cutting and some of the formal dances, like the father/daughter dance. But I had to get Garytt to bed. I'm glad we were able to share in Brandon and Melanie's special day! Congrats to the newlyweds!