Summer Lovin' - Part 2

The good news is that we took 2 weeks off for some family vacationing. So if Benjamin's summer days were regular days on steroids, vacationing to fun places with Mommy and Daddy must be like the stuff Barry Bonds allegedly used.

The sabbatical started with a trip to Chi-town for a family wedding (way to go Chris!) where Benjamin took on the look of an extra from The Great Gatsby - snappy trousers, white loafers, a sensible shirt and a white Gatsby hat (I don't know what else to call them, Buster Keaton would)

The wedding and reception were the cat's pajamas and Benjamin was a dancing machine on the parquet floor. His moves were part Flamenco, part glowstick club-kid, part whirling dervish and his batteries just wouldn't die down. He fed on the power of the music like those people in Xanadu.

A personal triumph for me was taking in my first baseball game at Wrigley Field. You want old school baseball, you need to see a Cubs' home game. No bullpens, no jumbotrons, no automated scoreboard - and I love it. You could almost picture the crowd wearing their own Gatsby hats and talking about how Woodrow Wilson was going to fix the country - 23 skidoo!

After hanging with tons of family, obliterating all bed times and dietary restrictions it was off to Door County, Wisconsin. This place is a real hidden gem tucked in the peninsula tip of the eastern-most part of the state. Benjamin had been there once before when he was 5 months old, somehow he doesn't remember a thing. Weird.

All vacation had two thoughts in the back of my head:

1. I want to do whatever it takes for us to have the best time

2. I hope #1 comes in at a reasonable price

Right before our vacation we had some sudden home repairs and then had to replace a transmission while we were out of town. The total amount was a little over "cha" and "ching."

I wish this feeling on no one, but it becomes a fun-sucker. Luckily we were staying with family (thanks Wendy!) and using a family car up there (thanks Wendy!) and various recreational vehicles (thanks Wendy!). The best part is that with a beach, some toys and some fun folks you don't need the Magic Kingdom® or a ski chalet to have a good time with a 2 year old.

Benjamin loved the beach. I was worried, because I apparently hated the sensation of sand on my hands when I was baby. Benjamin's only hang up was muddy sand on his skin, but who likes that anyway? People that go to day spas, that's who. Gross.

Have you applied SPF 50 baby sunscreen on anyone lately? It's like rubbing old peanut butter on something - it is thick, not particularly smooth and sticks to the roof of your mouth. And the process of slathering every square inch of Benjamin's body takes about 10 minutes. The final result is a little boy that looks like English ghost. Yet somehow he is the only Alexander that left with a tan.

I took him on a jetski and we really opened her up, jumping wakes and streaking at about 40mph. Aaaannnnd in reality we toodled around the shore at a crab's pace. He definitely enjoyed it, but you can tell when he's nervous because he does absolutely everything you tell him and he gets really quiet.

His other favorite activity was standing at the point where the water meets the shore and trying to shovel all of the sand back into the water. We should send him down to the BP site and speed up the cleaning process.

One evening we decided to hit the Links as a family. We skipped Pebble Beach in favor of Pirate's Cove, 18 of the most scallywagging holes of mini-golf youever did see. I've always wondered what the perfect ages are for some "firsts" - like when is the best time for your child to actually enjoy a professional sporting event, a theme park, or hunting bear. Apparently 2.5 years is a good start for putt-putt.

He obviously had no concept for the rules or etiquette (he didn't say "fore" once), but he definitely understood that he needed to hit this ball until it went into the hole. Even if it meant picking it up after the first hit and setting it down right on the lip of the cup to knock it in.

Believe it or not, the little bugger got a bona fide hole-in-one without any help and rule bending. I did commit petty theft by catching his ball on the 18th hole as a keep sake - don't judge me. You know Earl Woods did the same thing and look where it's gotten his son. Oh wait...