Back to Whidbey we go…

Wes has been home, but left for 5 days to sing in Wisconsin.  I am solo again, but it’s nothin’ compared to 5.5 months!

This morning, we were not getting off to a good start.  Emmett destroyed the living room and Silas was emptying the fridge. I had zero patience and decided we needed to get out of the house. So… we headed back out to Whidbey and it was such a good thing!!

This time I stopped at a visitor center and the women there sent me off the visit a family farm called Sonshine Farm. We pulled up and it looked like a private home and I felt a little intrusive at first. But, we called ahead and I knew someone was there.  We were greeted by a young gal who took us around back to meet their goats and alpacas!

They had baby goats and… oh my golly…. they were so incredibly cute. And soft. And cuddly. Nothing compares to a baby goat.

Now…  for something so lucky and amazing!!!  Had we come 10 minutes earlier or later we may have missed this.  As she was taking us around to see the male goats… she noticed a female in labor.  I looked at her and said ” Really?!  You mean we might see babies born?!”  We followed her into the pasture and got to watch the birth of two beautiful little goats!  It all happened in about 15 minutes and it was AWESOME!

Above, you can see a hoof and a nose!

Yup… pretty awesome!

How could you top that, right?!  Well, we went to Double Bluff Beach and the tide was out.  The kids did not want to leave.  Millie was happy there too!

A little bit of everything…

Under Highway 2

We have had some great adventures over the last couple weeks!  This post is mostly for Wes to see the kids, but I hope anyone else who takes a moment to visit, enjoys it too!

I find that face painting seems to cure a bad day (you know the one’s… where everyone is crying… ALL day LONG).  This particular day was not cool.  I try to “make today better then yesterday.”  Face painting with the kids made me completely forget what a crap day it had been.

We have been up to Machias to visit Ole’ Chestter.  Emmett is perfectly comfortable scooping poop.  I don’t even have to ask…he just does it!  Silas is still figuring out his place at the barn.

I tend to decide at the last minute to go on ambitious excursions.  A few days ago we drove up to Twin Falls, but it was closed because of a landslide and there was too much snow left on the ground.  We weren’t prepared for that.  So, we drove back down and hiked about half of the Little Si trail.  Emmett was great!  My camera batteries died, so we used his.  To my complete and total amazement… his camera takes great little pictures!  I uploaded them for the first time today!  Most of these were taken by Emmett.

Emmett’s “selfie.”  Kind of awesome.

One day, a while back, I was busy working on the computer and behind me Emmett made a “giraffe” out of torn paper.  It was so awesome that he thought to do this, but what amazed me most is that he knew to put four legs.  He can count, but I never was sure if it was just memorized or if numbers had physical meaning yet.  Anyways….awesome kid.

I can’t believe Wes has been gone since the end of September and in two weeks he’ll be home.  Holy crap Wes…..we’ve done ok, but… seriously……NEVER AGAIN!

 

Emmett, my helper…

I can’t believe I forgot my camera today.  I had to work a few hours at the Opera house.  I needed to set up the makeup station for the ballet’s up coming Sleeping Beauty.  I brought Emmett with me to help.  He was AMAZING!  He helped me paint two bald pates (and did a really great job! There is a way to smack the makeup on the latex and a way to blend and he watched me and then did it almost identically).   He also helped me organize makeup and sponges, sharpened all the eyeliner pencils, put up wig clamps on the counters like a pro, and watched the stage crew put the set together on the monitor.  Then when we were done, we went up to see the stage.  He was so happy and I couldn’t stop thinking about what an awesome experience it is for a kid to be in this creative environment!  It is also nice to spend one on one time with him.  We were so lucky that Elisabeth was able to take Silas at the last minute.  Silas is NOT a good helper.  Not yet anyways!

A Day on Whidbey Island…

Many of you know that lately I have been a single mama.  Wes has had three amazing opportunities to sing in Europe and they happened to be clumped together over 5 months.  He left at the end of September and won’t be home until March 4th!  We thought about visiting him at some point…but… the thought of flying with two young kids…honestly…freaked me out a little.  So, we thought instead of that… we would save the money and take an awesome vacation as a family this spring.

It has been hard at times, but mostly ok.  Basically, I have been trying to keep busy and distracted.

After a long haul of Opera and Ballet makeup work this past fall and winter, I needed some time off.  So, I skipped out on Rigoletto.  I miss the opera terribly, but it has been pretty awesome hanging out with the kids and not having to rush off to work.  I will be back at it starting with Sleeping Beauty for PNB and almost immediately after, on to the next opera.  I feel like if I record our adventures here, it will help me get through the next month and a half.

Here are some pictures from our spontaneous trip to Whidbey Island!  While everyone else was watching the Seahawks game, we went to Fort Casey and Ebey’s Landing.  Even on a cloudy misty day…it was beautiful!

Ebey’s Landing…

Thank you Sean (my brother) for the awesome new camera lens!

Last Day in Prague…

Today, was our last day in Prague.  I will keep this post simple.  Few words and mostly pictures!

I will miss this beautiful city.  I will not miss all the people!

Astronomical Clock in detail.

Emmett loved the skeleton!

The sky here today was so crazy!

 

I have more pictures, but WordPress has changed something in their image uploading and it won’t let me post pictures in the correct orientation. ANNOYING! 

 I will post the rest on Facebook!

 

Estates Theatre…

Yesterday, Emmett and I got to go to the theatre to watch Wes as Don Ottavio in his last dress rehearsal of Don Giovanni!  The Estates Theatre opened in 1783.  Mozart premiered Don Giovanni here in 1787.  A few days ago, we were strolling by the theatre and there was an American tour guide talking about the opera house.  She said it’s the oldest opera house in Europe and that the interior is made of wood.   

Don Giovanni is not a kids show and this particular production has some overtly sexual acts in it, so the staff were a little hesitant on letting a two-year old watch.  But, a really sweet girl from production who spoke english, got us our own box!  The theatre is very small, but very beautiful.  Emmett waited patiently for the show to start.  We stayed for the first 30 minutes.  Emmett had lots of questions.  “why is there smoke coming out?” “why is daddy sleeping?”  “when’s daddy gonna sing?”  I think it is pretty cool that Emmett’s first opera (at almost 3 years old) was Don Giovanni in the theatre Mozart premiered it in!

Wes was great!  I wish I could see the whole show, but I get very excited to think about all the other work he will do just in the next two years!  I am very proud and excited that I get to witness him at this point in his life and career.  And, also be a part of it!

For my Hair & Makeup and Costume people:  The look of this show is pretty cool.  The costumes were modern and well-tailored.  The Giovanni wig is sort of a mohawk 18th century style.  The colors are very grey with punches of red.  I think the make up is great and every one looked very cohesive.  The faces were a pasty white with no contour.  The men seem to have brushing under their eyes and the girls have this awesome stippled red on their upper cheekbone (which read very well from the house).  There was no hard edge eyeliner.  Everything was smokey.  The set I saw, was primarily white and stark (with a steam vent on the floor and one window that had black soot above it… as though it has burned).  So, you can imagine the contrast between environment and performers was striking. 

Narodni Divadlo (The National Theater) is Opera, Drama, and Ballet.  They use four theaters in town and everything is part on this one big company.  I have been admiring their posters and photography. 

 The environment there is a little different then at Seattle Opera… so we only saw Wes in costume back stage for about 5 minutes. I told him pictures were top priority and we found a stair case with decent light. I chose to make them black and white because the original color versions were not great. 

Emmett is very aware of makeup and wigs. He has seen people transformed and wigs on blocks since he was 4 months old. I actually had to wear him once in a front carrier to a rehearsal for the ballet. He was about 7 months old and he was asleep while I did my makeups… which was ideal. But, when he woke up there was a fully made up Olivier Wevers in Carabosse witch makeup (fake nose… black eyebrows…wig and costume). I thought for sure he would cry. Olivier, in the sweetest voice, gently said “hello”.  Emmett was fine.  When Wes appeared in his Don Ottavio look, I think Emmett and I were both surprised.  Not that he looks particularly crazy, but usually companies just go with Wes’s natural look (stubble, side burns and all) even for period shows.  After we left Wes and headed for the house to get a seat… Emmett said ” daddy looks different”.

We have one day left!

The Charles Bridge…

The Charles Bridge is a really interesting walk.  I heard a tour guide say it was the oldest bridge in Europe (completed in 1402) AND someone told me that it’s foundation was made partially of chicken eggs!  It’s usually swarming with tourists, artists, craftsman, and musicians.  Maybe you saw the video I posted on Facebook.  For a while, I was avoiding it, but now that I have mastered maneuvering the stroller in crowded places… we have taken it the last few days.  There is always something to see.  I really love the statues (there are 30) that line each side of the bridge.  Some of these photos Wes already posted on FB… so there are some reruns.

Emmett thinks those are helicopters on their heads.

I have posted a picture of him already, but this day… the sky was different!

We take the first street to the left after the bridge to go to Kampa Park.  On our way there, we walk past the Lennon Wall.  Emmett was a good model that day!

This picture reminds me of Eddie Vedder.  Maybe it’s the shorts and the movement.

If you are curious, this handle is part of a water pump.  There are many of these around the city and Emmett likes to play with them. 

We love peace!

We walk past some sculptures on our way to the playground.  This is one of three giant babies with no face.  They are creepy and cute.

It’s an army.  An army of Segways.  You have to watch out becuase they come out of nowhere and suddenly you are surrounded.  Yes… you can take a segway tour of Prague.  I am just a little too cool to try it.

Dino Park, Childrens Art Museum, and Kids Day…

I have been a little slow at posting.  We have been doing a lot and I am always so tired at the end of the day.  Right now poor Emmett has a cold and I think maybe a fever.  He got up at 8am, but went back to sleep around 10:15 and now it’s noon… he is still asleep!  So, we will have an easy chill day…  it’s raining anyways.  Maybe we will go to the Bagel shop later, just to get out.

ANYWAYS… DINO PARK!!!!  Prague has it all!  I have to find things to keep Emmett entertained and he has been seeing these posters around town for “Dino Park.”   So, a few days ago, I got out my map and found our subway route to the mall that hosts the roof top dinosaur park!  I had read about this place on the Kids in Prague website and they said it’s pretty cool.  It was pretty cool!  I think it was WAY better than the dino exhibit Woodland Park Zoo had last year too!  Emmett seemed to be the right age for it.  The dinosaurs looked pretty good, were very big, and the sounds were great!  However, sometimes the dinosaurs would stop… like the wiring is off.  Emmett would say “I think that one is broken.”  It was entertaining for me! 

Waiting for the first subway train!  It was a longer trip then we normally take.  We were there in 30 minutes.

As we exited the metro station, we could see the entrance to the mall.  What an epic invitation to dinosaur heaven! 

Doesn’t it seem like the T-Rex duo are laughing at an inside joke?  Or maybe they’re laughing at me. 

So… the helicopter crash site… I didn’t really understand.  Emmett kept asking “Are the dinosaurs eating the helicopter? Why are the dinosaurs eating the helicopter?” And my only response was, “I have no idea.” 

I think that Emmett was not very impressed with this ride.

I think evolution is totally fascinating!  This, however,  is an odd illustration of human evolution.  “Vrchol Evoluce?” translated, says “peak evolution?”   Gee… I hope not.  It looks like this guy is wearing girls undies. Why are humans in a dinosaur park anyways? 

Outside or the park gate were these amazing sculptures that you can make music on.  I thought this was very cool and creative!

CHILDREN’S ART MUSEUM:  This place sits at the bottom of the Kafka house right in the Old Town Square.  We went there last week.  It was really small, but kids can play and manipulate the art installations!   

The theme for May was recycling and we got to make butterflies out of water bottles!  It was cool because the wall had all of these bottle caps fixed to it and when your butterfly was finished, you just picked your spot and screwed it on!  We might have to make these at home! 

Anyone with kids might be into this project… I got a picture of the instructions!   

KIDS DAY in PRAGUE!!!

June first is Kids Day in Prague and many of the parks we go to had little mini festivals, clowns, crafts, and other activities.  Emmett was a little young and it was really geared for Czech families.  Not a lot of english speaking, but we got to try some stuff.  The best was when Emmett got to ride a bike in this mini bicycle “park” with ramps and cones!  It was cute… he did pretty good.  I guess it’s time to move up from the tricycle!

 

Vysehrad…

This is one of two amazing mosaics that sit above the doors of the cathedral.

 

Before we got on the subway, we made it to the Astronomical Clock to watch the “show.”  Emmett loves this and I try to get him there to see it as often as we can… even if it means going out of our way to the Old Town Square.  For those of you who don’t know, every hour the clock puts on a performance… starting with a very cool skeleton ringing the bell, then the 12 apostles march by two little doors, the rooster crows and a horn player trumpets from the top of the tower (which we can hear sometimes, if the wind is right, at our apartment).  It’s silly, fun, and always attracts about a million people!

 

Anyways… The fortress of Vysehrad is about a 10 minute subway ride south of where we are.  It sits high up on a bluff overlooking the river and the northwestern part of Prague.  It is a beautiful park with a very impressive cemetery (where many famous Czechs are buried), a neo gothic church, and within the walls are tunnels which house some of the original Charles Bridge statues.  Tours happen every hour and we missed our chance.  Maybe we will head back before our trip is over.

So, this is one of four rotunda church’s in Prague.  I posted a picture of another one (that is only a couple blocks from our place).  They are from around 1100 AD.  I think they are cute! 

Here, I asked Emmett to give me a cheesy smile.  You can see the view north.  If you look closely, the Prague castle is way out there.

This is the top of someone’s awesome headstone/monument.  Sorry… I am not a very good tourist… I don’t know who it was.  I am all about photos. 

 

It was time for lunch and I asked Emmett what he wanted to eat.  He said “Lets try this place… maybe it’s good.”  It was a super posh modern Italian joint and it wasn’t cheap either.  I was thinking more like hot dogs and french fries.  But, it was a good decision because about 10 minutes after we sat down, a rain storm came!

We shared Tuscan Rice with Chicken.  It was ok.  Honestly, it kinda reminded me of Rice-O-Roni.  I am not sure I would have plated it this way either.  But, the waiter was super nice and we got to sit and enjoy the rain storm from under the canopy… so I can’t really complain!

Emmett trying desperately to move the well’s wheel.  He was about 3 inches too short.

Wallenstein Palace Gardens…

Today, Emmett and I walked over the river to the Wallenstein Palace (built in the 1630’s, was in the Wallenstein family till 1945, and now is where the Czech senate is housed).  The garden is open to the public, but don’t walk on the grass!  We learned that the hard way.  I often see signs in Prague that say “don’t walk on the grass”… and to those signs I say,  “Then why have grass? Why spend the time edging, mowing, and fertilizing?”  Thats okay… we find plenty of grass to run in here! 

The gardens were really beautiful and quiet, even with a ton of tourists.  Don’t be fooled by my cleverly cropped photos… there are literally hundreds of people everywhere we go… it seems like anyways.  We enjoyed watching the fish in the pond and following the peacocks!

Below is a picture of what I think is some sort of monument incorporated into the building and walls.  I know nothing of it and should have read about it when we were there.  I can’t find anything online.  It was huge and this is only about 1/8 of it.   Maybe it’s natural… I don’t know… but it’s cool!

On our way back into Old Town we walked by Occupy Praha.  A small peaceful crowd sitting in a circle… with a ridiculous group of cops watching over them.  Maybe there was more to the story here, but it looked dumb.  These cops should go get some schnitzel or something.

Eventually, we made it to the Old Town Square. 

This guy was delicately carving wooden molds for gingerbread dough.  We bought some really beautiful ornaments from him.  I thought they would be cool on a christmas tree.

I found this new alley on our way back to the apartment.  Todays weather was so nice and perfect for photos.  Everything seemed to glow!

Yesterday, was farmers market day!

We came home with some lettuce, spinach, radishes, apples, carrots, onions, tomatoes, clarified honey (?), 20 eggs, some pastries, and fresh pasta!