Nashville

We went to a graduation party later Friday night after the graduation.  We had fun and got to meet a few of the other grads and their families.  I also encountered the most devilish evil cake ever baked.  It had 2 layers the top was normal white cake.  The bottom was all fudge.  Thick evil mocking fudge.  I had eaten a large dinner so I just took one thin slice.  After 2 bites the cake started to mock me.  It was too much for me.  It took me out in an alley and beat me with a sock full of nickels.  I went from hungry to deliriously full in two bites.  I have never experienced anything like that before.  That cake was pure evil.  Hopefully no one had to take it home because I'm fairly certain it would have suffocated them in their sleep.  Pat, Dan, and Cherilyn all had trouble with the cake too.
The next day we walked around downtown Nashville.  It seems like a fun place.  We even got to eat at Jack's BBQ.  It was very good, even Sydney enjoyed it.  Great-Grandma got a picture of Sydney reaching for my brisket.  Besides the food the main attraction at Jack's was the picture of the Jedi Master playing pool.

We hung out with Dan in the afternoon, but he needed to pack up in order to move out so we said our goodbyes.  Then we headed over to the Grand Ole Opry Resort.  It is a very cool place.  The area inside has a river with an island in the middle.  We went to eat on the island and watched a fountain show while we were there.  The next morning we flew out once again.  Sydney was a champion traveler as before.  We had a great time in Nashville with everyone, and are looking forward to another trip to Seattle next weekend to visit Nate.

Fat Rolls or Rippling Muscles?  Who can tell?

The Happy Traveler

Opry Fountain from Cherilyn Wicks on Vimeo.

Uncle Dan Graduates

Dan graduated last weekend.  It's been awhile but here is the post.  It was Sydney's first time on an airplane.  There and back we had 4 takeoffs, and Sydney slept through each and every one of them.  She was a better traveler than both Cherilyn and myself.  I was feeling lightheaded on our last leg and Cherilyn wasn't feeling well either.  But Sydney just slept through the whole flight and was happy as a clam when we landed. 
We had a lot of fun in Nashville seeing Dan.  Unfortunately Nashville drivers apparently never go to driver's ed, and instead are thrown behind the wheel as infants and expected to drive.  They don't look when they turn out into oncoming traffic, just assuming it's a 50/50 chance.  Either there is a car there or there's not.  Also turn signals must be outlawed because no one uses them.  I was turning left and yielding to oncoming traffic when the oncoming car just stopped.  Apparently he was turning left as well but didn't signal and looked annoyed for me being in his line of sight.  The interstate was 5 lanes wide, but traffic never seemed busy enough to merit the extra lanes.  I figured out the extra room is for people swerving to avoid other drivers.  The best driving moment was when I was passing a Farmer's Insurance car and they started to drift into my lane.  I quickly slowed down to avoid them and they entered my lane as if nothing happened.  I repeat an insurance car almost hit me while changing lanes without a signal.  Awesome.
Moving on from the spectacular traffic.  Dan graduated on Friday from Vanderbilt.  The ceremony was outside under a tent.  It was pretty rainy weather all weekend, but for most of the ceremony it was clear.  The keynote speaker at the graduation compared the law students to newly emerged cicadas.  Awakening from years underground, which was the library.  His comparison went awry at the stage of the life cycle when the cicadas go into a mating frenzy.  It was a very good speech.  After the ceremony we went over to the law building for champagne and strawberries.  Unfortunately there were only stairs at the entrance.  We had Sydney in the stroller and we didn't want to wake her up so I carried her down the stairs in the stroller.  We made it all the way down but at the bottom it must have been slippery because my foot went out from under me.  I tried setting down the stroller as I fell, but it started to tip.  Sydney slid off the back of the stroller.  As I was on the ground I saw her sliding down and I caught her right as she was falling out.  It was a very close call.  My hands were shaking for about an hour from the adrenaline.  Luckily Sydney was fine and I didn't get hurt either.  We all enjoyed some champagne and then headed back for a nap.

It's so Exciting!

I didn't notice them until the speech, but the cicadas were everywhere.

One of the more absurd outfits I've ever seen.  A coat with slits cut out of the back.

Too much excitement for Sydney

Congratulations Uncle Dan!

Champagne anyone?

Playing with Great-Grandma

Flip Ya For Real

This isn't the very first flip but it is in the first 10. Sorry Aunt Chris I missed it, and therefore I am full of shamey shame-filled shamey wameyness.

Flipper from Cherilyn Wicks on Vimeo.

She's Gonna Be a ______Ball Player

One of Sydney's favorite things is to play with the ball under the sea.  She's even gotten strong enough to rip it off the velcro that holds it up.  This video shows her playing with it.  She was much more exuberant in a previous video but the TV was loud and annoying.

Ball Player from Cherilyn Wicks on Vimeo.

Odin Vs. Tummy Time

Odin has gotten Jealous recently of Sydney.  Nathan stopped by to visit the other day, and usually Odin loves Nathan because he gets to roughhouse.  This time though it wasn't enough roughhousing and Odin got pretty jealous as Nathan was holding Sydney.  Then in this video Odin desperately wants attention.



Odin is jealous of Tummy Time from Cherilyn Wicks on Vimeo.

Sydney Loves Bouncing

Loves The Bounce 1 from Cherilyn Wicks on Vimeo.

Loves the Bounce 2 from Cherilyn Wicks on Vimeo.

Mother's Day Fun

We forfeit our game again today, but the other team had enough people to cover us so that we could still play a game.  When we got home Cherilyn and Sydney ate some rice cereal.  Then they were having so much fun playing while I made dinner that I had to take a video.  Here is Mohma and Daughter.

Mother's Day Playtime from Cherilyn Wicks on Vimeo.