In August, we headed to Canandaigua, New York, the west-most Finglerlake, renting out a cottage near the lake for our first (near) week-long getaway. It was an event to be spending doing (or not doing), so rather than keeping a detailed journal, here are vacation highlights (and recommendations):

8/4 Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion: Mansion turned state park is great to explore, inside and out. Take a short morning or afternoon.

8/4 The Waterfront Grille (130 Lakeshore Dr.): Get served a plate of spaghetti bigger than your head, and watch the rain come in over the lake! Quick, inside!

8/5 Captain Gray’s, Boat Tour (2 City Pier): An affordable, down-to-earth version of the larger boat rides, complete with on-deck, lawn-chair seating. One hour is plenty!

8/6 Captain Yogi’s Fish Shanty (4520 Rt-364): Fried, fried, mmmm, fried.

8/6 Long Acre Farms (1342 Eddy Road in Macedon): An experience similar to a more intimate version of Patterson Farms. Do not miss the jumping pillow.

Come back later, and we might have time to add a vacation movie. In the meantime, see August 2009 for more photos or watch the slideshow.

Today, we begin mourning the passing of our niece Kathryn Cobbledick, daughter of Tom (Sheryls’ brother) and Lori, and brother to Dylan. She died in her sleep early this morning, after battling valiantly with cancer for many years, ever since a brain tumor was discovered when she was five years old.

After being in remission for quite some time, inoperable tumors returned this past year. She was at home with her family when she died.

The above photo was taken of Kathryn at our wedding in 2004.

More Information

• Kathryn’s Guestbook at the funeral home website

From Kathryn’s mother Lori:

Kathryn passed away this morning in her sleep. We feel very blessed that we were given eight more years with her. Nearly 14 years of joy. The last time we were in the hammock together, Kathryn said that fluffy clouds are messages from Heaven. This made her smile, and I hope it does you too.

As per Kathryn’s wishes, she will be cremated and her ashes will be buried in Kent, Ohio, next to her grandmother. We request that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Flashes of Hope, an organization that provides free photographic portraits of children who are going through treatment and their families (3365 Richmond Rd., Suite 238B, Beachwood, OH, 44122) or to the Marblehead Peninsula Library Committee.

In May, the Banks Family went on two train-filled activities, the first at Lake Metroparks Farm Park for their annual “Railroads in the Parks,” as well as the miniature steam-powered engines that you can ride through the woods at nearby Penitentiary Glen Reservation. At Lake Farm Park, various gauges of model trains were on display in the main building, but we still had time for David’s first pony ride.

Two weeks later, we couldn’t miss “Day Out with Thomas” at the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. David had a spring cold and touch of fever that weekend, but enjoyed it nonetheless, a big fan of Thomas and friends (lately, Hank is his engine du jour). Sheryl and I thought the event was a little too commercial, and we’d probably prefer to ride the train here when Thomas is away.

Note to parents: Tickets are for the train ride; you can simply bask in the commercial glow of Thomas merchandise and other activities for free. On board the train, most of the kids we saw were impatient with looking out the window and at each other after about 10 minutes — an experience like being trapped in a large car with a huge family. Maybe the Polar Express event is more interesting.

View all photos from May 2009 in our media gallery.

Featured Videos

1. Sometime this month, we pulled out all the wheeled toys out of the garage, drew train tracks on the driveway with chalk, and played Thomas outdoors. As always, there was trouble on the tracks. Luckily, no one was hurt. Quickly edited by Daddy, with a nudge and wink for the background soundtrack.
2. This is followed by the video of Thomas the Tank Engine pulling in. You get to see David smile, but that’s about as exciting as it gets. No strollers allowed on board, thank you.

Trouble on the Tracks

Day Out with Thomas

Sorry it’s been a while since we’ve last been here to post. You’ll see the date stamp as the day after David’s birthday, but it’s actually spring as I write this, if you can believe the weather. Being a family is more enjoyable than writing about it, so that’s always our excuse.

Thanks to everyone who made it over for David’s birthday party. This year was a smaller gathering with only family and next door neighbors, thank goodness. Parties are still a little overwhelming, as you’ll see from the video. David even requested that we NOT sing the Birthday Song, but Daddy wasn’t fully listening, evidently.

After a great day at the orchestra last Sunday with David and Aunt Susie (”Chillin’ Cello,” the last installment of the Cleveland Orchestra’s Musical Rainbows series), which David really enjoyed, the Banks Family is now looking forward to seeing Thomas the Train via the “Day Out with Thomas Series” in the upcoming weeks.

See photos from February 2009.

Hey, we always want to hear from you!  Write a comment below or send us an email through this site.

Happy Birthday, David!

An alternate photo for the Banks Family Holiday Card. 

We certainly appreciate all the Christmas cards we received from family and friends. As David turns three in February, we’ve felt more able to keep in contact with everyone, including those who live outside our city limits!

As Sheryl would agree, we realize every day how raising David is the most monumental event ever to happen in our lives, second only to getting married. For me, personally, I now more fully understand parents when they talk about the difference between Before Children and After. It’s the conversations with other parents, for example, at get-togethers at friends’ houses where we talk about, well, parenthood, that we gravitate to the quickest, and for good reason! And the impact of any story in the news where a child has been hurt, abused or neglected is felt personally.

Things to look forward to in 2009:

• A lovely night out for Valentine’s day
• David’s birthday
• Annual Banks Family vacation
• Aunt Linda’s speedy recovery from her surgery
• Continued good health of our friends and family
• Contact from you, after you read our site!

David caught the flu the night before Halloween Trick-or-Treat night this year, so we saved dress-up for neighbor Karen’s annual Halloween party.We went as the Zombie Family a.k.a. the Unregistered Voter Family. Scary, huh?

View more photos in the Banks Media Photo Gallery for October.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Jon!

Halloween Cookies

Happy Birthday, Aunt Susie!

• Go to “Meet the Trucks” event in Lakewood
• Attend at least one outdoor music festival
• Visit the beach on the lake
• Go to a Cleveland Indians baseball game
• Take family and friends to Memphis Kiddie Park
• Go on vacation
• Visit the emergency room *

* David is allergic to pine nuts! And, as we discovered after a trip to an allergist, apparently he’s allergic to nothing else! We can relay more details in person on this event, if prompted for more info.

See photo highlights in our Photo Gallery for July and August. A few selections below: 

1. Sheryl and I have been giving David all sorts of advice to help with potty training (especially with improving one’s aim) and with manners in general. Who knew that this advice might come back at us later out of context?

• One morning, David and Daddy were eating breakfast at the table, and David audibly passed gas.
• Daddy asked him, “Now David, what do you say?”
• To which David replied, “I use my penis like a hose!”

2. At bath time one evening, Daddy shaped David’s shampooed hair into a big unicorn-like horn and said, “Look, David, you have a horn!” David looked into the bathtub mirror, touched the “horn” repeatedly and exclaimed with a grin, “Beep beeeep!”

3. Evidently in response to what everyone who’s ever changed David’s diapers on a regular basis has asked, David attempted to pull down Mommy’s pants one morning and then asked, “Momma, do you have poop in there?”

4. Snack time conversation:

• Daddy: “David, would you like a cup of crackers?
• David: “Nooo.”
• Daddy: “OK, how about a cup of chips?”
• David: “Noooo.”
• Daddy: “OK, how about a cup of frogs?”
• David: “No, Dadda, I don’t like frogs. They’re dirty.”

5. Dinner time conversation, all three of us in the kitchen:

• Mommy: “OK, it’s time to eat, David!”
• Daddy (playing a joke on punctuation): “It’s time to eat David?”
• David: “No, Dadda, don’t eat me. I’m not food.”

Although David’s received plenty of trims at home, it was time for a new style — a.k.a. the official haircut outside Chez Banks — and why not at the affordable and hip Fast Eddy’s Chop Shop in Coventry?

As you can see via these cellphone photos, we’ll be recommending his stylist, named Rockie (apparently working her way towards/through medical school), who carefully cropped the locks. David may seem a little distraught in one of the photos (more from hair in the eyes), but he was quite content to sit in Sheryl’s lap and watch Rockie work.

David loved the small chopper motorcycle propped in the middle of the salon (we would have included the photo of David riding it, but he was too excited to sit still), while Joe enjoyed nostalgia via the music paraphernalia adorning the walls, including old Alternative Press magazine posters. Which felt uncanny, since Joe started working at the magazine way back when it was located right around the corner on Mayfield Road.

Afterwards, the Banks Family had lunch at Tommy’s, stopped off at the “beeeg playground” at Coventry P.E.A.C.E. Park, and then went for a nice walk home on this beautiful Cleveland day.

• View all the photos by selecting any of the above or go straight to the First Haircut page in the Banks Family Media Gallery or see more in the July Gallery.

Speaking of motorcycles, before godparents Lisa and Frank joined us for an evening in the Banks Backyard, a shiny Honda Shadow (not pictured here) parked on the street in front of our house. Daddy suggested to pass the time (and since this was a no-nap day) that he and David go relax on the tree lawn and take a look.

After a quick talk about internal combustion (”little explosions in engine go boom-boom-bo-boom to make it go”), David was so fascinated, he sat there for over an hour, talking with Daddy, then Mommy (we took shifts) about how he would ride it. He loves to go into detail about any vehicle he’s seen recently (cars, trucks, diggers, rollers) how he will sit in the front seat and Momma in the back seat, and he’ll “put the key in.” Now a motorcycle is part of this repertoire. (A note to those concerned: No motorcycle riding until he’s 75!)

Lakewood Park holds an annual event where various city vehicles are parked in the lot and children can climb aboard and talk to the people who drive them. As soon as Aunt Susie told us about it, we knew we had Saturday morning plans. The lines were longest for David’s favorite, “A DIGGER!” But fortunately, Susie and family friend Laurie held our place in line — to be able to sit in the front seat — while David dashed around, climbed on the tires, sat in the shovel, inspecting it with quiet amazement.

See more photos from “Meet the Trucks” in the June 2008 gallery. We also visited a fire truck (seen above), Cushman scooter, garbage truck, ambulance, dump truck, and saw many more.

But Wait, There’s More!

With the help of new Cleveland resident Uncle Jon, Daddy put the final touches on David’s new and improved sandbox during the last of May. But the story gets better when the three of us drove off in search of new sand. We stopped briefly at a local rental and repair place that Joe frequents, and when Jon stepped back out of the store indicating they didn’t have any sand, we thought we were off to the next possible stop.

But David spied the back lot, filled with Bobcat-sized diggers, mini-loaders and other rentals, and insisted we get out of the car. Absolutely! David’s smile went from ear to ear, as he gazed upon and touched the various equipment. However, the owner of the store saw the look on David’s face, and insisted he get on the digger. I’m not sure who was more gleeful, David sitting in the seat, or Jon and Daddy watching him.

But then, the owner went one step further and said, “Well, I guess we’ll just have to turn the key on!” Holy moley! “Just move this lever here, which will move the arm up and down, and make sure you don’t touch the other one, which will move it from side to side. And don’t worry, he can’t hurt it any more than any of my customers.”

View the movie below, captured on Daddy’s cell phone, for actual footage of the event. Don’t worry, that’s Uncle Jon, partially hidden by the digger, standing next to David and watching carefully.

With a wink in his eye, Jon asked how much a daily rental would cost, say, for a birthday party. Upon hearing the reply, Jon remarked, “That has to be better than a clown!”

Also see below, the previously promised video of David dancing, near the stage at a recent Hessler Street Fair in University Circle. The boy’s got some rhythm!

Ride the Digger

David Dances at Hessler Street Fair