In Arch We Trust


Sometimes I underestimate my child. I forget that in eighteen-months Hal and I have been blessed with a very easy, mild-mannered, low-maintenance little dude. Archer sleeps through the night, twelve hours like clockwork and seldom has temper tantrum, happily goes down for a three-hour nap every afternoon, puts up with my health food like a champion and kisses me on the eyeball every eighteen minutes.

He also looks exactly like Paddington Bear in his Pea Coat. But cuter.

... And so I have to take a minute to salute his trooperdom with this delicious batch of Boulder-photos.

I'm not looking at the camera, Mom.
Archer loved the airplane. He laughed during take-off and flirted with the cute girls in the isle over. He chomped Pirates Bootie and crackers and played with the air-conditioner and we read the AA Emergency pamphlet over and over (and over). During landing, he stared curiously out the window and shrieked in delight when we hit the runway with a jolt.


I was so thrilled with his ability to travel I nearly burst into tears for I have fantasized in secret to one day afford to travel the world with the child(ren), living out of suitcases and hotel rooms and various haunted mansions, crashing with friends and strangers-- Pensions and fancy-shmancy hotels and Winebaggos (Oh My!)...

Don't step on the crack or I'll break my Momma's back and she will cry.

I've always thought "putting down roots" was overrated. I have no desire to own a house or a car or expectations. I don't want to grow out of the constant need for adventure and spontaneity and curiosity and the itch to get up and go somewhere. See something. Mingle with strangers in strange lands. Get lost and struggle to find the way, speak in code/learn the languages of distant and obscure lands. And now I know that Archer's up for it. My darling little Paddington Bear, who sat happily on busses and trains and fell face-first in the snow (we went to Rocky Mountain Park to hang out with snow. And yes, I was happy.)

Tolstoy, eat your heart out.

On our flight back to L.A, Archer slept the entire time. The only casualty was my arm, which also fell asleep and didn't wake up until we reached Baggage Claim A. Hardly worth complaining about, though.


And so I continue to fantasize about my further adventures, traveling the world with a passport and no agenda, some cash and a very little, very curious, sleeps-with-his-butt-in-the-air, very airplane-saavy little fishy-fins.

zzzzzzzzzzzz. plth. zzzzzzzzzzzz. fin.

The boy is magic ...And nothing's gonna stop us now.

GGC

22 comments:

Awesome Mom | 9:12 PM

What a cutie! You sure did luck out with such a great traveling buddy. I have not yet been brave enough to take my kiddos flying, car trips are bad enough.

crazyladybugg | 10:18 PM

yeah, the first one is easy... it's the next one that will probably give you a bit of a fuss. hee!

Anonymous | 10:50 PM

BRILLIANT!!! if only....

motherbumper | 5:55 AM

beautiful.... I have the same type of gypsy dreams... sigh

You and Archer are such a class(ic) act.

Wendy | 7:47 AM

Glad to hear that everything went smoothly. Hope he continues to be a good traveling buddy.

And that boy of yours is too cute, especially in that little coat.

Anonymous | 8:35 AM

He's darling. And I'm glad that the trip went even better than expected.

I've got the wanderlust too, but instead of a born traveler like Archer, I've got two high-maintenance prissy-pantses. Send postcards, okay?

Anonymous | 8:52 AM

Yea! Glad it went well. Now Bon Voyage!

p.s. that coat rules

Blog Antagonist | 9:23 AM

Oh my goodness, those photos are priceless. They could be in a calendar or a baby fashion magazine. Adorable!

My first child was much like you describe Archer to be. Kids like that are truly a gift.

Crunchy Carpets | 9:34 AM

What a wonderful little man you have their...

Those are fantastic photos!

Anonymous | 12:25 PM

thank you for this special gift. i sigh each time i spy new arch pix. just aching to be with you all. ecg

foodiemama | 12:33 PM

too cute! glad the plane ride was easy...that gives me hope. now lets get archer and my broken boy together asap, hehe.

Anonymous | 3:34 PM

Did he ride the pink pig outside the Paper Doll on Pearl St? Or climb the rocks in the play area? Ah, Boulder. Until recently, we lived in Boulder. Zoe loved the rocks, but screamed bloody murder whenever we tried to put her on the pig.

Jill | 4:58 PM

I love that you bought him a pea coat even though he probably won't get many chances to wear it. That's some cute sailor you got there.

Christina | 5:53 PM

What a cutie! Glad the vacation went well - I could only wish Cordy would travel that well.

But they both sleep with their butts in the air. It's adorable, isn't it?

the mad momma | 9:03 PM

hah! the day mine gives me an easy flight will be the day i die happy... he drives me and the other passengers and the crew nuts because he will not sit still. and whats more ... even a one hour car drive is a nightmare.

Jonathon Morgan | 7:21 AM

You've totally given me hope. We're travelling with Little-E for the first time this Christmas, and all I'd heard were horror stories about planes, etc.

I've now decided it'll be fun.

Anonymous | 9:27 AM

That's awesome! You're so lucky. I would have described Chance as mellow, too, but our first trip on a plane went not-so-well (which is why I gave you no advice).

Anonymous | 12:16 PM

I'm so glad it went well! Traveling with a toddler is a challenge, but when I visited my sister in the Bay area when Gabe was about Archer's age now, the trouble was more in the amount of luggage we had than any problem with him.

And I'm glad you got to play in the snow.

I'm convinced our kids are so dang cute in their earliest years as an evolutionary tactic for continuing the species. Because that picture of Archer with his butt in the air? Makes me want another one. Bad. Gabe used to sleep like that. Now, he spreads out, elbows akimbo while he kicks us and takes over the bed after a nightmare.

MrsFortune | 6:35 PM

Goooooooooooooooooooooood. he is just way incredibly too precious and beautiful for words, I can't even ... I'm kvelling ... I swear if I ever meet him on the street I will run up to him and snuggle the hell out of him and he'll be like who the fuck is this crazy bitch, because he'll be like 18 but it won't bother me.

Anonymous | 8:31 AM

That is some magic alright. What a adorable little dood.

Kristen | 9:04 AM

My god. That kid is an angel. How AWESOME that he travels so well. Damn!

Okay, and the Paddington Bear look is too much. I want to eat him up.

Anonymous | 5:27 PM

Pure cuteness, miss you guys.