Sledding Adventures Part 2

Sledding Adventures

I went sledding for the first time!

Mommy, Daddy and Uncle Mike took me. That's Daddy with the red hat, and Uncle Mike has the zebra parka. That's me with the sled!

It was a little cold. "This much cold!"

Whee! Whoa!!! Whee!!!!!!

That's a really big hill!

I'm ready for my hot chocolate now!

Nearly Time

Home stretch on the moving process.  Mom-in-law arrives tonight to take Malcolm duty.  She'll be flying up to NY with him Friday morning, so he won't have to sit thru the drive to NY.  That's way too long in a carseat for a 2.5 year old, yes?  We'll be leaving here with the Uhaul, car and dogs on Saturday morning, and arriving into Rochester in mid-to-late afternoon (depending on how far we get the first day of driving.)

Packing is nearly complete.  The bare essentials will go to the apartment with us (email me for apartment address, if you like).  The rest goes into storage at my in-laws in Buffalo, where it will stay until we buy a house (hopefully this fall).  We'll have a week to settle in, then I start my new job on the 8th of June.

Happy Adventuring, David!

My brother-in-law, David, began a tremendous adventure last Wednesday.  He will spend the next several months hiking the Appalachian Trail. 

 It starts here in Georgia, and stretches all the way to Maine.  He has until October 15th to reach the northern end, as parts of the trail close around then for early snows.

Hikers carry a pack with everything they'll need for the journey, such as:  tent, sleeping bag, water purification system, fishing line, some food (he'll get more along the way), etc.  At the trail office, hikers sign in before they begin their journey, and include their pack weight.  The other names we saw in the book had pack weights ranging from 48 to 34 pounds.  David's pack weighed only 26 pounds, and that with "more food than I really need to carry," according to David.  When I saw the other pack weights in the book, I started to worry.  But the reaction of the lady who keeps the book led me to believe that David's pack was brilliant -- the others, quite oversized!

It is tradition among many hikers to collect a small pebble at the start of the trail, and carry it with them all along their travels, and place it at the other end.  Here is David's rock:

Our thoughts are with you, David!

We hope you will enjoy every moment of this amazing experience!

Moving Date, and All That Jazz

A few more details, nailed down . . . We'll be moving back up to Rochester the weekend of May 30th.  My official start date will be June 8th, so that gives me a week to help us settle in.  Of course, where we'll be settling into is still unknown . . . .

Happily, I will still be able to join my family for our reunion in late June, despite the new job.  So double hooray!  More soon!

Atlanta Botanical Gardens

So a few weeks ago, we took Malcolm to the Botanical Gardens for the first time.  (This grand adventure we shared with our friends Nate & Ange, who'd probably tar and feather me if I put their pictures up here.)  The Gardens were amazing, and far more than anyone could see in a single trip (let alone with a toddler!), so we promptly upgraded our daily pass to a yearly membership.  Now we go back nearly every weekend!

Mostly, we spend our time in the Children's Garden, a huge area where kids can touch absolutely everything, including all the plants!  They even invite the kids to crush the herbs in their fingers to enjoy the scent.  Plus, there are slides (pictured above) and other fun things to climb and explore.  Below, you see Malcolm checking out the bridge over one of the streams in the giant greenhouse.  Not long after this picture was taken, Malcolm decided to send Elly Bean (the stuffed dog) through the peek hole, for a swim in the stream.  Some super fast parent-reflexes saved the dog a dunking!

While at the gardens, Malcolm learned the words "flower," "plant," "tree," "bridge," and "slide."  "Slide," by the way is pronounced "SLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!" as you slide down the apparatus in question.

I know we'll be going back soon.  The only question is:  Will you come with us?

Chattanooga Aquarium

A couple weeks ago, we enjoyed the wonderful opportunity to meet up with some friends at the Chattanooga Aquarium.

There, Malcolm explored many amazing things  . . . .  like flowers . . . . 

 . . .  and butterflies!

(but he showed no interest in the fish.  Go figure.)

We shared lots of giggles and hugs, and rediscovered the world around us through the wonderment in our child's eyes.

Want to know what the best part was?  So do I!  But Malcolm and Dada insist that it's a secret!

Mad Scientist Monday

As you may know, I spent the summer volunteering at a summer program for kids (age 6-12) down in College Park, GA.  This is one of the most under-served communities in all of Atlanta.  The kids are amazing, and I miss spending my days with them, now that they've started back to school.

A few weeks ago, just before the summer program ended, Matthew came to join us for the day, along with a bag full of science supplies (much thanks to Matthew's boss, Dr. Ford, for the generous supplies!)

The kids loved having "Dr. Matthew" visit, and share some fun science experiments.

We explored various sensory related experiments, measuring nerve cell density (shown here), light and color, and the mixing of various powders (flour, corn starch, baking soda, powdered sugar) with various liquids (water, mineral oil, and vinegar).

As I am sure you can imagine, mixing the vinegar and baking soda together quickly became everyone's favorite experiment.

Thank you, Dr. Matthew!

Malcolm Pictures 12-18 Months (3 of 3) -- Grand Adventures

With Malcolm's new growing skills, and social curiosity, we began taking him on a lot more Malcolm-focused adventures.  Like trips to the playground, petting zoo, and festivals (complete with costumes!)