Adventurey day

The Chopper and I (and Sarah and Zhora) had an adventurey day today.  So, of course, Emmett had to start by fueling up!  Some pears and prunes to get the ole engine going, today.

He and Jonas and I then headed down to Johnson City to meet up with a guy about a boat.  I've had an eye out for a solo canoe for quite awhile now.  I missed out on a couple that I was eager for, but finally found this one down in PA.  The guy who was selling agreed to meet us half way.  I have this vision of camping with the family and some friends on the banks of a great Adirondack lake.  To be able to do that, at least one of us has to be able to carry gear.

It was great fun to tie the canoe onto the roof rack and go full Subaru.  Emmett and I just wish that it wasn't going to be so long til we can get out on the water.  Still, that gives him some time to learn to swim.

We hadn't been home too long when it was time to go back out on our next adventure.  The girls (Sarah, Zhora, and Eva) had been hanging out and making lasagna, and were eager to go hunt a Christmas tree.

We'd looked around at a bunch of different farms and settled on Moore's.  There is a barn and wreaths and cider and Santa, and lots and lots of trees.  No horse drawn sleigh or anything.  For the price we paid to bring a dead tree into our house, I think a sleigh ride wouldn't be to much to ask.  Still, we had a good time searching for the just right one.

The kid just loves being outside!  We're so lucky.

He definitely recognizes and is infatuated with Zhora at this point.  It's hard to get a picture of him with her around because he's always looking at her.  It's obvious that she's going to be his "big sister".



A successful hunt!

The tree is only about 6 ft tall, but it's pretty and should be fun to decorate.  We had a good time getting it.  It was fun to strap stuff to the car today, too.  Looking forward to a nice christmas season in the near future, and some awesome canoe camping in the spring/summer.

The girls went out to the Ice Festival and to see a movie.  The boys (plus Eva) went home and chilled.  It was wonderful.  Emmett and I ate and played and read lots of books.  He played with Jonas for awhile, too.  It was very sweet.  All in all, a good day.  We're looking forward to getting the tree up and to getting the canoe in the water.  The timing on those two events is gonna be a little different.

From vision to execution

Some people get the nursery ready before the baby is born.  Some of us just try to get it done before the baby is a teenager.

We talked about a lot of ideas.  A wall of trees?  Different ecosystems on different walls?  Night time to day time?  In the end, we decided to do mountains on one wall and green and blue on the others as a kind of abstract reference to nature.  With the mountains, too, we discussed how abstract they should be.  In the end, we thought it would be cool to paint a couple ranges that are meaningful to us.

It was so great to have Dad help out.  Having him be a part of this process was both emotionally and practically meaningful.

We got a lot done the weekend that Mom and Dad came up.

But there was a bit more to wrap up.

The 7 peaks on the left represent the Tetons.

The two on the right represent the Charleston Range.  The green hills up front are the ridge line that we live on, as viewed from the other side of the valley.   

Checking out the new crib from Zhora.  Sarah found the baby gym on Ikea's website.  

Putting those monkey toes to use.

The room is still a little cluttered, but then, so is the rest of the house.  It's coming together though.  I got a mobile hanger mostly complete and created a way to hang the globe lamp that Veneta got for us.  You can see those things in the left corner next to the bookshelf Mom H put together from the crates from Grandma Harrington's basement.  The bike trailer is folded up for the season in the right corner.  I painted the inside of the door with magnetic paint and covered that with chalkboard paint.  We're looking forward to playing with letter magnets and writing/drawing messages on the door for Emmett.

Our friends Emily and Nikoa (just realized I have no idea how to spell his name) gave us this beautiful train print and made the frame and mat for it.  The train was drawn by Emily's grand dad.  Shannon painted the David Bowie piece.

Thanks to everyone who helped by giving us stuff, taking stuff, moving stuff, fixing stuff, painting stuff, or suggesting what to do with stuff.

A few recent pics of us out and about

It's cool to see the world through Emmett's eyes.  We have a second chance to have beginners' minds.  What is he looking at?  What is he thinking?  What might he be learning?

Just a cute gardening outfit from the other weekend.

The weather turned cold, so we busted out a couple new clothing items, including the hat here and the snow suit below.  Hungry Caterpillar is one of his favorite toys right now.

These two guys were quite interested in each other.  It was a rather tender moment.  I've been missing riding quite a lot, lately.  Hopefully horsemanship will be a part of Emmett's life.

The snowsuit.  Out for a walk with Pat.

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At Home Depot.  Almost as thrilled as his Papa.

Bikes and flowers and markets and autumn leaves

On Sunday we woke up to a beautiful, crisp, sunny day and headed down to the market.  Sarah and Emmett and I have been impatient to get back on the Waterfront Trail and do some more exploring, so instead of parking at the market, we parked at the Children's Garden on the far side of Cayuga and road over the inlet and around to the Farmers Market.

We're really happy with the bike trailer.  Em. C. Harrington fits in their nicely inside his carseat and the seat snugs in tightly with the lap strap across it.  I'm surprised at how smooth the ride is.  The Dude was awake and looking around for some of the ride, which is super cute, and then he fell asleep in his chariot.

The market was busy, but we managed to get all the food we wanted anyway.

Cormorant on the lake.  Waiting for a fish to swim by.

Friends ride bikes together.

Boo had to head home at noon on Sunday, so we said goodbye to him in the parking lot, but we hadn't had enough bike riding yet.  Sarah says, "Let's go!"

These are some photos I took in the Children's Garden.

I like this one a lot.

On the way home, we had to stop and take a picture of our bucolic valley. 

Getting ready for the next season.

After a long, wonderful day, we're ready for bed.

Goodnight all

Emmet's first 100 days marked by a trip to the plantations and a wild hat

This weekend was an exciting one. Grandma Neta was in town and so was our friend Boo. Nai nai also told us that the 100 day milestone was an important and fortuitous one for babies. She gave Emmett a gift of a couple of good luck tassels, with which we adorned him, along with the first wearing of his tiger hat.

On Friday evening, we built a magnificent fire and caught up on news with Boo. Sarah and Emmett went to bed a little early to catch up on rest and fight the plague that has descended upon the house. For some reason, Boo decided to sleep outside in his tent.

On Saturday morning we got up, got dressed and headed out for a day in the fall weather. Here's Emmett all snuggly and warm in his flannel pants and Danish sweater. He's always ready for the adventure ahead!

I'm bummed that this picture is blurry, but putting it in anyway, as it is one of few full family shots.  We got some rain, which we're all hoping is an indication of a snowy winter. Any reason to throw on the galoshes is good enough. Here's the family in front of the beautiful redwood tree at the botanical gardens at the Cornell plantations.

All dressed in green. 

Brilliant fall flowers

The secret door to the magic shade garden kingdom. Lots of wild ginger, too. 

Striking fall colours!

An interesting fern in a beautiful autumn woods

That's a big pumpkin, papa!

After the botanical garden, we headed over to Dano's for OPT brats and German fare.  This was a first trip for both the Dude and Boo.  Technically, the Dude has been there before, but only as a passenger in Sarah's belly.  He was amazingly well behaved despite the leisurely pace of service.  Boo was a pretty good boy, too.

At dinner, I had a Lucky Hare Brewing Fall n' Oats that was so good we drove straight to the brewery after.  I got a regular sized beer, but Emmett can only handle small glasses at this point.  The brewery is in the brewers' former rental property.  Boo and I waxed philosophical about the buildings in which breweries exist.  It's a testament, I think, to the quality of the brew that, despite the humble abode in a region lousy with million dollar chalets, that the street was lined up and down with cars.  Our advice to brewers, spend your time, energy, and money on the beer, not the building.

When we returned home, we dressed Emmett in his lucky tassels and tiger hat for his hundred day milestone.

Then we were all whooped and it was time for bed.  One more change for Chopper for the day; this time, into some sweet PJs that his aunt and uncle sent him.  Thanks guys!

If I have anytime this week, I'll share photos of our bike rides, the market, children's garden, and fall foliage drive on Sunday.  Today, was more of a business day.  We visited another day care provider, met with an HR person for Sarah, picked up diapers (cuz running out would be a true disaster!), chopped wood, cleaned house, and worked on our budget.  I'll provide one sneak peak since it's unlikely I'll ever get to that blog:

The family working on the budget.  "It's ok, momma.  Try that calculation again.  I'm sure it'll work this time!"