Charlottesville adventures

Gathering eggs at a happy farm. Juniper came back from last summer's Charlottesville trip with renewed interest in vegetarianism. I suspect one of these days it might stick for her, but for now she is back to eating meat.

Arm wrestling in Amala's lap. Of course.

Lake swimming

Last summer, we spent a weekend at Lake Jackson with Mark and Luke. Aaron, Mark, and I all grew up swimming in lakes. It's fun to pass on that experience to our kids.

Such a good dad

I have loathed the grocery store car cart since I learned of its existence. When the girls were little, I would occasionally let them ride in the car cart, but I mostly objected on the grounds that it's unwieldy and difficult to steer. Aaron, on the other hand, always said yes to the car cart when they were small. These days, he mostly does the grocery shopping without kids in tow, but for some reason the whole family recently wound up at the store together. The kids were thrilled to discover that he would still say yes to the car cart. (Less thrilled to discover that it's become far less comfortable as they have gotten bigger.)

Looks like Hazel knows how lucky she is.

Baby goats!

Last summer we visited a goat farm where we saw adorable baby goats. (And got to eat goat's milk ice cream.) The youngest were just two days old.

Some of my colleagues at CDC joked about being involved in a recent salmonella outbreak investigation that was ultimately linked to a goat farm, and half kidding/half serious reminded me to practice good hand hygiene. I doubt this is what they had in mind.

There is no logical reason to let goats nibble on your fingers, and yet...

Juniper and I were both squeaking puddles of goo, overcome by the cuteness of the goats. Thomas was probably partly serious and partly enjoying playing his role when he went on at length about their deliciousness.

And while on the subject of baby animals, look who we found hiding in a tree over our driveway!

Howdy, pardner!

Hazel's 7th birthday

Our kids value tradition more than novelty when it comes to birthday parties. Hazel has decided that birthday party = Death Star cake.

A good light saber battle is also part of the birthday tradition.

Star Wars all around! Easy to shop for someone who is so unwavering in her fandom.

Vogel State Park

Last Memorial Day weekend, we went camping at Vogel State Park with some other UUCA families. There was a delightful gaggle of kids.

There was a bit of a hike to get to the campsite, but once there it was beautiful and private -- a great spot for the kids to run and play without any danger of cars or bothering other campers.

Our friend Todd introduced Hazel to the joy of soaking tired feet in a cool creek after a long hike. She approved.

Lucky kids to grow up in this community and this environment!

Mud Wars, 2017

Luke and Hazel had a blast turning a small backyard hole into a mud pit.


The mud pit provided a source for cups, water guns, and was even enough to fill up a rubbermaid storage bin.

They were so surprised when they learned that they had to be hosed off before coming inside, directly to the bath.

Arctic Hot Chocolate Brewery

"We made it ourselves! Without any instructions!"
 

Practice is how you get good at things. Some things (say, learning your multiplication tables) feel like practice. Sometimes the practice is so much fun that you never even realize you're doing it.

Summer is coming.

In the midst of record-setting cold weather, it's nice to be reminded of summer pleasures.

Winter Wonderland

Much of the East Coast is blanketed by snow this week, but we got ours last month. This qualifies as Big Snow in Atlanta!