Play-doh and playground

Just a few recent pictures of toddler fun...

Mountain weekend

As a last hurrah before me (Mike) starting my new job, we went to the mountains a couple of weekends ago, conveniently driving out of the path of Tropical Storm Hannah in the process.


Here's the "petting zoo" at the KOA campground where we stayed, which consisted of several chickens and a few very-well-fed goats. Another picture in the campground in the morning...

Nathaniel contemplating his mule and saddle:

Hiking is tiring work:

Here's our guide pointing out exactly where we took a wrong turn on the trail. No harm - we found our way back to the car quickly, but missed out on the most scenic part of that particular trail.

But fortunately, we had no trouble finding a nice park on the Blue Ridge Parkway for some afternoon naptime under a tree.

Although he generally does enjoy riding in the backpack, once we let him out of it near the beginning of one trail, Nathaniel was pretty enthusiastic about trying out some hiking on his own.

Here's just a couple of more (one before haircut and one after, you may notice).

This is how a 1-year old enjoys a good blueberry pancake for breakfast... And here's what happens if lunchtime runs a little later than normal.

After-nap bedhead

Maybe time for another haircut?

A new skill

The learning never stops - here he is testing out his his new baby-friendly utensil. There's only been about two successful transfer of food from plate to mouth, but we're making progress.

Just a few more recent pictures. The first few are Nathaniel and his grandparents with the new water table they got him - I'm not sure who enjoyed it most, but everyone had a good time.

Summer fun

It's been a long time since the last update - we've been busy! Nathaniel is growing quickly in walking proficiency and in vocabulary, and seems to be in almost constant motion while he's awake, focussed primarily on exploring and making as much noise as possible. Here's a few highlight of how we're enjoying our summer:

Creek-Stomping
About three weeks ago we had a reunion with old housemates and their families. We had lots of room to roam and a great creek to explore, which of course was greatly enjoyed by the numerous kids and dogs (and the grownups, too.)

Camping
"Camp Allen" has happened every summer since Sid and Blake (now 17) were about 8 months old. They, their sister Rebecca, and mom Lourene (Mike's cousin) come for a few days to stay with Mike's parents, and we Durhamallens go hang out as much time as we can. Over the years the activities have changed slightly (for example, the Star Wars movie-watching marathon hasn't happened in a couple of years) but it is still a highlight of the summer.

Splashing

Nathaniel's love of water is still strong. A neighbor with a backyard pool graciously invited us for a swim, and Nathaniel didn't have to be asked twice. He had some serious prune-wrinkled feet by the time he got out, and would have been happy to have stayed in the water twice as long.