Hiking with Tesla

Sara, Tesla, Isaac and I went for a hike in South Boulder today. The weather was beautiful and the kids did great. We let them out of their backpacks/carriers on a long stretch of road so they could burn a little energy themselves, and this is where we snapped most of our photos. Isaac's favorite thing to do during his hike was to shove rocks in his mouth and run away from me. Such a boy.

 

Some of these photos are from Sara, too!

Saturday Happenings

This afternoon we took a walk to downtown Louisville to get some ice cream and play at the park since it was so nice out. On our way to the park, we came upon a bluegrass band playing outside of the library--and they were so good! Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys were putting on a free show before their concert that night at the Bluebird Theater in Denver. I love live music, especially hearing great talent, and was happy to come upon them.

When the band finished, we walked over to Pirates' Park where Isaac slid and swung and played (not always so nicely) with a little boy in the sandbox. 

In the sandbox, things started off great. Here, Isaac is waving hello to the little boy playing with the trucks:

They shared nicely for a short time, piling sand in one truck together.

In the end, inevitably both were upset by having to share the toy, each wanting it for himself. And Ben, the parent of the other little boy and I all told the boys they needed to play nicely. This teaching to share thing is new for Ben and me, and we agree that when it comes down to it, we'd prefer to let the kids figure thing out on their own, only intervening when any hitting or major meltdowns happen. But we've come to find that this parenting technique isn't how most parents operate. Most want to intervene right away, to teach that sharing is good and necessary, and to prevent any conflict whatsoever. This helicopter parenting isn't really for me, but I find myself falling in line as the other parents try to mediate. And I feel like it always goes something like this:

"No, so-and-so, you need to share the toy with the little boy, take turns," says parent of toddler who had the toy first. 

"Isaac, the little boy had the toy first, you need to wait for your turn," I say, truly caring very little who ends up with the toy in the end.

You know, growing up I was surrounded by siblings and cousins bigger and smaller than me, and we all fended for ourselves. Unless someone was screaming bloody murder, our parents let us duke it out, and this was very early learning about how the world works. Of course, as we grew we were taught about sharing and even made to do so, but we weren't forced into it before we could understand the concept. So, I don't know, call me crazy, but it seems like a lot of effort, a lot of fuss over kids who don't quite understand that the world doesn't revolve around them. I suppose I'm not quite confident enough yet to express my beliefs when a situation arises. Instead I want to be sure I'm showing respect to the other parent--they are making their kid share with Isaac, so I should reciprocate. I know I am constantly evolving as a parent, as Isaac grows and as I gain experience, so I know I'll find a happy medium at some point...but right now I just feel weird constantly acting like a referee.

Garden Beds

Napping

With his construction pillow made by Aunt Tess.

Choo-Choo!

Isaac's new favorite thing is trains, which he calls "choo-choo's". He doesn't yet understand that the word "choo-choo" should only be used to identify trains--to him, any automotive qualifies as a choo choo--but he knows enough to call out excitedly when he sees or hears a train. Lucky for him, we live about a quarter-mile from train tracks, so he has plenty of opportunities to identify them.

Isaac's generous cousins Beck and Stella gave him two train sets when he was a baby. We pulled them out over the last few months for our friends' kids, but Isaac has never shown much interest in them. Until now.

The next video I posted because I caught Isaac rambling as he's been doing the last few days. It's as if he's talking to us 100 miles per hour, but I can't understand a word he's saying. Or not many, anyway. He's always been "chatty," but this is a whole new level of talkative. I wonder where he gets it? In any case, I think his language development is taking off.

And finally, this last video is pretty much for the grandparents. Isaac and Daddy playing with the train set. 

Picnic on the Porch

Isaac serves us up...

...with a little help from Dad.

Bon appetit!

Building Snow Castles

Welcome, Bennett James!

Bennett James, born 4/18/13. Congratulations, Jessie and Brad! Can't wait to meet him in two weeks!

(Photos stolen from Jessie)

Chef in Training

Morning Snuggle

April Snow

Monday early-afternoon

Monday evening

Tuesday morning

Our spring snowstorms never cease to amaze me, oftentimes, like this time, dumping feet of snow on us, only to melt away in a few days. Since we had a very mild winter, I'm happy enough to enjoy this snow while it lasts. And enjoy my boy who loves to shovel away at it with his dad. 

A Desk from Cousin Beck and Cousin Stella

Isaac loves his new desk. Thanks, Beck and Stella!

Flatirons Vista Hike