Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Moss turns 2!

After a breakfast of tofurky, blueberries, and green smoothies we loaded up the car with cake making ingredients, presents, and food for the day to head up the road to Stayton (15 min from Silverton) where Moss's party would be. (I opted to have it at his cousins house so he could play while I prepped in my sister-in-law's wonderfully equipped kitchen and so we would have plenty of space for everyone as seating in our trailer is limited). So we spent the morning picking strawberries from the garden, watching ladybugs, jumping on the trampoline, playing the piano, and playing chase with his cousins. I think all of this alone would have made for a wonderful birthday for him. Add in some balloons, blueberries (minus the cake), and presents, and you have one very happy boy. I hope this and every birthday can represent how loved he is by all of his family and friends (with or without the presents).








Thursday, August 12, 2010

Silver Falls, Oregon

This was our second time to hike at Silver Falls, and it was just as beautiful as we remembered it. Last year we took turns holding Moss because he was just learning to walk and our stroller wouldn't fit down the trail, but this year we were able to let him walk some and then use our hiking backpack for the steep and narrow parts of the trail. I think we all had a better hike this time! He explored the wide paths, picked flowers, watched bugs, and sat on benches (since he's now big enough to climb into them by himself). His fascination with every new encounter makes me look at things with a new appreciation. I cherish these times being outdoors with him and getting to observe his connections with nature forming right before my eyes. Sharing these moments with him makes the challenges of parenting somehow melt away. At least for a little while...








Monday, August 9, 2010

Children's Museum of Phoenix- March 2010

I was so excited to find out about this place, (http://www.childrensmuseumofphoenix.org/) and I couldn't wait to take Moss! Eco-friendly toys and activities, non-VOC paints used in the building, and lots of educational toys made from recycled materials. Awesome. And it was. Moss had a blast and could have spent the whole day there. One of our favorite things was the tricycle car wash!





Arizona zoo- May 2010

(Now that our blog is up and going, I'm going back to post some photos of previous locations. I guess you can call us "snow birds" now because we spent the first winter in our trailer in Phoenix. Personally, I missed the snow and all that comes with cold weather...snuggling, bundling up in thrift-store sweaters, and sipping hot cocoa, but I will say that playing outside with Moss in the warm sun in January pretty much made it up for it!)
The Phoenix zoo was hot and overpriced, but Moss had never been to a zoo before, so we decided to go while Nina and Bumpa were visiting. We had fun watching and learning about the different animals, but I still don't like the feeling I get when visiting zoos. Something about seeing animals behind bars just doesn't sit well with me. Perhaps that's one reason I'm a vegetarian! The petting zoo was our favorite, and we wished we had found it earlier because Moss was getting pretty tired by then.