April 16 - May 3, 2017 - 2 years 9 months

Kadin loves helping me carry things out to the car.

Baby chicks at Mia's house!

Yummy birch sap - and this year, Kadin had his own tap where he could take a drink whenever he wanted.

So much mud!  Here, he lost his shoe for the first time… I think one of the videos is of him losing his shoe the second time. 

Lots of fun in the mud means a mini-bath in the bucket at home.  Which for Kadin, just means even more fun!

Kadin sat through his first movie - watching a bicycling documentary with Sky.  He would burst out laughing whenever the crowd laughed, even if he probably didn't get the joke.  Too cute.

Resting while I carted him home after a fun bike ride.  I think he is wearing a complete change of clothes after all the mud!

After a lot of pleading, I relented and gave Kadin a knife so he could help me cut up the zucchini.  Now if only he liked to EAT the zucchini…

Video #1: Kadin isn't sure he should try to cross a really big puddle, does it anyway.  At the end, when he runs back into the puddle, I (unfortunately) stopped the video just before he fell into the puddle!

Video #2:  Kadin is working super hard (with sound effects, to boot) and gets a bit frustrated when he finally loses his shoe to the mud.


Video #3: The short version of fun with a salad spinner...

July 13, 2016 - July 15, 2016 - 2 YEARS OLD!!! A 3-DAY CELEBRATION...

Happy 2nd Birthday, mi amor!!!

We had a mini party for him on the 13th… with carrot cake and paper airplanes, a bunch of kiddos and a baby pool.  Fun, Fun, Fun.

The morning of his actual birthday, the 14th, we enjoyed a mellow morning with leftover cake for breakfast and silly antics with balloons.  I haven't laughed so hard in a long time!!  

(you have to see the video to really get the silliness)

He received a cute card that sang out "Happy Birthdaaaaaayyy" and within minutes, my little engineer had taken it apart and found the battery and circuit board.

We then packed up the car and headed to Byer's Lake, for two nights of camping, pack rafting in the warm water, and enjoying the long summer days.  

Kadin's friend Farah came up with her mom Rachel to help celebrate!

This is Kadin's new "smile for the camera" face...

Kadin had found a speck of pollen and carried it all the way to the lake.  He'd drop it and miraculously, we'd look around and find it every time!

Making friends with a random doggie...

Kadin's first marshmellow roasting!

Here's the link to the video if you can't see it on the blog: https://youtu.be/QfnUmQ-IrMk

Here's the link to the video if you can't see it on the blog:  https://youtu.be/nufSkr2ZHAE

And of course, don't forget about our tadpoles… who now have hindlegs!!

May 18, 2016 - May 24, 2016 - 22 months and 1 week

The frog eggs are now… tadpoles!  Here is one of the little mini pond/swamp aquariums I set up.

And here are two tadpoles!  The one on the left is from May 18th and the one on the right is from May 24th.  Growing fast… just like Kadin!  He is just starting to notice that something is squirming around in the tank.

Kadin does yoga with me!  Downward dog… 

It was Will's birthday so a great excuse for a party.  Kadin got to run around like crazy with Sky and Judy again and was fascinated by the balloon that sang "Happy Birthday".  

We biked around downtown and Kadin got to see the train pass by!  It was his first time noticing the train and afterwards, he loved pointing out the trains in his books and saying, "Chugga chugga, chugga chugga" over and over again. 

We went over to Trapper Creek for Rick Ernst's memorial and Kadin took the John Muir quote to heart and frolicked in the meadow, collecting dandelion tops for me.

This is a portion of the John Muir quote:  

"Let children walk with nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star…" 

May 11, 2016 - May 17, 2016 - 22 months

Frog eggs!  and now in our house!

The next night, after mucking through our pond for the frog eggs, we jumped in the plane and met up with a bunch of other out on a gravel bar of the Chulitna River.  4 or 5 planes, at least 10 adults, 3 dogs, and 2 wild and crazy kids.  Sky, the other kid, borrowed my camera and most of the pictures posted here are hers, so pardon the blurriness, but I loved seeing a 3 year old's perspective!

Maybe Sky covered half the frame on purpose… for privacy.

The photographer's self-portrait!

OK, I took this one… too cute!

Two nights later, I was inspired by Teresa and wanting to find a yummy way to hide broccoli, so I made my own little ravioli.  The dough was part whole wheat, white wheat, and rice flour, so I don't think I would have wanted Teresa there to judge them, but Kadin liked them, and that was the main goal!  Stuffed with ricotta, tofu, veggie sausage, and, of course, broccoli.

We enjoyed the ravioli outside, in the buff, with red wine, of course.  

(That's the Italian way, right Teresa?)

After dinner, Kadin wanted desert and spied 3 high-bush cranberries off in the forest.  So he took off after them, crashing through the shrubs barefoot and naked, until he found a prickly rose bush and then asked Mama to carry him the rest of the way.  

And, last but not least, we ended the week with a bike ride to the Flying Squirrel cafe, about 3/4 mile away, and Kadin biked the whole way!  He loves this balance bike!!