Small Garden, Big World, Country Girl

House Progress

2012-02-07T13:24:00.000-08:00

The new house is coming along! We were able to tour its progress a couple weekends ago. Here are a few shots Martin took. The house should come off the line somewhere around the 13th of this month. I cannot contain my excitement!

Becoming an Accidental Almost-Vegan

2012-02-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

Matthew was having some serious crank sessions in the evenings, and after a week of being unable to comfort him during these stretches, I figured it was probably something I was eating. Typically, if a baby is colicky, Mommy is eating one of three things. I wasn't sure I could eliminate any of them.

Dairy?!

Chocolate?!!

Coffee??!?!?!?!??!

Call it love. Call it desperation. I cut all three at once. I switched to green tea in the mornings. I cut out all dairy and chocolate. Easier said than done. But it worked. Then I tried to reintroduce them one at a time. Coffee was fine, but I would now rather drink the tea. Chocolate didn't seem to matter. Dairy, oh how I will miss you! I have been off it for awhile and tried twice to reintroduce it. However, I don't think I have even paid attention to whether or not it bothers Matthew. Here's the thing.

_It_Bothers_Me_

We already buy rice milk for Charlie, due to the increasing research linking dairy consumption and asthma.

We have been slowly working our way toward eating less meat, currently eating it less than once each week. We're still working toward completely eliminating it from our diets. This is by choice, and while some will agree and some won't, we are choosing this as a family. It stems from health concerns,

But now I have to eliminate dairy along with it?!

Oh well, such is life.

Anyway, because of this, I took some vegan cooking/baking books out of the library. One of the first baking recipes I tried is for banana chocolate chip muffins. The recipe was super easy! These are by far the BEST banana muffins/bread I have EVER had. They are super moist and they have chocolate chunks in them!

Matthew

2012-01-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

Our little man is getting so big already. It is going way too fast! I need to start snapping more pictures before we don't have any to look at later!

Birthday Party

2012-01-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

Charlie had a "Thomas" birthday this year. He loves his trains so much, and was SO excited! He is still telling us about the Thomas cake his Aunt Sissy got for him!

Charlie's friend Aaliyah came. He was so excited to have his friend there.

Uncle Chris and Gaga snuck in a few snuggles with Matthew while Charlie was busy!

Train Ride

2012-01-25T09:51:00.002-08:00

For Charlie's third birthday we decided to let him ride the train. Charlie and I had Martin drop us off at the Albany Rail Station and pick us up in Schenectady. We took a train ride to Nana's!

They gave Charlie a paper train and a coloring book with crayons. He also got an apple juice! He couldn't have been happier. He just kept smiling and saying, "we're on the train!"

He told me that next time we will take the train to Nagymama's. That would be a really long trip!

Christmas Morning

2012-01-25T09:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning we got up and Charlie opened his stocking first. He was so excited (and still so sick) that we had to stop and do the nebulizer before we opened presents! He didn't seem to mind. He just played trains while he did it!

We decided to buy Charlie a set from Hearthsong that is wooden cars, roads, etc. We were overall happy with the decision (and split the set up, so he received some of it for his birthday).

Christmas Eve

2012-01-25T09:36:00.000-08:00

Charlie was very sick during Christmas. His asthma causes small colds to become pretty nasty very quickly. We were in the pediatrician's office on Christmas Eve morning. Charlie ended up spending the holidays on an oral steroid, along with albuterol and budesonide via the nebulizer every few hours. It was a little difficult, but we made it through. We ended up staying home for Christmas Eve, and each opened one gift. Charlie was so excited for Christmas to come, but managed to go to sleep pretty easily!
Anyway, here are shots from our Christmas Eve:

Matthew slept through it all.

Martin got Ticket to Ride- the card game version. Ticket to ride is an AWESOME game, and I hope the card game lives up to the same standards. We haven't gotten a chance to play it yet, though!

Charlie got Mommy a pair of earrings. Every time I wear them he says, "You're wearing the earrings I gave you!"

Loki got a new bed. He usually ends up shredding them at some point, but so far its still in great shape. I think that is because the cat took it over and claimed it as her own!

Gingerbread

2012-01-25T09:12:00.000-08:00

I bought two gingerbread kits this year. Charlie had so much fun decorating them. By far, our little conductor thought the train was better! The only unfortunate thing was that I didn't plan for a place to keep them and they ended up hogging 1/3 of our table for the entire holiday season.

The boys

2012-01-25T09:07:00.000-08:00

Here are a few shots of the boys hanging around the house in our jammies one morning. I love the shots of them looking at each other!

Cousins

2012-01-25T09:05:00.000-08:00

Charlie's cousin Rylee came over to play one day. They had a great time playing and it was so nice to get to spend time with her!

Nagymama and Nagyapa Vist

2012-01-25T09:02:00.000-08:00

Martin's parents were kind enough to make the drive out to visit us after Matthew was born. They made the drive as a day trip! It must be an easier drive without kids ;-)

Here are a few shots from their visit:

The New House's Progress

2012-01-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

We are still in progress on the new house! We have a basement (this was taken a week after Matthew was born. The floor in the basement is poured, we have a "tarp roof" over the basement to keep snow out and everything is ready for the house to come! We are expecting to have it delivered mid to late February and move in sometime in early March.

Charlie and Daddy checking out our well. I can NOT wait to drink water that doesn't taste like Chlorine!

This will be our front yard! Because it has been unseasonably warm, the grass was actually growing under the hay in December!

Matthew L. Szinger's Arrival (was almost 3 months ago!)

2012-01-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

I am *finally* getting around to posting photos from the past few months!

Here are a few pictures from Matthew's birth. It was an amazing experience. I delivered with the help of a midwife, and was again able to go completely natural (aside from having my water broken). Labor was only a few hours and I didn't have to push for more than 2 or 3 minutes.

It was the middle of the night, and we are a group of people who like to be in bed early. Cara, Mom, Aunt Sissy and Martin were all there again this time! We took a bunch of "group" shots of everyone together after the birth, but I was breastfeeding, so I'll spare you those images! This means, however, that the only photos of the other people there were the following.

My mother and Matthew:

This one of Martin:

This one of Cara:

And this one of Aunt Sissy:

Charlie was so thrilled when they came to bring me home. Several times over the next week he said, "Thank you Mommy for you and Matthew coming to home with me."

Spoiling Christmas!

2011-12-05T08:12:00.001-08:00

We haven't uploaded the photo's from the camera since Matthew's arrival, but we got their pictures taken for the holidays. At the risk of spoiling our Christmas cards for everyone, here they are!

Halloween Parade

2011-10-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

Today Charlie participated in the Halloween Parade at our local library. He was super excited- and got a great surprise when his Mema and Ga-Ga showed up to watch! It was a bit overwhelming (lots of kids all under age 6), but he had a good time and got to practice Trick or Treating, too!

Carving Pumpkins

2011-10-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

We carved pumpkins, and this year we went with a "Peanuts" theme. Charlie is going to be snoopy for Halloween so we carved out a Snoopy and a Linus. Pictures of the finished products will have to wait- the pumpkins are covered in snow right now!

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

We met up with Charlie's Uncle John, Aunt Jeannie and his cousins (Lizzy and Michelle) for a fun day in the New Paltz area. We started out at Dubois Farm in Highland. This place has it all- pumpkins, apple picking, a corn maze, face painting, crafts, farm animals, tractor rides..... Charlie had a blast! We got some good shots of the fun!

Charlie and Michelle at the entrance to the corn maze

Charlie and Daddy in the corn maze.

Charlie loved the tractor ride so much that he wanted to do it again. His cousin Lizzy was willing to come along for a second trip around the farm with us.

Charlie and Michelle in an apple tree

There was a donut eating contest for the kids. Lizzy and Michelle joined in on the fun.

The girls and their competition

Charlie got a spider painted on his cheek. He was super excited about that (and promised Mommy it was a friendly spider!)

The boys on the way over to see the animals.

Let it Fall... It's Autumn!

2011-10-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

We went looking for leaves and acorns this morning.... we had a lot of fun climbing trees and playing in the woods across the street from our house. We found a lot of nice leaves and did some painting with them, but no acorns!

Caramel Apples

2011-10-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

We made caramel apples yesterday and they were delicious.... just ask Charlie!

Baseball

2011-10-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors gave Charlie a plastic bat and ball set and we headed over to the baseball fields across the street to try them out with Daddy... Charlie loved it, but he couldn't decide if he should follow Daddy's instructions, or just use them to play golf!

Apple Picking at Indian Ladder Farms

2011-10-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

We went apple picking at Indian Ladder Farms (we do every year!) We went with Aunt Cara, Uncle Chris, and Charlie's cousin Rylee. It was a blast...and this year we brought the wagon which helped contain them while we filled up all the bags with apples!

Altamont Fair 2011

2011-10-17T08:01:00.001-07:00

Charlie loved the fair this year. He went on his first "rides" and had so much fun! He loved seeing all the farm animals and the shows we caught. It was a great day!

His favorite was the train ride:

Charlie loved riding the race cars with his Daddy!

The cows really got his attention. He was so thrilled to see them!

Let's just say, this one was for the boys! Mommy was nervous watching them go down the giant slide, but Charlie LOVED it and went down three times in a row!

Back on the train.... this time with his Thomas face painting on his cheek!

We had to go back to the circus building three times. They had a giant area filled with model trains that were running.... Charlie loved it!

Catskill Farm Animal Sanctuary

2011-10-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

In August we went to the Catskill Farm Animal Sanctuary. The farm provides a second chance home for farm animals suffering abuse or heading to slaughter. It was a wonderful experience (though a bit heavy handed in their message) to visit the farm. We went out for a wonderful lunch in Woodstock, NY afterward and stopped at a vegetable/fruit stand on our way home.

North-South Lake

2011-10-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

We went camping at North-South Lake again in July. Compared to last year, we didn't take very many pictures, but that's probably because Charlie kept us so busy! The weather was great and we didn't see any bears!

Ice Cube Painting

2011-09-30T09:11:00.001-07:00

In July it was so hot! We were finding new and interesting ways to keep cool and I found and idea that we couldn't pass up! Ice cube painting! We put a few drops of food coloring into water in ice cube trays. We froze them and then when they were frozen, we had a blast!

Strawberry Picking

2011-09-30T09:04:00.001-07:00

Charlie's Aunt Cara and I took him strawberry picking at Indian Ladder Farms. He had a really nice time and was overall a pretty decent berry picker (for being 2). When he got bored he found a nice crack in one of the hoses they used to water the strawberries and played in that until we were done (and he was soaked).

First Camping Trip of the Summer

2011-09-30T08:59:00.001-07:00

We went to North-South Lake in June for our first camping trip of the summer. We went down Friday night, and ended up bailing Saturday morning when we awoke to puddles in our tent! Overall, it was... an experience. But Charlie had a blast, and that made it ok!

Partridge Run

2011-09-30T08:54:00.001-07:00

There is a nice, big tract of state land with some nice trails not too far from my parents'. We went up there in June to take a nice walk- Loki even came along! Charlie fell asleep on the way, but when he woke up, he was recharged and ready to go!

The "New Playground"

2011-09-30T08:47:00.001-07:00

We took Charlie to the Elm Avenue Park and he just loves the playground there. Because we had been going to another playground more regularly, he refers to this one as the "new playground."

Mema and Gaga's for Easter

2011-09-30T08:41:00.001-07:00

My parents host Easter for our entire family every year. It ends up being quite the gathering, but everyone enjoys it! The Easter Bunny even comes and hides eggs for the kids!

Easter Morning

2011-09-30T08:36:00.001-07:00

The Easter Bunny came to our house Easter morning and Charlie was one lucky little boy! The Bunny knew he was going to get some candy at Mema and Gaga's, so he got a few small toys instead. He was super excited!

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-09-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

We took Charlie to the egg hunt at a church in Delmar. It was really cute- they had games set up for the kids and he really enjoyed himself. They separated them by ages to hunt in different rooms (it was raining outside), and it was funny to see how many of the smaller kids were just like Charlie- they were eager to see what was inside each egg- the egg hunt took quite awhile because they inspected each one before it went into their buckets!

Coloring Easter Eggs

2011-09-30T08:25:00.001-07:00

We had such a good time coloring Easter Eggs- Charlie was disappointed we didn't have more to color!

The boy and his trains...

2011-09-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

There was also a "tot room" at the Children's museum and they had a giant train table set up. Charlie's obsession with trains has yet to fade, even slightly, so he was super excited!

Children's Museum

2011-09-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

While in Boston, we also got a chance to check out the Children's Museum. Charlie was enthralled. There were so many fun things to check out. He really took to the "getting ready for kindergarten" room as well as the water play stations. There were so many kids and so many activities we didn't get too many shots- we had to keep our eyes on him or he was on to the next activity without us (hence the leash!)

Boston Aquarium

2011-09-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

Playing in the Snow

2011-09-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Although it seemed it was too cold to play outside a lot of the winter, we played outside as often as we could. Sometimes we even let the dog in on the fun!

We Tapped Maple Trees!

2011-09-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad got me tree taps for Christmas last year, and in February we all went out together to put them in the trees. We're still in our apartment, so we did this at their house. And, since I had some major morning sickness going on at the time, I still can't quite make myself want to eat maple syrup. So kudos to my Dad, for picking up all the slack! He was the main guy collecting and boiling down the sap (even in the REALLY DEEP snow!)

A year full of Life!

2011-09-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

We have had one busy year so far! We've done a lot of fun things and it makes me sad that I haven't been sharing them with you all! We have a ton of photos we (ok, really it was just Martin) took off the camera and I am making it a goal to get them all up here before our second little man arrives!

Look Who's Two

2010-12-30T05:34:00.000-08:00

Charlie got up and had his favorite breakfast (bagel and cream cheese)and got to open his presents this morning before Daddy went to work. He was almost as excited about the Curious George wrapping paper as he was about his gifts!

Making his Xmas List

2010-12-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

Taking a nap with Gaga

2010-12-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Patch #2

2010-12-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

Punkin Patch 2010

2010-12-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

Hiking near Lake George

2010-12-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

Five Rivers Sept. 2010

2010-12-03T08:00:00.001-08:00

Indian Ladder Farms- Visiting the Farm

2010-09-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

After picking apples we headed over to the farm and pet (and kissed!) some animals, "drove" a couple of tractors, had cider and donuts, and just enjoyed the gorgeous weather. It was a perfect day!

Indian Ladder Farms - Apple Picking

2010-09-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

We took Charlie apple picking at Indian Ladder Farms again this year! It is such a cute place and what a great experience for him! He had a blast. His Aunt Cara came and helped him pick a few, too!

"Ow-side"

2010-09-15T15:20:00.001-07:00

Charlie has been _so_ into playing "ow-side" lately! The weather has been great for it, too! We have been walking to the playground at the elementary school near our house. He will play for _hours_ if you let him. He likes to "race" down the slides and figured out he can climb up two of them.

Playing at home

2010-09-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

Charlie is your typical boy, which is a lot of fun. He has been into stacking and building with his blocks. He is very serious about it, but has a lot of fun, too.

Lazy about posting!

2010-09-15T07:26:00.001-07:00

Well, I've become extremely lazy about posting pictures! I plan to try to do it a bit more regularly, as I just realized we have over 500 pictures on our camera! We've been super busy the last month. We have been playing outside, learning lots of new things, took a trip to Buffalo, went to the fair, went apple picking, a few short hiking trips, lots more playing outside. It's been fun!
Uploading pictures now- enjoy!

Camping

2010-08-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

We went camping at North-South Lake this weekend. Here are a few shots!

Charlie loved the creek near our site:

We took two good hikes. The first was up to Artist's Rock (which gave the view of the Hudson Valley) and Sunset Rock (which has an amazing view of North-South Lake).

Second hike was up to North Point. Gorgeous views again. Lots of fun.

And here are a few shots from around the campground.

4th of July Party

2010-07-06T08:16:00.000-07:00

Turtles at Five Rivers

2010-07-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

Vroman's Nose

2010-07-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

We headed out to Middleburgh today and hiked Vroman's Nose. It was a steep but short hike and the views are well worth the effort!

Cranberry Lake

2010-06-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

Cranberry Lake

2010-06-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

Driving with Grandpa in his truck

2010-06-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

Howe Caverns

2010-06-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

We went to Howe Caverns with Caryn, Gary, Mason, Lezley, Connor, Audrey, Trevor, and Luke. Add in our three, and you total 11 people! It was a good time. The pictures are only so-so, but it was really hard to see until the flash went off! It was dark in there.

I scream, you scream...

2010-06-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

... we all scream for icecream! Charlie got to have his first icecream cone _ever_ the other day. I was very nervous because of the peanut allergy, but I did my homework and it all worked out fine! Charlie loved it, and barely came up for air while he was eating it! They have a playground and he had fun running around and playing with toys when he was done.

Charlie Playing Outside

2010-06-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures from another day we went to my parents' to play. I love that little rain coat... he looks so darn cute!

Mother's Day

2010-06-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

We had Mother's Day at Nana's and here are some pictures of our family that was there. Sorry they are so late Sissy- it's been so busy!

The new swing set!

2010-06-07T08:13:00.000-07:00

Charlie's Grandpa built him a swing set and we went up to check it out. Charlie had fun climbing the rock wall stairs and going down the slide. He even decided he likes to swing again!

Some Overdue postings.....

2010-06-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

Playing at Mema and Ga-ga's house. Charlie has a sand table and a few outside toys and just loves to run free at my parents' house. He has so much fun and never sits still! He is loving the warm weather and we've been outside a lot more (hence the lack of postings!)

Nap time...

2010-04-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

Charlie woke up really early from his nap, so we snuggled in my bed for a bit and he fell asleep again. I snuck in a few pictures while I could.

Easter 2010

2010-04-06T04:27:00.000-07:00

And one final birthday cake...

2010-01-20T13:38:00.000-08:00

We got a coupon for a free cake from the grocery store's bakery for Charlie's birthday. So, after all that fun, we _still_ had another cake to eat!

Birthday Party

2010-01-20T13:27:00.000-08:00

We rented the "clubhouse" at our apartment complex and threw a party for Charlie the Sunday following his birthday. We had a wonderful turnout of family and friends to help us celebrate (despite the nasty weather).

Birthday Boy Turns One

2010-01-20T13:13:00.000-08:00

On Charlie's actual birthday we opened his presents from Mommy and Daddy with him. He got a bike helmet, a magnet set for the fridge, a new book, and a ball tower.

Travelling

2010-01-20T13:11:00.001-08:00

We headed out Christmas evening for Buffalo (straight from Schenectady). Charlie was a good traveller, but the day had him wound up and we had to stop and let him eat and play. Here he is sporting his Christmas PJs.

Christmas at Nana's

2010-01-20T13:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning we got up and packed the car. We went to Nana's to celebrate and had a lot of fun, visited with family and ate way too much food!

Nana got Charlie a pegboard with hammer for Christmas and Sissy got hime a drum filled with musical instruments.... Charlie had a great time playing with his new toys with Daddy and Uncle Shane.

Christmas Morning!

2009-12-21T06:51:00.000-08:00

We have a very very busy holiday coming up, so Martin and I decided to have a quiet morning at home on Sunday, and celebrated Christmas early. We exchanged our gifts and had a nice time. We decided to make a ham and invited our friends over to have dinner with us. It was a very nice "Christmas" indeed.

Charlie really got into his stocking. He was too funny. We couldn't keep him still so we had to stick him in his exersaucer to open his gifts!

Christmas for the Cousins

2009-12-21T06:44:00.000-08:00

Charlie and Dylan got to go over to Mema's and open their gifts together this past Saturday. They were both very cute!

Playing with Dylan

2009-12-21T06:41:00.000-08:00

Charlie's Mema had his cousin Dylan over for the day a few weeks ago. Charlie and Dylan had so much fun going through all the toys in her playroom.

The crate....

2009-12-21T06:37:00.000-08:00

We have a crate for Loki, and while Charlie is free to roam, his new favorite activity is to close himself in the crate. Too cute.

Tree Lighting in Albany

2009-12-21T06:34:00.000-08:00

We went to Albany for their annual tree-lighting ceremony. It was very low-key, and so much nicer because of that =) We went with our friends Caryn and Gary and their two little ones. We didn't take many pictures, but here are Lezley and Charlie hanging out in their backpacks.

Charlie's First Sleigh Ride

2009-12-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

We got Charlie a sled last year, and have been pulling him around in the apartment for the last month. Last night we got some snow, and he finally got to experiece the sled outside this morning!

Five Rivers in November

2009-12-06T06:16:00.000-08:00

We had great weather in November... very mild and warm! We spent one afternoon walking around Five Rivers Nature Preserve. Very cute and family friendly with lots of little trails- we even pushed the stroller down the one trail!

'Tis the season to be busy!

2009-12-06T06:08:00.001-08:00

The holidays are upon us! We have been super busy getting ready and celebrating the advent season, so blogging (really, just posting pictures) has been placed ont he back burner. Here are a few shots from around the house, as Charlie gets steadier on his feet and is walking about...

Santa

2009-11-22T06:24:00.000-08:00

Charlie met Santa for the first time yesterday =) He was in his little Santa suit his Aunt Sissy got him. It was so cute! A group of teenage girls walked by and all went "awwwwww" and Charlie just beamed. He is such a ham...

Shane's Gingerbread House

2009-11-21T07:22:00.000-08:00

Charlie and I went to check out my brother Shane's gingerbread house on display at Crossgates Mall with the other competitors in the HATAS Home Sweet Gingerbread Home fundraiser. He is extremely talented and did such a great job!

HATAS is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit charity that helps the poor, the homeless, and others in need lead independent, self-sufficient and safe lives in the community. We are a resource for collaborative change. In addition to being the gateway to homeless services in Albany County, HATAS also serves over 5,000 men, women, and children each year in homeless, housing, mental health, employment, and domestic violence programs.

He and his colleagues took first place with a Peanuts themed gingerbread house. Absolutely adorable and for such a good cause! Go Shane!

Halloween

2009-10-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

Halloween is tomorrow, but our preparations have begun!

Charlie had his pictures taken last week in his costume....

And tonight we carved a pumpkin!

Charlie had a blast playing with the "Pumpkin Guts"

Best pumpkin I have ever carved. (Martin helped too!)

Now all that is left to do is get some candy for the trick-or-treaters....

A Trip Up Noth- The Mirror Lake Inn

2009-10-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

Our last night we stayed at the Mirror Lake Inn Resort in Lake Placid. It was a wonderful stay- the food was great, the room was gorgeous and we had a great time. Here are a few shots of Charlie and the view of Mirror Lake off our balcony.

A Trip Up North - Cascade Mountain

2009-10-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Breakfast on Thursday was at a place called Big Mountain. It was amazing. We had crepes and a breakfast panini that were all absolutely delicious! Great atmosphere and just wonderful food- a definate reccomend for anyone who gets a chance. They even had some gluten free choices! The Big Mountain boasts 46 different sandwiches on their menu, in reference to the "46ers" who hike all of the 46 high peaks of the Adirondacks. Speaking of which......

We decided early on Thursday we wanted to try to find a local, relatively easy hike. We finally found some information at the visitor's center and with a bit of guidance, decided to hike Cascade. From what we read there, it was the best of the high peaks to start with.
It was a pretty misty day again, and we hadn't packed Charlie anything very waterproof, so he got a new raincoat out of the deal.
The hike was a bit challenging, especially with Charlie on our backs, but seemed doable, until we were about 10 minutes from the summit. At that point there are a series of what climbers would refer to as "rock scrambles" and though I would have been comfortable with the baby on Martin's back going up, the way back down just seemed too daunting. It was so foggy we wouldn't have been able to see anything anyway, but it was a bit frustrating to get that far and have to turn around.
It was still so nice to be out in the woods and get some hiking in!

Charlie enjoyed the entire hike- he never even fussed!

Where we turned around...

A Trip Up North- Wildwood on the Lake

2009-10-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

Day two, we headed up to Lake Placid, our main destination. We stopped at Chapel Pond along the way for some pictures, because it was just beautiful.
We checked in early to our hotel, and then walked along all the shops in Lake Placid. It was a bit misty out for most of the day, but we made the best of it!

A Trip Up North - North Creek

2009-10-30T17:19:00.000-07:00

So we just got back from a four day adventure up into the Adirondacks. Our first stop was in North Creek, which I must admit (begrudgingly) was my idea. When looking for places to stay, I happened upon a place called the Alpine Lodge. I got it mixed up with another hotel I was looking at online, and we ended up there. Our entire stay at the lodge we did not happen upon a person working there. Our room number and key code were emailed to us, and there was no check in or out. Very strange.
The town was interesting, to say the least. Everything was closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the day we arrived and the day we left. There were a good number of shops and stores and places to eat, but we had to order pizza (which turned out to be amazing!) because aside from the grocery store, it was the only thing open!!!
The town has some historical interest- it was/is home to the train station where Roosevelt learned Mckinley had died and he had become president. We took a few picutres down near the rail station and overall had a good time, despite.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

We went to the "Pick a Pumpkin" Pumpkin Patch today along with Martin's new friend Chris, and his twin boys Riley and Carlos. Charlie had a great time seeing animals, and getting to play around with some pumpkins and absolutely loved the tractor ride. He couldn't take his eyes off the Tractor!

Chris collectively calls the boys "Rilos" which is really cute.

Hanging around the house....

2009-10-16T04:55:00.000-07:00

Fall "Foto's"

2009-10-13T04:04:00.000-07:00

Mema and Grandpa grew a pumpkin for Charlie this year, so we went over there to pick it and take a few shots outside for the Fall. Charlie loved crunching the leaves!

First Frost...

2009-10-12T06:08:00.001-07:00

We woke up to our first frost here today... It was cold, but nice and pretty to look at.

Only a Hippopotamus will do...

2009-10-12T06:03:00.000-07:00

My Dad's cousins all have children a bit older than Charlie and they were kind enough to pass along some really neat toys. One of which is a Hippopotamus toy that can convert from a ride on toy to a push-along toy. Charlie thinks this Hippo is great- he pushes it along everywhere in the apartment.

Starting music lessons already?

2009-10-09T04:23:00.001-07:00

Charlie loves music. Really, just noise is enough to please him. He loves to be all involved when Martin is playing music, sometimes he plays along using some shaker eggs. Other times we can't keep him off the guitar.

Daddy's Birthday

2009-10-09T04:18:00.001-07:00

Martin got his first "Happy Birthday Daddy" card this year... along with a slew of gifts and cakes.... we tried extra hard to make it special, as this birthday (an unmentionable number) seemed to hit him hard this year....

Apple Picking...

2009-09-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

We went apple picking on Sunday at Indian Ladder Farms. They were only picking mac's... which are good for baking... but Martin is partial to Cortlands, so we will be going back again this fall. Cara and Em came with us, and it was a gorgeous day.

Luke's 4th Birthday

2009-09-16T07:34:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday we went to my cousin Luke's fourth birthday party. We had a great time watching all the kids play, and hanging out with family and friends. Here are just a few shots...

Martin, Gary and Leslie...

The birthday boy himself:

Taking a swing at the pinata..

Dylan came with my parents and had a blast... he was sad to go home.

Charlie and his Grandpa...

Bath Time or Play Time?

2009-09-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

Our evening routine now involves a bit of wind-down play in the tub for Charlie... he crawls down the hall and into the bathroom squealing with delight when he hears the tub running. Its too cute!

Playing in the play yard...

2009-09-16T07:24:00.001-07:00

We got a play yard early in the summer and Charlie and I have found great use for it at the apartment complex. It stores nicely on the back deck and Charlie can play on the grass outside without getting into too much trouble.

New Pajamas

2009-09-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

Sissy bought Charlie some new pajamas when we went to the outlets in Lee, Massachusetts a few weeks ago. He had them on two nights ago, and I had to get a few shots. Thanks again Sissy =)

Pool Time

2009-09-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

The pool at our apartment complex closes after Labor Day, so we had to get one more swim in on Saturday while we could. Charlie really loved it! (per usual)
Here are a few pictures of our last "Summer Swim"

Charlie

2009-09-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

Martin had some fun with the camera at some point last week. I never saw these pictures before, but boy are they cute!