Clement, Squirrel Hunter

We went looking for squirrels (or "gagas" as Clem calls them and all animals) at the park the other day and found a ton! They were carrying nuts everywhere.  As you can see, Clement is an astute tracker.  W also had time for some puddle playing:

                                     And Clement even found time for some quiet contemplation:

It was a fun day!

Clem's new ride

We got a Burley trailer this week. Here it is after I put it together on my bike:

It's super light and can fit lots of stuff plus passengers.  I rode it home on Thursday afternoon in time for our first practice run:

 

                                    Safety first! With cool flying pigs helmet and his favorite duck

And here we are on the move!

I'm really looking forward to doing errands and riding to the park for the next few years.  I hope Clement inherits my love of biking.  Next step: motorycle sidecar?

Dead End at Terror Terrace!

Today we went with Kate & Ben to Wilson Farms Spooky Hayride! It was great. The ride itself was only a few minutes but then we got to wander around the farm and the store. The only bad thing was a noise-activated scary spider that dropped down from the roof of the store, which made Clement cry, but seeing about a million chickens and some pigs made him perk up.

                      He loved standing on the bed of the tractor while it sped around the field.

Spooky Skeleton cow!

                                                                    
                                                               Ben had Arfur to protect him

                     After you get off the ride they give everyone an apple!  Clement ate most of his all by himself.

Then we wandered around and looked at the spooky decorations and many, many pumpkins.

Bananarama

 I went back to work full time two weeks ago.  This is bittersweet, because I miss seeing the funny stuff Clem gets up to during the day, but it's also nice to talk to a bunch of adults again and ride my bike to and fro. The bike path along the river to work is a real pleasure, and I can't wait for our bike trailer to come in so I can introduce Clem to the wide world of cycling.

Still, even being at work a lot, when I'm home I get to see some good stuff like this, which incorporates both Clements newfound love of bananas and making funny noises.

John is taking care of Clement these days, and brightens my day by sending me pictures like this one:

And this one, where he insisted on wearing his airplane bib to do his other favorite task, sweeping the floor:

Updated house pictures

Clement contemplates his new digs. I have not really thought about curtains yet so he has towels on his windows - at least they match, and they are great for room darkening during naptimes.

The dining area with grown-up size table

 

 

The day before we moved, John & Dave fixed the bathroom door so it would open the right way.  Works great!

We've moved!

It's finally happened - we moved upstairs! And the first cookies were baked in the new oven, as you can see. We had a deadline of yesterday since the electrician was coming to start re-wiring the downstairs apartment, so we simply had to be out. There was a massive push this weekend to get as much done as possible: painting, door alteration, and cleaning, and we got enough done to get upstairs. Also hired movers to do the big stuff - which was the best decision ever. The place is a total mess (I had to spend 20 minutes moving stuff to take this photo) so will post more pictures as we get organized, plus action shots of the weekend. Many thanks to everyone who helped out!

More Walking!

Clement is doing independent walking now, and wants to do it all the time - no more holding in the Ergo Baby, and he has limited stroller patience.  We went to the park the other morning pretty early, so early that he still hasd on jammies.  But once he saw the bricks he had to walk.  Sorry about the shadow...

And before, he was running with his walker wagon:

Days are very exhausting now.

House developments

Things are moving for sure. We are moving up to the 2nd floor next weekend, and there is still a lot to be done but it feels close.  Here is my To-Do list.

After plaster & paint

Pre-paint new window trim in the dining area

Painted trim & baseboards in warm grey

Toekicks almost all in, and out of view is the backsplash tile ready for cutting

Prospect Hill Park

We spent the afternoon the other day at Prospect Hill Park. First the swings:

Then climbed on the plaything

Then walked up this short but steep hill to the view of the Boston skyline, though it was overcast

Then it started raining so we had to leave

Good thing Clement had on his water shoes!

Walking!

Clement walked for the first time today - we were on a walk at Mt. Auburn and stopped to cool off under a tree, and Boom! he was off, for about 4 steps. Then he fell down and crawled back to me, gave me a hug, and started crying. Then we did it again! I tried to get a picture but this is all I could capture. He did it again at home for John, and seemed pretty proud of himself. Will post video as soon as we can get it.

Kitchen Floor

Ahhhh, at long last - the cork flooring! It's 1' x 3' tiles that snap together. It's about 1/2" thick, so our low ceilings are getting a little lower but the overall effect will be worth it, unless Clement grows to be extra tall; we're good until about 6'6", anything over that is asking for trouble. This is the view from the living room to the dining area, I'm still figuring out what to do with the shelf. You can see the paneling inside that used to be on all the walls in this room. I'm torn between keeping it an open bookshelf (painted some coordinating color of course) or to put doors on it and hide the inevitable mess that shelves invite. Anyone have thoughts?

Footie Jammies

 

With the weather so cold and rainy it has been necessary to get extra warmth for Clement in the form of footie jammies, which I love. Here he is modeling his current ones, ninja-style!

Also, practicing climbing a lot.  He climbed into the wagon in a jiffy and was obviously wondering why it was not moving.

Our trip up North

We took our first family trip this weekend to Swiftwater NH, where John's parents have a little house.



This is where all the toys went on the drive up!

In the field next to the cool barn

Chilling on the front porch

Nose biting

Getting ready to challange Dad at  table top hockey

Wading in the river

Being silly on the long way home