Walking in the Woods

Sylvie, Sophie and I rediscovered the Noon Hill Reservation this weekend, on two beautiful autumn days in New England.

On Saturday, toward the end of an hour-long hike, Sylvie suddenly declared, "I feel SO HAPPY! I love walking in the woods with you Dad!" Doesn't get any better than that.

So much did she love it, in fact, that yesterday morning she asked if we could go again.  "Do you think we can make it all the way to the top this time?" I asked. "YES!!!" That is no small endeavor -- the round trip climb and descent took us just a bit more than an hour and forty minutes, resulting in a very tired girl (and dog). But again we had just a fantastic time together in the outdoors. Makes me excited for what she'll be willing to do as she gets a little bit older and stronger.

At the top!!

Happy Birthday to our Six Year Old!!!

What a difference six years makes...

November 6, 2007

November 6, 2013

Sylvie's Spooky Sixth

Aaaaand the 2013 Halloween Train finally pulled into the station for good today with Sylvie's Spooky Sixth birthday celebration. So fond was she of last year's party that she insisted on a reply this year in nearly every particular!

One marked and positive change this year was the presence of two grandmothers and one grandfather, who added immeasurably to the festivities.

Slideshow below, and all the photos are at this link for more leisurely viewing. Thanks to all who made the party so much fun!

Trick or Treat!!

Finally! The main event! And Grammy and Grampy made it in time to pitch in!

Halloween Parade and Sing-a-Long

Next stop on Halloweenapalooza 2013, the Placentino School Halloween Parade and Sing-a-Long, held on Halloween morning.

Here is Syl's class by itself (the Frenchies)

Happy atheen-o-ween!

The latest stop on Sylvie's 2013 Halloween tour was atheen-o-ween at Daddy's work. We really do it up! It may well end up surpassing the main event tomorrow.

Added bonus: this super-friendly Golden Doogle, Enzo, cured Syl of her strange dog phobia! By the end of the evening she was giving him bear hugs. Did my heart good.

Double-bonus! Her pal Maggie O'Brien was there!

Fairies, Liggetts, etc.

For the second year in a row we ventured to Chester, CT for the "Faerie Houses" outdoor exhibit at the Griswold Art Museum nearby the Ligett's house. This year we timed it a bit later a paid the price: an outdoor "art" exhibit of Fairy houses is considerably more bearable on a 65 degree day than on a 45 degree day. But the kids didn't seem to notice the difference, and a good time was had by all.

Trunk or Treat!!!

When I was a kid, Halloween was Halloween--a singular occasion, observed unfailingly on October the 31st.

Nowadays, Halloween is apparently a season... so much so that the possibility of the costume wearing out before the main event becomes a realistic concern.

Sylvie's first Halloween observance was tonight, at the annual "Trunk or Treat" event at Holliston Community Children's Center. This is the first time we've participated--and boy have we been missing out!  A couple dozen families outfit their trunks with spooky or themed decorations and give out treats (candy discouraged, though plenty of parents were purists enough to violate that rule).

A great time!

Underneath that parka, Sylvie is an "Underwater Sea Fairy," for the record.

Next up on Sylvie's Halloween 2013 Tour is her kindergarten Halloween parade, followed by athen-o-ween (Daddy's work), the actual event, and then her Spooky Sixth Birthday Party on November the 2nd.  See what I mean about the costume wearing out thing?