Explorer Brothers

After several beautiful spring days, the weather changed to the usual New England springtime fare--damp, gray, and rainy--in time for the weekend. We did get some pockets of sunshine, warmth, and no precipitation, and we made the best of those opportunities for outdoor time. A trip to the movies and visit from the g-unit made the less favorable weather bearable.

On Friday with Mommy, we took a "hike" in the woods behind our house in search of some nature. All that we found was an unusual tree that snaked around another tree. Just as Evan complained that we didn't see any animals on our hike, our neighbor informed us that we just missed a moose walking down the street. While we definitely do not live in the city anymore, moose are not a common sighting in Holden Center. Thesighting will definitely make our weekly newspaper.

On Saturday, we took the Brothers YZ to their first movie on the big screen. Once a month one of the cinemas shows a kids movie at 10:00 AM. This weekend they were showing Bob the Builder. For the first 40 minutes, both Evan and Liam were quiet and paid attention to the movie, but this movie really tested both parent and child's tolerance for Bob the Builder. I'm not sure how much longer Bob continued with his repetitive explanations of building a road, as we decided to leave early.

Later in the day we enjoyed a visit from Uncle Brian, Aunt Meg, and Cousin Henry and dinner with Nana and Grampa. Liam was especially curious about the baby and kept standing right next to his car seat. Evan was ver sweet to Henry giving him many kisses and joining in a Cioci Nicki snuggle with the baby. To check out lots of adorable pictures of Henry, see Meg's blog, http://www.thelittleg-unit.blogspot.com/. Our dinner at the Mountain Barn with Nana and Grampa was not without excitement. While we were waiting in the loft for our table, Liam pitched his sippy cup over the railing and down to the bar where the cup became wedged in the beer drafts and got the beer flowing. Despite that incident and wild run by Evan through the dining room, we have not been banned by the Mountain Bar yet.

By Sunday afteroon, Evan was whining for another hike in better woods. (At least, he was whining about getting some exercise.) With a break in the precipitation, we decided to explore the Trout Brook Reservation in town. It has several nice trails that wind around and over streams with neat bridges. It's great that Evan is now able to hike for short distances on his own two feet. Liam loves to ride in the backpack carrier patting Mommy on the shoulder and saying what sounds like, "Go, go, go." As anyone who has picked up Liam lately can imagine, it is quite the hiking is quite the workout for Mommy, and his encouragement is welcome. We are all looking forward to many more hikes before the poison ivy/bug season is upon us.