Grand Forest

We have been taking advantage of nice weather and hiking up in the Grand Forest a lot lately.
Our cat often walks with us for the first 15 minutes or so. He takes off when we get to a house occupied by horses and barking dogs.

This is the easement into the forest. Privately owned land is on either side of the path, and it's the only way into the park from our neighborhood.
Up in the park...I usually let Silas decide which way we'll go.
We twist and wind our way through the trees.
The forest is big enough that we usually only cover part of it while we're up there.
Finally, on the way back down, we meet a sunny path:
I will miss living in walking distance from such an awesome place, although there will be plenty of new places to explore around our new home. And I'm sure we'll be back to visit. It will be only 15 minutes away, after all :)

Best. Muffins. Ever. (and the bears like them too)

A while ago, I catalogued a kid's cooking book at work that included a recipe for peanut butter and jelly muffins. I thought they sounded interesting and made a mental note to try them sometime. This past Monday was a work holiday, and Drew and I had the same idea for breakfast: Muffins.

I googled PB & J muffins and went with the first recipe on the list. They did not disappoint. The peanut butter is mixed in with the batter. Half the batter is put into the cups, followed by a teaspoon of jelly and another heaping of the batter. Eaten fresh from the oven: warm, jelly-filled goodness.
Silas invited the three bears to join us for a teddy bear breakfast picnic. They gave the paws up to the muffins too.

Emergen-C (not really)

The friendly ghost

"I'm a ghost" Silas exclaimed when he put on his dad's sweater. Given the outrageously long arms, I would have gone with Inspector Gadget, but these kids today, they just don't get 1980's TV references. So, a ghost it is. Happy haunting, Silas.

Home Sweet Home

Hi everybody. Welcome to my new home! Come on in and take a look.

Yesterday, we had the house inspected. I helped! This is one of the downstairs bedrooms (2 bedrooms down, two up). We were really relieved that the house is in such good shape.
Here's our nice big, bright kitchen:
And our cozy, airy living room:
Our house is on a double lot. Big garage. Lots of room, lots o potential! To see more pictures, check out the Home Sweet Home photo stream on flickr.

And a note from the editor: Yes, Silas, that's right. In a few months, barring any unforseen hitches, we will be the proud owners of this beautiful 1916 four-bedroom craftsman. The house is in a town near the island. We are very excited, and a wee bit nervous. Fingers crossed for a smooth transition! Closing in on March 22nd (the day after my birthday!).

Work is play, play is work

Silas has a construction scene book with reusable stickers depicting trucks, machines, and construction workers. Silas asked me about one sticker in particular showing a manhole with a worker peaking his head out. I explained to him that the worker was going to fix something underneath the ground. Ever since then, he's been fascinated with the idea of holes leading to underground zones.

A few days ago, he asked me to "be the cherry picker." This is a common request. He usually asks us to be the cherry picker when he wants us to pick him up and deposit him someplace higher up. In this case, however, he wanted me to lower him down the manhole, which, apparently, is our laundry basket's new identity. Once he was in the manhole, he said he was "a worker man" and proceeded to fix things. After a long day's work, he called over the cherry picker to lift him out of the manhole.

Job well done, worker man.

February 10 Book of the Month

Introducing Planet Silas' February '10 Book of the Month:

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry.

A small blue truck finds his way out of a jam, with a little help from his friends.

We recently checked this book out from the library and it was an instant hit. Silas literally shakes with excitement when I read it to him. Little Blue Truck is just the happiest, friendliest truck to ever come rolling by. All of the animals adore him...but they aren't too keen on the big dump truck who comes roaring by, without any regard for others.
When the dump get's stuck in the mud, it looks like no one will help him...until Little Blue Truck comes along.

By the end of the story, all is resolved. Lesson learned: be nice to others, they'll be nice to you. I always try to emphasize this point with Silas, and I'm hoping it's seeping in through his ears to his brain. But honestly, what he truly loves about this book isn't really its message (he's not even three yet, mind you), it's the wonderful warm illustrations, the variety of animals, and the attempts I make at giving each one a distinct voice. And it's Little Blue Truck, for no other reason than that he lets all of the animals climb on board and have a ride at the end. In Silas's mind, there is nothing better than a big green toad driving a bunch of farm animals around in a pick-up truck. Where the book leaves off, Silas' imagination takes off. And isn't that what we want books to do?