Going to the zoo, zoo, zoo, how about you?

Saturday, my Dad and his new friend Agnes took us all to the good old Seneca Park Zoo, for a regular family outing.

Adele loved these baboons.

Elephant impatiently waiting for his bath.

Watching the elephant bath!

She was so patient and gentle. Unlike human toddlers.

Agnes is someone we've been looking forward to meeting for several months. We're so glad we're here for long enough that we could see her several times and get to know her a bit. We already know we have a lot of literary and television tastes in common!

Jon enjoyed a break from his grindstone-nosing.

SOMEDAY my kids will play in this creek. We're 3/3 for them not being at all interested.

We had a great old time at this little playground.

This orangutan baby was born in April. I loved watching her cling to her climbing mother, while remaining sound asleep. No Moby Wrap necessary.

This weekend gave some old friends a chance to get re-acquainted.

That evening, we went over to the Browns' house, which was a second home to me, growing up. So very many people were there from my childhood, I spent the whole time feasting on soul food and dishing the dirt with old friends and did not take a solitary photo. What was I thinking?? Jon snapped this one of Adele demonstrating her new skill, anyway.

I got to meet two new babies, and get my baby fix. Jon is grateful. And, I get to see more buddies tonight! I'm feeling incredibly lucky for opportunity of this summer.

Life on Linden

While here in Rochester, we are living a nomadic lifestyle, living alternately with my Dad in the 'burbs and with Leah, my cousin-sister in her lovely old South Wedge home, in a very up-and-coming Rochester City neighborhood.

We spent Monday through Friday at Leah's. Each day, Jon bikes to the University of Rochester to work on his research, Matthew walks to church to work (the South Wedge Mission they started is only a block away) and Leah and I work and play at home with our crop of tinies. I rather wish we had a camera crew to film this reality show! But I do have a few snapshots:

Abby is a month older than Miles.

Matthias, or Taitai, is two months older than Adele.

The family recently acquired a safety-caged trampoline! Much to my kids' eternal delight and wonder.

There have been several neighborhood parties already!

Adele is thisclose to being able to climb in without help.

There's a been a lot of laughter.

It's a regular House of Mirth!

On Friday we returned to Dad's house to give the Nickoloffs a break. But we'll be back soon for round two! We've loved this little experiment.

Calling all earthlings!

 Oh my stars, my baby is four!

We celebrated Miles' birthday at my cousin Leah's house (where we'd come to stay for a spell) with space-themed fun, since space and planets are a current fascination of his.

The main astronauts party participants, Miles and Abby

Alien masks to mix things up when they were tired of being earthlings

21 month old Matthias tries his hand at astrophysics.

 We started with a rousing game of pin-the-eyeball-on-the-alien.

It was a success, as you see.

We even got the little green people to stand still for ONE second.

Dinner involved Rocketdogs!!

They were a big hit.

 Miles got some killer gifts, too!

Planets and stars to decorate his new room.

 Not shown here: LOTS of new space-themed toys, including a magnet set and a moon rover that explores the surface of refrigerators.

A pile of kids enjoy Aunt Cheryl's gift: a pop-up tent!

 ....And Grandpa Jim brought a new bike!

The cousins off to take on the world together.

 He did a great job! Just a few pointers and away he went.

 I'm trying to come to terms with the fact my kid is nearly a school-aged child. I'm going to have to say goodbye to his babyhood at some point. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe, one day at a time.

Respite in Maryland

 On July 5 we loaded up the car and drove to Jon's parents' home in Maryland, to have a brief visit and to celebrate Miles' 4th birthday with his grandparents. We got a bit of a treat on the way:

We felt like we'd just staggered off some kind of ark. It was an encouraging sight.

Miles had the first of his two birthday cakes in Maryland. This one he got to help Grandma bake! While I enjoyed a date with myself in Annapolis, getting a haircut and dawdling at Goodwill. What bliss.

He got a bit excited about applying the sprinkles.

 If you have seen Miles recently, you will remember his newfound passion for Pete the Cat. We remembered it too:

There was a happy trip to the air-conditioned mall with its many attractions for kids, and a couple of nights of much needed rest, before, on July 7, we hit the road again.

From moving week

 Between Sunday, June 30 and Thursday, July 5, Jon and I did NOTHING but move. From our sweet but inadequate apartment on Lee Street we have moved to a little apartment in University City that I'm calling Crickhollow. If you catch the reference to the Lord of the Rings, we are probably special friends and I need say no more. However: I am calling the lovely, shiny, clean, but still small apartment we've just begun to occupy, "Crickhollow" because it is sweet, is is nice, and I don't plan to stay. We may end up here for up to two years, but it is my great hope that we'll settle next into something more like a home for our lively family.

Moving was enormously hard. It was truly one of the most fatiguing weeks I've had in several years. Jon and I had some help and a truck to move the furniture (without which we would surely still be on Lee Street, cursing), but other than that, after noon on Monday we were on our own. What an opportunity to discover the true strength of our marriage!

It is done, however, and we left it liveable, if rather full of boxes. As of July 5, we have been living elsewhere! More on that to come.

For now, enjoy a couple of shots from our last week in Blacksburg. Both kids found adventuresome ways to fall asleep on our last couple nights on Lee Street:

Dino mask at the ready!

Practicing sleep-based martial arts.

We spent July 4th in Blacksburg for the first time. Here is Adele in her festive garments! They showed An American Tail at the Lyric Theater. 

Later that night, Miles and I climbed a hill together and watched the town fireworks, in a very fond farewell to Lee Street, and, for a time, to Blacksburg.

Off we went the very next day!