3.9 yrs: Cliff ladders, West Mitten, and smores

May was full of so many adventures, mostly of the outdoors sort.

On a mid-month trip to Crestone, Uncle Chris showed me bones of a deer (including vertebra) on a hike and skulls of various sizes just outside the house. We hiked up a rushing stream and I found a walkie talkie! We even walked to a Stupa up high on the hillside.

Our big trip was throughout the (broadly defined) Colorado Plateau: Royal Gorge, Crestone, Mesa Verde National Park, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon NP, Zion NP, and Arches NP, with other interesting stops along the way. Amma and Appa figured out traveling in the car a bit. After the first rough trip down to Crestone (where I wanted to stop many times to play with a huge (5X) motorcycle, see ATVs, climb trees, and walk around), they figured that stopping every ~2 hours was a good idea (unless, of course, Thambi and I both happened to be asleep).

Our first stop was designed for me. We started at the train depot, boarded the train (I was worried it might leave without us), and traveled 12 miles into and through the Royal Gorge! It was beautiful and we saw the bridge way way up above us. I liked the open air car the best.

In Crestone we hung out with Uncle Chris again. I made an airplane out of sticks. I explored fallen trees. And we hiked up next to a pretty stream. On the road again, we stopped to take a short hike to see Treasure falls (and get misted on) and visit the Durango train depot and its museum.

 

One of the highlights was that I got to climb in and around cliff dwellings! It was in Mesa Verde National Park at the Balcony house. Before the tour I was jumping around from bench to bench. Then we got to go! Down stairs, then I got to climb up ladders, climb on the rocks using the footholds, see ancient cliff dwellings, and then crawl through a tunnel and then up more rocks to get out. Immediately when it was over I said 'again'!

 

The spires in Monument Valley are quite dramatic. As we hiked around West Mitten Butte on the Wildcat Trail, I liked to show my hand as the mitten (which I kept calling glove) - thumb out and fingers curled in.

 

Did you know that you can see actual dinosaur tracks from hundreds of millions of years ago? We stopped and a Hopi guide showed us lots of different tracks: Trex and gigantasaurus and velociraptors! Even baby tracks and a fossilized egg.

 

Along the way we had Music to help us - my favorite ones were the Elephant and Ant songs. (Elephant, boom boom boom.You are so big, you are so round, when you walk you go pound pound pound!) (The lions prowl four by four hurrah, hurrah, the lions prowl 4x4 the little one stopped to say Roar!)

 

The Grand Canyon is impressive. We had good views from the Watch Tower. And we hiked down into it. On the way, we saw layers of history, many cactus blooming, and quite a few Albert's squirrels at Indian Garden. Down there I had fun with Thambi hopping around the streams. While I did fall asleep on the way down and back up, I did have enough time to hike on my own at the top and bottom. And we passed the time singing my favorite songs while hiking back up the Bright Angel trail. Snakie was also acquired there.

 

I know how to turn a penny into a 'dollar'. Want to know how? You put a penny into one of those machines, crank crank crank, and it turns into a souvenir with a neat pattern on it. Worth a dollar, right?

We went into the cooler depths of Antelope Canyon, where I saw a lizard high on a wall, tried a little climbing, but mostly looked at the beautiful sandy waves in the walls. We hiked most of the way (but not all of the way) up Angel's Landing in Zion National Park - the very last section got a little tricky with me on Appa's back (and Thambi on Amma's back). After ice cream, I ran down the trail from Emerald Lakes so I could play on the tractor. I tried out my new Spiderman swimsuit in the hot tub in the big house with many families of Appa's friends from school and played on the playground out back. I tried my hand at one river crossing in the Narrows (but decided the view from Appa's back was better). And I hiked to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park (UT).

There was also the opportunity to make quite a few smores this month - first at the fire at the McGregors at 'graduation' night (those one year older than me who are going off to kindergarten next year) and a few times at the fire at the big house in East Zion with all of Appa's friends from school. I like the long sticks and the burning embers, but I admit that most of the time my marshmallow catches fire.

I even pooped several times outdoors in a hole in the dirt while hiking, a little milestone of its own.

Around home, we also had a good month. We now get to eat lettuce directly from the Tower Garden, which is super cool! A few times I had need of a band aid, and then another time or two I wanted to put one on just because. Thunder can be a little frightening though - when I hear it I usually find Amma or Appa quickly, or I hide in a box with a cover. I played around with setting up a box to catch a rabbit. And Thambi and I had boat boxes for cruising around the house. I often say cheese when someone wants to take a picture of me. Appa arranged a nice potluck at the park with my McGregor friends and their families. When we got home from the trip, I was inspired after the Narrows river hike in Zion National Park, so I went straight for playing in Bear Creek behind our home (with Thambi too) - we even saw several ducks! (I love my water shoes btw!)

Thank you God for streams (and water shoes), erosion (and gorges and canyons), arches (and sand), backpacks (and family to carry me), fires (and smores), national parks (and rangers), dinosaurs (and guides), and sunshine (and hats).

3.8 yrs: Seedlings, robots, and spaceships

Did you know that seeds, when properly cared for with water and sunshine, turn into ... seedlings! We grew some in the kitchen, and then moved them to the cool Tower Garden, which has this cool pump that moves the water up and then in falls back down on the roots. Super cool. (If you see Amma, ask her about it.) All of the lettuce and basil and tomatoes and snap peas and broccoli and other things aren't quite ready to eat yet, but they will be in a few weeks. I am excited. Though we need to make sure Thambi doesn't pick any of the tiny seedlings too soon.

Robot are very cool. We saw the robot show with robots playing soccer, robots getting up after falling down, robots hovering in the air, and even robots vacuuming. Then we got to play with circuits, make a fan spin, and play with cubes that lit up and moved around. This experience made the book Boy + Bot my new nighttime standard. I can fill in most of the words when Amma pauses for me. Robots aren't really supposed to eat applesauce. We went on a hike and got to hike along a log just like Boy and Bot do in the forest.

I continue to love the McGregors. There we do all kinds of fun things. One day we caught trout (six of them) and then ate them - yum! There I learn all kinds of things like the planet names and about space travel (I actually knew my planets before all of the ABCs), learning ABCs (I know them now), sometimes spanish (like hola and counting), and how big guys can help little guys (like when I help show little Kenzie how to do something). This translates to me helping out Thambi and getting excited when he can do new things (I tell Amma when he says something new or when he drinks the smoothie without spilling it).

On the way to the McGregor's, I often ride my Strider bike. I am so fast now, Amma has to run holding Thambi to catch up. Plus, big news. I can ride my Strider down the hill with no feet touching and even make the turn around a corner! I am pretty sure I am almost ready for a pedal bike.

There are a few things from past months that I may not have mentioned. Like I don't take a nap anymore! I get to do all kinds of new things with the big kids at McG. Though I still get pretty sleepy and if you put me in a car I will fall asleep. Another thing: I can towel off after the bath and put on my PJs or clothes on my own (though sometimes I still have Amma or Appa help). This translates sometimes into me really wanting to wear something in particular, such as my baseball pants or shorts (especially popular after we have been watching baseball - or little league!). And another thing: when we go sledding (like we did after a huge snow storm this month), I can go down on my own and go back up the hill on my own carrying the sled.

At home I like to help out. I like to help water plants. Sometimes we put on dance music - even in the morning - and we all dance together.

But one of the coolest things we did at home recently was build a big spaceship! It has a door with handles and a window and a roof and we drew pictures of all of the planets on it. Saturn is the prettiest with all of the rings. We brought supplies needed for long journeys, such as pillows, blankets, hammers, stuffed animals, lego men, and a phone. I got to share my spaceship with friends like Ara and Molly

This month also included a big party for great grandma and grandpa's 70th wedding anniversary (where there were lots of family members and a magic show too), hiking around Boulder (where I practiced climbing some rocks) and Golden (where there was this awesome tree with four big trunks where we could all climb inside), visiting grandma, the arrival of Ayyamma from India, a good trip to the Butterfly pavilion (seeing cool blue morpho butterflies), and seeing my neighbor catch a swarm of about ten thousand bees just behind our house!

Thank you God for robots, cake, trails, rocks, spaceships, family, and friends.

3.75 yrs: Atthai, legos, and a car show

All my life I have been expressive. I am getting more talkative now so everyone can understand more of what is going on in my brain. Amma asks me about my dreams in the morning often, and I can tell her about them.

Kanmani Atthai and Mahendran Mama visited us from India (well they already were in California for their grandchild's birth). It was a good visit. We went hiking around Boulder, saw the elephant show (and playing polar bears) at the zoo, had fun in the snow up in Rocky Mountain National Park (including tasting some snow, throwing snowballs, and playing king of the snow pile), and ate yummy food! I like playing stop and go with my arms - just like a train crossing - and did so on our hikes together. At the zoo we also saw some Peruvian dancing (and then I got to practice it at home).

Generally I love playing with Legos (this runs in the family) and Appa is letting me play with more of his legos, including cool worker men, trucks, and even divers. As an incentive to use the potty regularly (I am okay on a schedule but occasionally have some accidents), Amma and Appa created a flag and reward system - so as I went consistently, I received many different little Lego men! Batman, Superman, Hulk, Captain America... and Star Wars characters as well. Sometimes I brought them to bed with me.

I loved the auto show with grandpa. I got to drive about ten different cars. There was this huge bear (and I mean HUGE - 2 stories tall) that was blue (weird, huh?) and was looking in the window from the outside. One truck had a really really big baseball in the back of it. And then there was this driving section where Jeeps (like Appa's) went bumpety bump over different obstacles. We got to have some snacks and watch some for a while. I even got two new play cars to bring home.

We now have a sandbox right in the backyard (thanks Amma!). So digging and scooping and building castles are all quickly accessible. It is starting to get warm enough to eat dinner outside too (except when it snows!).

On Easter, I enjoyed hunting for eggs. And of course eating the chocolate that was in them (though I did give some back to Amma to hide second and third times). When Hiroshi kept hiding the eggs after I found them, the fun lasted a long time. We also visited Grandma and got to play with some new balls there.

Since the McGregors took spring break off, Molli watched me, and I hung out with Ara too. There was this HUGE snowstorm that knocked a bunch of branches down that week. We built a snowman in the backyard. Then I got to help clean the branches up with grandpa and Takaji on Easter.

Amma is my best friend. Thambi and Appa are also my best friends. And I tell them so.

Thank you God for Legos, snow, and oranges.

3.7 yrs: Sanitas, sledding, and the Superbowl

I hiked up my first mountain all on my own! Mount Sanitas in Boulder. Pretty awesome. Parts are a dirt trail, parts have some rocks to hop on or climb, and the view from the top is great. I made it about 85 percent of the way down too, then I was pretty tired so Appa carried me the rest of the way down.

When it snows, we usually take the sled to Don and Barbara McGregor's. Thambi joins me. On the way home, sometimes I catch a sled ride with other friends too.

I got to watch the Superbowl with Thambi and Appa (Amma took a trip for a few days to California) - check out me and Thambi engaged in the lower right picture below. Goooo Broncos!

At the museum of nature and science, I watched this guy on Mars show me how he lives, cleans solar panels, and grows food. Oh and there was a cool show about what happens when things get really really cold in deep space.

Amma and uncle Chris and Thambi and Rockie and I went up to St Mary's Glacier for a hike one day - but it was super snowy! Chris pulled me in the sled for most of the way up, and then we got to sled back down the trail! It was a lot warmer when we stopped for lunch in Idaho Springs though.

I think it is important to tell your loved ones your feelings. So I tell Amma 'I love you,' and do the same for Thambi and Appa.

Thank you God for mountains (and hiking), games (and playing), tricycles (and riding), snow (and sledding), and blank paper (and drawing).

3.6 yrs: Night kitchen, pancakes, and tennis

My new favorite book is Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak. I know almost all of the words. Stir it, scrape it, mix it, bake it! Milk in the batter, milk in the batter! I'm not the milk, I'm Mickey! Anyway, this also means that I looove to make pancakes to eat (late at night, right before bedtime). I tell Amma what I want to mix together - like flour, then an egg, then milk, then cinnamon, and sometimes blueberries. Then we make it and flip it! I usually don't finish the whole thing.

I am getting better at tennis - serving and hitting. At home I also like to bounce on the bouncy ball that Suzy and the girls gave me for Christmas.

This month I took a few trips into the mountains with Amma and Thambi. One time Amma ended up carrying us both (which was I guess a little heavy). So the next time we brought a sled for me, but it was pretty windy so again we didn't make it too far. On the way back we stopped in Ned to go on the carousel and to visit my favorite - the train coffee shop!

Thambi keeps getting more fun to play with. We hang out together at the grocery store in the little car.

As a family, we made a few trips to our favorite standby: the museum of nature and science. I like to stomp on the fish near the bear exhibit. And we saw a 3D IMAX movie about the Journey to Space (as in Mars!).

Thank you God for space travel, pancakes, and sleds.

3.5 yrs: Potty, rides for Thambi, and a gingerbread house

My big news this month is that I use the potty now ('mostly' regularly). Do you know what helped me make the leap? Underwear with Batman and Superman and other fun stars! And Lego underwear! (That bribing thing with the gummies was good in concept, but it didn't lead to action.)

I like giving Thambi a ride on my tricycle, and he has a lot of fun too.

December was the season to prepare for Christmas. When I came home and Amma had already put up the Christmas tree, I immediately wanted to make a gingerbread house! (I remembered this from last year). Amma and I spent a few days making my gingerbread house (see the pic below), though I suppose I did consume a few too many of the house accoutrements.

I love lights, especially in the dark; they are so crucial and beautiful and illuminating in many ways. There were many trees with lights: at home (one small, one big), around town, and at the Botanical Gardens in Denver.

The week before Christmas I hung out with Nicole for a few days. She brought paints so I painted!

Christmas day itself was fun. Thambi and I both got a tennis racquet; we play inside the house mostly with them. I received a lot of trains from my second cousins (Petey's old trains). But the best present was the motorcycle from Grandpa! It even has a back shock.

We finished up the month with ... hockey! We went down to see Takaji playing and it was fast-paced.  Now we play it at home in the kitchen with a magnet as a puck and big spoons as sticks.

Thank you God for hockey, motorcycles, gingerbread, and family.

3.4 yrs: Astronauts, hiking, and Thanksgiving

This month we settled back into life in Boulder and Colorado.

The museum of nature and science is a favorite place of mine - especially the space area! I like dressing up as a NASA Commander and piloting the ship. There are also all kinds of fun things to do in the discovery zone, like play with lights and move balls around by spinning wheels.

We went to Red Rocks with grandpa and went hiking with him in the flatirons. We visited grandma at her new memory care center.

I actually tried to ski at Brainard Lake - Appa and Amma were holding my hands though since the skis are slippery! Pretty quickly, Appa took me on his back. Truth be told it was a little chilly up there, even with my snow suit on. The mountains were beautiful though.

Over Thanksgiving break, Nicole came up and we played for a few days! She made playdough. We even hung out with Suzy one day and went to the Aquarium downtown Denver. On Thanksgiving itself, we had a good party at Eryn and Steve's house with lots of family. And I hung out with friends (including Kwayedza) at an alternative Thanksgiving party at Nii Armah's house the day after. 

Thank you God for good health, time to play, and family to love.