January 28

Happy birthday to Eli! Somehow I forgot to take a picture of him last night as his "Last picture as a one-year-old", and I still haven't taken his two-year pictures. I also forgot to hang balloons in his doorway this morning, but since he's still in a crib I figure it isn't that big of a deal? Such is the plight of a fourth child.

We did plan our day to be full of adventures, though. Today was cold and gray, but we spent quite a bit of time outside anyway. In the morning we went to a nearby ice festival, where we could watch ice carvers at work.

The kids were totally into this! I love getting to this competition in the morning, because you can really see how the carvers are sculpting their art out of simple blots of ice.

Lily is modeling one of the hats Grandpa gave her. She's totally focused on the carvers! Also, Chris and his cinched up hoodie hoods makes me cringe every time. But hey - I love the man, so I guess I have to deal with it.

Fire pits were a welcome relief!

My only explanation for this face is that he's seven and a half. Also, another Grandpa hat.

This carver and sculpture were our favorite.

And then my mom joined us! Lily and Caleb ran to her.

Caleb and Daisy are always excited to poke their faces through signs.

They also took advantage of the fact that Eli and Lily - who typically hog all of Grandma's attention - were with Chris and me. They soaked in their Grandma time!

Eli has been fighting being worn lately, but he didn't complain at all when I put him up on my back in my wrap strap meh dai. Really, he had the best seat in the house! This was my first time wearing a child when we each had a puffy coat on; usually I put my coat over the both of us, but this worked pretty well.

When we got home, I turned on Eli's first year video, and the kids had so much fun watching pictures of their baby brother.

Eli really enjoyed the pictures of himself, too.

While the little ones napped, the big ones and I went grocery shopping and Chris put an extra seat in our van. We got home just in time to load up in the van and head out for an evening hike. A near-ish conservation area was hosting a guided nighttime hike focusing on owls and maple syrup and ending with hot cocoa. Chris was skeptical about the owl part, but since Eli really loves hiking, we went. Even better, my mom came along with us!

Mom snapped this picture of us right before the hike began, at dusk. We had headlamps, and the kids were wearing snow pants and three layers of clothing to keep them warm. Eli rode on my back in the meh dai, and Lily was on Chris' back in the Lillebaby CarryOn Air. The hike was only 1.5 miles, and we were really excited!

Eli insisted on his doggy hat and a head lamp of his own.

Goodness, he's cute!

There was actually a pretty large group; it was maybe 30 people? There was a group of boys Caleb's age, but otherwise ours were the youngest children there. Chris let Lily walk some of the time, and wore her on his back the rest of the time. See her in the light pink coat, Caleb in maroon, and Daisy in bright pink above?

You can also see my mom above. She is such a good sport! I was so proud of how she soldiered through the hike, which was more challenging than I anticipated, despite her knee replacement surgery four months ago.

Daisy was a champ during our hike. She complained a little bit, but did a really great job.

Number one hiker of the night went to Caleb, though. He had so much fun, and was totally engaged the whole time. Sadly, this is my last picture because... the sun set. We scrambled up a muddy hill, walked along a high ridge, and even saw an owl! (Lily was on Chris' back when we saw the owl, and she was definitely scared. Everyone else was fine.) Mom got a great workout, but managed to keep up with everyone. 

And Eli? Every time our group stopped to talk or look at something, he shouted, "Keep hiking! Keep hiking!" A couple of times, he cheerfully informed me, "I hiking, Mama! I hiking!" I think it was a good birthday adventure for him.

After the hike (and hot cocoa), we stopped at a nearby restaurant for dinner. They didn't have many dessert options, so we stopped somewhere else for chocolate chip cookies on the way home. And that is how we celebrated sweet Eli's second birthday.