Fun at the Pool

Andy’s mother works at PT360 in Vermont. This place has helped so many people recover from injuries, and a big aspect of that recovery often happens in their heated pool. Alex (and Andy and I) love going there when we visit.

This time, however, we noticed a substantial difference in how Alex was in and around the water. He was Mr. Independent—he didn’t want any help with either swimming or jumping in the pool:

• Here he is trying to swim on his own.
• And, here he is jumping in the water. 

 All videos were shot with Andy’s GoPro.

It made me realize how quickly he is growing up. I still remember when we first took him to the pool and he was just a few months old (yes, he was a complete chunker!). 

Time goes by so quickly. I love watching him learn, even if it makes my heart drop into my stomach (I always think about the multitude of things that could go wrong). His joy in the water was infectious. 

Thank you, PT360, for allowing us to share your facilities through the years! 

A Return to Shelburne Farms

 

To say that Shelburne Farms is a special place to Andy and me is a bit of understatement: we got married there almost eight years ago. One of the things that I love about this place, though, is that has grown with us—it served as a beautiful location for our wedding (a blog post about that later this summer), and now we can share this enchanting place with Alex—who seems to love it just as much as us. 

The Chicken Parade

We got there just in time for the Chicken Parade (at 10:30am). The chickens were diverse and each one was quite exquisite (I never thought I would say that about a  chicken!). There were also two roosters roaming around. 

Andy caught a chicken and let Alex hold him (this is allowed at the farm). 

Despite our best attempts to get Alex to approach the chickens slowly, his excitement overcame him. 

I love this shot. It almost looks like one of those black silhouettes of a rooster/chicken you see on so many weather vanes. 

My first time holding a chicken!

One of the roosters—he was such a little guy. 

They call this chicken Lady Gaga—she was beautiful.

After the chickens, Alex discovered the sandbox. I turned around to see he had taken his shoes and socks off and was playing in the sand. 

The Children’s Farmyard

After we spent time with the chickens and sand, we went inside to visit with the other animals. They had two goats (both of which were pregnant), several sheep (one of which was just a baby), two calves and a Brown Swiss cow (which we later milked). 

Waiting in line to milk the cow. 

We were the last to milk Ariella, which had its advantages and disadvantages: we waited quite awhile before we got to the front of the line, but once we went to milk her, there was no rush. As such, after Alex milked the cow, both Andy and I were also able to milk her.

  

Checking out the milk. 

Afterwards, we had to wash our hands before we headed to the cheese making. Alex was loving the huge sink!

Cheese Making

Shelburne Farms makes some of the best cheese out there.  You can watch the entire process from start to finish and sample some of their amazing cheeses (I liked the smoked cheese the best!).

We picked up some grilled cheese sandwiches at the Farm Stand (made using their 6-month cheddar) and also had some maple popcorn—maybe Alex’s favorite new snack. 

The Grounds

The grounds of this farm are absolutely spectacular. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted created conceptual designs for the landscape (he also designed the grounds for Wellesley College, my alma mater). 

I love the old glass in this window. It is imperfectly perfect. 

This tractor will take you to the main entrance/gift shop. Alex was a bit obsessed. 

  

 

A wonderful place by yourself, in a couple, or with a family. We anticipate that Shelburne Farms will continue to be one of our favorite places to return.