Happy Trails, Coda

Or should that be tails? Coda moved out last Tuesday and has taken up residence with a family in a nearby county. They have 20+ acres of land, so plenty of space for him to run free and play, and not nearly so many people to bark at! More importantly, they have a 3 year old son with Autism, and Coda, having been raised by a 3 year old, is just the companion for their son. We hear things are going great with them, and we're very excited for Coda's new job as a therapy dog. We are all a bit sad, too, since he is such a great dog and was a well-loved member of the household for the last 1.5 years... I don't think Zara remembers living here without him. It's definitely bittersweet.

Balloon!

Zara, as a very small child, loved balloons. Who wouldn't? A series of unfortunate events later, Zara decided she was done with balloons, particular helium filed ones. They escaped, they popped, they let her down, they were not to be trusted. Time heals all wounds, apparently, and she finally decided it was time to get back on the balloon horse. Also, the awesome dress Kasthuri brought her from India 2 years ago still fits! Thanks again, Kasthuri!

Taking the Dog for a Rock

Looks like we won't have Coda for much longer - he's officially washed out as a service dog. We're looking to place him as a therapy dog with a family with a kid or kids with special needs, since he's so robust thanks to Zara's part in raising him. He is very clever and snuggly and continues to be a lot of fun to live with, and we will miss that. On the other hand, it will be nice to take a little break and give Zara a chance to have our full attention, since they sometimes have some sibling rivalry.... funny, isn't it.

Ragged Mountain

Here we are on yet another hike at Ragged Mountain, an awesome "nature walk" just 10 minutes from our house. Have I mentioned how much I love living in Charlottesville? The big difference on this hike is that there was no backpack (for Z carrying) in sight, and while I am wearing the Mei Tai, just a few moments earlier Zara has been wearing it to carry her friends, Molly and Allison. It took a little convivcing and a little game playing - find the blue blazes, anyone? But Zara walked the whole time, which was about 40 minutes! I'm so excited to go back there again and go for longer!

Portland

We all trekked out to Portland in support of my first National peer-reviewed conference presentation as a PhD student at NAI. Wes and Zara played at the Portland Children's Museum while I attended the conference. The giant lincoln logs are part of a Bob the Builder exhibit. We all got very wet, as can be seen by Zara's pants. It rained the entire time, which did not stop our fun but did put a damper on any urges I had to move to Portland. For now. :)

Also? Russell Street BBQ is fantastically yummy and clearly very kid friendly, though Zara fell asleep in the stroller on the way to dinner and stayed asleep for the next 12 hours. Ah, jetlag.

Giant Brain!

Zara with our current favorite grad student (bar mama) Caitlin. Caitlin is studying psychology and needed test subjects for her IQ tests. Zara and I volunteered. Zara also got the bonus that Caitlin used to teach ballet, so brought her toe shoes for Zara to admire.

Fall

What Fall looks like in C'ville: 73F and not a cloud in the sky.

Gorgeous

Fairy!

This is how Jo keeps Zara entertained when she wakes up at 6:30am. We're more of an 8am household. Those are ballet hands, by the way. Not to be mistaken for spirit fingers.

Fab Farm

Zara's class had a weekend outing to a farm in Ruckersville. We only saw one other family, really (Ana's). But there were a few animals to see. And a corn maze!