Welcome Winter

To celebrate the winter solstice the boys strung some popcorn and cranberry bird feeders.
On a chilly, but otherwise not-so-winter-like-day, we walked the feeders out into the woods to make sure that our feathered (but more likely our furred) friends had a winter treat.

city mouse, country mouse

 Not long ago, when sister Bejos was in the last stages of her pregnancy, I booked a ticket for NYC.
It was a solo trip with no other destination, much to the chagrin to the rest of the east coast Bejos clan. It was a whirlwind trip, but I knew that being a guest in a apartment with a newborn baby definitely had its limits. We made the most of it.
A little bit of the neighborhood, the mandatory NYC highlights (with the city decked out in Christmas attire), and a whole lot of walking.
It was perfect.
Even for this country mouse.

And this newest Bejos nephew...he is stealing hearts.

tree hunting

Most years we join friends for our annual Christmas tree hunting expedition. Scheduling conflicts got in the way of tradition this year but we made the best of it. Driving through the woods we scouted for greens and a good place to take our classic Christmas card photo.

Eventually we ended our hunt in the urban wilds of our local farmer's market. It is by far the most traditional and uniform tree that we have ever had!

outdoors yet again

The last few posts make us look like one hardcore outdoor family. It has, however, been a family goal for us. Get up and go out. It is the same momentum that prompted our impromptu trip to Zion not too long ago. 

This hike into Pumphouse Wash was not the easiest since it was a bit colder than we expected, and it involved a whole lot of rock hopping - not any easy task for four-year-old legs. 

Sycamore Canyon

It had been years since Mr. Bejos and I hiked this particular canyon. And, as time does, it distorted my memory of just to get the trailhead, down a long bumpy dirt road, and just how far it was to a particular turn-around point that I had in mind.
Turns out both were a lot further than I remembered. The boys trudged on down the canyon like seasoned hikers, but the trip back up was a little more work, and took a whole lot of inventive play that involved boobytraps and magic invisible walls.