We had a great weekend! Got the yard dug out for the pool--one of those 15' diameter blowup pools. The kids are having a great time with it, though the water's still pretty cold.

Sunday we went rock climbing over at Carderocks. The kids did a great job and enjoyed their first foray onto real rock. Julia was in her element! She's such a fantastic climber, a real natural on the rock. Sam did a super job once he warmed up to it and realized that he could do it. He scrambled up "Kindergarten" a 5.0 climb, which is perfect for beginning climbers. Emily did a great job on "Kindergarten" as well, but froze up a bit on "The Nose," a 5.3 climb. She had a hard time getting down, unable to relax enough to let us lower her down. I was bummed that she ended the day on a scary note, but she seemed to put it behind her and focus on her good climbs earlier in the day. Great resiliency! All the kids are asking to go again this weekend.

Jim and I were back on the rock for the first time in about 7 years. It's amazing how much you remember and forget! We were both able to do "Spider Walk" a 5.7 on the first try, but it was a very new feeling trying to trust our feet on the greasy schist! Things I used to know I could stand on seemed sketchy and slippery. Time for a whole new learning curve on the rock! It felt really great to be out there again, and we're all looking forward to many more years of climbing together as a family.