Astrid's 1st Hike

Today it cooled down a little bit and I thought it would be the perfect day to go hiking with Astrid. I've taken her hiking with me before, but she's always been strapped onto my back in a baby carrier. (See here, here, and here.) Today she hiked on her own two feet for the first time.

We visited the Stough Canyon Nature Center (located near Wildwood Canyon Park) and hiked up the trail that starts there. It was one of the kid friendly places listed in the book I got for U. for Father's Day - "Fun and Educational Places to go with Kids in Southern California" - by Susan Peterson.

www.burbank.come/nature.shtml

Stough Canyon Nature Center
2300 Walnut Avenue
Burbank, CA

Neither Stough Canyon Nature Center, nor the address on Walnut Avenue registered on my car's navigation system, but it did have Wildwood Canyon Park. You just follow Walnut Avenue up and you'll see a sign that points you in the direction of the Nature Center.

Wildwood Canyon Park

1701 Wildwood Canyon Drive

Burbank, CA Astrid standing on the bridge that leads to the entrance to the Nature Center.

Hours: The nature center is open Tuesday through Sunday.
Tues. - Fri. 11 AM to 5 PM.
Sat. 9 AM to 5 PM.
Sun. 11 AM to 5 PM.
Closed Mon. and most holidays.

The trails are open daily from dawn until dusk.

Admission: FreeSnuggled right into the mountains, this nature center offers a variety of displays and exhibits: stuffed animals (deer, bobcat, raccoons, quail, owl), a few live tarantulas and snakes which visitors can touch, a touch table with animals skins, bones, snake skins, and even a beekeeping display.

Here's Astrid playing with the dinosaurs.

It's a great place for kids of all ages to explore and learn.

They also have clear blocks with insects inside which I even enjoyed holding and looking at. There's also a section in the middle with facts and trivia about various wildlife.

We took the fire road next to the nature center that winds its ways up the mountains and leads to a main trail, the Verdugo Mountainway Trail, which traverses the Verdugo Mountains.

Our view of the Nature Center from our hiking vantage point.

The trail has a nice view, but it's a dusty, hot climb up the dirt trail (there's no shady area) and it's all uphill, so it's a bit much for a toddler. We spotted this bench and stopped for a rest break.Astrid was pretty tired and this was as far as she would go.I brought a lunch for a picnic, but it was just too hot here, so we went back down to the Nature Center and had our picnic there in the shade outside.Astrid didn't want to wear her hat, but she had to because the sun was just too strong.

Heading back down the trail.

Around the perimeter of the Nature Center are benches, logs and bird feeders. We had our lunch down here in the shade as we watched the hummingbird eat out of the bird feeders.The curator at the Nature Center recommended the "Plant Walk" if the trail was too hard (which it was for Astrid), so after our lunch we went and checked it out. It's a short, narrow trail lined with rocks on either side.Astrid grabbing for the camera.The Nature Center was great, but for our next hike I'd like to take Astrid somewhere where there's a lot of shade (which isn't too steep), with a riverbed she can play next to. Maybe revisiting the trail we hiked here.

Astrid playing with her doll

The sweetest thing to watch now is Astrid playing with her dolls. Before she would carry them around and talk to them, but now she pretend plays with them. She wraps them in a blanket and puts them to bed - reads to them and sings to them. The other day she was even holding and patting her doll's back and rocking back and forth (like I do with Astrid) to make the baby fall asleep.Today she strapped her doll (from the Virgin Islands) into her high chair, put her bib on it and pretended to give her a drink of water.So adorable.

They really do copy what they see people doing around them. She also tell her dolls (and the dog) to "sit down" a lot. I guess U. and I need to cut back on saying that, and come up with something different.

Playing in a children's store

Astrid ran into this children's store to play with the stuffed animals and toys inside.

Astrid's New Crocs

Astrid loves her new crocs. She fits into the smallest size they carry - 8-9, and in her size they only had yellow and turquoise blue. We chose blue. They're made with some antibacterial material so her feet won't get stinky.

I know all kids (and many adults) wear these now, but initially I balked at the $25 price tag. It's a bit outrageous for kid shoes, (they outgrow them so fast), especially sandals. But we go swimming now quite a bit, and these shoes are so much more convenient to slip on and off. I hope they last all summer, but we'll see.

Glendale Galleria Indoor Playground

U. and I tried the indoor playground at the Glendale Galleria when Astrid was much younger, and within 5 minutes of being there one kid tried to hug her and made her fall while another kid ran by and kicked her in the head. But recently another mom in Astrid's toddler gymnastics class mentioned how she takes her daughter to the Glendale Galleria indoor playground and how nice it is. So I thought okay I'll try it again on a week day (when it might not be so busy), and now that Astrid is a bit older.

Unfortunately we experienced more of the same. A bunch of unruly, wild kids running, jumping, rolling, and shrieking, from one end of the playground to the other. I would not recommend that anyone take their kids there. It's dangerous. I had to be Astrid's bodyguard and literally block other kids from crashing into her while shouting, "Watch out for the baby!" Also, there are big kids in there who rough house and do not care if they crush, kick, or run over a baby. I saw one kid who looked to be 8. They should have an age limit in there, or have a separate section for the younger kids. But in any case the behavior I saw in there is not something that I want Astrid replicating, so I won't be taking her back there.

But I did get some pics in between blocking and trying to keep Astrid out of harm's way.
Astrid's new whiny face. It quickly turns into a laugh if you copy the silly face.

Astrid's Picasso

I picked up this sketch board from the VA hospital yesterday for $5. Astrid has a smaller one that she takes with her in the car, but this one has more space to draw and it comes with 2 stamps (a horse and a flower). It's great because there's no mess, and it erases so you can use it over and over again.Here's a sample of Astrid's art work.

Eating with Grandpa

Vietnamese Century, a new Vietnamese restaurant just opened near my parents' home. I got take out one time from there and my parents loved it. So here we are back again. It's pretty healthy and Astrid likes the chicken with rice and vermicelli noodles (as do I!).

It's sweet to see my dad feeding Astrid. My dad just turned 73 yesterday.

Dad: "I can't believe I'm 73. I don't feel that old."

Rose: "Well dad, I'm going to turn 34 this year."

Dad: "Oh my Gawd. I remember when you were as big as her. (pointing to Astrid)"