Noah Cardiel Holt | My life according to other people

The day after Noah’s NH birthday, sitting in Nana and Grampa’s living room checking out some of the great presents.

That afternoon Aunt Mindy, Nana, and I went to check out “Stump The Hummer”.

You can see more of that chaos here, Stump The Hummer. For dinner we drove down the street to a pig roast that Aunt Mindy’s friends were having.

Great last day in NH.

You want to know how to be a really popular Aunt? Make this the first thing you do in the morning.

As a present to Noah, Kate and I borrowed Grampa’s MG and went hiking, leaving him behind to be wildly spoiled by everyone around.

I won’t bore you with a bunch hiking photos, but I got a few.

Nancy Cascades.

WARNING! The following contains stats!! – 89% of NH has forest cover, that’s the highest percentage in the lower 48. And on the trail up to Nancy Pond you can find “one of the two largest remaining areas of virgin spruce-fir forest in the state” (peep) where “the median age of trees is about 254 years” (peep).

Meanwhile, back in Milan, the hero of our story was dealing with challenges of his own.

Noah’s main challenge, which new gun to play with.

Zach and Dillon helping with his new Legos.

Aunt Mindy’s theme appropriate chocolate lollipops.

Borrowing one of Grampa’s “juice” koozies.

Aunt Mindy’s cake.

The Aunt Mindy/Noah collaborative cupcakes.

Then the entertainment showed up.

Opening a few presents before bed.

Audience encouragement.

A whole box of animals!! (Sharks, a turtle, penquins…)

Good day.

Yurt life!

I never want to leave.

Leaving.

Story Land!

Where kids can run, play, and learn to be frustrated by pens that don’t work.

After staying up too late, looking at too many stars, I wanted to take a nap so I sent Noah and Nana to find me a bed that wasn’t too hard, or too soft, but just right.

This went to lil’ dudes head.

Fair maidens.

Dictatoring.

Grampa Holt stealing a photo of us on the balloon ride.

Noah stealing a hug.

Kate, telling some kid to squirt the guy with the camera.

Story Land’s secret water ride.

Seconds later…

Back at the pond.

Noah’s telling me a story about the one that got away.

Nana Holt giving us a lesson in determination.

Solid times.

Wild Wednesday morning up in Errol NH at L.L. Cote. checking out the famous albino moose.

This place is great.

The mission was to get Noah his first fishing pole.

Flashback to my childhood, my dad tying knots for everyone and getting our hooks out of trees, weeds, rocks, and stumps.

Worms.

First fish!

Later we went up to Milan Hill State Park to check into the yurt we rented for the night.

I never want to leave.

Carrying a wounded hiker through the park.

Nana came up after work and made dinner.

I never want to leave.

Dirtiest dude.

Talking to Aunt Mindy.

My parents brought the filthy one (Noah) down to their house for the night.

Star watching.

I never want to leave.

A day at The Flume while we were still up in NH.

Spiders are taking over the world. You heard it hear first.

A b-b-b-b-bear cave!

Youth, falling through the cracks.

Noah called these shelters “theaters”, each time we got a “show”.

Into the wolf den.

Noah wasn’t into climbing through the old wolf den, but he found some other caves to call through.

Back at the compound, playing around with the cars that Uncle Gerry and Aunt Paula gave him.