Novack Grandparents Visit Leopold

Doesn't get much cuter....

Smiley Boy!! Very thoughtful on the Boppy.


We had a great visit with Al and Sandy - the Novack Grandparents. They are visiting from Virginia (just outside of D.C.) and it was a fun time to meet Leopold. He's so cute and interactive these days, check out a few of the pictures. Mostly we stayed around the house, went to visit Grandma Cathy and Opa Tom in Ellensburg and did make it out to Cooper Lake...

Grandma Sandy and a giggly Leopold

Quality time with Grandpa

Getting stronger!

Fun at Cooper Lake

Daddy snorkelling in Cooper Lake (brrr!!)

Dad and Grandpa hanging out in the woods.

Kathryn and Big Leo Visit Roslyn!!

Yes, we just spent a week with Kathryn and Big Leo who visited from Florida. Here we are in our backyard with the 2 Leos (big and little). The Leos had a fun time together and we all enjoyed the summer weather in the Northwest.

Here's the Wilkerson Novack Family in our backyard, standing just beside one of the historic old miners quarters buildings in our backyard.



















We had a great time going to the Point Defiance Zoo and Seattle Children's museum before heading over the mountains to Roslyn. Leopold slept through most of the activities, but was awake for a bit of aquarium viewing.


Once in Roslyn, there was much outdoor activity to be had and Big Leo turned our yard into a ship surrounded by water and with strategically located bridges. We had fun picking and eating the cherries from the yard (yummy!!) and there were lots of fun hikes to be had. Here are a few extra photos to go along with the stories from the last post:


Kathryn and Leo at the Roslyn Cafe.

Anthony grilling shrimp and veggies in the backyard.

Cynthia and Leopold at Cooper Lake

Anthony and Big Leo in the Lake

Kathryn getting her baby fix!

2 months old already?!?!

Wow, Leopold is now 8 weeks old - where has the time gone??

It's been a busy month. Leo took his first trip out of Kittitas County (3 actually), went on his first hike in the National Forest (with mom), went to his first party (4th of July at Grandpa Duane's), attended his first wedding celebration (Saskia and Otto in Seattle), had visits from Auntie PowPow, Uncle David and Abuela Jane, Great Uncle Hal and Great Aunt Sue and Ray, and the Delfinos, went to the zoo and children's museum (although he slept through most of those), and is now visiting with Auntie Kathryn and big Leo. Today we went on a trip to Cooper Lake and Leo enjoyed the sunshine and trees while mom, dad, and Auntie Kathryn did some kayaking.

Leo's getting much more interactive - smiling and almost giggling - standing up and balancing almost on his own and flapping his arms. He likes to dance around and loves being outside. He's not so keen on the carseat or being in the car, but luckily we don't have to do that all that much these days. Cynthia and Leopold usually get a walk once a day at least down to the post office.

We've been enjoying the summer sunshine and life in Roslyn. With the new natural food market and the Sunday farmer's market, we've all been having tasty local food without having to drive anywhere. Anthony's been working outside a lot and playing soccer as much as possible as usual. We're getting closer to making the final decision on childcare for when Cynthia goes back to work the last week of August.

Cynthia's starting to feel a bit stronger - kayaking today was great and she's started back (slowly) with pilates and yoga. No swimming yet, but should be soon. Life in Roslyn without the commute - and with the summer sunshine - is a treasure to be sure. Although she's not missing work itself per se, Cynthia and Leo did attend an important work event in Seattle last week. And Cynthia tried to host a political meeting at the house last weekend, but nobody showed up - not surprisingly the internet is probably not the most efficient way to network in this town, but it was a learning experience.

Anthony and Cynthia went on their first date since Leopold was born - we went out to dinner to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary! Grandpa Duane and Nanna Kathryn watched Leo while we had a couple of hours of yummy food and real adult conversation (not completely free of baby topics, but also beyond our new focus on the baby exclusively).

We've got new photos up on Shutterfly:
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYuGrZkzYsWTn4

and we'll try to post more on the blog soon.

Leopold It Is

Hi All

After a month and a half of being Sierra, we've decided to start calling our little man by his (first) middle name - Leopold. It can be shortened to Leo, Polo, or Polito. Here's a more current picture from his Opa Friedland. We're going to officially change it, so now it is: Leopold Sierra Wilkerson Novack. Still a mouthful, just a slightly different order - shortens to Leopold S.W. Novack.

Leopold

What's in a Name?

Sierra Leopold Wilkerson Novack

Yes, it's quite a mouthful. Here's the rundown on the origin of this little man's big name.

Sierra (first name):

Anthony picked this name based on his time in the Peace Corps in Honduras where he worked in the Sierra de Algalta park. He wasn't too keen on "Algalta" as a name, but Sierra fit the bill. Of course Sierra is the Spanish word for "mountian range" which is significant to both of our love of nature and mountains. We like having a Spanish word and since Cynthia grew up in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada - and we were engaged in these mountains - this name has additional significance.

Leopold (first middle name):

In honor of the pioneering first wildlife ecologist Aldo Leopold. Aldo was an avid hunter and angler and loved nothing more than wandering the woods and learning the habits and history of the wildlife inhabitants. He held many posts in the U.S. Forest Service in New Mexico before transferring to the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory in Madison Wisconsin and later heading up the first University program in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin. He proposed and advocated for what became the very first wilderness area in the U.S. - the Gila Wilderness in the Gila National Forest in New Mexico, and was one of the founders of The Wilderness Society (yes the non-profit for which Cynthia currently works).

Aldo Leopold also wrote a famous collection of essays entitled "A Sand County Almanac" which records thoughts and musings over the course of a year on the Leopold family's plot of land in rural Wisconsin. The book also includes additional essays on Leopold's philosophy on ecology, referred to as his "land ethic." The essence of this philosophy is that land is not a commodity to be possessed; rather,humans must have mutual respect for Earth in order not to destroy it. He also puts forth the idea that humans will never be free if they have no wild spaces in which to roam. Published in 1949 a year after Aldo's death, this collection of essays is widely considered a seminal work in the American conservation movement.

Famous Aldo Leopold Quotes:

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."

"To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering. "

"We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I realized then, and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes—something known only to her and to the mountain. I was young then, and full of trigger-itch; I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters' paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view."

Wilkerson (second middle name):

Cynthia's last name. English origin. We are keeping both last names as a way to maintain a record of both lineages. This is in keeping with naming standards in Latin American countries.

Novack (last name):

Anthony's last name. Several origins exist for this and very related names, but this one is believed to be Lithuanian - although possibly Slovak - based on the family history.