Mountain Weekend

"Big stick, big stick, big stick"
"Big rock, big rock, big rock"
"Wow, whoa, WOW!!!"
Mathieu was thrilled that we traveled to the North Georgia mountains this weekend where he spent 97% of his waking hours hiking up hills, throwing rocks in streams and ponds, and whacking sticks against trees. That, interspersed with motorcycle noises, is what Mathieu very earnestly spoke about these past three days.
This was a momentous trip for two reasons. 1. It represented our first family vacation that did not include going to grandparent houses. 2. We had to drive 6 hours with Mathieu in the car ... and it was a total success!

Here are some of the highlights, which all included exclamations like "Wow!" from Mathieu.
Exploring a cave
Loving life
Resting near a waterfall
Eating pasta
Riding in a backpack ... for very short increments
Hiking up hills and scrambling over rocks
These next two videos will help you gain an appreciation of Mathieu's enthusiasm and pure joy. The first one is about throwing rocks into the water. His emphatic gestures are his way of retelling that story. If you listen carefully at the end, he says "motormo" which translates into "motorcycle," one of his favorite sounds.

The second video takes place just after he's whacked his stick against the tree and the tip of the stick broke. He's trying to do it again. Although he sounds like he's saying "broooom," he's really saying "broke."