Saturday, December 17, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Happy Birthday Abigail!
Abbey turned four years old today: she's had a birthday all weekend, with gifts from one set of grandparents on Friday, the other set on Saturday, and those from Mom and Dad today.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Travelogue, part XIII
Somewhere in eastern Ohio, we stopped for lunch at the site of the old Hocking Canal Lock 19.
The lock was dry, of course, and the canal itself has disappeared, but the lock was still pretty impressive, especially considering that it was all dug and built by hand.
The kids weren't all that interested in posing, though.
The lock was dry, of course, and the canal itself has disappeared, but the lock was still pretty impressive, especially considering that it was all dug and built by hand.
The kids weren't all that interested in posing, though.
Travelogue, part XII
We timed our departures carefully, to maximize the time they'd spend napping.
We headed home Sunday afternoon after church.
Entering the mountains between Virginia and West Virginia.
Which were beautiful in early fall colors.
We went though not one, but two tunnels. The kids were asleep through this one, but awake for the last one.
We headed home Sunday afternoon after church.
Entering the mountains between Virginia and West Virginia.
Which were beautiful in early fall colors.
We went though not one, but two tunnels. The kids were asleep through this one, but awake for the last one.
Travelogue, part XI
On one of the last days we visited a local zoo, though not a typical zoo. It was a private exotic animal farm, many of them rescues from zoos or circuses.
On the left, a standard zebra, but on the right is a very rare zorse (a zebra/horse).
The tour lady said this (some kind of antelope) was the most dangerous animal on the preserve, more even than the tiger or the lion.
The tiger (a white tiger) was huge!
On the left, a standard zebra, but on the right is a very rare zorse (a zebra/horse).
The tour lady said this (some kind of antelope) was the most dangerous animal on the preserve, more even than the tiger or the lion.
The tiger (a white tiger) was huge!
Travelogue, part X
My mom put a lot of thought into things to entertain the kids, like sidewalk chalk.
She didn't want them to color on the house, so she told them very clearly that the chalk could only go on the patio, not the house. So they spent the whole time telling her all the places chalk couldn't go, like the house, the fence, the tree, the sky, the sun...
She didn't want them to color on the house, so she told them very clearly that the chalk could only go on the patio, not the house. So they spent the whole time telling her all the places chalk couldn't go, like the house, the fence, the tree, the sky, the sun...
Travelogue, part VIII
One day we took a trip to an awesome play park: biggest one I've ever seen. It was built like a castle, with all sorts of things to climb.
The shaky bridge was popular.
Ethan was very unsure of it at first, and would only walk across holding my hand. But after a few trips back and forth, he was willing to try it all by himself.
There was a "well" made of stacked tires. Very challenging to climb up it, but Abigail made it, with only a little help from Dad.
I think this was her very first attempt at rope-climbing.
All summer she's been hesitant to go down slides by herself, even though she loved it last summer. Not today, though!
The shaky bridge was popular.
Ethan was very unsure of it at first, and would only walk across holding my hand. But after a few trips back and forth, he was willing to try it all by himself.
There was a "well" made of stacked tires. Very challenging to climb up it, but Abigail made it, with only a little help from Dad.
I think this was her very first attempt at rope-climbing.
All summer she's been hesitant to go down slides by herself, even though she loved it last summer. Not today, though!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Travelogue, part VII
My mom received a free set of preschool/toddler computer games, courtesy of Highlights magazine. We have no idea why they think she still has preschool-age kids, but be that as it may, she does have preschool-age grandkids. Here is Abigail test-driving one of them. She has since become very, very good at navigating with the mouse.
Ethan likes to watch her play. So far he's not very interested in playing himself.
They had their own table in the dining room. Ethan's reading Goodnight Moon, which was his favorite book for a very long time.
My mom had a seemingly endless supply of new toys, animals, games, and books, which she wisely doled out, a few each day. This is a book about the seasons.
Ethan likes to watch her play. So far he's not very interested in playing himself.
They had their own table in the dining room. Ethan's reading Goodnight Moon, which was his favorite book for a very long time.
My mom had a seemingly endless supply of new toys, animals, games, and books, which she wisely doled out, a few each day. This is a book about the seasons.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Travelogue, part VI
We finally reached my mom and dad's house. Their backyard is many times larger than ours (and has nicer grass, too) so we spent a lot of time in the backyard, playing baseball and soccer.
Ethan swung the bat a few times, but he was mostly interested in retrieving the balls.
Ethan swung the bat a few times, but he was mostly interested in retrieving the balls.
Travelogue, part V
On the way out of Williamsburg (passing by historic Jamestown), it was a peaceful drive beside the James River...
...when suddenly we realized the GPS was taking us on a ferry crossing!
An extra adventure that we weren't planning on!
Ethan didn't like the wind in his face, but Abigail had a blast on the ferry.
...when suddenly we realized the GPS was taking us on a ferry crossing!
An extra adventure that we weren't planning on!
Ethan didn't like the wind in his face, but Abigail had a blast on the ferry.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Travelogue, part IV
We weren't allowed to take pictures at the wedding, but there was plenty of time at the reception.
It was a black-tie affair, so we made a special effort to get Ethan a tuxedo. He cleans up good, doesn't he?
As do we all. Abigail's lion went everywhere with us, and managed to get lost four times along the way, including at this reception. But somehow we always found it.
It was a black-tie affair, so we made a special effort to get Ethan a tuxedo. He cleans up good, doesn't he?
As do we all. Abigail's lion went everywhere with us, and managed to get lost four times along the way, including at this reception. But somehow we always found it.
Travelogue, part III
Saturday, the day of the wedding, we spent the morning walking around historic Williamsburg. Always fun to step back in time, but more importantly we needed to get them tired out so they'd take an early nap, thus allowing us to get to the wedding on time.
Slightly lost on the way back through town, we found this picturesque scene. Complete with a live colonial frog!
We saw General Washington, and Ethan nearly forced the General to slow down, by not paying attention to his aide's cries of "Way, way for His Excellency!"
Slightly lost on the way back through town, we found this picturesque scene. Complete with a live colonial frog!
We saw General Washington, and Ethan nearly forced the General to slow down, by not paying attention to his aide's cries of "Way, way for His Excellency!"
Travelogue, part II
The pace of the trip became much slower once we reached Washington, D.C. The plan was to drive around it: we entered the metro area about 2:30 from Maryland, but from then until we reached Fredericksburg (about 9:30), traffic was bumper-to-bumper and we rarely exceeded 30mph.
Travelogue, part I
We just got back from a two-week visit to the East Coast, first to a wedding in Williamsburg VA, then on to the Raleigh NC area to visit my mom and dad.
Headed into the mountains between Pennsylvania and Maryland
The kids traveled really well: I was so impressed with their patience.
The plan was to stop at parks along the way to let them run off energy, eat lunch, etc. In fact, it's quite hard to find a good park if you're not a local. Somewhere in Maryland, we gave up looking for the promised covered bridge and stopped at this old church for lunch.
Headed into the mountains between Pennsylvania and Maryland
The kids traveled really well: I was so impressed with their patience.
The plan was to stop at parks along the way to let them run off energy, eat lunch, etc. In fact, it's quite hard to find a good park if you're not a local. Somewhere in Maryland, we gave up looking for the promised covered bridge and stopped at this old church for lunch.
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