Favorite Spot

In Heath's classroom

Eat your heart out Marilynn Monroe. 

Heath's latest story

Transition

I want to think that being eight and on the brink of nine is a time of transition, with proof in the fact that one day he has gel in his hair, a flat bill, black button up shirt unbuttoned over white t shirt and stylishly ripped jeans... And the next day he will wear PJ pants, same t shirt and mom's old tan cardigan so he can be 'comfortable for his big test'.

This pic is this evening after a little bball. 

Same shirt (he's getting some new ones for bday) and he wore these PJ bottoms for the test today. 

Heath at 100 Years Old

And an image altered with a computer program or something:

First Day of School!!

We can't believe we have a first and a third grader!

Birthday Weekend

A quick update on ALOT thats being going on.  Heath's school field trip, which I chaperoned (dad) was to the zoo.  Here are the monkeys...

These boys were a total mess.  They love each other and loved turning the zoo inside out.

And, we have an eight year old now!  How did this happen??  Alder wanted a sleepover with a few friends, sleeping outside (tent), and with lots and lots of time playing together on screens.  So we let them gorge themselves on minecraft cake...

and minecraft, via mobile devices owned, brought and borrowed…

They so fully enjoyed each other.  Only one, plus Dad made it through the night sleeping out side; frield in tent, dad on deflated bouncy house, which was a wonderful place to sleep.

Altogether, we are feeling so fortunate.  These boys are growing so fast, learning so much about life and are happy in this world, happy together.  So fortunate.  We have a big Summer ahead.  So, more to come.

Oh... THAT date

Cute worksheet from Heath for Mothers Day:

"You are special to me because you help me when I'm sad. My favorite thing about you is you take me to sky zone. Thank you for letting me play on the iPad (eye pad). Love, Heath"

But the best part is the Date. 

Spring break ... + more

Boy, have we alot to catch up on!  

There was Spring Break, when once again, Granna and Grandad swooped in, or more like swooped way way up from Alabama, and spent time with the boys while we carried on and worked that week.  Its always a great time that the boys look forward to.  Usually hanging around the house and Richmond with some simple outing each day, but this year they got to go to DC and stay the night in a hotel with Granna and Grandad.  This was big!  These are from a few pics that we were texted along the way:

I hurriedly packed alder a Canada hoodie that morning and that got a lot of attention apparently! 

The weekend following, we (minus Lesley actually) went car camping at Merchants Mill Pond in NC, about two hours from here, with Travis, Jonah, and PaPa.  Absolutely beautiful time of year there, the beginning of Spring.  Simply delightful time, though it was a bit of work without the mommies.  I loved seeing how wonderfully the three cousins got along, despite a 5 year age spread.  They all did great with everything.  Jonah was such a delight to be around.  I love that racing three-year-old mind and mouth - constant entertainment, from sweet to hilarious.

 Getting a download from PaPa while whittling.  This would have been a better video...

 Got to see a nice Eastern Cottonmouth.  Of course Alder had to throw things at it to piss it off.  I would have too at nearly eight years old.

 Edge of the swamp.

 There were tiny cricket frogs everywhere, scattering as you walked along the edge of the water.  All these pics were from a five mile or so bike ride down fire roads through reverted-to-forest ag fields.  Hardwood forests mostly but some restored (via prescribed fire) longleaf forests as well.

 A stop for a snack.

 I love this face Heath makes when he is grrrr-ing at you when you tease him.

 Jonah was getting pulled and this is moments before he sacked out.

 Does that not look great?  Wide open for the little ones, laid back for us big ones.

 Gosh, look at that boy growing up.

 Sweet boredom.

 A very intense checkers lesson.

 Shot of the campsite.  Travis and Jonah in one tent, the boys and me in another, both under a big tarp so we stayed dry, but there was only a small bit of rain the first night.  PaPa had a site next to us, where he set up nothing, because he has figured it all out: you just need a big white van to crawl in and out of.    Travis and I grew up camping in campground like this, so we knew the routine, hanging around the site, biking around the loops, romping around in the woods around the campsites, taking little hikes...

A lunch.  Git it Jonah!!

This might be the most unforgettable part of the whole trip.  Jonah, on his very own, declared this random puddle "the wishing puddle", and no less than 40 times over the two and a half days we were there he would go to it, usually inviting someone else to make a wish.  Rule was you had to pick up a piece of gravel, make a wish and throw the gravel in, but you had to say the wish out loud, which was just wonderful.  Jonah's first one I heard was, "I wish a police car and a police man."  Thats it, perfect.  He even roped in a couple of passersby.  One woman wished for a new car.  I think Jonah totally understood her priorities.

Papa Sunday morning before we left.

The following Friday, Heath was in a school play, with a speaking part about the Golden Rule.  

And the next morning was the annual 5K at their school.  

Heath ran the 1-mile Fun Run and Alder and I (Dad) ran the 5K.  (Lesley had to stay back with Heath.)

Alder did great!  The longest run he'd ever been on.  This race is so cool: a loop from their school, by our house and back.  Lately we have been taking them to the Wednesday morning running club at school, before school starts.  Its amazing; must be at least 50 families there running for a half hour around the playground before school starts.  Here are some pics from the 5K morning.

One of Heath's best buds from class.

On we go...

Heath's Writing

These days writing is one of Heath's favorite things to do.  He powers through, getting the point across, without worry for detail, which makes it quite fun for us.  I will provide translation in the captions below...

"I traveled 10,000 miles for my trip for Christmas."

"I am playing in my yard."

"I am playing in the grass and I am playing...

(backside) soccer.  And my Alder is inside watching TV.  And my mom is cooking dinner.  And my Dad is at a meeting.  And my dog is sleeping."

"Banana, lillipop, peppermint, tomato, grapes, burrito (spelled "bredo".  we love that one), quessadilla (spelled Kasudeyu!), pizza, candy."

Holidays, 2014

This holiday was like a ribbon in a strong wind, about six weeks long.  Honestly the same analogy hits me about our lives altogeher these days, but this occurred to me over and over in a snippet of the past six weeks.  We never knew the next bend but all were right.  There was some work, some school, some transition out of that, a good bit of travel, lots of time with lots of family, sharing, fun, doing and seeing new things, re-doing and re-seeing old things that mark the holidays every year, shedding the routine, losing the schedule, decorating, creating, baking, cooking, eating, gift giving, treats, surprises, ease, sickness, wellness, time for self and time with others.  There is no way to recap, or describe it all, but the few pics that were captured will help to touch on some of the highlights.

Thanksgiving trip to the beach.

An annual solstice gathering at our house, where we strung lights all over, and hosted a stampede of children, ages 2 to 8, and parents.  This includes a potluck and a shadow puppet play that the kids each make a character for.

I got to spend an afternoon in Heath's class helping with a craft, the last day before we set off for Birmingham.  He absolutely loves school, his class, his friends, his teacher.  He is just bouncing the whole time he is in there, total love.  And he was so excited to get back on that school bus on the first day back.  He is devouring reading and writing right now.  He just has this in him right now.  

We stayed over in Knoxville on the way to Bham, showed the boys our old house and favorite places.  Dinner at Tomato Head.

Breakfast at the bagel and coffee joint Lesley and I used to spend so many mornings in.  They opened an hour early to let us in and set us up special.

A family pic after we all went to Mass.

One day in Birmingham, we went hiking at Red Mountain Park, which is the former site of a booming steel mining operation/small town and now set up for hiking and other outdoor adventures.  The cousins played pretty much nonstop for a week and so very well together.  What a fun place to explore...

Old building foundations to play on, and cool rocks and mining relict machinery and structures everywhere.  Since this has been repurposed now for an adventure course, there was lots of ziplining to watch overhead as we hiked around.

And Dad got to let loose and take lots of random pics of how vegetation was reclaiming the structures too.

Kids breaking for a snack.

Okay major fast forward here.  Lesley left for Panama on the 27th and the boys and I drove back the next day, staying over one night at a neat hotel ("Aloft") in Charlotte.  They got to eat yummy/unhealthy bar food and play lots of billiards.

And we got home to spend a solid week, just… at home.  I will say here we have greatly missed our Mommy, but we have done well.  I have made a point to let each day pretty much unfold naturally, with an idea or two of "things to do", some of which happened and some which didnt.  What did unfold was three days including hikes in the area.

One day we walked to the boys school and spent the afternoon in the woods behind it.  Heath showed us where he and his friends like to play in leaf piles

We found some salamanders in the creek down the hill behind the playground.

Found some cool rocks…  Another day we went for a hike with one of Heath's friend's family.  Our first time spending time with them altogether.  (No pics of that.)

And another day we met up with old friends we dont see enough anymore at some abandoned coal mines that have been redeveloped into parks, right by our house  This is the same spot Lesley and Alder went to look at Mergansers a few blog posts back.

And now… we are back to the routine again, bracing to watch 2015 flash by.