Second Annual Apple Picking

The boys joined MH and Jim at Sky Top Orchard near Flat Rock, North Carolina, to pick apples for the second year in a row. This year, we waited until later in the fall so the Fuji apples would be ready for picking. We won't wait quite so long next year because it was windy, rainy and cold! Also, the apples close to the barn had been picked over pretty well so we had to walk a long way in hilly terrain to get to trees still holding lots of apples.

The apples in these pictures are actually the Pink Lady variety. We picked them because they were the first ones we came to! We bought some Fujis at the barn.


"Reid, may I have a bite of your apple?"

Hayes and Soccer

Hayes is on a soccer team, the "Strikers". They don't play any games at this age; they just practice once a week. Mainly, the coach is trying to teach them four or five basic skills for handling the ball and keeping their hands off it.

A Real Horsey Guy

Reid has really taken to horseback riding. As part of his lesson, he has to help get the horse ready before riding and help put him away afterward. These pictures were taken on a rainy day so Reid and his helper had to brush lots of caked mud off Shadow.

A manicure is part of the deal!

Finally, time to mount up.

Teddy Bear Tea Party

Hayes' class had a teddy bear theme during the month of September. To wrap up the month, the class had a teddy bear tea party. Two students sat at each table along with their respective teddy bears. Parents and grandparents were invited.

Ted E. Bear has a cast and crutch because Hayes had a hurt foot the day Ted was purchased.

Laura and the Boys

I "borrowed" this picture from Laura's Facebook photo albums. Many others are there.

Where Michael Works

Several family members have asked where Michael works. Here's a link: Southern Oregon Land Conservancy .

Click on the list of properties protected. Impressive!

Leigh's Book Is In the Stores!

Here's Leigh at the Georgetown Barnes & Noble.

"Squirrel-Proof" Bird Feeder

We have a bird feeder on our deck that is supposed to be squirrel proof. If a squirrel sits on the ring at the bottom, his weight triggers a motor that spins the ring around. Birds are so light that they don't trigger the motor.

Recently, one of the many squirrels in our yard proved that trial-and-error works. He (or she) finally figured out how to hold on to the holes where the seed comes out. When he falls off, he eats the seed he has knocked off onto the deck.

My next step is to grease the outside with Crisco!

Reid's First Horseback Riding Lesson

Reid rode his first horse today at Chastain Horse Park in Atlanta. The instructors there know how to work with Reid and they were surprised at how quickly he participated. He had no problems. Of course, it helped that he had three volunteer helpers plus the instructor!

Before we can ride, we have to brush Shadow.


Then we have to learn how to saddle up.


This way, Shadow.


I can do this!


A short trot.

< <

Everyone Should Have This Book

Everyone should have this book - a copy for the office, a copy for the coffee table, a copy for the library, a copy for the library "annex", a copy for the briefcase (for you to read on the plane/train), plus copies to give friends. Amazon.com

Hayes Dancing

We now have four albums/books written by Sandra Boynton. The boys enjoy all four. Hayes loves to dance to the music. Here, he is accompanied by "Wierd Al" Yankovic and Kate Winslet in a duet titled, "I Need a Nap". This song is on a album called, "Dog Train".

It sounds like Hayes is yelling but it's really just his big finish!

Visit to D.C.

MH and Jim visited D.C. recently to take care of Kate while her mom and dad had business to attend to. We took Kate the the Museum of Natural History. She enjoys the live butterfly exhibit.


MH and Jim visited the Newseum, a new museum dedicated to news delivery throughout the ages. The patio has great views.


.

Fernbank Museum Visit

Reid and Hayes visited the Fernbank Museum in Atlanta recently. They are standing in front of a sculpture here but inside the museum are many skeleton pieces. We all visited the IMAX theatre in the museum to see a film about dinosaurs.

Hayes' Words

Here's Hayes working on his alphabet and spelling.

Egypt Photos are Available

Jim and MH visited Egypt for two weeks in late January. You can view the photos by clicking on "Picture Galleries" in the right column. The password (in lower case) is the name of the city where Jim and MH went to high school.

Back Home with the Boys

After returning home from Oregon, Jim and MH enjoyed making oatmeal cookies with the boys. We used a special recipe to include some Oregon pears sent by Michael.

You can tell that this picture was made on New Years' Day - see the can of black eyed peas at the lower right. If you are not from the South, ask a Southerner what this means!



Every night, Hayes spends between 30 minutes and an hour reading to himself in bed. He loves books. Although he can't really read, he has memorized enough stories to follow along with the pictures.

We move him to his bed when we find him asleep like this.

Oregon Trail

Jim and MH visited the Oregon Gang during Christmas vacation. Here's Ella holding a doll that once belonged to Leigh and Laura.


Hank got lots of tool toys and books.

These guys know how to handle a turkey leg!

Ella gets her first sewing lesson from Gamma.

Ashland has a great science museum for kids.

The ski area near Ashland is not bad.


Ella is in the center, skiing from Dad (in yellow at the top right) to Mom (in blue at the lower left).

Here's Kathryn's new office.

Converse All Stars

You may have noticed in some of the pictures in earlier posts that Hayes is wearing Converse All Stars shoes, or as we call them, "Converse high tops". Before Hayes started school, he usually wore low cut shoes with velcro fasteners so he could help get them on and off. The problem was that he liked to go barefoot and as we rode to day care, he would take off his shoes and socks.

Since he would be riding to his new school in a bus, this was going to be a problem. During a preliminary visit to the new school, MH mentioned this to his teacher-to-be. Her immediate response was, "Converse high tops!". So, I guess it's a common problem.

We couldn't locate his size in local stores like Target but we found several places on the Internet that had his size. They arrived two days before school was to start and he took to them right away. I think he likes them because they are lightweight. Trying to take them off has not been a problem. We have been lucky that the weather has not been too bad so far. Maybe we need some rubber boots to go over the high tops for that problem.

Hayes has been doing well at school. They put him in a "transition" class first to observe any problems (four kids with three teachers/paraprofessionals). He's done so well that he will "transition" to a larger, more inclusive class in January.

The pictures below were taken at the class party that Jim and MH attended (Laura was at Reid's party). In the first picture, he waits in his seat, as the teacher has told him, while presents are unwrapped.


The teacher invited Hayes to help open one present.

Recycling - Two Approaches

This post presents two examples of recycling.

The picture below shows the Christmas present Jim and MH received from their three children and their families. It's a compost bin! We've been saving up food scraps and yard waste for about two months in bags so we opened our present early in order to be ready for spring gardening.



Here's another example of recycling. Hayes is sitting in a chair at a table that both belonged to MH when she was a little girl. It was refinished a few years ago. They just don't make stuff like they used to!

Thanksgiving 2008

Several of us were able to join the annual Thanksgiving trek to Seagrove/Seaside, Florida. Reid is a real beach fan. He went on long walks with Grandma.


Kate, on the other hand, prefers warmer surroundings.

Reid and Kate stay close to the warm water outlet. Kate was resplendent in her Dora swimsuit and Dora grass skirt.

Hayes always likes to check out the shallow end first. He jumps in the deeper end once he feels secure.