The Scoltock family came caroling and gathering canned foods for the IFC pantry this evening. Apparently Richard was in charge of pulling the wagon or something as we didn't see him on the porch. The talented singers took requests and did a fantastic job of mesmerizing our children with their voices! Thanks, neighbors for sharing joy!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving 2008
Michael's family all came to Durham to have Thanksgiving lunch at the Washington Duke Inn. There were 15 1/2 people total. We are thankful to God for His many blessings.
Click for more pictures...
Click for more pictures...Friday, November 14, 2008
Thomas weighs in
Leslie used the doctor's office scale to do a weight check on Thomas.
Here's his latest data:
18 lb. 9 oz. (less than 3rd percentile)
30 in. (60th percentile)
Here's his data from two month ago:
18 lb. 1 oz. (7th percentile)
30 in. (82nd percentile)
Here's his latest data:
18 lb. 9 oz. (less than 3rd percentile)
30 in. (60th percentile)
Here's his data from two month ago:
18 lb. 1 oz. (7th percentile)
30 in. (82nd percentile)
Stolen cupcakes
Amelia snuck into the kitchen after helping Leslie make Thomas' birthday cupcakes. She grabbed two off off the counter -- one for her and one for Thomas. Here they are enjoying their ill-gotten gain. :-)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Hello, peanut!
Here's the first ever picture of the newest addition to our family. It measured to be 9 weeks and 4 days old in this picture.
Praise God for this baby!
Praise God for this baby!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Happy 1st Birthday, Thomas Michael!
Today is the first birthday of our little boy. He is such a happy guy. Here he is posing for his naked shot, then having a playdate with his friend, Owen. Lately, Thomas has been eating like he has a hollow leg. You can't tell yet, but we think he'll be bulking up in the coming months. He loves to cruise around checking out every button he can find to push. He will stand independently for a little bit, but he just giggles and collapses if you try to get him to "walk" to you. He's very cuddly, and his right thumb has a callus where he sucks it so much. He loves to imitate words, and has a little dimple on his right side.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Thomas gets a haircut
Thomas got his first haircut today. Take a look at the before and after pictures. We think his new haircut looks great!
Click for more pictures...Saturday Stroll
It was a pleasant fall day today so we all decided to go for a walk together around town. Fortunately, we live within range of interesting things to walk to. We headed to lunch at a Mexican restaurant where we had a coupon. This was by way of the farmer's market wo we dropped in. Next, we walked on a city green way where Amelia could do some running. She loves to run. Finally, we wound up at a playground where both kids got do do some serious playing. Click on the picture below for a link to the set of photos.
Click for more pictures...Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Florida
We took a week to head down to Bradenton to visit with Leslie's mom, Judy, and step-dad, Jerry. They were itching to see the grandkids and Amelia especially was looking forward to seeing them again too.
Day One - Wednesday
Having learned from past travel experiences, we scheduled our departing flight later in the morning at around 11am. That gave us the chance to have the kids wake up and eat and for us to eat as well. This was a good plan because, believe me, its no fun to get up at 5am for a flight with two small kids. We connected in Atlanta for the last leg. Fortunately, our flight down was uneventful which had been an answer to our simple travel prayer.
Judy picked us up from the Sarasota-Bradenton airport. On the way back, we wanted to stop for groceries but didn't have quite enough room in the car so we settled for buying vegetables from a woman in a van in a parking lot. They were a great deal and were delicious. That just goes to show you not to be too particular about buying from vans in a parking lot. :-)
Day Two - Thursday
Judy took the day off from work and accompanied us to our trip to the South Florida Museum in Bradenton. It was a really nice display of Florida natural history. Amelia and Thomas did pretty well. The main attraction for us, however, was to see Snooty the Manatee in the tank next door. Manatees are pretty interesting although it couldn't totally keep Amelia's attention. She's only 2 and Snooty is a 60 year old Manatee, after all.
The next stop was the Sarasota City Island Park. It's on peninsula that juts into Sarasota Bay downtown. In the middle of it is a great little water attraction for the kids. We had our picnic lunch there and then took Thomas and Amelia down to the water. They had a great time and so did we.
After the kids were dried off, we headed across the bridge to the Mote Marine Laboratory. (Next to that was the Ski-a-Rees water ski club where Leslie was once a participant for a day.)
Finally, it was time to head home and eat dinner. Oh, on the way home, Amelia and Thomas slept hard in the car. We took advantage of this to drive over to Anna Maria Island to visit The Sterling Anvil jewelry shop. After the kids were in bed for the night, Leslie and I went to the Jagoshes (Tammy is Leslie's step-sister) to play pool and Wii.
The Jagoshes were so gracious that they allowed Leslie to trim Michael's neck hair in their dining room.
Day Three - Friday
We got out of the house on the early side so that we could visit Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. It was a nicely done zoo that wasn't too big for Amelia to walk (or run) most of it. They had all of the animals that you'd expect and, since we were there when they opened at 10am, most of the animals were pretty lively.
After a picnic lunch at the zoo, we headed over to Great Explorations childrens' museum in St. Petersburg. It was a fun place for both Thomas and Amelia to play. The museum didn't have too many kids there at the time that we were there but they came by the bus load on our way out.
After dinner at home and after the kids were put to bed, Leslie and I went to Manatee High's Homecoming football game. We had the opportunity to visit the Grahams up in the press box. Davis works as a spotter alongside the game announcer. After helping Trish and her 3 (almost 4) kids leave for home, we went over to the area where the class of '88 was sitting and met up with a few of Leslie's friends. FWIW, the Manatee Hurricanes defeated the Sarasota Sailors 27-7.
Day Four - Saturday
Early on Saturday, Leslie took the opportunity to hit some yard sales looking for clothing and toy bargains while I took care of the kids with Judy and Jerry's help.
Later, when Leslie got back, she and I went to Robinson Preserve to rent kayaks and paddle among the mangrove trees and in the tunnels that they form. There was a lot of wildlife, so much so, that a fish nearly jumped into Michael's kayak!
After kayaking Leslie cleaned up, ate lunch, and headed out to her friend Trish's baby shower. In the meantime, Grandmama helped Michael feed the kids lunch. Then, while Grandmama watched over Thomas inside, Michael and Amelia went swimming outside. It was a big day for Amelia as she swam all by herself (with the aid of arm floaties).
That night we went to Leslie's 20th high school reunion. She moved to Anna Maria Island the summer before 10th grade started. It was a big crowd at the reunion and we had a great time.
Day Five - Sunday
On Sunday we went to church in the morning and then to the Ellenton Outlet Center in the afternoon. We wanted to keep out of the way while Jerry and Judy got ready for company that night. In the evening, we celebrated Jason's 17th birthday with bar-b-cued ribs and chicken. Amelia and Thomas had a lot of fun with Jason and Justin. We always enjoy watching Amelia's face whenever we sing happy birthday to someone else. She ALWAYS gets a funny look on her face and thinks we are singing to her.
Day Six - Monday
Michael stayed in to work on Monday since both Jerry and Judy took the day off from work. With all of that help, Leslie took everyone to Anna Maria Island and to lunch at the SandBar.
Day Seven - Tuesday
Leslie and the kids went to the Grahams house for a playdate with them and the Eriksens. The girls were Amelia Grace, Mary Grace, and Ella Grace. They boys were Thomas and Andrew, and we'll get to meet the Grahams' and Eriksens' new babies next visit. They all got along gracefully, of course. Michael worked a little bit too. In the afternoon, we used the GPS in Judy's car to find thrift stores for kids clothes. We also made it a point to visit Jamba Juice for their delicious smoothies. This was absolutely mandatory!
In the evening, Michael and Leslie had a date while Grandmama and Grandaddy watched babysat. We drove over to Anna Maria Island and had an appetizer and desert at the BeachHouse restaurant.
Day Eight - Wednesday
This was entirely a travel day but here is a set of miscellaneous pictures from our trip.
Day One - Wednesday
Having learned from past travel experiences, we scheduled our departing flight later in the morning at around 11am. That gave us the chance to have the kids wake up and eat and for us to eat as well. This was a good plan because, believe me, its no fun to get up at 5am for a flight with two small kids. We connected in Atlanta for the last leg. Fortunately, our flight down was uneventful which had been an answer to our simple travel prayer.
Judy picked us up from the Sarasota-Bradenton airport. On the way back, we wanted to stop for groceries but didn't have quite enough room in the car so we settled for buying vegetables from a woman in a van in a parking lot. They were a great deal and were delicious. That just goes to show you not to be too particular about buying from vans in a parking lot. :-)
Day Two - Thursday
Judy took the day off from work and accompanied us to our trip to the South Florida Museum in Bradenton. It was a really nice display of Florida natural history. Amelia and Thomas did pretty well. The main attraction for us, however, was to see Snooty the Manatee in the tank next door. Manatees are pretty interesting although it couldn't totally keep Amelia's attention. She's only 2 and Snooty is a 60 year old Manatee, after all.
Click for more pictures...The next stop was the Sarasota City Island Park. It's on peninsula that juts into Sarasota Bay downtown. In the middle of it is a great little water attraction for the kids. We had our picnic lunch there and then took Thomas and Amelia down to the water. They had a great time and so did we.
Click for more pictures...After the kids were dried off, we headed across the bridge to the Mote Marine Laboratory. (Next to that was the Ski-a-Rees water ski club where Leslie was once a participant for a day.)
Click for more pictures...Finally, it was time to head home and eat dinner. Oh, on the way home, Amelia and Thomas slept hard in the car. We took advantage of this to drive over to Anna Maria Island to visit The Sterling Anvil jewelry shop. After the kids were in bed for the night, Leslie and I went to the Jagoshes (Tammy is Leslie's step-sister) to play pool and Wii.
The Jagoshes were so gracious that they allowed Leslie to trim Michael's neck hair in their dining room.
Day Three - Friday
We got out of the house on the early side so that we could visit Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. It was a nicely done zoo that wasn't too big for Amelia to walk (or run) most of it. They had all of the animals that you'd expect and, since we were there when they opened at 10am, most of the animals were pretty lively.
Click for more pictures...After a picnic lunch at the zoo, we headed over to Great Explorations childrens' museum in St. Petersburg. It was a fun place for both Thomas and Amelia to play. The museum didn't have too many kids there at the time that we were there but they came by the bus load on our way out.
Click for more pictures...After dinner at home and after the kids were put to bed, Leslie and I went to Manatee High's Homecoming football game. We had the opportunity to visit the Grahams up in the press box. Davis works as a spotter alongside the game announcer. After helping Trish and her 3 (almost 4) kids leave for home, we went over to the area where the class of '88 was sitting and met up with a few of Leslie's friends. FWIW, the Manatee Hurricanes defeated the Sarasota Sailors 27-7.
Click for more pictures...Day Four - Saturday
Early on Saturday, Leslie took the opportunity to hit some yard sales looking for clothing and toy bargains while I took care of the kids with Judy and Jerry's help.
Later, when Leslie got back, she and I went to Robinson Preserve to rent kayaks and paddle among the mangrove trees and in the tunnels that they form. There was a lot of wildlife, so much so, that a fish nearly jumped into Michael's kayak!
Click for more pictures...After kayaking Leslie cleaned up, ate lunch, and headed out to her friend Trish's baby shower. In the meantime, Grandmama helped Michael feed the kids lunch. Then, while Grandmama watched over Thomas inside, Michael and Amelia went swimming outside. It was a big day for Amelia as she swam all by herself (with the aid of arm floaties).
That night we went to Leslie's 20th high school reunion. She moved to Anna Maria Island the summer before 10th grade started. It was a big crowd at the reunion and we had a great time.
Click for more pictures...Day Five - Sunday
On Sunday we went to church in the morning and then to the Ellenton Outlet Center in the afternoon. We wanted to keep out of the way while Jerry and Judy got ready for company that night. In the evening, we celebrated Jason's 17th birthday with bar-b-cued ribs and chicken. Amelia and Thomas had a lot of fun with Jason and Justin. We always enjoy watching Amelia's face whenever we sing happy birthday to someone else. She ALWAYS gets a funny look on her face and thinks we are singing to her.
Click for more pictures...Day Six - Monday
Michael stayed in to work on Monday since both Jerry and Judy took the day off from work. With all of that help, Leslie took everyone to Anna Maria Island and to lunch at the SandBar.
Click for more pictures...Day Seven - Tuesday
Leslie and the kids went to the Grahams house for a playdate with them and the Eriksens. The girls were Amelia Grace, Mary Grace, and Ella Grace. They boys were Thomas and Andrew, and we'll get to meet the Grahams' and Eriksens' new babies next visit. They all got along gracefully, of course. Michael worked a little bit too. In the afternoon, we used the GPS in Judy's car to find thrift stores for kids clothes. We also made it a point to visit Jamba Juice for their delicious smoothies. This was absolutely mandatory!
In the evening, Michael and Leslie had a date while Grandmama and Grandaddy watched babysat. We drove over to Anna Maria Island and had an appetizer and desert at the BeachHouse restaurant.
Day Eight - Wednesday
This was entirely a travel day but here is a set of miscellaneous pictures from our trip.
Click for more pictures...Monday, September 22, 2008
Thomas weighs in
Leslie used the doctor's office scale to do a weight check on Thomas.
18 lb. 1 oz. (7th percentile)
30 in. (82nd percentile)
Here's his data from a month ago:
17 lb. 1 oz. (5th percentile)
28.5 in. (65th percentile)
18 lb. 1 oz. (7th percentile)
30 in. (82nd percentile)
Here's his data from a month ago:
17 lb. 1 oz. (5th percentile)
28.5 in. (65th percentile)
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Fwimmin Pool
Amelia started her first swimming class tonight at 5:30 at our gym. She was SO excited to go. I think Mondays and Wednesdays for are going to be fun for the next month because I can use the pool as an incentive for good behavior. There were 3 kids (and moms) in the class tonight. It was the first time they've offered a "toddler" class that didn't also have infants involved. "Real" lessons and classes are for 3 year olds.
The swim instructor, Jenny, has just returned to Chapel Hill and the Wellness Center after moving back to Gainesville, FL for a couple years. She was a swimmer at UF(I went there too) and her husband played football at UF, coached at UNC, and now does something with the Denver Broncos, I think. My friend Brandy took her adult swimming class a couple years ago. She encouraged me to do the same, but it was not for the faint of heart. Hopefully the toddler class won't be so rigorous. The funny thing about Jenny is that she's a reality TV star. Do you remember The Bachelor with Jesse, the football player? Well, Jenny was the spy... http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,630299,00.html I remember seeing the episode, then going to swim laps and doing a double take. She's really nice and Amelia actually listens to what she's saying in the pool. Splish, Splash!
The swim instructor, Jenny, has just returned to Chapel Hill and the Wellness Center after moving back to Gainesville, FL for a couple years. She was a swimmer at UF(I went there too) and her husband played football at UF, coached at UNC, and now does something with the Denver Broncos, I think. My friend Brandy took her adult swimming class a couple years ago. She encouraged me to do the same, but it was not for the faint of heart. Hopefully the toddler class won't be so rigorous. The funny thing about Jenny is that she's a reality TV star. Do you remember The Bachelor with Jesse, the football player? Well, Jenny was the spy... http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,630299,00.html I remember seeing the episode, then going to swim laps and doing a double take. She's really nice and Amelia actually listens to what she's saying in the pool. Splish, Splash!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Our Family Triathlon
On Saturday we finally got a chance to play together at home. First, we ran. Well, Thomas held the wall and made his way down the hallway for the very first time. Amelia ONLY runs in the house, so this event was nothing new for her.
After getting geared up, we went for our first family bike ride of 5.4 miles. The midpoint of our trip was the Chapel Hill Country Club, where our wedding reception was held. The building was destroyed by fire last year, so we wanted to check out the construction. With 2 kids in tow and a new building going up, it made me feel like we'd been married way longer than 3 years.
Our final event was held at the backyard pool. I forgot (for the 3rd time!!!) the Wellness Center closes early on Saturdays, so we let the athletes finish the race at the home pool. We had such a fun day that we were nearly sad to see the little ones get into bed.
After getting geared up, we went for our first family bike ride of 5.4 miles. The midpoint of our trip was the Chapel Hill Country Club, where our wedding reception was held. The building was destroyed by fire last year, so we wanted to check out the construction. With 2 kids in tow and a new building going up, it made me feel like we'd been married way longer than 3 years.
Our final event was held at the backyard pool. I forgot (for the 3rd time!!!) the Wellness Center closes early on Saturdays, so we let the athletes finish the race at the home pool. We had such a fun day that we were nearly sad to see the little ones get into bed.
Click for more pictures...Monday, September 8, 2008
Conniving Amelia
Here's an email that Leslie just sent to me which I thought was funny enough to share.
"amelia dumped her plate of green beans and dip on the floor. when i told her she had to clean it up, she started saying it was her naptime and she had to goto time out. she did clean them up, though.
thomas has a great ability to detect carrots with his tongue. cheerios, cheese, nectarine and carrot pieces all go in. carrots come out every time."
"amelia dumped her plate of green beans and dip on the floor. when i told her she had to clean it up, she started saying it was her naptime and she had to goto time out. she did clean them up, though.
thomas has a great ability to detect carrots with his tongue. cheerios, cheese, nectarine and carrot pieces all go in. carrots come out every time."
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Oops, wrong football game!
Here's the video right before the parachutists land at Duke instead of UNC ... we had no idea!
http://www.wral.com/sports/football/ncaa/story/3463611/
http://www.wral.com/sports/football/ncaa/story/3463611/
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Family, food, and (no) football
Duke opened their football season with the new Coach Cutcliffe (former asst. head coach at Tennessee) by treating all employees and their families to BBQ, Bluegrass, and games for the kids. It was a sea of Blue. Right up until the sky turned gray... Dad, Mom, Mark's family and mine had a great time eating and hanging out
We filed into the stadium where there was a pretty good crowd -- perhaps 25,000 fans. It started to rain lightly which was no big deal until the thunder and distant lightning began. The weather put the kickoff into a delay, and we eventually left to get the kids in bed. We were disappointed not to have seen any downs played this time. Maybe later in the Fall...
Zoe pledged her allegiance to becoming a Duke student and got a cool t-shirt. When she went back to get one for her brother, they weren't so generous. When she said something like, "Well, can I have one for my grandfather?" They responded with , "Well... who is he?" When she said "Professor Kelley," the immediate response was, "Oh. What size do you need?"
The game did eventually start, and last we heard Duke had a lead in the 4th qtr!
Click for more pictures...We filed into the stadium where there was a pretty good crowd -- perhaps 25,000 fans. It started to rain lightly which was no big deal until the thunder and distant lightning began. The weather put the kickoff into a delay, and we eventually left to get the kids in bed. We were disappointed not to have seen any downs played this time. Maybe later in the Fall...
Zoe pledged her allegiance to becoming a Duke student and got a cool t-shirt. When she went back to get one for her brother, they weren't so generous. When she said something like, "Well, can I have one for my grandfather?" They responded with , "Well... who is he?" When she said "Professor Kelley," the immediate response was, "Oh. What size do you need?"
The game did eventually start, and last we heard Duke had a lead in the 4th qtr!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Fridays on the Front Porch
After dinner on Friday, we all walked over to the mall to catch the F bus heading downtown. The Carolina Inn had their Fridays on the Front Porch for Babies event with food and music. Leslie was able to chat with her friend Erika and daughter Charlotte. This event was to support the Newborn Critical Care Center where Charlotte stayed for a month when she was a 3 lb. preemie. Amelia tentatively danced but still enjoyed it a lot. Thomas mostly tried to eat straw. Here they are in front of Peabody Hall, where Leslie did grad school. The Carolina Inn is on the other side of that cool bendy bus in the background. Our bus was not the bendy kind, unfortunately.
The trip home was a little less predictable. Our bus was going to be 26 minutes late, according to the real-time information board at the bus stop. We decided to just start walking down the hill to our house. Well, we got to about the old library and decided that Thomas needed to get his bottle since he was falling asleep. As fate would have it, within a few minutes, another bus came by that was heading our way so we hopped on. This was much quicker because Amelia wanted to walk, and you can imagine how that was going...
Click for more pictures...The trip home was a little less predictable. Our bus was going to be 26 minutes late, according to the real-time information board at the bus stop. We decided to just start walking down the hill to our house. Well, we got to about the old library and decided that Thomas needed to get his bottle since he was falling asleep. As fate would have it, within a few minutes, another bus came by that was heading our way so we hopped on. This was much quicker because Amelia wanted to walk, and you can imagine how that was going...
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Thomas weighs in
Thomas had his 9 month checkup last week.
28.5 in. (65th percentile)
17 lb. 1 oz. (5th percentile)
At his appointment the doctor discovered an ear infection which would explain his irritability. Since then, we have been treating him with Augmentin and he has been recovering nicely and is pretty much back to his normal, happy disposition.
While we were getting Thomas weighed and measured I did an informal weigh-in of Amelia.
35 in. (55th percentile)
29 lb. 4 oz. (65th percentile)
28.5 in. (65th percentile)
17 lb. 1 oz. (5th percentile)
At his appointment the doctor discovered an ear infection which would explain his irritability. Since then, we have been treating him with Augmentin and he has been recovering nicely and is pretty much back to his normal, happy disposition.
While we were getting Thomas weighed and measured I did an informal weigh-in of Amelia.
35 in. (55th percentile)
29 lb. 4 oz. (65th percentile)
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Allison's visit
Our niece, Allison, came to visit for the week last week. She stayed over at Michael's parent's house but spent quite a bit of quality time at our house. She was super-helpful and played with Thomas and Amelia for hours on end which gave Leslie the opportunity to paint Thomas's room a nice shade of blue. Some of the highlights of her visit included a trip to Kidzu, Marbles, and many walks up to Locopops. Oh, and her grandma also followed through on her dad's instructions to have Allison practice her soccer and volleyball drills in preparation for the season and try-outs, respectively.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Inspired inspiration
What follows is a quote from an email sent by a friend whose wife recently underwent brain surgery to remove a venal cavernoma which had manifested itself with severe and debilitating symptoms. The surgery was deemed successful and she is in recovery. I found his email to be something worth keeping and sharing...
"Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer that we are to pray that the Lord's will be done in all things. But he also teaches in the parable of the widow and the judge that ceaseless prayer can change outcomes. I believe that God controlled everything down to every cut, every drop of blood, every hair shaved in that tiny area required for the surgery ('not a single hair will fall from your head apart from the will of God'). So why pray??? Well, we are told by Jesus to do so as it is a direct channel we have been given for close, intimate relationship with God. We are also told that outcomes will change when prayed for in faith. But the biggest thing I see is that WE are changed in the process. We are forced to reckon with the truth that we can not ultimately control the outcomes of our lives. There's no earthly reason we can point to why you or I are not the one who had the cavernoma in their head. Nor can we say with any assurance that next year it won't be one of us lying in the next hospital room with a terminal prognosis (like many of the people whose loved ones we sat next to in the waiting room). It's a sad predicament... If the world is run by random events than all we can do is say 'sorry' to those facing the cruel, coldness of chance and hope by the numbers it doesn't happen to us our our loved ones. Ahhhh, but we have our hope in God! Any glimmer of intent or purpose in the circumstances tips His hand to show a glimpse of His workings..."
"Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer that we are to pray that the Lord's will be done in all things. But he also teaches in the parable of the widow and the judge that ceaseless prayer can change outcomes. I believe that God controlled everything down to every cut, every drop of blood, every hair shaved in that tiny area required for the surgery ('not a single hair will fall from your head apart from the will of God'). So why pray??? Well, we are told by Jesus to do so as it is a direct channel we have been given for close, intimate relationship with God. We are also told that outcomes will change when prayed for in faith. But the biggest thing I see is that WE are changed in the process. We are forced to reckon with the truth that we can not ultimately control the outcomes of our lives. There's no earthly reason we can point to why you or I are not the one who had the cavernoma in their head. Nor can we say with any assurance that next year it won't be one of us lying in the next hospital room with a terminal prognosis (like many of the people whose loved ones we sat next to in the waiting room). It's a sad predicament... If the world is run by random events than all we can do is say 'sorry' to those facing the cruel, coldness of chance and hope by the numbers it doesn't happen to us our our loved ones. Ahhhh, but we have our hope in God! Any glimmer of intent or purpose in the circumstances tips His hand to show a glimpse of His workings..."
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Our trip to NY and CT
Day 1 (Wednesday) - Brooklyn
Aboard the routine flight to LaGuardia, Amelia shrieked with joy when discovering pink Play-Doh for the first time. She startled Joe Cheshire who was sitting in front of Michael, but he was very nice about it. Leslie enjoyed talking with him and his wife after the flight. The Boerem Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn where we stayed was just perfect for us with inexpensive restaurants, a park, a grocery, a laundromat, and a subway station all within blocks.
We really enjoyed our day in Brooklyn and seeing how the locals lived. That was purposefully the theme of this trip.
The landlady of our building, Crissy, was extremely helpful to us. She loaned us a pack 'n play, booster seat, and bouncy seat for our kids. She and her husband have 2 little ones as well, and they have always lived in NYC, including Queens and Manhattan. We were intrigued with the idea of parenting in the city.
We ate lunch at the Vietnamese sandwich shop down the street. There were exactly 10 chairs in the restaurant, and they served bubble tea.
The first afternoon, we took Amelia to the Warren Street park whose centerpiece was a large concrete water sprinkler. It was much appreciated. Airplanes, taxis, and an 800 sq. ft. apartment is not going to contain any 2 year old. She got a chance to play with the city kids.
For dinner we went to Bedouin Tent, a middle-eastern pitza shop. That's spelled correctly. They served pizza on pita bread...pita+pizza=pitza. We had ground lamb sausage with artichokes on one and I don't remember the other. We also shared a drink called a loomi. It tasted like lemon flavored tonic water with no carbonation. I loved it but Leslie did not.
Later that evening we visited the neighborhood grocery store. In fact, we went into both the corner grocery and the Met, which was small, but had items stacked to the ceiling. (The were both necessarily small but were perfectly adequate for our needs.)
Day 2 (Thursday) - Manhattan
Happy birthday, Leslie!
Our day began very early; 4:45 am, in fact. Amelia woke up and alerted us all that she was not sleepy any more! That probably turned out to be a good thing because it got us out of the apartment by 7:30am so we didn't squander our only visit to Manhattan.
We walked to the subway and rode one stop. Then, we got out and walked the pedestrian lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge. When we were at the very top of the bridge, Marian called to wish Leslie a happy birthday! It was already getting warm, but we were so excited to be entering the city.
In Manhattan, we first walked with the commuters to the financial district for breakfast and then to Ground Zero. It was sobering but was now a construction site. There was a memorial wall to the FDNY firefighters that died on 9/11 and a volunteer explaining the art.
Another subway trip (one kid on M's back, one kid on L's front, folded stroller, backpack-phew) landed us on the lower east side near Central Park. Before visiting Central Park, we cooled off F.A.O. Schwartz where Amelia discovered the Barbie suitcases, the Corolle dolls, the Piano from the movie Big, and a stuffed frog. The frog was located in a narrow, busy hallway, but Amelia insisted on teaching the frog to hop amidst the traffic. It was charming.
Next we grabbed hotdogs from a street vendor outside Central Park. In the park we had intended to visit the Children's Zoo and Carousel but did neither. Instead we just kind of ambled around and took it all in. It was impressive. We saw musicians, rollerskaters, groups of children, and families. It was so hot, however, and the heat started to really sap our energy, despite the snowcones and popsicles. We decided that we all would appreciate some a/c.
That led us the the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The place was vast and had some amazing art. I intentionally led us to the Asian art first and then the European stuff. The European art had all of the masters and a few masterpieces. During the whole time in the museum, I had Amelia on my back and she was ready to get down, as evidenced by screaming and flailing. We needed to visit a park, ASAP.
There was a shady pocket park with a water sprinkler right next to the museum. She played with the stylish Manhattan kids and their nannies, while we meet up with Leslie's friend, Cara. After playtime was over, Cara graciously escorted us back downtown(quickly, NYC style, at rush hour) to the Meat Packing district where we got some dinner at a chic Asian restaurant, the Buddha Bar. That district was off the beaten path for tourists and it was fun to see the coolest and hippest New Yorkers hanging out there. Ads/commercials were being shot there. Interestingly, the buildings were only 2-3 stories tall!
Finally, we hopped back on the packed subway with the commuters and headed home to our apartment in Brooklyn. It was a surprisingly easy location for commuting. I'm sure Jamie and Joyce pay dearly for that feature! Thomas looked like he was asleep standing up, you'll see in the pics.
Day 3 (Friday) - Danbury
Amelia let us sleep in until 5:30am on Friday morning. Gosh, thanks. She also perfected her new saying during the trip. Whenever she is not in agreement, she will speak her mind and end it with HONEY, 'KAY? For example, "I don't want to go to sleep, honey, 'kay?"
After an early breakfast, we headed to a local laundromat. While Leslie and Thomas did laundry, Amelia and I headed back to the park. It was neat watching all of the little kids walking to school with their mommy or daddy. Joyce's apt. overlooked PS 261.
Back from our chores, we quickly packed and made our plan to escape from New York. Leslie picked up the rental car and parked illegally while we whisked the carseats, kids, and luggage into the car and got out of town via the scenic and bizarre Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
Driving in New York was predictably treacherous, but we got out of town okay. We felt stupid because we passed on the rental GPS, hadn't brought a map, and didn't know exactly how to get to Danbury. There were only three main ways into Connecticut from where we where and they were all close to each other so we just drove into the state and picked up a map. Not knowing where we were going gave us the chance to take a scenic back road through Wilton to Danbury which really relaxed me after the hectic pace of New York.
We got to our hotel suite, where Amelia and I went to the pool while Thomas napped. That evening we went to an average Chinese restaurant where Amelia turned into a little hellian. We were pretty embarrassed by that dining experience. Whatever. We were glad to have food.
Afterwards, we stopped by the Danbury Fair mall for some strolling. They had a double-decker carousel there which we all rode twice. The top level was a bit sickening because you were so close to the center. Leslie was excited to visit H&M, a clothing store, but a little underwhelmed by the offerings and quality.
On Friday night, there was a Bowling Party as part of the wedding activities. We made it there to visit with some of the guests but could not bowl since the kids were with us and expiring. Even so, it was fun hanging out with folks for a while. Most had a Duke connection since that's where Jaime and Joyce went to school. Here are the bride and groom dashing into the party!
Day 4 (Saturday) - Danbury
In the morning the wedding party went hiking at Tarrywile park. It was a strenuous hike. Connecticut's terrain surprised me. It was hilly and rocky. All in all it was an hour and a half of hiking with Amelia strapped to my back. Leslie and Thomas did some hiking and then headed for the children's garden area. Amelia and I met up with them there.
After lunch, we were wiped out so we headed to the hotel room for naps. We all slept soundly until it was time to get ready for the wedding.
The wedding was held on the grounds of a mansion of family friends. It was perched on a hilltop so we could see for miles. The wedding was outside near a pond and the reception was right next to it under a tent. There were lots of great guests, music, and food there and we really enjoyed meeting Joyce's family since they were at our table. They live in the Seattle area and NYC, so Leslie had never gotten to meet them despite rooming with Joyce for a year.
The temperature was hot with heavy humidity but they did have a sno-cone machine which saved the day with Amelia. She had at least 3 sno-cones, with 3 additional refills.
The actual wedding was nice, and we were happy to be present for Joyce and Jaime's wedding and to show them our support. Leslie was impressed with the detail Joyce went to in planning everything, despite her job as a first-year patent attorney in NYC. We loved the wedding favors - Baggu bags - very original!
Day 5 (Sunday)
We drove back to La Guardia in the early morning and flew home. Again, thankfully uneventful.
Aboard the routine flight to LaGuardia, Amelia shrieked with joy when discovering pink Play-Doh for the first time. She startled Joe Cheshire who was sitting in front of Michael, but he was very nice about it. Leslie enjoyed talking with him and his wife after the flight. The Boerem Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn where we stayed was just perfect for us with inexpensive restaurants, a park, a grocery, a laundromat, and a subway station all within blocks.
Click for more pictures...We really enjoyed our day in Brooklyn and seeing how the locals lived. That was purposefully the theme of this trip.
The landlady of our building, Crissy, was extremely helpful to us. She loaned us a pack 'n play, booster seat, and bouncy seat for our kids. She and her husband have 2 little ones as well, and they have always lived in NYC, including Queens and Manhattan. We were intrigued with the idea of parenting in the city.
We ate lunch at the Vietnamese sandwich shop down the street. There were exactly 10 chairs in the restaurant, and they served bubble tea.
The first afternoon, we took Amelia to the Warren Street park whose centerpiece was a large concrete water sprinkler. It was much appreciated. Airplanes, taxis, and an 800 sq. ft. apartment is not going to contain any 2 year old. She got a chance to play with the city kids.
For dinner we went to Bedouin Tent, a middle-eastern pitza shop. That's spelled correctly. They served pizza on pita bread...pita+pizza=pitza. We had ground lamb sausage with artichokes on one and I don't remember the other. We also shared a drink called a loomi. It tasted like lemon flavored tonic water with no carbonation. I loved it but Leslie did not.
Later that evening we visited the neighborhood grocery store. In fact, we went into both the corner grocery and the Met, which was small, but had items stacked to the ceiling. (The were both necessarily small but were perfectly adequate for our needs.)
Click for more pictures...Day 2 (Thursday) - Manhattan
Happy birthday, Leslie!
Our day began very early; 4:45 am, in fact. Amelia woke up and alerted us all that she was not sleepy any more! That probably turned out to be a good thing because it got us out of the apartment by 7:30am so we didn't squander our only visit to Manhattan.
We walked to the subway and rode one stop. Then, we got out and walked the pedestrian lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge. When we were at the very top of the bridge, Marian called to wish Leslie a happy birthday! It was already getting warm, but we were so excited to be entering the city.
In Manhattan, we first walked with the commuters to the financial district for breakfast and then to Ground Zero. It was sobering but was now a construction site. There was a memorial wall to the FDNY firefighters that died on 9/11 and a volunteer explaining the art.
Another subway trip (one kid on M's back, one kid on L's front, folded stroller, backpack-phew) landed us on the lower east side near Central Park. Before visiting Central Park, we cooled off F.A.O. Schwartz where Amelia discovered the Barbie suitcases, the Corolle dolls, the Piano from the movie Big, and a stuffed frog. The frog was located in a narrow, busy hallway, but Amelia insisted on teaching the frog to hop amidst the traffic. It was charming.
Next we grabbed hotdogs from a street vendor outside Central Park. In the park we had intended to visit the Children's Zoo and Carousel but did neither. Instead we just kind of ambled around and took it all in. It was impressive. We saw musicians, rollerskaters, groups of children, and families. It was so hot, however, and the heat started to really sap our energy, despite the snowcones and popsicles. We decided that we all would appreciate some a/c.
That led us the the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The place was vast and had some amazing art. I intentionally led us to the Asian art first and then the European stuff. The European art had all of the masters and a few masterpieces. During the whole time in the museum, I had Amelia on my back and she was ready to get down, as evidenced by screaming and flailing. We needed to visit a park, ASAP.
There was a shady pocket park with a water sprinkler right next to the museum. She played with the stylish Manhattan kids and their nannies, while we meet up with Leslie's friend, Cara. After playtime was over, Cara graciously escorted us back downtown(quickly, NYC style, at rush hour) to the Meat Packing district where we got some dinner at a chic Asian restaurant, the Buddha Bar. That district was off the beaten path for tourists and it was fun to see the coolest and hippest New Yorkers hanging out there. Ads/commercials were being shot there. Interestingly, the buildings were only 2-3 stories tall!
Finally, we hopped back on the packed subway with the commuters and headed home to our apartment in Brooklyn. It was a surprisingly easy location for commuting. I'm sure Jamie and Joyce pay dearly for that feature! Thomas looked like he was asleep standing up, you'll see in the pics.
Click for more pictures...Day 3 (Friday) - Danbury
Amelia let us sleep in until 5:30am on Friday morning. Gosh, thanks. She also perfected her new saying during the trip. Whenever she is not in agreement, she will speak her mind and end it with HONEY, 'KAY? For example, "I don't want to go to sleep, honey, 'kay?"
After an early breakfast, we headed to a local laundromat. While Leslie and Thomas did laundry, Amelia and I headed back to the park. It was neat watching all of the little kids walking to school with their mommy or daddy. Joyce's apt. overlooked PS 261.
Back from our chores, we quickly packed and made our plan to escape from New York. Leslie picked up the rental car and parked illegally while we whisked the carseats, kids, and luggage into the car and got out of town via the scenic and bizarre Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
Driving in New York was predictably treacherous, but we got out of town okay. We felt stupid because we passed on the rental GPS, hadn't brought a map, and didn't know exactly how to get to Danbury. There were only three main ways into Connecticut from where we where and they were all close to each other so we just drove into the state and picked up a map. Not knowing where we were going gave us the chance to take a scenic back road through Wilton to Danbury which really relaxed me after the hectic pace of New York.
We got to our hotel suite, where Amelia and I went to the pool while Thomas napped. That evening we went to an average Chinese restaurant where Amelia turned into a little hellian. We were pretty embarrassed by that dining experience. Whatever. We were glad to have food.
Afterwards, we stopped by the Danbury Fair mall for some strolling. They had a double-decker carousel there which we all rode twice. The top level was a bit sickening because you were so close to the center. Leslie was excited to visit H&M, a clothing store, but a little underwhelmed by the offerings and quality.
Click for more pictures...On Friday night, there was a Bowling Party as part of the wedding activities. We made it there to visit with some of the guests but could not bowl since the kids were with us and expiring. Even so, it was fun hanging out with folks for a while. Most had a Duke connection since that's where Jaime and Joyce went to school. Here are the bride and groom dashing into the party!
Click for more pictures...Day 4 (Saturday) - Danbury
In the morning the wedding party went hiking at Tarrywile park. It was a strenuous hike. Connecticut's terrain surprised me. It was hilly and rocky. All in all it was an hour and a half of hiking with Amelia strapped to my back. Leslie and Thomas did some hiking and then headed for the children's garden area. Amelia and I met up with them there.
Click for more pictures...After lunch, we were wiped out so we headed to the hotel room for naps. We all slept soundly until it was time to get ready for the wedding.
The wedding was held on the grounds of a mansion of family friends. It was perched on a hilltop so we could see for miles. The wedding was outside near a pond and the reception was right next to it under a tent. There were lots of great guests, music, and food there and we really enjoyed meeting Joyce's family since they were at our table. They live in the Seattle area and NYC, so Leslie had never gotten to meet them despite rooming with Joyce for a year.
The temperature was hot with heavy humidity but they did have a sno-cone machine which saved the day with Amelia. She had at least 3 sno-cones, with 3 additional refills.
The actual wedding was nice, and we were happy to be present for Joyce and Jaime's wedding and to show them our support. Leslie was impressed with the detail Joyce went to in planning everything, despite her job as a first-year patent attorney in NYC. We loved the wedding favors - Baggu bags - very original!
Click for more pictures...Day 5 (Sunday)
We drove back to La Guardia in the early morning and flew home. Again, thankfully uneventful.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Visit from the ATL crew
Leslie's dad, step-mom, and brother all made the trip up to NC this weekend. Their other son, Caleb, lives in Raleigh and so they spent Friday with him. Caleb and something he ate didn't agree late on Friday and by Saturday morning he had to visit the Emergency Room to get fluids intravenously. The latest update as of Sunday afternoon is that he's at home resting but is totally spent from the ordeal. Get better soon, Caleb!
In the meantime, Dan, Debra, and Luke came to visit us on Saturday afternoon. We had a great time playing with the kids and hanging out together. Amelia and Uncle Luke bonded immediately over a game of catch. Thomas and Debra and Dan all got along famously.
We ate lunch at our house. In the afternoon, Dan rested, Luke and I talked computers, politics, sports, and jobs, and Leslie and Debra went shopping across the street. Thomas and Amelia took their naps, of course.
At dinnertime, we drove up the hill to downtown with a hankering for some tasty Vietnamese food. (Yes, you can hanker for Vietnamese food and not just for BBQ.) Well, they had closed for the Independence Day holiday. (Good for them.) Across the street, however, was an excellent Thai/Malaysian restaurant. We ate there and loved it. For my dish, I had the choice of American spicy or Thai spicy. I chose Thai spicy and the waitress cringed. She must have told the chef to make it American spicy because it was weak. I was expecting a 9 out of 10 for spiciness and got a 7 out of 10 instead. Even so, it was really good. For desert, we had locopops. Man, I love locopops. Dan, Debra, and Luke headed home by way of Raleigh after dinner.
On Sunday, we went to Sunday school and church. Our Sunday school was wrapping up its 6-week elective on "Perspectives on Marriage." During the 6 weeks, the minister had various married couples from church come in to be interviewed by him in front of us. We could then ask questions about aspects of their respective marriages. It was a really good format.
Here's what the minister left us with as we wrapped up. These are his summary of priority principles. He said that he jotted this down while watching Tigger with his son but I still think its pretty good.
After church we went to lunch with our friends Mark and Candace and their daughter, Hannah. It was great catching up with them and there's nothing quite like an all-you-can-eat Indian buffet!
I hope you all had a great holiday!
In the meantime, Dan, Debra, and Luke came to visit us on Saturday afternoon. We had a great time playing with the kids and hanging out together. Amelia and Uncle Luke bonded immediately over a game of catch. Thomas and Debra and Dan all got along famously.
We ate lunch at our house. In the afternoon, Dan rested, Luke and I talked computers, politics, sports, and jobs, and Leslie and Debra went shopping across the street. Thomas and Amelia took their naps, of course.
At dinnertime, we drove up the hill to downtown with a hankering for some tasty Vietnamese food. (Yes, you can hanker for Vietnamese food and not just for BBQ.) Well, they had closed for the Independence Day holiday. (Good for them.) Across the street, however, was an excellent Thai/Malaysian restaurant. We ate there and loved it. For my dish, I had the choice of American spicy or Thai spicy. I chose Thai spicy and the waitress cringed. She must have told the chef to make it American spicy because it was weak. I was expecting a 9 out of 10 for spiciness and got a 7 out of 10 instead. Even so, it was really good. For desert, we had locopops. Man, I love locopops. Dan, Debra, and Luke headed home by way of Raleigh after dinner.
Click for more pictures...On Sunday, we went to Sunday school and church. Our Sunday school was wrapping up its 6-week elective on "Perspectives on Marriage." During the 6 weeks, the minister had various married couples from church come in to be interviewed by him in front of us. We could then ask questions about aspects of their respective marriages. It was a really good format.
Here's what the minister left us with as we wrapped up. These are his summary of priority principles. He said that he jotted this down while watching Tigger with his son but I still think its pretty good.
- God before Spouse
- Marriage before Work
- Church before Leisure and Kids' Sports
- Family before Hobbies
- Praying before Sleeping
- Praying before Complaining
- Complimenting before Criticizing
- Teeth brushing before Kissing
- Talking before Lovemaking
- Backrubbing before Lovemaking
- Spouse before Children
- Communicating before Spending
- Budgeting before Borrowing
- Saving before Buying
- Listening before Speaking
- Needs before Wants
- Spouse before Self
After church we went to lunch with our friends Mark and Candace and their daughter, Hannah. It was great catching up with them and there's nothing quite like an all-you-can-eat Indian buffet!
I hope you all had a great holiday!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Amelia weighs in
Amelia had a weight and height check today as part of her doctor's visit.
Here are her stats:
34.75 inches - 65th percentile
28.75 pounds - 70th percentile
Here are her stats:
34.75 inches - 65th percentile
28.75 pounds - 70th percentile
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Backyard Bamboo
Duke Power came through today and cleared out all of the bamboo underneath their power lines. Here are the before and after pictures taken on the same day.
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Thomas weighs in
At a recent, unofficial weigh in and height check at the doctor's office, Thomas measured 16.2 pounds (5th percentile) and 28 inches (75th percentile).
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Museum, games, and more
Here's a brief recap of this weekend's activities.
On Saturday, Michael and Amelia met up with his friend Mark and his daughter Hannah at the Museum of Life and Science. That place is amazing for kids and adults alike. Amelia really enjoyed the exhibits having to do with meteorology. The mist bowl kept her attention for quite a while.
On Saturday night, we had dinner and played games with the folks from our shepherding group from church. We forgot to bring our game so Leslie made up silly questions to ask one another. For example, "what was the last thing you said last night?" and "in what store could you spend unlimited time?" It turned out to be a great source of entertainment.
Finally, on Sunday, we all went to the birthday party of the son of a couple in our shepherding group and one of Amelia's friends. There were lots of kids and adults there with a big, inflatable pool for the kids. The afternoon thunderstorms only made the birthday all that more memorable. Happy birthday, Matthew!
Sadly, we had to wish our friend Stephanie goodbye today as she relocates to Charlotte tomorrow. She and Leslie taught kindergarten together for several years. Stephanie went to church with us today and then to lunch at the always excellent K&W Cafeteria. :-) Stephanie is excited about her move and this new phase in her life and we're excited for her and wish her all the best.
On Saturday, Michael and Amelia met up with his friend Mark and his daughter Hannah at the Museum of Life and Science. That place is amazing for kids and adults alike. Amelia really enjoyed the exhibits having to do with meteorology. The mist bowl kept her attention for quite a while.
On Saturday night, we had dinner and played games with the folks from our shepherding group from church. We forgot to bring our game so Leslie made up silly questions to ask one another. For example, "what was the last thing you said last night?" and "in what store could you spend unlimited time?" It turned out to be a great source of entertainment.
Finally, on Sunday, we all went to the birthday party of the son of a couple in our shepherding group and one of Amelia's friends. There were lots of kids and adults there with a big, inflatable pool for the kids. The afternoon thunderstorms only made the birthday all that more memorable. Happy birthday, Matthew!
Sadly, we had to wish our friend Stephanie goodbye today as she relocates to Charlotte tomorrow. She and Leslie taught kindergarten together for several years. Stephanie went to church with us today and then to lunch at the always excellent K&W Cafeteria. :-) Stephanie is excited about her move and this new phase in her life and we're excited for her and wish her all the best.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Beach Week 2008
Michael's side of the family all got together at Caswell Beach for the week. The group included 8 adults, 7 kids, 1 dog, and 2 boats. We were in two different houses; one was marsh side and the other was across the street on the beach side.
We took along our two-man, sit-on-top kayak. It's really easy to use and is big and stable for even large waves. In addition to the kayak, we also had access to my brother Brian's catamaran. Brian did a lot of sailing and was gracious enough to take along anyone who wanted to go sailing. His favorite route was sailing along the shore and then across the Cape Fear River and shipping channel, past the sand bars, and onto Bald Head Island's beaches.
Click on photo to see more...
Generally, the weather was great. There was one day, however that wasn't that great so we took the opportunity to take the ferry over to Fort Fisher and to visit one of the three NC Aquariums. It's really a nice destination. We visited and had lunch there and then caught the return ferry back to Southport.
Click on photo to see more...
The best non-beach activity was everyone getting together and jamming along with a video game called Rock Band. Everyone took turns on lead guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. We jammed to Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, Boston, The Beastie Boys, and dozens of other bands. The kids really made it a lot of fun.
Click on photo to see more...
Every time Leslie and I go to the beach, one of our kids makes a big leap forward in development. In the past, Amelia had learned to roll back to front and then front to back. She also learned to walk there. This time was Thomas's turn as he learned to crawl.
Here are some miscellaneous pictures. Amelia and Campbell (both two years old) bunked together for the week.
Click on photo to see more...
We took along our two-man, sit-on-top kayak. It's really easy to use and is big and stable for even large waves. In addition to the kayak, we also had access to my brother Brian's catamaran. Brian did a lot of sailing and was gracious enough to take along anyone who wanted to go sailing. His favorite route was sailing along the shore and then across the Cape Fear River and shipping channel, past the sand bars, and onto Bald Head Island's beaches.
Click on photo to see more...Generally, the weather was great. There was one day, however that wasn't that great so we took the opportunity to take the ferry over to Fort Fisher and to visit one of the three NC Aquariums. It's really a nice destination. We visited and had lunch there and then caught the return ferry back to Southport.
Click on photo to see more...The best non-beach activity was everyone getting together and jamming along with a video game called Rock Band. Everyone took turns on lead guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. We jammed to Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, Boston, The Beastie Boys, and dozens of other bands. The kids really made it a lot of fun.
Click on photo to see more...Every time Leslie and I go to the beach, one of our kids makes a big leap forward in development. In the past, Amelia had learned to roll back to front and then front to back. She also learned to walk there. This time was Thomas's turn as he learned to crawl.
Here are some miscellaneous pictures. Amelia and Campbell (both two years old) bunked together for the week.
Click on photo to see more...Friday, June 13, 2008
'Twas the Night Before Vacation
Michael always writes about the things that happen when we LEAVE our house. It seems like we should be sharing some of the fun events of our days when we STAY HOME. While I leave the rest of the packing up to him, I'm going to sit down and share...
Thomas is now 7 months old, and he's 27.5 inches tall. Well, he was 2 days ago. He appears to have grown another inch since waking up this morning. His legs are so skinny and long. They match his torso. His favorite activities are smiling and giggling and heading right for Amelia's nose with a wide-open mouth. She's pretty gentle when he's close up, so she doesn't realize he's trying to eat her nose. When he's sitting/rolling on the floor, however, she's been caught swatting at him with an arm, a shoe, a toy, a doll, a book, whatever she can find. It will come back to her.
Michael noted that Thomas seems to have an increase in TESTOSTERONE this week. He has become more vocal and aggressive. His sweet cat-like squeal was replaced with a louder yell. When we try to feed him and he doesn't want it, he squirms away and basically hits whatever you're forcing into his mouth. His favorite pastime is carpet-swimming. If you put him on his belly on one side of the room, he kicks, lunges, and rolls to get to interesting toys and cords on the other side. He's so long that 12 mo. shirts barely reach his belly button. He's so skinny that 12 mo. shorts slide off. This is a problem. He's nearly weaned, and he's eating 3 meals/day.
Here is a picture of them with their friend Hannah who was here one evening...
Amelia now has full control (when awake) of her bladder. We thought she had control of other systems over the past couple weeks, but we had a minor setback. It seems she now associates dirty underwear with taking a bath. She loves baths, so she has decided bringing me her dirty undies will get her what she wants. Ughh...
Her language skills are growing at an unbelievable rate. She's watched Signing Time a bit on TiVo and uses signs/words nonstop. Her grandparents drill her with educational books when they're around, so she says stuff all the time that amazes us. This week we heard:
"Tell Papa I'm Okay!" and "My toe hurts. It has a circle on it." and "Mama, I want more milk please." The "I'm okay!" sentence is the funniest because she senses when someone is hurt or sad or mad. She wrinkles her forehead, tilts her head and with great empathy asks, "Are you okay?" It is absolutely precious. I want to get a video of it, but she's having a "No camera, Mommy!" month. She's been way into taking care of baby dolls and crayons lately.
All of us are looking forward to fun at the beach with the Kelley clan! Guess I better go supervise the packing :)
Thomas is now 7 months old, and he's 27.5 inches tall. Well, he was 2 days ago. He appears to have grown another inch since waking up this morning. His legs are so skinny and long. They match his torso. His favorite activities are smiling and giggling and heading right for Amelia's nose with a wide-open mouth. She's pretty gentle when he's close up, so she doesn't realize he's trying to eat her nose. When he's sitting/rolling on the floor, however, she's been caught swatting at him with an arm, a shoe, a toy, a doll, a book, whatever she can find. It will come back to her.
Michael noted that Thomas seems to have an increase in TESTOSTERONE this week. He has become more vocal and aggressive. His sweet cat-like squeal was replaced with a louder yell. When we try to feed him and he doesn't want it, he squirms away and basically hits whatever you're forcing into his mouth. His favorite pastime is carpet-swimming. If you put him on his belly on one side of the room, he kicks, lunges, and rolls to get to interesting toys and cords on the other side. He's so long that 12 mo. shirts barely reach his belly button. He's so skinny that 12 mo. shorts slide off. This is a problem. He's nearly weaned, and he's eating 3 meals/day.
Here is a picture of them with their friend Hannah who was here one evening...
Amelia now has full control (when awake) of her bladder. We thought she had control of other systems over the past couple weeks, but we had a minor setback. It seems she now associates dirty underwear with taking a bath. She loves baths, so she has decided bringing me her dirty undies will get her what she wants. Ughh...
Her language skills are growing at an unbelievable rate. She's watched Signing Time a bit on TiVo and uses signs/words nonstop. Her grandparents drill her with educational books when they're around, so she says stuff all the time that amazes us. This week we heard:
"Tell Papa I'm Okay!" and "My toe hurts. It has a circle on it." and "Mama, I want more milk please." The "I'm okay!" sentence is the funniest because she senses when someone is hurt or sad or mad. She wrinkles her forehead, tilts her head and with great empathy asks, "Are you okay?" It is absolutely precious. I want to get a video of it, but she's having a "No camera, Mommy!" month. She's been way into taking care of baby dolls and crayons lately.
All of us are looking forward to fun at the beach with the Kelley clan! Guess I better go supervise the packing :)
Friday, June 6, 2008
Locopops and Estes Hills Playground
Leslie's brother, Caleb, and his girlfriend, Michelle, came on over for dinner tonight. They live in Raleigh which is about 30 minutes away. After dinner we all went down the street to Locopops for dessert. Amelia had bites from everyone's popsicles. I had the Creamy Lime, Leslie had the Spearmint Lemonade, Michelle had the Mighty Mojito, and Caleb had the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip (I think).
We mentioned to the Locopops employee that we were headed over to Ephesus Elementary to play on the new playground. He said that the Estes Hills playground was much better. It turns out that he was right! That place was awesome -- much better than the the ones I remember as a kid.
We mentioned to the Locopops employee that we were headed over to Ephesus Elementary to play on the new playground. He said that the Estes Hills playground was much better. It turns out that he was right! That place was awesome -- much better than the the ones I remember as a kid.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Memorial Day Weekend
Our weekend started on Friday morning. On the way down to the beach we scheduled a photo shoot at Portrait Innovations. This was to be a big photo shoot for both kids since these were milestone ages (2 years and 6 months). The kids did amazingly well. It helped that we had the run of the place for at least an hour while there were few other customers in there yet. We ended up getting a lot of pictures but had planned to do that for this session anyway. The timing breakdown is that we starting shooting at 11:30am, finished shooting at 1pm, finished selecting photos at 2pm, and picked up the pictures at 3pm. You may be tempted to feel sorry for us but it went so well and the final product was superb. We eventually got to the beach house without any trouble, went for a quick evening walk at the beach, and then got everyone to settled down.
The next day, after we had breakfast, we went for a walk again at the beach. We then decided that we wanted to get Amelia to a park so we headed for a decent one on Long Beach. It started to sprinkle so we detoured to the public library instead. That turned out to be perfect because Leslie and Amelia had extended reading time together while I fed Thomas. It was quiet and peaceful. I love libraries.
Next, grandma and papa arrived at the beach house and Amelia was so excited to see them. They were such a big help to have there, the kids loved them, and we enjoyed their company too.
Later that evening we all went to Surfer's restaurant for dinner. It was basically a fat person's seafood gorge-a-thon. Pretty gross, really. We got back home and, after the kids were in bed, Leslie and I got to go for a nice walk on the beach by ourselves.
On Sunday, we basically let the kids and grandparents play a lot while we got everything cleaned and packed. On our way home, we stopped at Pullen Park in Raleigh. It has great attractions for little kids. There is a train, a playground, a pedal boat area, a carousel, and other miscellaneous small rides. It's all affordable too. Each ride is only a dollar per person.
Finally, we got back to Durham and executed our plan to get a deeply discounted outdoor playhouse for the backyard. Joy. More plastic. Oh well, the kids and friends will have lots of fun with it.
The next day, after we had breakfast, we went for a walk again at the beach. We then decided that we wanted to get Amelia to a park so we headed for a decent one on Long Beach. It started to sprinkle so we detoured to the public library instead. That turned out to be perfect because Leslie and Amelia had extended reading time together while I fed Thomas. It was quiet and peaceful. I love libraries.
Next, grandma and papa arrived at the beach house and Amelia was so excited to see them. They were such a big help to have there, the kids loved them, and we enjoyed their company too.
Later that evening we all went to Surfer's restaurant for dinner. It was basically a fat person's seafood gorge-a-thon. Pretty gross, really. We got back home and, after the kids were in bed, Leslie and I got to go for a nice walk on the beach by ourselves.
On Sunday, we basically let the kids and grandparents play a lot while we got everything cleaned and packed. On our way home, we stopped at Pullen Park in Raleigh. It has great attractions for little kids. There is a train, a playground, a pedal boat area, a carousel, and other miscellaneous small rides. It's all affordable too. Each ride is only a dollar per person.
Finally, we got back to Durham and executed our plan to get a deeply discounted outdoor playhouse for the backyard. Joy. More plastic. Oh well, the kids and friends will have lots of fun with it.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The New South
Welcome to the world, Nathan South! Little Nathan was born to our friends Kara and Mark yesterday and they're all doing just fine. We're so excited for them and give thanks to God for this blessing on them.
Mark has a blog and some photos at http://web.mac.com/md_south. At the time of this writing there is nothing up there about Nathan yet but give them a break because they're still at the hospital! They expect to be coming home very soon.
Mark has a blog and some photos at http://web.mac.com/md_south. At the time of this writing there is nothing up there about Nathan yet but give them a break because they're still at the hospital! They expect to be coming home very soon.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Birthday Weekend Blowout
Our little girl turned two today! We celebrated with friends and family and had a great time. Here's the link to the pictures from the party.
Earlier in the weekend, on Saturday, we went to our church's BBQ and Blue Grass event. The point was to highlight local mercy ministries and give an opportunity for folks to find out more information at the various booths. There was a large turnout and it was nice to see so many folks there having a great time. The little kids especially enjoyed the blue grass music and did quite a bit of dancing up in front of the stage.
On Sunday morning we went to church with Leslie's mom and step-father. Afterwards we all went to Mama Dip's for Sunday brunch where we had fried pickles as an appetizer. Yum!
Earlier in the weekend, on Saturday, we went to our church's BBQ and Blue Grass event. The point was to highlight local mercy ministries and give an opportunity for folks to find out more information at the various booths. There was a large turnout and it was nice to see so many folks there having a great time. The little kids especially enjoyed the blue grass music and did quite a bit of dancing up in front of the stage.
On Sunday morning we went to church with Leslie's mom and step-father. Afterwards we all went to Mama Dip's for Sunday brunch where we had fried pickles as an appetizer. Yum!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Checkup checkin
Thomas and Amelia had their 6 month and 2 year checkups today, respectively.
Here are the stats for those of you keeping score:
Here are the stats for those of you keeping score:
| Height (percentile) | Weight (percentile) | |
| Amelia | 34.25 in. (70%) | 29 lb. 7 oz. (80%) |
| Thomas | 27.25 in. (75%) | 15 lb. 6 oz. (30%) |
Saturday, May 10, 2008
A Walk in the Woods
It being Saturday, and beautiful one at that, we decided to go for a walk in the forest. There are miles of well-groomed fire roads throughout Duke Forest. The kids did great and we had lots of positive encounters with folks walking dogs. Amelia loves dogs.
The trial goes downhill and Leslie was doing her best to keep Amelia from falling into the gravel (she never did fall). Anyway, Leslie eventually got in front of her and walked backwards in order to keep her speed down. Well, Amelia must have thought that was pretty cool because she then walked backwards down much of the trail (and then back up).
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Rock the Vote!
We all walked over to our polling place after dinner tonight to cast our votes in the primary and for local ballots. The polling place happens to be in the church where I grew up.
Here we are arriving at the polling place for our precinct. One of our neighbors always works there.
Doing her civic duty.
Even Thomas got into the act with his patriotic foot sticker. His big sister got two stickers.
The race I cared most about was for our congressional seat. We're supporting William Lawson and, from the early returns, it looks like he won his primary. Good for him!
Here we are arriving at the polling place for our precinct. One of our neighbors always works there.
Doing her civic duty.
Even Thomas got into the act with his patriotic foot sticker. His big sister got two stickers.
The race I cared most about was for our congressional seat. We're supporting William Lawson and, from the early returns, it looks like he won his primary. Good for him!
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