Santa Comes Early

Nate and Sean were worried that Santa might not find them this year at Gramms and Pappa's house. Nate wrote a note to Santa asking if he could please come early instead (kind of like absentee voting, I guess). Apparently Santa snuck in while the kids were out one afternoon because when they returned and looked in the playroom, there were all sorts of presents magically placed beneath the tree.


It took all of about fifteen minutes for Nate and Sean to ransack each of the carefully wrapped presents. They got most of what they wanted -- not everything -- but enough to make them happy. Nate got a handheld computer game, and nobody saw him again for the rest of the weekend.

Visiting with Santa

We went over to our church to see Santa Clause on Saturday. Sean is an enthusiastic believer as you can see but we're not so sure about Nate. We think Nate's probably hedging his bets, knowing the real deal but choosing to keep quiet so the gifts keep coming. The day started with lots of crafts for the children, then Christmas carols and story time with Mrs. Clause, and finally with Santa himself. Sean could barely contain himself by the time the preliminaries were completed.

Mom and Dad staked out a good spot in line, and the kids got ready to see Santa. After a few minutes they reached the front of the line but still had to wait at the edge of the stage until the way was clear. It was tough duty but Nate and Sean knew there would be candy canes in their future if they could hold in there a bit longer.

Finally they got a chance to sit with Santa and tell him what they wanted. Let's hope that Santa listened!

Trimming the Tree

With the holidays fast approaching, we took some time out on a recent rainy afternoon to trim the Christmas Tree. Mom and Nate are both allergic to conifers so we've been using a fake one for years. This one looks pretty good though, and it fits nicely into a small corner of the playroom. Best of all it comes with the all lights already attached!

Nate and Sean sure enjoyed opening each box of ornaments and placing them around the tree.


Nate is very proud of his handwork. He's getting to be so big, and he can reach all the higher spots on the tree now, so that the ornaments don't all clump down where the cat can bat them about. Nate also got to put up his special holiday tradition -- the reindeer lawn decoration that never goes outside. Nate likes to plug in ol' Rudolph and watch his head swivel back and forth. The whole neighborhood knows when Nate sets-up his reindeer!


Sean was more concerned about looking cool. And sneaking candy. If suddenly he's quiet you know he must be up to no good.

Leaves and Stuff

Here are some random photos of your favorite kids. The pictures don't fit into much of a theme other than they were all taken within the last few weeks.

It's Fall and the leaves or down. That means Nate and Sean get a chance to romp through big piles before the vacuum truck comes to take the leaves away. It was still warm when we took this picture. That was a perfect day for scattering the piles about as quickly as mom and dad could rake them into place! Nate still had one of his front teeth in his toothy grin so you can tell this picture is a few weeks old.

Here's how things looked when we stacked the piles high. Nate can still get head and shoulders above the top but Sean looks like he's going down to the bottom in quicksand. Be careful Sean -- the leaf truck might not be able to see you. Next thing you know, you'll be turned into mulch!

Now it's cold. We went to visit some friends over the Thanksgiving holiday. They had piles of leaves, too. Lots of them! Nate took a few moments away from the pile hopping to sit down with his new friend, the multicolored frog. There have already been a couple of snows here in the mountains but we've not been so fortunate (or unfortunate as the case may be) to have anything like that near our home.

Sean looks like he's dressed for an arctic expedition in that puffy blue ski jacket. It's really not that cold yet. But he'd rather run around without any jacket at all so this sure beats the alternative. As usual, Sean doesn't like to pose for the camera so we have to take candid shots from a distance, and catch him by surprise.

Thanksgiving Pageant

Nate participated in a Thanksgiving Pageant at his school just before the holiday. Parents got a chance to see their kids in action. This photo took place during the entertainment part of our time together. All the kids lined up and recited a Thanksgiving poem. Then they all sang a song. Nate, unfortunately, inherited his sense of rhythm from his mom, but he mostly kept beat with the others.


Next Nate got to show off some of his wonderful artwork. He's become very interested in drawing in recent months, and he always has a pad of paper and markers nearby. It's probably his favorite activity right now. You should have seen his Thanksgiving turkey dressed in various NASCAR driving outfits. Yes, you heard that correctly.


Later everyone posed for pictures before digging in to the Thanksgiving feast of cookies and muffins. We sure have a lot to be thankful this year!

I Got no Teef!

Nate is a toothless wonder. We've got him singing, "all I want for Christmas are my two front teeth." Both of them fell out within about a week of each other. Hopefully this look won't last long, and in fact one of his permanent teeth is already starting to poke through. He sure looks funny though and he sounds even funnier! We thought he wouldn't be able to eat very well but he showed us his technique using the two side teeth.

It's been a long time since Nate has been so toothless. In fact, we have to go all the way back to 2002.



Nate's been a little impatient for his new teeth so he decided to try some dentures. I'm not sure this is exactly the look I'd recommend but he seems to be satisfied with it.

Nate Can Ride a Bike

Nate can ride a bike with no training wheels! He's been getting closer for months but finally something clicked in about a twenty-minute period on Friday afternoon. Suddenly he got it. His first attempts were wobbly but soon he could go the entire length of the street, turn around without stopping, and come back. He tried it again at the park on Saturday and Sunday and each time got better and better. Now he can start without someone giving him a push, he banks into turns, and he's able to avoid nearby objects. On Sunday afternoon he took his bike down a hill and said "I was going so fast I almost couldn't keep peddling." For someone who once took pride in the nickname "Lazy Bones," you'd think he'd learn the fine art of coasting!


Here's a still photo of Nate during one of his early trial runs. Notice that mom had to keep a close distance to give him encouragement and a push to start each run. Just two days later he can take off like a shot, leaving everyone behind in the dust.


Sean, of course, wanted to get in on the action too. He can scoot along on that tricycle at an amazing speed. He's still a little small for a bicycle but he has all the necessary enthusiasm. Maybe too much enthusiasm. See the little bruise around his left eye? He got that at preschool last week when he decided to go down the sliding board backwards! He's fearless. We'll make sure he keeps that helmet on.

Halloween

Nate and Sean were ready for Halloween this year. Sean decided on a NASCAR outfit. He's really into NASCAR at the moment, much to everyone's chagrin. Dad blames the movie "Cars." Mom thinks it happened when Sean randomly flipped through the TV channels and happened upon the Speed Channel. Either way he's become quite the aficionado. He selected a Tony Stewart "Home Depot" outfit, and convinced Nate to go along with a Jeff Gordon "Dupont" look. This was amusing since Nate wanted to go as a red power rangers because he was a green power ranger last year; not terribly original but not surprising after his string of dog outfits in previous years: Clifford the Big Red Dog, one of the 101 Dalmations and then a brown dog. So Sean shamed Nate into something different.

They posed by one of the "fooks" in a neighbor's yard. Sean can't pronounce words starting with "sp" properly, so spooks becomes fooks. Nate looks a little frightened here and that's probably the case. He likes the candy but he doesn't like the spooky stuff or walking up to stranger's doors. Sean, on the other hand, rushes from door-to-door as quickly as he can and doesn't pay any attention to the frights and sights. It's all about the treats.

Look out, Fooks!!!

Birthdays

Nate and Sean both had birthdays recently. They're getting old enough to need separate parties now, so that's twice the planning but fewer kids at each event. It works out about even.

Nate started out the birthday season with an aquarium-themed event. Mom made a cake shaped like a starfish and another shaped like some kind of tropical fish (whatever one happens to be orange and blue -- pick one). He also got a three gallon aquarium as one of his presents since he's done so well with his smaller one the last couple of years.

All of the games were aquarium themed. Here, Nate is "fishing" for prizes. Mom cleverly taped a string to a wooden dowel, and connected a magnet to the end. She put little plastic sea creatures inside of baggies along with another magnet. Everyone had great fun. They also played pin the arm on the octopus and other party games.

Sean followed up with his party a couple of weeks later. We didn't expect to have it outdoors so late in the year but the weather took a wonderful, warm and sunny turn. Sean chose a NASCAR theme. There were race cars everywhere, including the cake and various party decorations. Mom lit the candles and Sean blew them out. But then they lit up again! Mom said she "accidentally" put trick candles on the cake but we're not totally sure we believe that.


Then all the little kids dove into their cake. It was about the only time all afternoon that they were sitting still and being quiet. We loved having everyone running around the backyard but we were happen when it was time to send everyone home, too!

Our Little Models

Mom has been involved in heavy duty training for the upcoming marathon and she needed dad to take off a day from work to watch Nate and Sean for the morning. Dad wanted to find something fun to do and noticed an email on the neighborhood listserv calling for parents to bring their kids to an outdoor sculpture/playground at the nearby art center. The county was doing a photo shoot fora brochure and they needed to have a few kids around in the photos. What good was a sculpture for kids without some kids on it?

So the three of them strolled down to the art center to get in on the action. Nate had played there before after some of the art classes he took last summer so he was definitely up for it. Sean found it a lot of fun too. In natural Nate fashion, he hammed it up for the camera while Sean could barely care whether it was there or not.

The photographer said he ended up taking about 150 photos as the kids climbed all over the structure. Hopefully one or two will turn out fine for the brochure. Hopefully Nate actually let some of the other kids in the pictures!

Charleston, Part 3

Well, of course the whole reason for the trip to Charleston, SC was because dad's brother got married that weekend. Here's the lovely bride and groom afterwords at the reception. I'm not going to put any names on this page because it's the Internet and all that, but they all know who they are! Don't they look like a perfect couple?

Here's mom with one of dad's sisters. At this point in the evening the fun was just getting started! Dad and his sisters started off by attacking the buffet line and things degenerated from there.

Nate found all sort of yummy foods to keep him happy so he didn't mind that mom and dad spent much of the evening socializing. Hey mom, what's that bottle in front of you? The person to the right is one of Nate's cousins. Sean and Nate saw lots of their cousins at the reception but unfortunately none of the younger ones. But that didn't stop them from having a great time, and at points, stealing the show with their uniquely boisterous dance moves. Sean got so tired from running around that he nearly fell asleep on the stage next to the DJ booth! That's when grandma brought him back to the hotel.

Now here's a picture! In the foreground, one of dad's sisters and a niece are dancing away. In the background, Nate and mom are showing of their fancy footwork too! I'm not sure what kind of dance Nate was doing, assuming it was a dance, maybe more like acrobatics that happened to have music in the background.

Charleston, Part 2

The next day we had a chance to tour around the historic district of Charleston, SC in the morning before the wedding. Here, Nate looks like a little angel with wings made of water. Or maybe a bat. Yes, a bat would be a much better analogy for Mr. Nate. He was a good sport though, and didn't whine too much as we dragged him along one cobblestone street after another.
Monkey see, monkey do, of course so Sean had to pose on the exact same granite pillar in front of the same fountain. Two years old, going on six. It's tough to get a good picture of Sean because he's so indifferent to the camera (unlike his glamor-shot brother) so this was an unusual opportunity we had to take. Sean also did remarkably well on this little adventure even though we didn't have enough time to take him on the promised carriage ride.

Here's a rare photo of dad and the boys all together. Usually dad sits on the other side of the camera taking the pictures. It's not apparent from the picture but it was a very windy day. We were about blown off of that little pier on Charleston Harbor. Once the clouds lifted we ditched those windbreakers and got on with our day.

Charleston, Part 1

We drove for several hours on the way to Charleston, SC to attend a wedding. Nate and Sean were about as well behaved as anyone could expect. Thankfully we had grandma along as a "granny nanny" and that made a world of difference, an extra pair of eyes to help keep watch over them. But after a few hours of being cooped up on the ride, the kids needed to get some kicks and wiggles out. So when we finally arrived we marched them right up to the top of the Ravenel Bridge over the Cooper River, with it's great views of Charleston Harbor.

The next morning it was time for a little sightseeing and some history lessons. Nate missed three days of school for the trip so he needed some "education." Nate and Sean sure enjoyed the boat ride across the harbor to the little island with Fort Sumter. I'm not sure they truly appreciated the significance either of the Civil War or the fort's prominent role at the start of it, but they liked walking through the ruins and onto the battery. What is it about guys and guns?


At Patriots Point we got to tour the USS Yorktown, a retired aircraft carrier that's now a floating museum. It's a big ship but there were lots of tiny, narrow corridors all throughout it. Nate and Sean explored from one end to the other, climbed up more ladder staircases than anyone can count, and finally made their way onto the flight deck.

All that history, all that touring, and even so, Nate's favorite part of the day happened when he saw two live dolphins by the dock.

Waterfalls

It was a beautiful day, too beautiful to spend indoors. Mom and Dad rushed Sean and Nate out of the house early that morning to get to the waterfalls before the parking was gone. As always, the waterfalls did not disappoint. Their amazing power, created as the river dropped down to the coastal plain, carved these stone steps from solid rock. Water spilled over and through every nook of this narrow gorge.


It's easy to see the falls. There are a number of gentle paths and walkways to take people right up to the edge of the bluff. Mom could even carry Sean on her back without any problems. Everyone liked looking at the rushing water, while Sean and Nate enjoyed hunting for 5-Line Skinks. Fortunately we saw two of these little lizards within minutes of arriving so Nate could then concentrate on flying grasshoppers and daddy-long-legs once he got tired of whitewater.


We hiked along the river loop trail. Nate even seemed to enjoy it! He said it wasn't really like walking because there were lots of things to do along the way. Here he stopped in a "pot hole." Even though we were high atop the bluff, at one time this was below the surface of the river. Rushing water created twisting currents that carried sediment. Over time the abrasive sediment drilled into the solid rock to create a hole that Nate so ably displayed centuries later.

Sean & Dad's Excellent Afternoon

Dad needed to get out of the house and stretch his legs. Nate wanted to sit on the computer and play his Head Sprout reading game so he didn't want to go anywhere. Sean was up for it as long as he could bring his little 3-wheeled scooter along. So Dad and Sean headed out on their adventure down to a nearby park. The two of them don't get a whole lot of one-on-one together time (with nobody else along) so this was a rare treat. They walked a paved path through the woods and stopped by a creek so Sean could wade out into the cool waters to collect pebbles.


Further into the park they stopped at an outdoor stage where the county holds theatrical performances on summer evenings. Sean pretended he was an actor while Dad sat in the audience and clapped. On the way home they stopped at a playground where they swung on swings and built sand castles.

I bet Nate wished he'd gotten away from that computer!

Music Festival

We started off the Labor Day weekend by going to a music festival on Saturday. We've gone before so we knew just what to do. Dad parked the car on a quiet side street, mom brought a picnic dinner along, and we all set up our chairs under a big shade tree to enjoy the show. Nate and Sean sure know how to relax! Most of the time they were a little more active though, chasing a helicopter toy that Dad shot into the air. Sean was wishing for a soccer ball.


The festival was located atop a high hill overlooking the city. We saw this great view when we walked over to the Ben & Jerry's truck after the picnic. There were also lots of booths and stands to wander, with crafts and food, and providing all kinds of information about different county services.


Before long, Nate go into the spirit and started to dance to a band that played Cuban-influenced African beats. He proved he still has a long way to go before finding his inner rhythm, but what he lacked in skill he made up for in enthusiasm. Don't quit your day job, Nate!

The County Fair

We have the most unusual County Fair anywhere. In a place that's much more urban than rural, it doesn't look much like what one would expect. But there are still some sights that would be familiar to anyone going to a fair. Of course the firetrucks come out on display and the kids are allowed to climb over them. Nate and Sean enjoyed getting up on the front grill as well as trying out all the different doors and passageways.


Pigs aren't generally welcome in this county unless they're served on a plate as BBQ. Once a year the live pigs do come to town though, for the piglet races. Dad sat in the hot sun for a half hour to make sure Nate and Sean got seats on the front row. They slurped their slushies and waved their checkered flags as the porkers made their way around the track.



There are also the usual carnival rides. Mom won't let them get on anything bigger than the kiddie rides because she doesn't trust that they've been properly maintained. Mom is probably right. Dad wonders what happens in a couple years when Nate begins to think these rides are for babies. Mom says Nate will just have to learn to live with it.