Cat pictures

Since it's been cold outside we've been letting Skippy come in and hang out in the kitchen area with us (until he gets nosey and starts roaming into the living or dining rooms).  He enjoys Will's old Boppy as much as the dogs do so I was taking some pictures of him resting in it.

I got a few pictures of Skippy...

Then Napoleon heard me taking pictures and positioned himself
directly between the cat and the camera!

Swim Lessons

Will has been taking swim lessons at the Greenridge Recreation Center.  Having a facility like this available is one thing I remember to be thankful for.  Will loves swimming so it's nice that he can continue lessons through the winter.  Plus it has been a nice way to work off some energy while it's cold outside.

Will had just started doggie paddling at the end of his lesson last summer so the
instructor worked with him on doing longer arm strokes.  He's doing well!

He also learned the back float and was beginning to work on kicking
while floating on his back.

At the end of the last lesson they opened the play area for the kids.
You can imagine the excitement that generated!

Will passed this level and is signed up for the next level starting in January.  : )

Riding the Bus

Will has been wanting to ride the bus in the afternoons.  Being the overprotective parent, I have been perfectly happy to pick him up from school.  But I told him good behavior could demonstrate maturity and earn him the privilege of riding the bus. 

So last week he started riding the bus home.  Thankfully he has a short ride and sits in the front with a little boy in his class who plays a LeapFrog game that Will enjoys watching.  It's a much better scenario than what I envisioned:  Will at the back of the bus with all the fifth graders hearing stuff he shouldn't.  : )

Will happily running off the bus his first day.

Now I have the added benefit of having someone to pull the trashcan up the
hill on trash day!  : )

Christmas Photo Fails

The Longest Blog Post Ever

It has been over a month since I updated my blog and I paid for my lack of diligence!  It feels like I've been gathering pictures all morning!  So following is a condensed, pictorial update.  : )

Laurie, Bryon, and Breeann came to visit in November and we took the
kids (and men) to Thunder Valley for go karts and mini golf.
We had such a great visit!

Photography lesson:  Don't position your subjects facing the bright sun!

Will looks so little and cute here!

Bree shared the fake mustaches she won at the arcade.  : )

I never tire of the sunrise in my back yard.  Will makes fun of me
when I run for my camera in the morning!

One weekend we took Will to the Homestead Creamery for lunch and ice cream and stopped by
the marina at Smith Mountain Lake to feed the carp (which looked like babies compared to the
ones at Raystown Lake in PA).  I had to wonder about the posted signs that prohibited feeding the fowl.
Those ducks just wouldn't listen that the popcorn was for the fish!  : )

Another weekend we went to The River Rock indoor climbing
facility here in Roanoke.  Will had so much fun and
really impressed me!

I'm happy to report that Will's play went MUCH better this year than last!  He was
excited about wearing his new pajamas and was actually leaning into the
microphone, singing loudly.  : )

We had a few really warm days recently that actually felt like fall!  Will and I
enjoyed some time outside after school.

This is our Advent Calendar this year.  Originally I planned to place a small treat or prize in
each tin but then thought better of it.  Instead each tin contains an activity to show
love to others.  We've made a card for deployed soldiers, shopped for Toys for Tots, bought presents
for those in nursing homes, and given compliments or prayed for others on busier days.

One Advent activity was visiting Grandma Margie for her 85th birthday.  We all
surprised her with dinner and a cake.  I laughed at Will - when we were putting candles on the
cake he asked how old Grandma was.  His eyes got big when we told him she is 85 and he said
"Well, we can't put THAT many candles on!"

Will and daddy had a guy's day out at the Science Museum while I
attended a craft show one Saturday.

He touched the sponge, but wouldn't touch the
horseshoe crab!

Napoleon the Red Nose Chihuahua
(Napoleon constantly sniffs the floor for crumbs and ends up with stuff stuck
on his wet nose.  Today it was a red foam berry from a craft project!)

This past Saturday (after trying unsuccessfully all morning to find an Angel Tree Angel to
shop for as our Advent activity) we finally just came home, made gingerbread cookies, and
held our Christmas Tree Decorating Party.

Making cookies with daddy was a fun treat, but we sure did miss our traditional
cookie baking at Lindsay's house!

From that look on Will's face I expected to see icing squirting across
the room!

Lindsay, you wouldn't believe it but Will actually decorated
NEATLY this year!!

But he still couldn't resist licking the icing and stealing the M&Ms!!

Napoleon begging for cookies this year reminded me of Meg begging for
cookies during her final cookie baking day last year.  : (  I'm sure cookie baking
for Linsday wasn't the same without her this year.

Will gave each of the dogs a cookie in memory of Meg.

Then we had our decorating party.  I was so surprised when will asked right away where
the ornaments he made were at.  He never acted very excited about them last year
but he was proud of them this year.  : )

Will hanging the first ornament - one that he made in preschool last year.

This is my "biggest I could find" tree.  I wanted a bigger one but had to resign
the search after visiting four lots and calling two more.  We ended up going all the way to
Bedford for this one.  I had to laugh at myself when I heard Will relating the story to
Aunt Andy that evening - I guess I created some Christmas tree drama!

I think Will has spent a bit too much time sorting at school.  He hung all the similar
ornaments together in clusters!  I moved the others, but left these because he
explained that "we made them together so they should hang together so it's
like you and me being together." 

This is the most horrible picture ever but I have to post it to commemorate
the first day Will invited me to have lunch with him.  : )

On Monday Will had a snow day out of school - well, it was more of an
ice day really.  We went out to do some shopping and I offered to
treat Will to lunch out.  He chose K&W Cafeteria despite my best
efforts at talking him into something else.  He told me I should
just try something different than I had last time and if I
didn't like it I just didn't have to eat it.  How do you
argue with that!

I beat Will to photographing the icicles before he had fun
knocking them down. 

The poor, cold cows.  : (

Congratulations!  You've made it to the end!!

Well, almost the end!  I do have to add one funny story.  I noticed that when I drop Will off for school he usually waits and holds the door for the kids behind him.  So I thought, "Wow, he's so polite!", and proceeded to pat myself on the back for raising him with such great manners.  I quickly learned my lesson on congratulating myself however.  I said to him one morning that I noticed how he always holds the door for others and I commented that it makes us feel good to do nice things for others.  He was quiet for a second and said "You want to know something funny about me mom?  I just like to hold the door so I can be later getting to my class, and if Mrs. Boyd is there holding the inside door, I stop and talk to her so I can be even later!" 

 

THE END (really)

Moving A Ridiculously Large Tree

Now I know what people who don't work do with all their time:  we take on crazy, huge projects that we would never dream of tackling if we worked!  : )

This time it was moving a 20+ foot crepe myrtle from the front yard to beside the house.  I totally underestimated the scope of the project.  After much digging, truck-pulling, heavy equipment hiring, and turf ruining the tree finally arrived to its new hole.  Before we left on Thursday, Jerry and I frantically added half a ton of top soil and a scoop of mulch, and reseeded the lawn.  We staked the tree too but they were calling for high winds on Thursday night so we wondered all weekend if all our efforts were going to be rewarded with a tree blown into the neighbor's yard! 

We were pleasantly surprised today when we arrived home to find our tree still standing!  Now we are just hoping the poor tree will tough it out and survive the move.  I'll have to update you on that next spring.  : ) 

Will's First School Project

Will's first school project was a "Family Turkey."  He was to attach a family
photo and decorate the turkey and way he chose.  We used dyed rice, leaves, seed
pods, red berries, straw, lentils, helicopter seed pods, and LOTS of glue!
He was really proud of our turkey.  : )

Visiting Our PA Friends

We took a long weekend this week and went to PA to visit friends.  We let Will stay home from school on Friday and left Thursday after school.  Thanks to all our friends, we had a wonderful visit (even though Jerry ended up with a terrible sinus infection by Saturday). 

We arrived in time to walk to the bus stop with Brady to meet Natalee
after school.

Grace joined us after school for playing then pizza and a movie.

Saturday morning we visited the Harpsters.  Just as Will planned, he and Logan
started off with wrestling.  Logan has older cousins and is now on the
wrestling team so Will was outmaneuvered!  : )

Jerry invented cool stuff outside for the kids.  This rope was perfect for
pulling them up the hill while they collected "monkey brains."

He also helped them build a teepee that Will and Logan
(begrudgingly) shared with McKenzie and Colby.