Baking bread for Thanksgiving

Last year we planned to bake a gluten-free version of the famous cranberry bread recipe found on the CRANBERRY THANKSGIVING book cover. Well, it only took us a year, but we finally made the recipe:

A family tradition: hiking

Every time we go to Dville to visit Gmama and Gdad P, we make our way into the woods. It is a wonderful family tradition. On this particular hike, we happened upon cousin Js "rabbit traps" he had set the day before. As usual, we returned from the woods with great memories, pockets full of acorns and rocks, and a bouquet of colorful leaves for Great Grandma Helen and Gmama.

Fall time is soccer time!

Disney, Hollywood & Universal Studios full of Magic

Legoland Grand opening October 2011

Summer: It's a wrap!

Almost ten

Trey turns ten later this month, and we sure wish we could slow his childhood down. It seems like just yesterday he was learning to ride his bike and read. Now he rock climbs and plays dungeons and dragons.

Art Camp

Trey's self portrait

Samantha's self portrait

Trey's mug

Samantha's mug

Samantha's clay piece

Trey's shading

Scenic Seven

Samantha looks up Dragonflies in her Nature book while taking a break along Laurel Falls Trail.

Trey using his sling shot.

Samantha requested a "scenic hike" for her seventh birthday. This is such an easy request to accommodate in the southeast that we had a difficult time deciding which scenic place to hike.We landed on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at the recommendation of some friends who had recently visited the park. We biked, hiked and enjoyed scenic views that, as Trey commented: "take your breath away!"

Recital Time

Four Pieces From The Little Notebook

During the Christmas break, Uncle David F, on break from studying classical guitar at the Peabody Music Conservatory at Johns Hopkins, asked Trey if his piano teacher had taught him any Bach yet?  Although Trey had not learned Bach yet, this gave Trey an idea. He wanted to learn Bach for his recital.

Father Daughter Dance

Although Soccer season started for Trey and Coach Daddy today, most of the last 24 hours has been devoted to Father Daughter Dance Preparations. Among the activities: manicure, pedicure for Samantha. She has pinkish purplish digits with white dots on her toenails and a flower on each thumbnail.

Granddad's Work

Mandarin Chinese and Japanse Origami 折り紙

This semester, Trey and Samantha started an after school Mandarin Chinese program. Their teacher is following the PinYin method which uses Roman letters to represent sounds in Standard Mandarin Chinese. Samantha seems to have a genuine interest in learning the new language. Trey.... not so much, although he has an excellent ear for it.

Knitting and Time Travel

"Knitting is clothing made in spare moments, or round the fire, whenever women gathered together... It's something to celebrate-clothes made in love and service, something women have always done."   -Anne Bartlett, Knitting: A Novel

27 Days of Learning

Three ½ days.

That is exactly how many days Trey and Sam have been “in school” in the last 27 days. Despite a nearly three week holiday from school from December 17 through January 4, and three “snow days” this week and counting, learning continues. Highlights include:

Yo Yo Yo!

Trey received a couple of different yo yo's this Christmas and has really enjoyed mastering some tricks: