tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78239632008904502122024-02-19T03:53:40.963-05:00Cheap, Green and Happykestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.comBlogger1039125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-59553649815406330582013-04-16T10:13:00.001-04:002013-04-16T10:13:39.079-04:00The MarathonThis morning like lots of people I have a heavy heart. I'm thankful that none my family was injured in yesterday's bombings or saw or heard anything first hand, but I'm shaken with how close my family was to the event and how hurt so many people must be.
<p>My sister Nicole made it 25 miles or so before she was stopped (my brother-in-law, folks and nephews were enroute to pick her up at the finish line). We went to see her run by (and a get a hug) at the 3 mile mark. We are extremely proud of her; completely impressed that she made the paper this weekend, too!
<p>Here are some pictures:
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQrBt65Pglh83MbTpkpWBUkPjRgsLlQrmVUWf5Qt4RDD7DpO-_SzlfKuQteLKF8rMEUZb-6Jy9mOU-pclAsGi7sqlVRDhssWC5YD68hmyhdbTECbWnrsCWtvBq68ybmJjHkJ1OP0yP0-i/s1600/DSCF2067.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQrBt65Pglh83MbTpkpWBUkPjRgsLlQrmVUWf5Qt4RDD7DpO-_SzlfKuQteLKF8rMEUZb-6Jy9mOU-pclAsGi7sqlVRDhssWC5YD68hmyhdbTECbWnrsCWtvBq68ybmJjHkJ1OP0yP0-i/s320/DSCF2067.JPG" /></a>
<p>Believe or not we all got haircuts on Saturday. Meg got one earlier at a salon and the kids and me went to walk-in place. Hazel and Henry did superb!
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdN0snxxiHlgbFjjTAtbj3j7VJBWxSoUPGvia_dyWEt_eOGPEja4pR6BVKun2E6oQPsvRtyc0epkHa7dCSGKcOJ-1OOfLmvUxYcMuwo_eG-W4mlqhYDoIpNHlQN9J_CA65V-pUHCIcWWF/s1600/DSCF2070.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdN0snxxiHlgbFjjTAtbj3j7VJBWxSoUPGvia_dyWEt_eOGPEja4pR6BVKun2E6oQPsvRtyc0epkHa7dCSGKcOJ-1OOfLmvUxYcMuwo_eG-W4mlqhYDoIpNHlQN9J_CA65V-pUHCIcWWF/s320/DSCF2070.JPG" /></a>
<p>Hazel right after her haircut.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUKkvmz7rCf2TCMIuQleZ9T74lQEJSns3zTh2bYBTd_DwSz45ND4kMxF527RmeDLOcyEmctIHmYWm7-Twbyo7mZ6wpbrNNZp4bw0YvB87ol8wKKeOkCXXnJUDKMlKG6MQw-gmDMs7q9BO/s1600/DSCF2071.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUKkvmz7rCf2TCMIuQleZ9T74lQEJSns3zTh2bYBTd_DwSz45ND4kMxF527RmeDLOcyEmctIHmYWm7-Twbyo7mZ6wpbrNNZp4bw0YvB87ol8wKKeOkCXXnJUDKMlKG6MQw-gmDMs7q9BO/s320/DSCF2071.JPG" /></a>
<p>Hazel, Henry and Liam waiting for Nicole to run by (we took the picture during one of their calmer moments).
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlW0fVXDr2WJll9Etb63N1jB8QbjiRWUVTKYrxMJBDg09V8PIPFyWUwF2jaJmsMbziMx3qVjJRxwAMdAtdFVAPkdgjiAOmwirgqD5SM-8LdDzJABrm9mcf4IloHtvsoLH8bovjcx154Oc/s1600/DSCF2073.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlW0fVXDr2WJll9Etb63N1jB8QbjiRWUVTKYrxMJBDg09V8PIPFyWUwF2jaJmsMbziMx3qVjJRxwAMdAtdFVAPkdgjiAOmwirgqD5SM-8LdDzJABrm9mcf4IloHtvsoLH8bovjcx154Oc/s320/DSCF2073.JPG" /></a>
<p>Henry's picture of Nicole running that he made for our sign. Hazel's drawing isn't easy to discern, but she did tell us this morning that she was going to draw "Uncle Brian" (she confuses Uncle Greg with Uncle Brian) and Cody.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCdjD2bWCsgfSSEFBV2Ot2qH_FS_nWLvQozgER4yu3xMu1eydSe4nEzK02UVbNRBkOG4Sad0rovRtrPlxFxZ7Tcmkm94-uYCIaXGPNHhKrfsXVG18PbWVh6YoFELOAkzdUKyTnu01KkJh/s1600/DSCF2075.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCdjD2bWCsgfSSEFBV2Ot2qH_FS_nWLvQozgER4yu3xMu1eydSe4nEzK02UVbNRBkOG4Sad0rovRtrPlxFxZ7Tcmkm94-uYCIaXGPNHhKrfsXVG18PbWVh6YoFELOAkzdUKyTnu01KkJh/s320/DSCF2075.JPG" /></a>
<p>Henry drew this last weekend at a Chinese restaurant. It is quite accurate to the event. Hazel was seated across from him in a striped shirt, at a brown wooden table with a maroon table cloth.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mdtIAPeYEdHzyMnsn-MqRsP3Hmhqbs_isYG5RjJd5wszdQNQ096stKZuR-0btss-kcxBA2WDafBQ6nhEa0eb0rybQJhHe2e1gRlWIP5ToE4-PETpwydnYfE6a8A2meL9BpXgvQriTSiA/s1600/DSCF2076.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mdtIAPeYEdHzyMnsn-MqRsP3Hmhqbs_isYG5RjJd5wszdQNQ096stKZuR-0btss-kcxBA2WDafBQ6nhEa0eb0rybQJhHe2e1gRlWIP5ToE4-PETpwydnYfE6a8A2meL9BpXgvQriTSiA/s320/DSCF2076.JPG" /></a>
<p>Henry's drawing he made for school vacation homework. Left to right it depicts our black cupboard, the butterfly cage, Henry holding the plate of butterfly food and his blue bird.kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-71789449883548561812013-04-05T14:12:00.001-04:002013-04-05T14:12:57.586-04:00Here are some good pictures from the nice warm weekend we had last Saturday/Sunday.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxh-3EO-sLjMOHNIIRAhEc6gWp03EtfPErfgkrIMUDu24_I7nopUdvq6mJwdQBJCqGtIFQec-qSaKSFBd3H0O0_axHPizBWfVMRZmwo6UvMuDZ5N0lqHCOsC_EFJq5tPzUfjmW4xBFl42G/s1600/DSCF2016.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxh-3EO-sLjMOHNIIRAhEc6gWp03EtfPErfgkrIMUDu24_I7nopUdvq6mJwdQBJCqGtIFQec-qSaKSFBd3H0O0_axHPizBWfVMRZmwo6UvMuDZ5N0lqHCOsC_EFJq5tPzUfjmW4xBFl42G/s320/DSCF2016.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUGDMc0z8FOAUJmQxL7ozIPt742LemUgQiX14lPz4gX4rYCuA5xIoU67NHREgSOqlD-9_cWStEFDZUJIwIACWq4pjg2Nv3lePOSXvTYd8vjFJ6fBm4qFt2zOMOZsCh2nvqTBTMKOjWp5y/s1600/DSCF2032.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUGDMc0z8FOAUJmQxL7ozIPt742LemUgQiX14lPz4gX4rYCuA5xIoU67NHREgSOqlD-9_cWStEFDZUJIwIACWq4pjg2Nv3lePOSXvTYd8vjFJ6fBm4qFt2zOMOZsCh2nvqTBTMKOjWp5y/s320/DSCF2032.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePRFWGCXJ_TQ7kTwRkmO4RuNISNFDcE-bnj8i7_8mJNR6HkRC9TMnfa1pfLN-6XPZoG5i0TSvEbj3pXMI-1LWWs8s2WPm8yEOOuBwdowbgZfXgJDUhRqm_bkzxBhggHTOOrPJrLKSo0uO/s1600/IMG_4087.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePRFWGCXJ_TQ7kTwRkmO4RuNISNFDcE-bnj8i7_8mJNR6HkRC9TMnfa1pfLN-6XPZoG5i0TSvEbj3pXMI-1LWWs8s2WPm8yEOOuBwdowbgZfXgJDUhRqm_bkzxBhggHTOOrPJrLKSo0uO/s320/IMG_4087.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFUqiq7O0zC7tv1ykORYyhwgE3gHXYVhnVFr_7Sa1VfZ_gtGkJmQjt1LlqHD41UHpOvlg-FcHVZkscZy7OtsOvqATHRq8eBkO4279K7lI4WTzG5ogu-O_bn0T8kPQFVAokRDHS6J5sUE-/s1600/IMG_4092.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFUqiq7O0zC7tv1ykORYyhwgE3gHXYVhnVFr_7Sa1VfZ_gtGkJmQjt1LlqHD41UHpOvlg-FcHVZkscZy7OtsOvqATHRq8eBkO4279K7lI4WTzG5ogu-O_bn0T8kPQFVAokRDHS6J5sUE-/s320/IMG_4092.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-Plc8nlExDYLEjY3Rvi1OYto8EMRO4lpLGy4nx0QHDcvwBEFVCMwfaC2X74x1lVywtMLLlhGBAURoBlc4vdiEOerK3HGJwXjr96Bzv9PkPiPHqSYlFRpDTEILXUfO8-lzdQsvFzREjRD/s1600/IMG_4098.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-Plc8nlExDYLEjY3Rvi1OYto8EMRO4lpLGy4nx0QHDcvwBEFVCMwfaC2X74x1lVywtMLLlhGBAURoBlc4vdiEOerK3HGJwXjr96Bzv9PkPiPHqSYlFRpDTEILXUfO8-lzdQsvFzREjRD/s320/IMG_4098.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwZRnV1jQJXxHUX99RHIeZ5Lw2-QX3ySg-FP3-jU49Kv-cM77oIboIMDzLVPAbEThk3o0spC99prfptxSFCRtl5FvLFQnzgsV-Ff3YW-5Ua1HhJG_E_fzfY799wwuagugvMUE1JzgqzRp/s1600/DSCF2015.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwZRnV1jQJXxHUX99RHIeZ5Lw2-QX3ySg-FP3-jU49Kv-cM77oIboIMDzLVPAbEThk3o0spC99prfptxSFCRtl5FvLFQnzgsV-Ff3YW-5Ua1HhJG_E_fzfY799wwuagugvMUE1JzgqzRp/s320/DSCF2015.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDbnw1uTzwY1FTzIAUBFfGzTfQkIS5XHuhD70EoAVjR_8svGTS9MvIqUJn7IZynDth6C72OgSE_2tdKzrlWHfh0FjHQMsWdEaiNH_eDUxH9hvT5zJH-ATWbXbnqT7URH-fwpKHqdmvpW8/s1600/IMG_4088.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDbnw1uTzwY1FTzIAUBFfGzTfQkIS5XHuhD70EoAVjR_8svGTS9MvIqUJn7IZynDth6C72OgSE_2tdKzrlWHfh0FjHQMsWdEaiNH_eDUxH9hvT5zJH-ATWbXbnqT7URH-fwpKHqdmvpW8/s320/IMG_4088.JPG" /></a>kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-31238897753541499902013-03-26T13:27:00.000-04:002013-03-26T13:27:03.416-04:00Last night Meg and I had a very proud moment. Henry built his first Lego set! He got a new set from Aunt Jess and Uncle Tim for his birthday. I expected to build it quickly for him after supper, but he couldn't wait so he started building it himself. He did about 95% of it all by himself. Previous to this he had helped me find pieces and put a few together, but this was a new level all-together. I'm really impressed with how much patience he showed and how well he followed the directions. "I built the whole thing myself! Just like Evan!"
<p>This past weekend the Henry and I went to our church's Palm Saturday activity. I volunteered like last year and led a group of eight kids with another parent. My personal favorite part is the big, candy covered, frosted cookie they let me make, but I was thrilled to watch Henry participate in everything, including some costumed picture taking and a foot washing. Hazel was too young again this year and spent the whole day with Nana and Grandpa (Henry came over for the afternoon).
<p>On Sunday we went out West to visit with our newest family member, Cecily. Meg got lots of good cuddle time with her and kids did very well with it all, especially Henry. After some initial hesitation he was very interested in her hair, little fingers and giving her his present. Hazel didn't know what to make of it all for the most part, but when she got home played out the visit with her babies. "We're going to see the new cousin, baby."
<p>Here are some pictures:
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMsc-5D_-SsZ8dhFHEcROW2OYP29NGtlaxMFAt6lQXYbcIXW_feg8oPRa6JWdH12yk5QIpqUaJntSgc8GllZYsbC9-NnlmGzRUEs2wRII3SQTBDF1qDdI-wo4dzj_hRlK9Z8OaBcXs4uj/s1600/palm_saturday.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMsc-5D_-SsZ8dhFHEcROW2OYP29NGtlaxMFAt6lQXYbcIXW_feg8oPRa6JWdH12yk5QIpqUaJntSgc8GllZYsbC9-NnlmGzRUEs2wRII3SQTBDF1qDdI-wo4dzj_hRlK9Z8OaBcXs4uj/s320/palm_saturday.jpg" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4Z9JONP2fKEMopPqK6mRn1809xsLqX6Za8RUJn-gfYcFgO8VDujBcRog3SspX1NFBbiWEYbvM4RxQla_c__uRvLuUUglr0p8fTEJP7-Oq41GpSCix1z2m9knfoizgjZcPIt4whuDF1xB/s1600/DSCF1378.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4Z9JONP2fKEMopPqK6mRn1809xsLqX6Za8RUJn-gfYcFgO8VDujBcRog3SspX1NFBbiWEYbvM4RxQla_c__uRvLuUUglr0p8fTEJP7-Oq41GpSCix1z2m9knfoizgjZcPIt4whuDF1xB/s320/DSCF1378.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnpKrNe__D7iRINDpHNMKIUHL7VMxY4hK1ESeTTMkFLgksEcjOBVAoVfcZh2efI9TzZ_f16GrdB5dWahDgbcDMNSxapqab0mpardeT9ihmlOeFJ0UqS6isDYrYZ8EURbbJyIGp_NFqeeY/s1600/DSCF1384.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnpKrNe__D7iRINDpHNMKIUHL7VMxY4hK1ESeTTMkFLgksEcjOBVAoVfcZh2efI9TzZ_f16GrdB5dWahDgbcDMNSxapqab0mpardeT9ihmlOeFJ0UqS6isDYrYZ8EURbbJyIGp_NFqeeY/s320/DSCF1384.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5MjZ1OS0CmkqqcptKJqurrosyI1_DBGioY-CtTkHem8y3DjMyt28ykRVW6T2ytB_k2JvgEyG03I3HOT688Ld8nmcDMPk_VBpp3sIV6ULU1UN-SEdFQfAVRS9_hwrPc9oLzCqscHGOzYk/s1600/DSCF1386.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5MjZ1OS0CmkqqcptKJqurrosyI1_DBGioY-CtTkHem8y3DjMyt28ykRVW6T2ytB_k2JvgEyG03I3HOT688Ld8nmcDMPk_VBpp3sIV6ULU1UN-SEdFQfAVRS9_hwrPc9oLzCqscHGOzYk/s320/DSCF1386.JPG" /></a>kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-51281193411701668712013-03-21T09:56:00.000-04:002013-03-21T09:56:06.910-04:00Yesterday morning we got exciting news! Meg's sister gave birth to our first niece and the kid's third cousin! She was born at 3:30AM, is named Cecily and came in at 8 lbs. I took the day off yesterday so Meg could go see her. We had a lot of fun at home, but we wish we could have joined Meg. Perhaps this weekend we'll all go out to see her. Our biggest congratulations go out to Jess and Tim!
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_yYQrSgMvcS-H5yQ5-VdUIW9oee3bcVn0N1XtdTQJB-U3USk5R9vpEB5yDLbNR_UwcaVaeET48SLXMX8Rp5OsiasI5Dr3-FNXjWlQRPrGm1V2AzYGC8TdFqb3eWQOKFkdpN9Do7rkpxf/s1600/IMG_1600.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_yYQrSgMvcS-H5yQ5-VdUIW9oee3bcVn0N1XtdTQJB-U3USk5R9vpEB5yDLbNR_UwcaVaeET48SLXMX8Rp5OsiasI5Dr3-FNXjWlQRPrGm1V2AzYGC8TdFqb3eWQOKFkdpN9Do7rkpxf/s320/IMG_1600.JPG" /></a>
<p>In other news ...
<p>Last weekend we went on a mini-vacation to NH/VT. We left on Friday morning and drove up to Manchester. In Manchester we went to the SEE Science Center, or has Henry calls it (from web viewing) "The Lego Museum." It was free because of our Ecotarium membership. Immediately Henry and I sought out their ridiculously large Lego Millyard model. It was actually a bit much to take in all at once. He and I went around it many times and got great ideas for our own creations. We also spent some good time with Meg and Hazel checking out the science exhibits. Afterwards we went to Friendly's and had a free meal of sorts. A delivery truck knocked down their internet connection and they could only take a gift card we had with $2 on it.
<p>We then drove up to the Hanover/Lebanon to check-in to our hotel. As usual we stayed at a Marriot Residence Inn. It looked so similar to our previous two hotel rooms that Henry swore we'd been there before and immediately claimed the same room (the bigger one). Hazel asked us, "Where's my room?" I'm not sure how long she'll be satisfied with staying in the living room of the suites we stay at. At the hotel we relaxed and then went to the pool. The kids weren't as brave in the pool as before, but all did have fun. That night we went to Jesse's, a restaurant I actually remember from when I lived there thirty something years ago. We also saw my two old houses there.
<p>The next morning we enjoyed a hotel breakfast. Henry and Hazel favorite part of the meal was definitely the Fruit Loops without milk they consumed. After packing we went to the Montshire museum in VT (My mother told me I had been there before, but I don't remember it.). The museum was great. It wasn't free like I thought it'd be, but we definitely enjoyed it for the price. We'll be back sometime in the summer when we can explore its outside stuff. Henry and Hazel's favorite part of the museum was a bridge that "went across the road!" and our making of parachutes that we could drop from the second floor. We then ate lunch (or supper as Hazy calls every meal) at a local cafe and drove home.
<p>Here are some pictures I haven't posted before:
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJCO-EgEp_uEbx4EaYtoXroSCuKJmude9dHzTu7ltHMBLTNB4LfzOCC4ftL3yFoD-HQsaGdfyqZ3V3dv1cMuj1-ePYXvqQjqXxcjPNOGM9WS8aCIAR9T89MTl4UI2KxzubdnhvNYAKBcP/s1600/IMG_3990.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJCO-EgEp_uEbx4EaYtoXroSCuKJmude9dHzTu7ltHMBLTNB4LfzOCC4ftL3yFoD-HQsaGdfyqZ3V3dv1cMuj1-ePYXvqQjqXxcjPNOGM9WS8aCIAR9T89MTl4UI2KxzubdnhvNYAKBcP/s320/IMG_3990.JPG" /></a>
<p>The first fort I made for the kids two weeks ago.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0txxD6F7Jr1hkbDX81XMS_IiI2XieVcIT18oSUZhjZDyENJbQoKaZ48NWLhz51yLKaK9f_O0MTl0XJ39KuQZqq3r21LnM5OYGcfiGx1jafy_VVBrUVz0eE0h04IbtyHWEc1nNeKHiPkw/s1600/IMG_3993.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0txxD6F7Jr1hkbDX81XMS_IiI2XieVcIT18oSUZhjZDyENJbQoKaZ48NWLhz51yLKaK9f_O0MTl0XJ39KuQZqq3r21LnM5OYGcfiGx1jafy_VVBrUVz0eE0h04IbtyHWEc1nNeKHiPkw/s320/IMG_3993.JPG" /></a>
<p>The second fort I made for the kids. This is the one they moved to.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPo2GTyWllAmyfoSxIcmwTnTQ5t_u8r0JDtC-EmuuayCkTaL_uE7HZ3RrYUmkOqjwBA0MJtyQec62WlvZW_wADLao9SVDrwOPg93-zxSFrAGnRTpplarJqq3PpSGVVz-cGJI_hOQTr7SXl/s1600/IMG_4022.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPo2GTyWllAmyfoSxIcmwTnTQ5t_u8r0JDtC-EmuuayCkTaL_uE7HZ3RrYUmkOqjwBA0MJtyQec62WlvZW_wADLao9SVDrwOPg93-zxSFrAGnRTpplarJqq3PpSGVVz-cGJI_hOQTr7SXl/s320/IMG_4022.JPG" /></a>
<p>The massive Lego Millyard.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9u_KJjorS3st3A4rEU3AA6OiPjWKQrc8_UmKFUTH0sJW066sYpaKNdc1MPycNc9Luhh70jar1I_IzXXItHINiBqdjMLPQmJ9E-n_v82XMfO_nByVewP-GkG1VJCZAmwA52NxwGlVtm7W3/s1600/IMG_4026.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9u_KJjorS3st3A4rEU3AA6OiPjWKQrc8_UmKFUTH0sJW066sYpaKNdc1MPycNc9Luhh70jar1I_IzXXItHINiBqdjMLPQmJ9E-n_v82XMfO_nByVewP-GkG1VJCZAmwA52NxwGlVtm7W3/s320/IMG_4026.JPG" /></a>
<p>Henry looking at the Lego model.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8owsKcNSfO_di34d5YbUh1FgnuU27lTfbTtRxwwQ8k51e_21uI1Xxxn5knHQBPuG3RnI94FEJKWpbJ6bEziGhZT-2WJ_1u8tgRaGf9vDhy7ria9pfoKAGyDK0wdJGMcgTydwcGS9JD0T/s1600/DSCF1269.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8owsKcNSfO_di34d5YbUh1FgnuU27lTfbTtRxwwQ8k51e_21uI1Xxxn5knHQBPuG3RnI94FEJKWpbJ6bEziGhZT-2WJ_1u8tgRaGf9vDhy7ria9pfoKAGyDK0wdJGMcgTydwcGS9JD0T/s320/DSCF1269.JPG" /></a>
<p>Henry sitting on what was probably all of our favorite science exhibit. A set of two chairs that could be raised by pulleys.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvHlnXexF7gc1t9fAS-Am8sIL2VS_6k7eU-kUTQ5KJw2NBVheu-oLMBFF5inI4jFzjBcehDgzOh6pB36ikwPqNorEdt3UsUnrHON9MIAyy8oeBxvAql5spTD56xxFoOYRPGrlpLgewytr/s1600/IMG_4042.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvHlnXexF7gc1t9fAS-Am8sIL2VS_6k7eU-kUTQ5KJw2NBVheu-oLMBFF5inI4jFzjBcehDgzOh6pB36ikwPqNorEdt3UsUnrHON9MIAyy8oeBxvAql5spTD56xxFoOYRPGrlpLgewytr/s320/IMG_4042.JPG" /></a>
<p>Hazy pulling the ropes.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaH5y669_pvWG0M6zA2tnTHlimM6TbqxYU_xgONEeqwGvy2K8hZ7YPDZE5Ibn1TU-DbO3s7qZlSZ68TR0s-a5Ncq_W3YsOqS2N2qE6LyRZmSVGlzTjXmC6pf6N-BmlJOHcLUkImtZxPwUH/s1600/DSCF1259.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaH5y669_pvWG0M6zA2tnTHlimM6TbqxYU_xgONEeqwGvy2K8hZ7YPDZE5Ibn1TU-DbO3s7qZlSZ68TR0s-a5Ncq_W3YsOqS2N2qE6LyRZmSVGlzTjXmC6pf6N-BmlJOHcLUkImtZxPwUH/s320/DSCF1259.JPG" /></a>
<p>Hazel playing the harp.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbkSh522CR28cjTsQE1j2-Vou9nq__p2J8K5eJ7ctsH8GdneaXrLiWblOHHfG0aNxxCtSknsJdjScGi3-Tuq7MSSYCRxK8B5j_0K0CkprnS1-59UP9ssEwQKIWOPd1Z8i619xiqcjED5D/s1600/IMG_4052.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbkSh522CR28cjTsQE1j2-Vou9nq__p2J8K5eJ7ctsH8GdneaXrLiWblOHHfG0aNxxCtSknsJdjScGi3-Tuq7MSSYCRxK8B5j_0K0CkprnS1-59UP9ssEwQKIWOPd1Z8i619xiqcjED5D/s320/IMG_4052.JPG" /></a>
<p>Hazy using her portable potty in van. This came in handy quite a few times!
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPUSOWdnNxDAtENyY9gOvh5CkWSaF9WWOE5t7CHviJ1TtQp2sTJ74ogcELYl8h2u0c1tSjPeR8jN-qLFF0_ys4dLRoV87VNJJGobpgzapVGGiVgy2tBVSXVAtUy0Zllj_MEynP579n8Y6/s1600/IMG_4070.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPUSOWdnNxDAtENyY9gOvh5CkWSaF9WWOE5t7CHviJ1TtQp2sTJ74ogcELYl8h2u0c1tSjPeR8jN-qLFF0_ys4dLRoV87VNJJGobpgzapVGGiVgy2tBVSXVAtUy0Zllj_MEynP579n8Y6/s320/IMG_4070.JPG" /></a>
<p>Hazel in a mirror maze at the Montshire.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXCxdUAg-2LqPWr3B7RuHoA0gJhML61VugUZ5lFqDpkubuJ22VkaGt3RovHqg41c7Wpv1wOfOOA9wZy7wW4kLmp9gyvpgtvLgiB54K3tq5o1MgXFktoyAjVrHpwo0C_GqAk_jvzZ6Nb4L/s1600/IMG_4076.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXCxdUAg-2LqPWr3B7RuHoA0gJhML61VugUZ5lFqDpkubuJ22VkaGt3RovHqg41c7Wpv1wOfOOA9wZy7wW4kLmp9gyvpgtvLgiB54K3tq5o1MgXFktoyAjVrHpwo0C_GqAk_jvzZ6Nb4L/s320/IMG_4076.JPG" /></a>
<p>Henry and Hazel on the bridge.
<P><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpw-kRzUvcJhSC5ENUJNWSzqo_8so1NhmaiEBQozyISsFaH_WcvZsuF_L65UhtpnkLGFL5640gDVzRbrWy-HzKMe_1_JLsR2HZhlO-I6-qYtP1trf6nRCJM_n9SxyFBEqbTy-_ZrmbEzn/s1600/IMG_4079.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpw-kRzUvcJhSC5ENUJNWSzqo_8so1NhmaiEBQozyISsFaH_WcvZsuF_L65UhtpnkLGFL5640gDVzRbrWy-HzKMe_1_JLsR2HZhlO-I6-qYtP1trf6nRCJM_n9SxyFBEqbTy-_ZrmbEzn/s320/IMG_4079.JPG" /></a>
<p>Dropping off parachutes for me to catch.
kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-7327195260778917432013-03-11T09:21:00.000-04:002013-03-11T09:21:22.943-04:00This weekend was a bit longer than we thought it'd be. On Friday we got 22 inches of snow in our town and Meg was very sick. Unfortunately she was down for the count for about a day and half. I am now even more impressed with workload Meg has everyday. It's tiring! So while it snowed outside I made a super for for the kids. It was more like yurt as it was constructed of an upside-down papa-son frame with tons of blankets and pillows on top and a light mounted inside. It occupied the kids for a good 1ݪ hours! They were playing very nicely together during that time. Meg and I think it might be a record. At the end they decided to move, "We're not taking the dog with us Hazel. We're selling it!" (Ah, not sure where Henry got that idea or his interest in moving.). I moved the fort from the living room to the playroom and created a second floor for it. If your going to move you might as well do so for a bigger house! I took pictures of both forts, but the camera destroyed them somehow. It took 2 hours or so to snow blow the snow. My Dad's gifting me his old snow blower saved me another couple of hours. Definitely the best gift of the year, hands down.
<p>On Saturday I took the kids clothes shopping. Henry willfully got new pajamas (and then wore them two nights in a row) and Hazel got a new blue shirt ($2.80!). After Hazel's early nap we went to the Ecotarium.
<p>The next day we went to Nana and Grandpa's after church. Henry and I spent the afternoon as we had the previous two days ... playing with Legos. My mind is totally Lego obsessed right now. Henry's got me lined up to make a bank next to go with the armored car I made and I'm starting to think of all the cool things we could make with the pieces we have.
<p>Here are some pictures ...
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdv5cky0vr8Di25qD_wCj5rXwBgDJ5LXNDK91jrh9s32BjPXlqoD8XgTr7fpT2BO1HEKcp0CEr13Pt3xy103AsiJlCcXXXBU8lWhbCIeRTSt2zkCigs1MTMY2nlfcEulsTqOhs6E0huT9I/s1600/IMG_3979.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdv5cky0vr8Di25qD_wCj5rXwBgDJ5LXNDK91jrh9s32BjPXlqoD8XgTr7fpT2BO1HEKcp0CEr13Pt3xy103AsiJlCcXXXBU8lWhbCIeRTSt2zkCigs1MTMY2nlfcEulsTqOhs6E0huT9I/s320/IMG_3979.JPG" /></a>
<p>Last weekend we celebrated Henry's 5th birthday. We can't believe our baby is this old. 5 years seemed like such an old age when Henry was born. Check out this awesome cake Meg made and Henry designed. I love the cousin Liam's consoling hand in this picture.
<P><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sARNWvE3tkGJ7YVYfGKYhg6vbFXgecHUpGYSJL5DVfADZAYS6hkWwarwWrNMuFI-_H9lMqDi4E87XRwPz6kfCZkNP85xv3USk-Q0b1rFEzoenp_6YoTKIWVW7tvRscJ2JL5WI4wcv1b6/s1600/IMG_3987.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sARNWvE3tkGJ7YVYfGKYhg6vbFXgecHUpGYSJL5DVfADZAYS6hkWwarwWrNMuFI-_H9lMqDi4E87XRwPz6kfCZkNP85xv3USk-Q0b1rFEzoenp_6YoTKIWVW7tvRscJ2JL5WI4wcv1b6/s320/IMG_3987.JPG" /></a>
<p>Some gift opening.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghcUmtUzvgu66R9IrhQOWdUVKyXv4TWhdvlp2QY1Uzd5bulkS2SQdDXpCiLNN4WniTOqqWcXp_KpTKeRknarc3q8bCxCnSmflassWZcT2WxMxTKggLZMGechZC0SdBcyghghDyPjhamNjs/s1600/IMG_4014.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghcUmtUzvgu66R9IrhQOWdUVKyXv4TWhdvlp2QY1Uzd5bulkS2SQdDXpCiLNN4WniTOqqWcXp_KpTKeRknarc3q8bCxCnSmflassWZcT2WxMxTKggLZMGechZC0SdBcyghghDyPjhamNjs/s320/IMG_4014.JPG" /></a>
<p>Checking out the ferrets at the Ecotarium. I tried hard to take some good pictures there. I took lots of them. It really is tough to take pictures and enjoy your time with the kids. Especially when there's only one parent present.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdenytFQ0MAyfT5TfDvu1y7wpV5bPhji-sma0pm2OgrT9_8VibyBtbG3D7ZtUuacNGlSPJcoHLq5nh_tS3SnZYlyLtQVNLvycsLt-VtPz3x_3H2EsMQ0F312SPOZ59-s4vzxu6dQXdsVbD/s1600/IMG_3994.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdenytFQ0MAyfT5TfDvu1y7wpV5bPhji-sma0pm2OgrT9_8VibyBtbG3D7ZtUuacNGlSPJcoHLq5nh_tS3SnZYlyLtQVNLvycsLt-VtPz3x_3H2EsMQ0F312SPOZ59-s4vzxu6dQXdsVbD/s320/IMG_3994.JPG" /></a>
<p>This is my Lego postal truck. Henry's been learning all about the mail system at school so he asked me to make this when I asked for suggestions. He's been big on the eagle on the side of the truck so I made a Lego version of it on the side.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-SNHPVZiISUJukVJVwCvmd_I2e71GN8oDCpTKWgQigE29HUoGyM-SKROyU5jeVJ7f0OTohaIAmCVNVsZ7DRiCn8B8TcSNGAzY21Ao6dqJg7bvIc8NlxCjbpbfuk6JQGSS1BJIL1yZwm5l/s1600/IMG_3996.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-SNHPVZiISUJukVJVwCvmd_I2e71GN8oDCpTKWgQigE29HUoGyM-SKROyU5jeVJ7f0OTohaIAmCVNVsZ7DRiCn8B8TcSNGAzY21Ao6dqJg7bvIc8NlxCjbpbfuk6JQGSS1BJIL1yZwm5l/s320/IMG_3996.JPG" /></a>
<p>The outside of my post office (notice the eagle!).
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLPUwAR4MRojsJ9ew_BY_1c3Z6UikwK82Q2hj-njpCPA2WwwEIj7TgVRddqGrLJw-HoFjIIUAYce1AcVyqhbhCRCemYKXBmcwDdBazA8ftds0i3lY9V4WP2owJR_xVktaMVLd8HwoKTijG/s1600/IMG_3999.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLPUwAR4MRojsJ9ew_BY_1c3Z6UikwK82Q2hj-njpCPA2WwwEIj7TgVRddqGrLJw-HoFjIIUAYce1AcVyqhbhCRCemYKXBmcwDdBazA8ftds0i3lY9V4WP2owJR_xVktaMVLd8HwoKTijG/s320/IMG_3999.JPG" /></a>
<p>My post office inside. Henry came up with the idea to tile the floor and add heating vents. In the corner there is an ATM/stamp machine, there's a counter with cash register and in the other corner there is some shelves for sorting.
<P><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rEXtbsBXoIeSU3yJnO56ZozcugF53Z5hxPRLahoZQ-OwhDnXTjh3AcJMFjTfy-p3kxvBFWOl4KTcm2JMUrjbcS78Le5616_iSw9Mm0kNjrhvikB0gdD6bcOme2TW68evtA3oz0AlSg5u/s1600/IMG_4000.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rEXtbsBXoIeSU3yJnO56ZozcugF53Z5hxPRLahoZQ-OwhDnXTjh3AcJMFjTfy-p3kxvBFWOl4KTcm2JMUrjbcS78Le5616_iSw9Mm0kNjrhvikB0gdD6bcOme2TW68evtA3oz0AlSg5u/s320/IMG_4000.JPG" /></a>
<p>My DHL delivery truck. Later I added wipers (Henry saw this in a Lego book and wanted to add them.) and side view mirrors because Henry discovered the driver didn't fit so I had to raise the roof.
<P><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3MlnrkdlGMllKIWruchIKeSJqBqgQfGiBNfh0wlACpvMg1KE7MgUGv_yjgDw2Z4dbx6KfSM-W_vSTIcDkF5XNmxyW2_yoA5WF_5_QbkNaXMzraDl6Io3EMe2NFdzWS43_p0bUCt_Lkau/s1600/IMG_4019.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3MlnrkdlGMllKIWruchIKeSJqBqgQfGiBNfh0wlACpvMg1KE7MgUGv_yjgDw2Z4dbx6KfSM-W_vSTIcDkF5XNmxyW2_yoA5WF_5_QbkNaXMzraDl6Io3EMe2NFdzWS43_p0bUCt_Lkau/s320/IMG_4019.JPG" /></a>
<p>My armored car. Henry wanted it green. "Lots of bank things are green Dad." We don't have too many green bricks so I mixed it with black and white (like TD Bank, I guess). I also made it so the roof lifted up because it is difficult to put the driver in my other two trucks.kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-39707343198278132792013-03-01T09:11:00.001-05:002013-03-01T09:11:15.635-05:00At home we've all had some good bursts of creativity. I've got no pictures of what Hazel's been up to, but she is one heck of a colorer now. Here are some pictures ...
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HLk7WnLyA4-fGBgXJppvJ9bI_IyWf9dASBKYEkmVk99g-FIJ-ZzA4pb3TSEjzkQ67YPFc7X0hktq-eTDxhKHczoGpnjTgIPB61d9I9ygtqqtgoc0u7jypIWL7sA5cBQToNCTkDs09pJc/s1600/IMG_3937.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HLk7WnLyA4-fGBgXJppvJ9bI_IyWf9dASBKYEkmVk99g-FIJ-ZzA4pb3TSEjzkQ67YPFc7X0hktq-eTDxhKHczoGpnjTgIPB61d9I9ygtqqtgoc0u7jypIWL7sA5cBQToNCTkDs09pJc/s320/IMG_3937.JPG" /></a>
<p>Meg made this bag out of a sweater she had inadvertently shrunk in the dryer. If I remember right she didn't even have a pattern! I think it took her just one afternoon.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQrtGVeXPAURaLfaDXMJpdMZ_sHSxxc3b5tMuya6A__rYHX7krQJmHZMjteYNO6F1C79ooE3IC8Vt1Q5DkJpr1bOB6p4LqazX8wNhrGeGofuWIktEnFFyovkA7ykMD1cane1nSjHPDW6Q/s1600/IMG_3938.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQrtGVeXPAURaLfaDXMJpdMZ_sHSxxc3b5tMuya6A__rYHX7krQJmHZMjteYNO6F1C79ooE3IC8Vt1Q5DkJpr1bOB6p4LqazX8wNhrGeGofuWIktEnFFyovkA7ykMD1cane1nSjHPDW6Q/s320/IMG_3938.JPG" /></a>
<p>While playing with Legos with Henry one afternoon. I built this robot bus. My inspiration was a book we got from the library that included all sorts of Lego robots and the vehicles they use to get around. It took a long time, but it was fun to do. Last weekend Henry and I made Lego buildings scaled for his Matchbox cars. He and I had great fun making stained glass windows for our church model. "It's not St. Francis, Dad! This is a different town."
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAKX6h8xF5Td_8F-_0Z5b3dKJWD_Zo8f_EkvqCs_PgjItOxObYxFh5Muma5DgikXQ4iyTB2LGtWfcLMW0RYxXpPyomRynn3wI6mGVPuN4HvRN6wKH0d3AvLGH01ouITOACYFnDHREE1yV/s1600/IMG_3941.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAKX6h8xF5Td_8F-_0Z5b3dKJWD_Zo8f_EkvqCs_PgjItOxObYxFh5Muma5DgikXQ4iyTB2LGtWfcLMW0RYxXpPyomRynn3wI6mGVPuN4HvRN6wKH0d3AvLGH01ouITOACYFnDHREE1yV/s320/IMG_3941.JPG" /></a>
<p>Henry drew this at school. The three drawings on the lower part of this are our fish.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMb3c0QCIVkXorOQSOnGTY2-vF7XhhWuS0qAz3mxaMF3vmsrs8OFrK1IwbBxXGFOOdAOtMr61Ic1vKuwncQkELU3NiVi7zivYPTd92QIep-sAybfmUejvEA7iFKXpmgXfP7PLbyOVc4YJJ/s1600/IMG_3943.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMb3c0QCIVkXorOQSOnGTY2-vF7XhhWuS0qAz3mxaMF3vmsrs8OFrK1IwbBxXGFOOdAOtMr61Ic1vKuwncQkELU3NiVi7zivYPTd92QIep-sAybfmUejvEA7iFKXpmgXfP7PLbyOVc4YJJ/s320/IMG_3943.JPG" /></a>
<p>Here's another something Henry made at school. It is our house, complete with stair case.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbQmeBPkRQjYLOAfm0WBYLtBlHWlWZahr3EPr-Murj05IiBuANfvwxeFcgYizA4cEMQxjFcIEYYaV52krxHrVwdQivmtcniDdYdwxO-qIgLlU90IAx3Sxu90GTEurZlHYT9nIuQ9ZI3XD/s1600/IMG_3949.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbQmeBPkRQjYLOAfm0WBYLtBlHWlWZahr3EPr-Murj05IiBuANfvwxeFcgYizA4cEMQxjFcIEYYaV52krxHrVwdQivmtcniDdYdwxO-qIgLlU90IAx3Sxu90GTEurZlHYT9nIuQ9ZI3XD/s320/IMG_3949.JPG" /></a>
<p>Henry drew this one day with great care. He made several test drawings before this one. He told us it's a man that is surprised that he has a porcupine in his box. Meg and I think this is his best yet.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6-2i6F-c-y5zMy3iewVL0VLSuuaPexZelOpRVjcqjjPk3ALgMYBtUWN8537O39-H81Ropmxo-YFoNPzUsf9CP6Csu2S8vvIRP2AjqZIk7fBWilqIXKcJXuqpSt7BgyfA3Ro3FLHlUdSI/s1600/IMG_3945.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6-2i6F-c-y5zMy3iewVL0VLSuuaPexZelOpRVjcqjjPk3ALgMYBtUWN8537O39-H81Ropmxo-YFoNPzUsf9CP6Csu2S8vvIRP2AjqZIk7fBWilqIXKcJXuqpSt7BgyfA3Ro3FLHlUdSI/s320/IMG_3945.JPG" /></a>
<p>This week has been mail week at Henry's school. He wrote two letters for us and we wrote two for him. This was the first one he wrote. The picture is of him and Hazel. He also wrote one to me that said, "I love you." and had a picture of me on it.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuPUaOf_D0Izs67wucGK6qofOEDY4tf0UuXNoT2WiW167HSm3dt60oFEKs9GYBzms3zwgm4fPOpZb16W-sX60-9sYKfBxpJ9btg_pqFuOuQn40rJojlAR7YcFbdZEeD0qlYskMSY3l_BS/s1600/casualty-1-dude.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuPUaOf_D0Izs67wucGK6qofOEDY4tf0UuXNoT2WiW167HSm3dt60oFEKs9GYBzms3zwgm4fPOpZb16W-sX60-9sYKfBxpJ9btg_pqFuOuQn40rJojlAR7YcFbdZEeD0qlYskMSY3l_BS/s320/casualty-1-dude.jpg" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eRnyi_7zz2MwofwRXcjZhcuHDrIZXfG7M-rtcTRwGuNt1t2y7IxgNEJJ-ZvrgFwZSrSKNRWQrMGKJMbV5eT4lBMorWfBwH2OT_uXdQOkr3EPRnk5TC22Qq1wQtXqik3XY_oM2lhHSnqT/s1600/casualty-2-dude.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eRnyi_7zz2MwofwRXcjZhcuHDrIZXfG7M-rtcTRwGuNt1t2y7IxgNEJJ-ZvrgFwZSrSKNRWQrMGKJMbV5eT4lBMorWfBwH2OT_uXdQOkr3EPRnk5TC22Qq1wQtXqik3XY_oM2lhHSnqT/s320/casualty-2-dude.jpg" /></a>
<p>Lastly, I finally finished several miniatures. Above are my first pictures of them. I'm thinking of making a second blog to cover this new hobby pursuit of mine.kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-68180282571241428822013-02-11T13:57:00.001-05:002013-02-11T13:58:14.666-05:00Here's some pictures from the last few days.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNGq9wecYEABzmqLaUNFbc2R3BD0IqJaeBxNM2J9ojSBmrSIxTp2cBCdRYqf0gKnz-jMDEYprLrs79Q4YeDhAt7dX2zM5dGDnKtk_unxjaFhejxysZ9WDdpI3NB-7HxOz_NgOaKACFGnI/s1600/IMG_3901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNGq9wecYEABzmqLaUNFbc2R3BD0IqJaeBxNM2J9ojSBmrSIxTp2cBCdRYqf0gKnz-jMDEYprLrs79Q4YeDhAt7dX2zM5dGDnKtk_unxjaFhejxysZ9WDdpI3NB-7HxOz_NgOaKACFGnI/s400/IMG_3901.JPG" /></a>
<p>On Thursday I took the afternoon off to join Meg and Hazel in visiting Henry's school for his first play. Henry played a mole. It was great to see his classroom and classmates again.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRzWIAzDdryihsBuWmAZX5ktXpQBETuNGQIWV-a99mgK4umzDAuDCXwaWD40trQRIGCJZqEvPJ06QY2WInyCjYO-OxL32jOoBIHTTP8GcA4qzRfSP5odkfEVrcubKiLnn0OWH9PfxJyy2/s1600/IMG_3902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRzWIAzDdryihsBuWmAZX5ktXpQBETuNGQIWV-a99mgK4umzDAuDCXwaWD40trQRIGCJZqEvPJ06QY2WInyCjYO-OxL32jOoBIHTTP8GcA4qzRfSP5odkfEVrcubKiLnn0OWH9PfxJyy2/s400/IMG_3902.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnvxji6s2RQXAfuXDTVCeyKWqJ7Dn9d_pnhxik2KWruLP6ltSFFZxJtDk1JM6fwhmGYasdFZJvPZoh3v6VSqkp9dnk8TDhZDde6n-5EjJavWneZZV46BMh-v_hGB0L95JYaDyhpDxnyoA/s1600/IMG_3905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnvxji6s2RQXAfuXDTVCeyKWqJ7Dn9d_pnhxik2KWruLP6ltSFFZxJtDk1JM6fwhmGYasdFZJvPZoh3v6VSqkp9dnk8TDhZDde6n-5EjJavWneZZV46BMh-v_hGB0L95JYaDyhpDxnyoA/s400/IMG_3905.JPG" /></a>
<p>Hazel is definitely ready for this school stuff. She was right at home.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjDO3BqToVLRdOnPur57C5j_EUhYJ5LqTG2GGHwaHIoRMaHgFbjDPfbUpmtPBNdHHOu0x5XU-3IthRXUD64FV-DCZUVvSKQrZsw88FbYEN8HAwkYwhD1ya4bo4tY_HVdGD913Kh9uIXDf/s1600/IMG_3914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjDO3BqToVLRdOnPur57C5j_EUhYJ5LqTG2GGHwaHIoRMaHgFbjDPfbUpmtPBNdHHOu0x5XU-3IthRXUD64FV-DCZUVvSKQrZsw88FbYEN8HAwkYwhD1ya4bo4tY_HVdGD913Kh9uIXDf/s400/IMG_3914.JPG" /></a>
<p>We were sent home early on Friday because the coming big snowstorm. I had one enjoyable lunch, fiddling with my miniatures and watching the kids play very nicely together. They assembled these two storage containers as boats, each with a steering wheel, seat, motor and storage area. They had fun deciding what food to take and deciding where they were going to have their pretend picnic. I could have watched them play like this for hours. Henry went shirtless for most of the day; I'm not sure why.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDH1iTuxLtDtvlxudwvmFZ3lVV5PAYtKbf_pNrwCepHwI38a6rMOOqRZ5UzyIfucWvhex0sNCjF5vCRtt0Aeik7VlQjmvpV6reJyvPl4z0W5qJqgCPgNwjLrcaHi9hPXJaR4cFJthIc33/s1600/IMG_3915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDH1iTuxLtDtvlxudwvmFZ3lVV5PAYtKbf_pNrwCepHwI38a6rMOOqRZ5UzyIfucWvhex0sNCjF5vCRtt0Aeik7VlQjmvpV6reJyvPl4z0W5qJqgCPgNwjLrcaHi9hPXJaR4cFJthIc33/s400/IMG_3915.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28QLRyguQV2JfjrZap2Znq7V8BkXqwxqhxG-BI9yDwLizltwJ9Yz1dPEAe1jFvVIN3daabe5sIPrSZb7evBk5QNEDYaIijGLivaz8Zu0zLLfEOhXd8CmilpZd-HbtWsctPFZJrqmrPFsA/s1600/IMG_3917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28QLRyguQV2JfjrZap2Znq7V8BkXqwxqhxG-BI9yDwLizltwJ9Yz1dPEAe1jFvVIN3daabe5sIPrSZb7evBk5QNEDYaIijGLivaz8Zu0zLLfEOhXd8CmilpZd-HbtWsctPFZJrqmrPFsA/s400/IMG_3917.JPG" /></a>
<p>Inspired by the snow outside on Saturday Henry built this snow scene.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncAa06JD3yf1FNsb4ktijJGEogEhVUz-1rnThebRixCbgcvQaudmClnv4UKozq2ClIXwfi1Heq-lHKVPtvNcj0AE7ecRLNRbRe9sr5A438UmmXld102fYgd1Tqu8pPYZ3XiWgqmkiaYze/s1600/IMG_3925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncAa06JD3yf1FNsb4ktijJGEogEhVUz-1rnThebRixCbgcvQaudmClnv4UKozq2ClIXwfi1Heq-lHKVPtvNcj0AE7ecRLNRbRe9sr5A438UmmXld102fYgd1Tqu8pPYZ3XiWgqmkiaYze/s400/IMG_3925.JPG" /></a>
<p>I saw one report that said we had 27 inches of snow and another that said 30 inches in our town, but I measured something like 26 inches. It was tough to measure this one accurately because the drifts were insane.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyNi77El7-0q82W0RO90HCY_jG1oYvc8LpRCvMoOMIwOiiH7P8icVQCK8G5z4OMWOPb1jfKwo1WO11d6WUwcpk2ZbPSoAiYtWQ1ebAkQSEgqCq4NcTPsng1Mlv6PfOvwYL9eu0LWUMsJE/s1600/IMG_3930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyNi77El7-0q82W0RO90HCY_jG1oYvc8LpRCvMoOMIwOiiH7P8icVQCK8G5z4OMWOPb1jfKwo1WO11d6WUwcpk2ZbPSoAiYtWQ1ebAkQSEgqCq4NcTPsng1Mlv6PfOvwYL9eu0LWUMsJE/s400/IMG_3930.JPG" /></a>
<p>At some point the kids came out to "help" me shovel the driveway.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhXpgbW2hCL6NHv4JM6vcCuEJMFLeVdcNNqkTBFE9xAOsD1WVXw4JQs92TQ_zmnv_mJkcZwTwU5bkB4FrKAp2B0dk90Icg5mvtnMsHTbVoRJVKHvjlfU-GMxJOPiyL3vdlwxQn4EcWh2A/s1600/IMG_3932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhXpgbW2hCL6NHv4JM6vcCuEJMFLeVdcNNqkTBFE9xAOsD1WVXw4JQs92TQ_zmnv_mJkcZwTwU5bkB4FrKAp2B0dk90Icg5mvtnMsHTbVoRJVKHvjlfU-GMxJOPiyL3vdlwxQn4EcWh2A/s400/IMG_3932.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhxKrR09y09dP9f8kUMzXWoEj9bOgGYnAsLn5Y2jUnJw6FMHPoud824iJK5obSF4RropBKiocSCRQeksbH5qFGprnBFJPHeQ6d9xKlncMngzPiEJnbFEd8h9qrDQWaR-NkdPuopsqv1nP/s1600/IMG_3933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhxKrR09y09dP9f8kUMzXWoEj9bOgGYnAsLn5Y2jUnJw6FMHPoud824iJK5obSF4RropBKiocSCRQeksbH5qFGprnBFJPHeQ6d9xKlncMngzPiEJnbFEd8h9qrDQWaR-NkdPuopsqv1nP/s400/IMG_3933.JPG" /></a>
<p>Henry and I built this Lego model of our house on Sunday afternoon. We are both very proud of it!
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsN7ibFljEs7S-nVd-axmsBcPYcy4sdksjzo6iTlh4hOwT-4qyr9uITmbbYHvG-kDfAM6T77KTaLvGaUHtY_F0-hpkUOSFnfZdixiIotLOaY1NLPftGx3LGNW00W7jsH8thGdJDmaZi5Yo/s1600/IMG_3934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsN7ibFljEs7S-nVd-axmsBcPYcy4sdksjzo6iTlh4hOwT-4qyr9uITmbbYHvG-kDfAM6T77KTaLvGaUHtY_F0-hpkUOSFnfZdixiIotLOaY1NLPftGx3LGNW00W7jsH8thGdJDmaZi5Yo/s400/IMG_3934.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3-iAFHBeqvngThRJG9NP_AHmbgiEk8HA0mUn4vEQUQ9KffR5679HYikexQLw4eQAPbi7f2nOsu9_0HLy9ifp57BjvApJtSAddirqffWJiWZR9l44PdP3zd1xP1ABXIU85gxJ6gd95ljT/s1600/IMG_3936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3-iAFHBeqvngThRJG9NP_AHmbgiEk8HA0mUn4vEQUQ9KffR5679HYikexQLw4eQAPbi7f2nOsu9_0HLy9ifp57BjvApJtSAddirqffWJiWZR9l44PdP3zd1xP1ABXIU85gxJ6gd95ljT/s400/IMG_3936.JPG" /></a>
kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-53515468034990466912013-02-05T14:02:00.000-05:002013-02-05T14:02:08.463-05:00Well it has taken a lot longer to get started up on my next hobby, to a point I can blog regularly about it anyway and so I've gotten out of the habit of blogging regularly. Lots is still going on with us, however. We're still very busy, not sleeping much, getting through various colds and seeing delightful progress by the kids. Yesterday Meg showed me something Hazel colored during the day. It was amazing! Her coloring is about Henry's level. The way she holds the pencil is impressive. I thought Henry had colored what Meg showed me.
<p>Here are some pictures I found on the camera today.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHb5J3_9ihmWVO-9eifnKNTEcLq0ulC8CU-TdaH6SGUC07fQM5JhkaeVXMYJlhic9V6u-OaBF5_0yrf36e4US_5OZZ5zsqSKWs-VoWO2c3XeucAtBB-IZvZiD4AJEY5xfSRs7t3jUuqbV4/s1600/DSCF1043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHb5J3_9ihmWVO-9eifnKNTEcLq0ulC8CU-TdaH6SGUC07fQM5JhkaeVXMYJlhic9V6u-OaBF5_0yrf36e4US_5OZZ5zsqSKWs-VoWO2c3XeucAtBB-IZvZiD4AJEY5xfSRs7t3jUuqbV4/s400/DSCF1043.JPG" /></a>
<p>Hazel loves to dress herself. Often one of the first things she says to me in the morning is, "Put clothes on?" Henry has gotten a lot better about outerwear. He now regularly puts on his own coat and zips it up.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoHJPSsUEswhwOrmTsohIGSjCSl-ePmibSNznCGuXxmGPQ8RtoWos7aT92nvP0x5lyXGjpYYAkaTrKood1myi4AGY_cWdcuSDF7gj88rad0Y0cYbSNvdjnvKcTFV4hyphenhyphenr_9BK9j9coj0FH/s1600/DSCF1078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="298" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoHJPSsUEswhwOrmTsohIGSjCSl-ePmibSNznCGuXxmGPQ8RtoWos7aT92nvP0x5lyXGjpYYAkaTrKood1myi4AGY_cWdcuSDF7gj88rad0Y0cYbSNvdjnvKcTFV4hyphenhyphenr_9BK9j9coj0FH/s400/DSCF1078.JPG" /></a>
<p>Meg made the kids this snowplow one day.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGdoox2x67H9N9mMQmiwNdT0hp2noYTtWwynZldjgoW6BMYbe-KCg-m4fej6xqQfIZEeQaP_59nYrG-1SJ5E0B5PEcAlMeVc2CRfx6NPH9zKDWCxYh46mpIZwTaA1HnTv4jdo7Kroy8I-/s1600/DSCF1091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="298" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGdoox2x67H9N9mMQmiwNdT0hp2noYTtWwynZldjgoW6BMYbe-KCg-m4fej6xqQfIZEeQaP_59nYrG-1SJ5E0B5PEcAlMeVc2CRfx6NPH9zKDWCxYh46mpIZwTaA1HnTv4jdo7Kroy8I-/s400/DSCF1091.JPG" /></a>
<p>The kids made snow ice cream with Meg one day while I was at work.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFQ-rCEydSQzA0zr0OJP24fw-BlkcJqCqmx6EqbNCgMXZeoULRdWalLLqdhmyeM9rK_d3WwMPLI0wD0AUDCPQKGhTI3BP9wI_zeTe1F8DINgN699JCDvBCS98cvSLFUShhGivLFQpak2b/s1600/DSCF1098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="298" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFQ-rCEydSQzA0zr0OJP24fw-BlkcJqCqmx6EqbNCgMXZeoULRdWalLLqdhmyeM9rK_d3WwMPLI0wD0AUDCPQKGhTI3BP9wI_zeTe1F8DINgN699JCDvBCS98cvSLFUShhGivLFQpak2b/s400/DSCF1098.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixRcMdnhqyy8UBreXdGcIAWp8vaFCmNcj2t2nxiV1q6RApiqxlOD5o9yny7wGhxkEb_SPx5aFzJ_KaptusqgBl_AIsVbGWfWLP0S0E0Bj_OQQVxGmddaTMScC5GA0kWOVvtHJkSZX4pE7/s1600/DSCF1230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="298" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixRcMdnhqyy8UBreXdGcIAWp8vaFCmNcj2t2nxiV1q6RApiqxlOD5o9yny7wGhxkEb_SPx5aFzJ_KaptusqgBl_AIsVbGWfWLP0S0E0Bj_OQQVxGmddaTMScC5GA0kWOVvtHJkSZX4pE7/s400/DSCF1230.JPG" /></a>
<p>For Meg's birthday we went to Pump-It-Up ... we also went out to eat at Meg's favorite restaurant.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthWxxrqPTmfpd7XnG7qpsbAC7bjTQADMCKhQ56y3Q36b_jukMjxtSUul4XgXhW98KiD3OWXLF5Jn9S19VW5mlLOv9vmxKqExtxsMkPnIV4kKHAt6NsVxFA3ARErl9N-4ugw7crwD3ebzK/s1600/DSCF1233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="298" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthWxxrqPTmfpd7XnG7qpsbAC7bjTQADMCKhQ56y3Q36b_jukMjxtSUul4XgXhW98KiD3OWXLF5Jn9S19VW5mlLOv9vmxKqExtxsMkPnIV4kKHAt6NsVxFA3ARErl9N-4ugw7crwD3ebzK/s400/DSCF1233.JPG" /></a>
<p>The blurry image on the left is Hazel.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRbrgnX9BTvhzrHP7TZgB3wJE6MCW0bHcOBK9xnuAr6NBNwDlsdbgAZPu6an8t7e6Rz-hoxBhEQK_XzaBaDVyjC8Rm_pfunvFbk-jpggeDWEOV0-DViW0KsVwpYr9AqfiERNTwy0KnAOF/s1600/DSCF1243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="298" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRbrgnX9BTvhzrHP7TZgB3wJE6MCW0bHcOBK9xnuAr6NBNwDlsdbgAZPu6an8t7e6Rz-hoxBhEQK_XzaBaDVyjC8Rm_pfunvFbk-jpggeDWEOV0-DViW0KsVwpYr9AqfiERNTwy0KnAOF/s400/DSCF1243.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCUGQxVeWi-ZbsWySas7jKKSmUaWMEnmo76Kwxoke9qIDN9BH0rvF_wM7shPWqY8xlx4hN-faZwNesJEeDaVXH64RQj_PRG-8HYfEDdYQ_Eb6x4H4ptzYu5HF9-g9aMbwqpF5BEt9PRNm/s1600/DSCF1245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="298" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCUGQxVeWi-ZbsWySas7jKKSmUaWMEnmo76Kwxoke9qIDN9BH0rvF_wM7shPWqY8xlx4hN-faZwNesJEeDaVXH64RQj_PRG-8HYfEDdYQ_Eb6x4H4ptzYu5HF9-g9aMbwqpF5BEt9PRNm/s400/DSCF1245.JPG" /></a>
kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-36233825279505756172013-01-15T15:48:00.001-05:002013-01-15T15:48:54.111-05:00<p>Lately we've had some very good potty training moments with Hazel. We went out for dinner on Friday night - no diapers - no problems. I also took the kids to Sturbridge Village on Saturday and we had no issues. She's coming along! Meg tells me she is even interested in my underwear and has asked her, "Dad wear underwear at work?" and "What color underwear Dad wear at work?"
<P>The potty excitement has increased their interest in the digestive system. After explaining to the kids that the body takes out the good stuff and puts out the rest Meg was asked by Henry, "Is the cookie in my butt then?"
<p>A couple weeks ago I thought I'd continue searching halves this year or at least until I finished a pile of half dollar wrapper boxes I have. I didn't last as long as either. I decided this weekend to retire completely. The halves haven't been producing as well as they used to and more importantly I want to use the time for other purposes.
<p>16,000 halves turned up four 90% silver halves (4 x 1964), five 40% silver halves (1966, 4 x 1968D), three proof halves (2 x 1984S, 2002S) and one Bermuda 50¢. The 1966 40% silver half was the last silver half I found.kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-4815369868344357532013-01-03T14:38:00.000-05:002013-01-03T14:38:30.228-05:002012 BooksMy goal for 2012 was the same as it has been for a few years now, to read two books a month or twenty-four books by the end of the year. I came up one short this year, but still read quite a bit. The book marked in gray I've only gotten part of the way through. (I'll probably finish that one in 2013 sometime.)
<p><b>Disaster/Shipwreck</b>
<p>I strayed a bit from just shipwrecks to stories about big disasters (not modern ones). I've got a big list of similar books to read. The best of these was probably <i>Ship Ablaze.</i>
<p><i>The Johnstown Flood</i> โ David McCullough
<p><i>Ship Ablaze: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum</i> โ Edward T. OโDonnell
<p><i>The Sea Shall Embrace Them: The Tragic Story of the Steamship Arctic</i> โ David W. Shaw
<p><i>Sultana: Surviving the Civil War, Prison, and the Worst Maritime Disaster in American History</i> โ Alan Huffman
<p><i>Fire and Brimstone: The North Butte Mine Disaster of 1917</i> โ Michael Punke
<p><i>In the Shadow of the Dam: The Aftermath of the Mill River Flood of 1874</i> โ Elizabeth M. Sharpe
<p><b>WWII</b>
<p><i>Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the Worldโs Most Notorious Nazi</i> โ Neal Bascomb
<p><i>Escape from Davao</i> โ John D. Lukacs
<p><i>Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II</i> โ Mitchell Zuckoff
<p><i>The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II</i> โ George A. Freeman
<p><b>Adventure/Exploration</b>
<P>My greatest love is still adventure/exploration books, sometimes there is more adventure/danger and sometimes there is more exploration.
<p><i>The Thief at the End of the World: Rubber, Power, and the Seeds of Empire</i> โ Joe Jackson
<p><i>A Furnace Afloat: The Wreck of the Hornet and the Harrowing 4,300 mile Voyage of Its Survivors</i> โ Joe Jackson
<p><i>The Ice Master : The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk</i> โ Jennifer Niven
<p><i>The Ice Balloon: S.A. Andre and the Heroic Age of Artic Exploration</i> โ Alec Wilkinson
<p><i>The Life and Times of John Manjiro</i> โ Donald R. Bernard
<p><i>Drifting Towards the Southeast: The Story of Five Japanese Castaways</i> - John Manjiro
<p><i>Nakahama Manjiroโs Hyosen Kiryaku (A Companion Book)</i> โ Nakahama Manjiro
<p><i>The Voyage of the Challenger</i> โ Eric Linklater
<p><i>A Labyrinth of Kingdoms: 10,000 Miles through Islamic Africa</i> โ Steve Kemper
<p><i>Over the Edge of the World: Magellanโs Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe</i> โ Laurence Bergreen
<p><font color="gray"><i>Columbus: The Four Voyages, 1492-1504</i> โ Laurence Bergreen</font>
<p><b>Colonial Wars</b>
<p>To assist with my next big project and because I want to learn more about them I'll probably be reading a lot of books about all the different Colonial Wars this year. I'm sure a good portion of them will be thin, 48 page, Osprey uniform books. (I only count them in fractional way, they take up reading time, but it doesn't take me long to read them through.)
<p><i>The Anglo-Afghan Wars: 1839-1919</i> โ Gregory Fremont-Barnes
<p><i>North-West Frontier 1837-1947</i> โ Robert Wilkinson-Latham
<p><i>The British Army on Campaign (3): 1856-1881</i> โ Michael Banthorp
<p><i>Indian Infantry Regiments 1860-1914</i> โ Michael Banthorp
<p><i>Queen Victoriaโs Enemies (3): India</i> โ Ian Knight
kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-11815026722983476642013-01-02T09:10:00.000-05:002013-01-02T09:10:26.331-05:00<p>Happy New Year everyone!
<p>We had a pretty good long weekend at our house. First up it was Christmas, Pt. II at my in-law's house. We had a nice day visiting everyone, exchanging gifts and eating on Saturday. I've got a year's supply of adventure/disaster books! On Sunday we visited some more relatives (not Henry's finest moment) and drove back home. At home we were greeted by nine inches of snow that had fallen on our driveway and walkways. We parked on the street, dashed inside holding the kids and began the cleanup. Using my father's old snow blower - now my new snow blower I made short work of the snow! That machine might be my best gift of the season. Already I've saved myself 3-4 hours from two storms.
<p>On Monday we had a good time at Nana and Grandpa's showing off Henry's new plasma car thing and eating a special New Year's Eve dinner Meg made for us. Nobody stayed up for the new year in our house (although perhaps Hazel sort of did, because she's been sleeping so poorly for days). On New Year's Day we took the kids sledding at a local park with a small hill. We had a blast. Both Henry and Hazel did really well. This was their first time being sent off by themselves. So well I find it tough to believe. Henry tumbled over a few times, but laughed it off with no problems and carried his sled back to the top of the hill with no complaints. I had tons of fun pushing down hill with pushes of "100," than "110" and "111" (I'm not sure what unit of measure Henry used for these push strength requests). He and I even went down the hill a couple of times together. Hazel slid down in her little red sled kind of slowly, but fast enough for her and then waiting patiently for Meg and I to pull her back up. Hazel will definitely appreciate a new faster sled sometime soon. Henry told me he'll be ready for a bigger hill when he's five.
<p>Here's some pictures.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5q88fMKe-TA9pmZhRtuSEQ1PkHpTfUGDZfavYgmpaOuk3x6i-ukl99Z-lZVUsjXIoxRpH5tHQYvL47wncvjREAWLLF_7_O0Bf41KtHTjy1PKJi8ubWPJ2SW5aJDcGJSVi5WtrSp-cspi/s1600/IMG_3862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5q88fMKe-TA9pmZhRtuSEQ1PkHpTfUGDZfavYgmpaOuk3x6i-ukl99Z-lZVUsjXIoxRpH5tHQYvL47wncvjREAWLLF_7_O0Bf41KtHTjy1PKJi8ubWPJ2SW5aJDcGJSVi5WtrSp-cspi/s400/IMG_3862.JPG" /></a>
<p>Here's a small circuit Henry set up all by himself (with Hazel assisting).
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghns-stmnx5P56E_HMUcsoohcuRsa51wmVL-py4_D8ko4pJLRRjvSEDwdUEX0o7QCY9cmZdb-FK-s_E95jazO3jlKkc_aStGQMPSIoVmKClpeepqRfEgXKNDirZf8cY0n18_zLLzoim4ee/s1600/IMG_3868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghns-stmnx5P56E_HMUcsoohcuRsa51wmVL-py4_D8ko4pJLRRjvSEDwdUEX0o7QCY9cmZdb-FK-s_E95jazO3jlKkc_aStGQMPSIoVmKClpeepqRfEgXKNDirZf8cY0n18_zLLzoim4ee/s400/IMG_3868.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbBhu9kafyNMCoRZ1beirtI2fJRzpR6g-LcZzIcva0dHo3XMJqcZKbwmOhPAW8Z270_6ukWTxAjCSuHBWgCqIHjRTZZk5SMZ-r2iTPmgu23N-ZraDEbkJeQkew50b0bj6kiMA_VcmsPPN/s1600/IMG_3869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbBhu9kafyNMCoRZ1beirtI2fJRzpR6g-LcZzIcva0dHo3XMJqcZKbwmOhPAW8Z270_6ukWTxAjCSuHBWgCqIHjRTZZk5SMZ-r2iTPmgu23N-ZraDEbkJeQkew50b0bj6kiMA_VcmsPPN/s400/IMG_3869.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6EoX0tcdhMB0ZpARcVS-_veattL1hb-cMRDdNUEyzmCkH1fONqjEtM9AwPAULtU2rtgROaRF7EYm9_lJrHKf2NJqqDZO9PvTkG_ewOdq1snT4PDOxwIYbbg-c6ELfmzeDVSsJG_Lqg-C/s1600/IMG_3872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6EoX0tcdhMB0ZpARcVS-_veattL1hb-cMRDdNUEyzmCkH1fONqjEtM9AwPAULtU2rtgROaRF7EYm9_lJrHKf2NJqqDZO9PvTkG_ewOdq1snT4PDOxwIYbbg-c6ELfmzeDVSsJG_Lqg-C/s400/IMG_3872.JPG" /></a>
<p>I also don't want to forget several exchanges we had with the kids.
<p>One morning I was trying to explain to Hazel that both Mommy and Daddy had two names. She told me, "Baby has two names." "Oh yeah," I said. "I show you." She then picked up her doll and showed me Baby's neck where it is etched, "Made in China."
<p>While reading a new train book with Meg one night Henry asked what the stuffed buffalo heads were in the book. Meg said, "some buffalo heads." Henry said, "those buffalo heads are pretend. Little kids think they are real, but they're not."
<p>I have decided to make some usual New Year's resolutions for myself. One, give up caffeine, and two, eat better. Hopefully those can last until Lent when I'll try to recommit myself to these promises. The biggest change for this year will be coins. I've decided to retire from coin roll hunting and pursue another hobby. It's been a good 5½ run. It was a difficult decision to make initially as there are some coins I wish I would've found. If only I could have found the 1938D Wheat penny! Once I got it in my head I wanted to spend time doing something else, however, it was tough to justify spending time going through so many rolls for not much gain. I actually feel quite relieved not to spend so much time picking up and getting rid of the coin and orchestrating everything in my head.
<p>I'll probably sum things up in a blog post soon, but until then I did some quick spreadsheet calculations this morning and came up with the following numbers from my 5½ year search effort:
<b><p>Total Coins: 11,483,793<br>
Total Dollar Amount: $1,978,511.75<br>
Total Weight*: 127,750.68 pounds or 63.875 tons<br></b>
<p>(* I ignored the small fraction of coins that weren't the standard clad weight coins and multiplied the total number of each denomination by the clad weight, except for pennies. For pennies I used a weight of 2.620, which factored in 20% of the older coin weight.)
<p>8,000 half dollars produced ten 40% silver halves (1965, 2 x 1967, 5 x 1968D, 2 x 1969D) and six proof halves (1971S, 1973S, 1977S, 1978S, 2 x 1979S).
<p>8,750 pennies turned up ninety-eight Wheats, one hundred ten Canadians, two Euro 2¢, one Bermuda 1¢, one Zambia 1¢, one Canadian dime, twenty-six US dimes and one US nickel.
<P>1917S, 1929, 1929S, 1930, 1934, 1935, 1936(2), 1938, 1939(2)kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-32226257227845702982012-12-27T10:21:00.000-05:002012-12-27T10:21:15.619-05:00Merry Christmas!<p>Merry Christmas everyone! It's back to work for me, but the Christmas spirit continues on with our family, in our house. It was a good four days at home.
<p>We started the weekend with a family trip to Bertucci's. The kids were pretty good there. We were there very early in a nice quiet corner. Hazel had a big bench to roam back and forth on. Henry made his usual three trips to the bathroom. I don't know what it is about that place, but I always spend half my time in the bathroom there because of Henry. Hazel insists on going every time too. She and I did have one cute moment in there when we dance together while Henry did his business (the music is louder in there, so she was moved).
<p>On Saturday morning I took the kids to the Ecotarium. We had a good time there although I did have to drag Henry to the car because he was angry about not getting something at the gift store. "I don't want any Christmas presents!," he told me ... 'yeah right!' That afternoon Henry helped me cut up a big branch that fell from the mini ice storm we got earlier in the week. He had his plastic chainsaw and my bush cutting snips.
<p>The next day after church Henry and I wrapped a big bunch of Christmas presents. He was very happy to sign his name on gift tag. I found it cute, but then realized that he viewed this tag as a magic tag that when put on a present meant the present was for him, not Evan or Liam! He was concerned I wasn't wrapping any of his presents and I told him that Meg and I would do so when he was sleeping. He left the room for about 5 minutes, went upstairs, came back down and said, "Did you wrap my gifts? ... I took a nap."
<p>When Hazy got up from her nap Henry very willingly went with me to get a haircut. He was really excited to bring Hazel along. He got nervous when we thought we'd have to use a different stylist, but then our usual stylist came out from the back and all was well again. Henry did a great job and then it was Hazel's turn! Her first professional haircut. It was so cute. I wish I took pictures of it. She was very serious. It didn't take long at all, but towards the end of it she seemed to be enjoying it.
<p>On Christmas Eve Meg found a good entertainment idea for us ... Pump It Up free jump time (as in no restrictions, not cash free)! Meg got an opportunity to cook multiple dishes for Christmas day while the kids tired me out (and stretched my arm out a bit) jumping like crazy in an assortment of bouncy houses and slides. I took them to a massively grocery store for supplies. I was proud of my patience in there, just a Dad, two kids and three carts (one adult sized and two kid sized). We were quite a sight! Very cute, I think. When we got home Meg astutely told me, "even simple dishes take a lot of work when you're doing three of them simultaneously." I don't doubt her. I wrapped more presents in the afternoon, this time without Henry.
<p>For service we went to our own church. I got a promotion this year from sheep herder and "performed" as wise man #2. Greg played the part of an angel - with a speaking part. The donkey pooped, Meg managed Hazel for a full hour in the pews, it was a lot like last year. Afterwards we had dinner at Nicole's. The food was good, the kids were well-behaved and we put off opening presents to keep things more calm. When we got home the kids were put to bed quickly and Meg and I brought the Santa gifts downstairs. It doesn't take long to arrange the gifts around the tree, but I think those are ten great minutes to be a parent.
<p>The kids were up pretty early on Christmas Day. The first few minutes of them downstairs were touch-and-go. Meg and I really don't understand all the anxieties, but they went away pretty quickly. Our presents were open in no time. Hazel opened Meg and my gifts as well as hers. I built a doll high chair for Hazel and Meg made us a breakfast treat. Before going to Nana and Grandpa's I built two Lego sets with Henry. It was a big a time thrill for me to be building new Lego sets with him. I'm sure I had more fun. It was a multiple "Lego-gasm!"
<p>For dinner we went to my folks. There were a lot of people (Hazel pointed this out to us). I didn't get as much time to visit with some relatives I rarely see (this is a shout out to you, Aunt Carol) as I would have liked to, but the kids were pretty well behaved for most of it. Above all I became more scared of a video game system for our family than I was before. The boys got a Wii and brought it over at my request. It was addictive for all, but sure seemed complicated. I can't wait to hear how Nicole, Greg and the boys are mastering the system! We got home fairly early, but really tired. I "pushed" myself onward and made four more Lego sets. Evan would be proud of me.
<p>I won't give out all the details just yet, but expect some big changes for this blog for 2013, including some local weather reports with detailed measurements as Meg got me a super gift I've been thinking about for years ... a home weather station! I'm pretty psyched.
<p>We're all looking forward to more Christmas fun. Hopefully Meg and I can sneak out somehow and have a breakfast date or something similar.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BpB9SHSbEJFCrvja-4_Fo1wOB3Z-7OfCQ6uLXFQRb88TETrAc5tlV11RTAf62U3kBJsV71VEIq8Ij8sCZwaKL8QlOrn8OWiByK-PM8n_ppQt9_-9AEKrDjYH9Hu3yCYIZ0f1TIh_8r4G/s1600/IMG_3844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BpB9SHSbEJFCrvja-4_Fo1wOB3Z-7OfCQ6uLXFQRb88TETrAc5tlV11RTAf62U3kBJsV71VEIq8Ij8sCZwaKL8QlOrn8OWiByK-PM8n_ppQt9_-9AEKrDjYH9Hu3yCYIZ0f1TIh_8r4G/s400/IMG_3844.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCLcFTBu_lOk6f5aEAXOGZNIZE6elv-H7tiBOJQI9ihmbCYrXGCXQYQpQdBbQw_O3VP_aPdXYiMuiA4JZDymuqsH-blV8df8mIK3nwNI_pDGD3jocy-y9SlzhniultFEi-eGhBkvJmK7-/s1600/IMG_3854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCLcFTBu_lOk6f5aEAXOGZNIZE6elv-H7tiBOJQI9ihmbCYrXGCXQYQpQdBbQw_O3VP_aPdXYiMuiA4JZDymuqsH-blV8df8mIK3nwNI_pDGD3jocy-y9SlzhniultFEi-eGhBkvJmK7-/s400/IMG_3854.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlw-bhzGo67mkO4jwoBtOgoYEElysF6NQrZILDKnvaprghUBgAwBjk7nTCoIik3_Xbnfw6ebwhWQqOuKFpy2wUSEp3erOXKF4EBWtb2Vk7BobknMliKnsbTO_RWKxj7IxVrmnXIDSTpub/s1600/IMG_3859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlw-bhzGo67mkO4jwoBtOgoYEElysF6NQrZILDKnvaprghUBgAwBjk7nTCoIik3_Xbnfw6ebwhWQqOuKFpy2wUSEp3erOXKF4EBWtb2Vk7BobknMliKnsbTO_RWKxj7IxVrmnXIDSTpub/s400/IMG_3859.JPG" /></a>
<p>8,000 halves turned up one 90% silver half dollar (1964), twenty-two 40% silver halves (1965, 3 x 1966, 14 x 1967, 4 x 1968D), one proof half (1978S) and one Dominican Republic 50¢.
<p>6,440 quarters produced four Canadians, five US nickels, three US pennies, one Bermuda 25¢ and one US dime.
<p>2,650 dimes rounded up four Canadians.
<p>1,600 nickels yielded four Canadians (2 Ni), four US pennies and one Kenya 40¢ (1969).kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-26470569052900425912012-12-21T15:29:00.000-05:002012-12-21T15:29:17.022-05:00A couple days ago it was my birthday. When I got home I got even better greeting that usual (the kids usually make a big deal of my arrival ... it is very nice). Hazel ran up to me and said, "Happy Birthday, for you!" while pointing at me and dancing a bit as if she were a Supreme. It was really cute. Henry came up to me and gave me a present he made, a drawing. That night Meg made me a special treat of ham, homemade mac-n-cheese and brussel sprouts. For dessert we had rice pudding.
<p>The next night Meg and I went out to eat and my folks watched the kids. It tasted good and was relaxing!
<p>400 half dollars had two 40% silver halves (1967, 1968D).
<p>4,080 quarters turned up fifteen Canadians, two US nickels and one US penny.
<P>4,300 dimes rounded up fifteen Canadians and one UK 5 pence.
<P>1,440 nickels yielded thirteen Canadians (8 Ni), five US dimes and one US penny.
<P>Overall those were some pretty lame-o coins I searched.kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-88384473952160103572012-12-18T11:15:00.001-05:002012-12-18T15:36:04.314-05:00Last night Henry told me, "Hazel had a bad dream at nap time. She dreamed a large monster was eating her ... I asked her and she said, 'Yes.' Something tells me Henry doesn't know the power of suggestive interrogation! Meg told me afterwards that Henry, himself, had such a dream recently.
<p>This morning Henry asked me why I had to go to work today if today is my birthday. I like that idea! He also wondered why he had to go to school on such a special day ... thanks little dude!
<p>17 small dollars had one Canadian.
<p>8,000 half dollars turned up eight 90% silver halves (2 x 1941, 1942S, 1944, 1944S, 1946, 2 x 1964), seventeen 40% silver halves (2 x 1965, 1966, 6 x 1967, 5 x 1968D, 3 x 1969D), six proof halves (1976S, 2 x 1978S, 3 x 1979S) and one new modern mint set one for me, the <b>2012D.</b>
<p>3,360 quarters yielded five Canadians (one was a 1966, 80% silver), one US nickel, one US penny, one quarter with a cud on the reverse (2006P North Dakota) and one new modern one for me, the <b>2012P Denali.</b> That's the first 1966 Canadian quarter I've found in a roll. The cud error is worth about $12. Here's a <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/2006-P-North-Dakota-State-Quarter-Error-Die-Break-Cud-Reverse-AU-/261119008040?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item3ccbe7dd28&nma=true&si=Rq%2FLfzmMEt1OflOgnb5jMPrw848%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557">link</a> to an E-bay sale of a very similar coin; my coin must be from the same die and is in the same condition.
<p>2,300 dimes rounded up one silver Rosie (1946) and one UK 5 pence.
<p>1,240 nickels produced one War Time (1945S), one Canadian nickel and one Canadian dime.
<p>13,950 pennies yielded ninety-five Wheats, one hundred sixty-five Canadians, twenty-six US dimes, one US nickel, one Bahamas 1¢, one Guyana $5 (2008), one Australian 5¢ and one Euro 2¢.
<p>1909(2), 1911, 1917D, 1919(3), 1920, 1926, 1928, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1939(3)kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-6547983287590049192012-12-14T14:48:00.001-05:002012-12-14T14:51:32.001-05:00Yesterday I took the day off to take Henry and Hazel to their first dentist visit with Meg. We were scared ... three of us anyway. Meg and I were scared because we've seen what doctor and hair dresser can do to Henry; Henry was scared because, well it was something new and he was expecting something awful, "Is the dentist going to take my teeth out?" he asked us? The Bernstein Bears book about going to the dentist backfired a bit I suppose.
<p>Well, wonders be no one had a reason to be scared. Henry and Hazel dressed without fuss, got in the car no problem, played blissfully in the waiting room (got two stuffed dolphins from the staff) and went willingly into the examination room. Henry was very shy and didn't talk much to the dental assistant, but she did a really nice job walking him through everything and letting him play with all of her tools. It went as well as it could of, better even. Hazel's turn was after Henry. She wasn't very cooperative, but they didn't try to do much with her and she held up through it all so we didn't care. "Do you guys do haircuts too?," I asked. Afterwards we celebrating with a trip to the mall food court for pizza slices and a ride on carousel.
<p>I took a bunch of pictures of the whole experience. Towards the end of the appointment they told me I wasn't supposed to be taking pictures. So are some of the ones I took illegally with some censoring!
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9Iu-LQh0zE4f-jWLWNkUaixN_9cWQwn5h7VKA1yfD4y8JOoXkp7tYmiuG8XPMeOXI2zFhiqyNCmP2XPZnfGIx8V7l1yhotAEYcHm5FuNl7sGG4hAzUz6aZClxqy7nKpHJSdWlt7YeMLg/s1600/IMG_3822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9Iu-LQh0zE4f-jWLWNkUaixN_9cWQwn5h7VKA1yfD4y8JOoXkp7tYmiuG8XPMeOXI2zFhiqyNCmP2XPZnfGIx8V7l1yhotAEYcHm5FuNl7sGG4hAzUz6aZClxqy7nKpHJSdWlt7YeMLg/s400/IMG_3822.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26A5lpT_zxAzYUpHYE4_9dGjoPdEdrjXROXJgK1ESfcgKEsRFl2IYg4qDfwSjTPtTYBLgC9Pse0JkYJEHVXLhoDykxbk6wHqypfY1sUDwiw5qD1eGyzgda5TTpzuPrVqcKNITl6i4Gr91/s1600/IMG_3827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26A5lpT_zxAzYUpHYE4_9dGjoPdEdrjXROXJgK1ESfcgKEsRFl2IYg4qDfwSjTPtTYBLgC9Pse0JkYJEHVXLhoDykxbk6wHqypfY1sUDwiw5qD1eGyzgda5TTpzuPrVqcKNITl6i4Gr91/s400/IMG_3827.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBdZRSryamAGwlqriSGRrEAzNXBFHU6unEbvtBKHBSeb6P6vwepFic9zEPizWKq2ciNQkuSiRIFT6wwcXLGESlBPsTAWsmSlBdh0blNdGn70HI7R1oR8kwsEuZp1zxUF5P6Ai1lad0VMo/s1600/cIMG_3833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBdZRSryamAGwlqriSGRrEAzNXBFHU6unEbvtBKHBSeb6P6vwepFic9zEPizWKq2ciNQkuSiRIFT6wwcXLGESlBPsTAWsmSlBdh0blNdGn70HI7R1oR8kwsEuZp1zxUF5P6Ai1lad0VMo/s400/cIMG_3833.jpg" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmedjKTueASK22jtfYWNpD6_nZrxUsHzvQbr7MwAbzAYgbvAFrXoz9Bnu0hbPhyphenhyphendFpTvsz_Hc6W1vnJ0Hmwni2FSavZsMG3L3EjDmDaJmb-egWld0hMm89Yql2M1-YFuZFbhaf1pvzDD7/s1600/cIMG_3834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmedjKTueASK22jtfYWNpD6_nZrxUsHzvQbr7MwAbzAYgbvAFrXoz9Bnu0hbPhyphenhyphendFpTvsz_Hc6W1vnJ0Hmwni2FSavZsMG3L3EjDmDaJmb-egWld0hMm89Yql2M1-YFuZFbhaf1pvzDD7/s400/cIMG_3834.jpg" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyw3MWE-HU2J6kNZYdUWznSrhyphenhyphenpLvz4-wKYuoXB0H6M7M16M1EDfMaNMo4TdYPMsG5ARu-qqIdt6zxSz_215It1fVcHcBA0mnBTZidseQN1jAYC1wpXUdBAiFtSsiQ7s3ob6IaiKMqsHgd/s1600/IMG_3837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyw3MWE-HU2J6kNZYdUWznSrhyphenhyphenpLvz4-wKYuoXB0H6M7M16M1EDfMaNMo4TdYPMsG5ARu-qqIdt6zxSz_215It1fVcHcBA0mnBTZidseQN1jAYC1wpXUdBAiFtSsiQ7s3ob6IaiKMqsHgd/s400/IMG_3837.JPG" /></a>
<p>Here's a great piece of work Henry made at school. I think the person is supposed to be him picking up toys (it's a fantasy piece).
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmoCzLXj_xJxuRtUKC_ZjnBH1X5NNQwFDUMFv3uj6Ck1VwKLbJzCz5-dlxxAAOaZQHiJhc9KtbV6Ew10D34HRvgi7QLjjrLuNp9iZy4S2MCPQQr6omarLk8vFgG9EtWgI_mFx9PE7fIol/s1600/IMG_3840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmoCzLXj_xJxuRtUKC_ZjnBH1X5NNQwFDUMFv3uj6Ck1VwKLbJzCz5-dlxxAAOaZQHiJhc9KtbV6Ew10D34HRvgi7QLjjrLuNp9iZy4S2MCPQQr6omarLk8vFgG9EtWgI_mFx9PE7fIol/s400/IMG_3840.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfJEUhxIosgWhW0dODOpCVlQ5jZlOP4imZRibqEdCrUBA2m_qRxZF4Zho91EUBGDDr5hMEhoRhuBn6_I9nJMZbEaRN535Y_SOZktwPxVqUXyZaDa5hN9N4pM31jNK3FkePF2kdS2lcEcG/s1600/IMG_3841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfJEUhxIosgWhW0dODOpCVlQ5jZlOP4imZRibqEdCrUBA2m_qRxZF4Zho91EUBGDDr5hMEhoRhuBn6_I9nJMZbEaRN535Y_SOZktwPxVqUXyZaDa5hN9N4pM31jNK3FkePF2kdS2lcEcG/s400/IMG_3841.JPG" /></a>
<p>1,760 quarters turned up three Canadians and one Bermuda 25¢.
<p>600 dimes rounded up one silver Rosie (1961D) and two Canadians.
<p>280 nickels had one Swiss 20 Rappen.kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-64316004645582438482012-12-12T09:36:00.001-05:002012-12-12T09:36:53.534-05:00Last night I worked with Henry on one of his first homework assignments. I'm so glad he waited for me to get home to do it. I cut out the pictures, he glued on some and Hazel glued on others. Henry also drew various things on the sheet. My favorite drawing of his in the piece is the one he did of Hazel's doll. I know before long helping him do homework will be a big pain, but for now it still has some novelty to it! (Ironically I had spoken to my sister earlier and she was struggling with Evan and his multiplication homework ... that'll be me in a few years ... I'm sure of it.)
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39CBGoNxHXseIhptrubsmokeJY8HMh2DqwYo7XndB4cccqtd7c7cmPIU49r4vJyctX-OwcY6bHhH5bu30zSQLet9iyPh36cKP6fboBAgtpBbDV7FLcrw-sXa7DUMUkzqRjd9xq2mcKY6T/s1600/IMG_3816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39CBGoNxHXseIhptrubsmokeJY8HMh2DqwYo7XndB4cccqtd7c7cmPIU49r4vJyctX-OwcY6bHhH5bu30zSQLet9iyPh36cKP6fboBAgtpBbDV7FLcrw-sXa7DUMUkzqRjd9xq2mcKY6T/s400/IMG_3816.JPG" /></a>
<p>Henry's homework.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpCxnfF_vUt9UUjp_ghCkpUJ-Y6xTr_8AxI4rckDxF6zhKxHRj0DcmXXI-1ceDai2q0mKcSH14W8AV6iiXiQQAuW7ZTro-ThXpUcVElGbldH4uCNwFc-7rjn0BfeBMfnVzX0OjcSQTabA/s1600/IMG_3818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpCxnfF_vUt9UUjp_ghCkpUJ-Y6xTr_8AxI4rckDxF6zhKxHRj0DcmXXI-1ceDai2q0mKcSH14W8AV6iiXiQQAuW7ZTro-ThXpUcVElGbldH4uCNwFc-7rjn0BfeBMfnVzX0OjcSQTabA/s400/IMG_3818.JPG" /></a>
<p>This is another drawing Henry drew yesterday. It includes a stop sign and traffic light.
<p>3,080 quarters rounded up eight Canadians, one US nickel, two US pennies and one Chinese 1 Yuan.
<p>2,300 dimes yielded four silver Rosies (1952, 1954, 1963D, 1964D), three US pennies, two Canadians and one Estonian 20 Senti. That's the first coin from Estonia for me. A new country!
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4o-2lrwVULfprVCic4W1n0E0Cpi9HInDSK_D-THc2U_SUmsyJ0BZblbkbgVK2q9YsZa_KwyJpI9_87gCTuAm8yPjVloByc-_Rk_OPDpXQC7SK66yQ7gXyT6HiuHe9UUzxNmh7iteNTKzq/s1600/64-23a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="157" width="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4o-2lrwVULfprVCic4W1n0E0Cpi9HInDSK_D-THc2U_SUmsyJ0BZblbkbgVK2q9YsZa_KwyJpI9_87gCTuAm8yPjVloByc-_Rk_OPDpXQC7SK66yQ7gXyT6HiuHe9UUzxNmh7iteNTKzq/s400/64-23a.jpg" /></a>
<p>1,640 nickels got me four Canadians (2 Ni) and one US dime.kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-63567355033532779502012-12-10T09:31:00.000-05:002012-12-11T14:57:48.081-05:00Here are some pictures I've taken recently.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ueFRtfDYwuxC0Sd4yBnAHLQ-LfJaLuOnimpBRQPipvf9WcpptnWMW09w0uZeOwAgW8gssDZNxw_XItvW8Kt7xsS_Guq-XyHJ7tRrMOhVvEihKVKyuZ8s-c63cESuhx8EIwfGoY_A1nwM/s1600/IMG_3792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ueFRtfDYwuxC0Sd4yBnAHLQ-LfJaLuOnimpBRQPipvf9WcpptnWMW09w0uZeOwAgW8gssDZNxw_XItvW8Kt7xsS_Guq-XyHJ7tRrMOhVvEihKVKyuZ8s-c63cESuhx8EIwfGoY_A1nwM/s400/IMG_3792.JPG" /></a>
<p>On Tuesday last week I had to stay home in the morning for a bit longer than usual so that I could pick up my phone at the Bank of America. I left it there over the weekend! Henry was motivated by Sid the Science Kid to do some drawings for his grandmothers and send them out via the computer. This is probably his best car drawing yet! It includes an exhaust pipe and exhaust!
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0RKTJHoMbpnQUrzfZi0lxJPkTUNVKhhdPmGC-HVQzUc-mBdvLFz-Wmgp0yRqkZ6CkeG_ircKRuluXtrI2JhSOvwVXgsXpM_6GJdZdTX1kmq0mQNZSUIjvTBWrIzB8dJRgAGRvPyyK333/s1600/IMG_3795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0RKTJHoMbpnQUrzfZi0lxJPkTUNVKhhdPmGC-HVQzUc-mBdvLFz-Wmgp0yRqkZ6CkeG_ircKRuluXtrI2JhSOvwVXgsXpM_6GJdZdTX1kmq0mQNZSUIjvTBWrIzB8dJRgAGRvPyyK333/s400/IMG_3795.JPG" /></a>
<p>Not to be outdone Hazel drew this.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHwGj1W4uFQk4VKABQ7Y6P6ZZcpsTozvWflAs46YsRGf6LFptwsPwFNCYWFYQVY2crC_fPLXRcTgBStKzUFILW9pQrPzCL-NpgMh5EmU1YBvYbbvIRBh9pgoVRaCJ4q5PPC2pAbzYNAFY/s1600/IMG_3797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHwGj1W4uFQk4VKABQ7Y6P6ZZcpsTozvWflAs46YsRGf6LFptwsPwFNCYWFYQVY2crC_fPLXRcTgBStKzUFILW9pQrPzCL-NpgMh5EmU1YBvYbbvIRBh9pgoVRaCJ4q5PPC2pAbzYNAFY/s400/IMG_3797.JPG" /></a>
<p>On Saturday Nicole and I took all of the cousins to my grandfather's VFW Post for their annual Christmas party. The kids did really well there. In the above picture Henry and Hazel are watching the magician. A sampling of his jokes are:
<p>"My wife asked me to take her somewhere expensive; so I took her to the gas station. She said, 'No, take me somewhere I've never been before.' So I took her to the kitchen."
<p>(When calling up a young volunteer.) "Come on up, sweaty ... I mean sweety."
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SSM4O_TbpbAMlc5odN0BKr2GpAgnMbHrgIPl71BVoNm3AW0gKxMmOOl7v3gco0rcOayHVVFsxMNY1rzFNwSRMl62AqTvpVmePu9qyhJ94u76_hP59f-v-4YPKFn7hgsUDMgHuoXN2Qlm/s1600/IMG_3801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SSM4O_TbpbAMlc5odN0BKr2GpAgnMbHrgIPl71BVoNm3AW0gKxMmOOl7v3gco0rcOayHVVFsxMNY1rzFNwSRMl62AqTvpVmePu9qyhJ94u76_hP59f-v-4YPKFn7hgsUDMgHuoXN2Qlm/s400/IMG_3801.JPG" /></a>
<p>This year Evan was a volunteer helper. He did well.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-22kl9UNgBr_jvYEsKiDEQ38WsGXE0ZO8-u9zwOsrpj7ejZU2lTZaBRNW5swUwiNNM9MAx93qkf-VKQbspuJh-4rXU2lQWhXhyR12c3vwTAkyuASwHIsh_tGb09aSC7D1mi0jRMQweNM/s1600/IMG_3804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-22kl9UNgBr_jvYEsKiDEQ38WsGXE0ZO8-u9zwOsrpj7ejZU2lTZaBRNW5swUwiNNM9MAx93qkf-VKQbspuJh-4rXU2lQWhXhyR12c3vwTAkyuASwHIsh_tGb09aSC7D1mi0jRMQweNM/s400/IMG_3804.JPG" /></a>
<p>Before Santa arrived Liam joined the other kids in singing Christmas carols. The other three cousins just sat and watched. Liam did really well. Nicole didn't realize he knew so many carols! After the caroling was over the emcee told the kids that she wanted them to say into the microphone what they wanted for Christmas. At this point, totally unprompted by anyone, Henry joined the group, when up to the lady with the microphone, got a turn and said, "car." I was so thrilled! Meg was too. I wish she had seen it. Liam also did well and spoke of a big Lego set. (Before the event I was totally blown away by Liam's reading! It was unreal.)
<p>8,000 halves turned up one 40% silver halves (1969D), one token (says "Good for One Beer") and a half that's colorized for the 30th anniversary of Elvis's death.
<p>2,520 quarters rounded up one silver Washington (1961D), three Canadians and two US nickels.
<p>1,350 dimes got me one silver Rosie (1951) and eight Canadians.
<p>640 nickels produced two Canadians (1 Ni).kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-10285548842009027932012-12-10T09:10:00.000-05:002012-12-10T09:10:39.779-05:008,000 halves produced eighteen 40% silver halves (1966, 8 x 1967, 5 x 1968D, 2 x 1969D).
<p>18,800 pennies turned up one hundred twenty-five Wheats, one hundred fifty Canadians, thirteen US dimes, one Bahamas 1¢, two Bermuda 1¢ and three UK pennies.
<p>1916, 1919, 1921S, 1925, 1934D, 1935, 1935S, 1936(2), 1937(2), 1938, 1939(2)kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-30467018634725111282012-11-30T09:25:00.000-05:002012-11-30T13:37:08.695-05:00<p>Here's two good exchanges from Henry (somewhat paraphrased):
<p>Henry: "Today we told knock-knock jokes." Meg: "Oh, yeah, like what?" Henry: "Someone said, 'Knock, Knock. I peed.'" Meg: "Did you tell any?" Henry: "They weren't funny."
<p>Henry: "Wyatt told me he threw up on his train for Christmas. His mother threw it out. In the trash can!"
<p>And an oldie (last week) from Hazel via and e-mail from Meg:
<p><i>On the way home from dropping Henry at school, Hazel asked me when you were coming home. I told her not until supper time, and she asked why. So I reminded her that you'd gone back to work. She then asked me why you go to work. I told her that you go to work to make money. Her response, "For ME?" I laughed and said yes, and she yelled out "Yayy! Money for me! Where my money? My money at home?"</i>
<p>106 small dollars had one Canadian.
<p>3,200 quarters turned up four Canadians (one was a 1960, 80% silver), five US nickels, one US dime, two US pennies and one Bermuda 25¢. The 1960 silver Canadian is the the first one I've found of that date.
<p>2,250 dimes rounded up one silver Rosie (1959), one Canadian and one Israel 1 Shekel.
<p>1,280 nickels produced one Buffalo (1913S Type 1), two War Times (1942P, 1943P), one Canadian (1 Ni), two US dimes and one US penny. The Buffalo is a great one. I actually found another of these in September, but this one is far better. The previous one had a date I couldn't read, this one has a full date! I think it's worth like $40-$50.kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-32263690299327947932012-11-28T08:56:00.004-05:002012-11-28T08:58:03.541-05:00Happy Thanksgiving!It has been a while since I wrote ... sorry. I had five days off for the Thanksgiving. It was great. The day before Thanksgiving Meg cooked a ton, I patched a five year old hole in our ceiling and the kids spent a good long day at Nana and Grandpa's (with a nap from Hazel)!! They're even up to doing it again - the kids that is - I haven't asked the grandparents, but I think they'll be game too.
<p>For Thanksgiving we had twenty people at our house. It was one of my favorite holidays we've all had together. I've been enjoying the food for almost a week! The behavior of the kids couldn't have been better, they were no trouble at all. I particularly liked the time I had with my eldest nephew Evan. We share a lot of interests.
<p>Throughout the weekend we also had a great trip to the library, a good time with the boyz at the Higgin's Armory and McDonald's and a pretty well behaved time at Bertucci's. We even did some clothes shopping with the kids.
<p>Here are some good quotes from the kids before I forget.
<p>Henry: "Why do turkeys like Thanksgiving?"
<p>Hazel: "Mommy outsigh?" Henry: "There's a 'd' at the end of that Hazel!"
<p>Henry: "I'm my own brother."
<p>Me: "Hello" Hazel: "What you say?" Henry: "I said 'hello' to Henry." Hazel: "Why?" Me: "Um, because he came downstairs."
<p>Here's two pictures of the kids creativity. There's been even more we don't have pictures of, lots of drawings and some cute playing. Yesterday they made a camp for duck in Hazel's room and Meg overheard Henry teaching Hazel "Jingle Bells" with instruments. I'm sorry I missed that one!
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbF0Luu5wFR2zKYnJArhhADWdP1Wa9TMSwN_fTXIUEm0EbEreC4J7M7qu-ahNYJcT4jWfLbP9CvGW8Z_6peE65js5Dh-1YomcWOCn8Hkna4cyHegYoMpY0-SfjnNkj5XQiPg4STZjMr67/s1600/IMG_3785%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbF0Luu5wFR2zKYnJArhhADWdP1Wa9TMSwN_fTXIUEm0EbEreC4J7M7qu-ahNYJcT4jWfLbP9CvGW8Z_6peE65js5Dh-1YomcWOCn8Hkna4cyHegYoMpY0-SfjnNkj5XQiPg4STZjMr67/s400/IMG_3785%255B1%255D.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<p>This is Henry's scene he made. He told me it was Tougas Farms, with benches for sitting and eating donuts, houses for the people who work, a building to sell donuts and a building to sell the baskets for picking apples. I tried to get in the photo so I could put in on their Facebook page ... oh well. Notice the increased realism now that I have let him use some trees and bushes I made years ago.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQgfRONTETEE4YxANiJUo-QorAhnEKjd2nvsFHUS7vmfesch7alS0gmmmZfbuzuGWKyL9KkFqOo3d8IfovWJLqS4w2bNQzDT31B3QozCLGlHhEXW8wnK3WmDWsn6tJ6Lvq1eXCadjgczA/s1600/IMG_3788%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQgfRONTETEE4YxANiJUo-QorAhnEKjd2nvsFHUS7vmfesch7alS0gmmmZfbuzuGWKyL9KkFqOo3d8IfovWJLqS4w2bNQzDT31B3QozCLGlHhEXW8wnK3WmDWsn6tJ6Lvq1eXCadjgczA/s400/IMG_3788%255B1%255D.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<p>Here's Hazy in the morning with a see saw she made.
<p>44 small dollars had nothing.
<p>8,009 half dollars got me one 90% silver half (1964) and twenty-three 40% silver halves (1965, 6 x 1966, 8 x 1967, 5 x 1968D, 3 x 1969D).
<p>17,680 quarters turned up three silver quarters (1959D, 1962D, 1964D), twenty-one Canadians, two UK 10 pence, one US penny, five US nickels, one Kenya 1 Shilling (2005), one U.A.E. 1 Dirham, two Bahamas 25¢ and two South Korean 100 Won.
<p>12,050 dimes yielded five silver Rosies (1959, 1961D, 1963D, 2 x 1964D), twenty-three Canadians, two Bermuda 10¢, one Irish 5 pence, one Swiss 10 Rappen, two US pennies, three UK 5 pence and one Venezuela25¢. This pushes me over the 2,000,000 mark!
<p>2,880 nickels rounded up three War Times (1945D, 2 x 1945S), six Canadians (2 Ni), one US dime and one US penny.
<p>10,000 pennies produced forty-two Wheats, sixty-four Canadians, two US dimes, one Brazilian 1¢ and one Barbados 1¢.
<p>1924, 1936, 1939
kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-83505543029909572892012-11-28T08:56:00.003-05:002012-11-28T08:57:11.460-05:00Happy Thanksgiving!It has been a while since I wrote ... sorry. I had five days off for the Thanksgiving. It was great. The day before Thanksgiving Meg cooked a ton, I patched a five year old hole in our ceiling and the kids spent a good long day at Nana and Grandpa's (with a nap from Hazel)!! They're even up to doing it again - the kids that is - I haven't asked the grandparents, but I think they'll be game too.
<p>For Thanksgiving we had twenty people at our house. It was one of my favorite holidays we've all had together. I've been enjoying the food for almost a week! The behavior of the kids couldn't have been better, they were no trouble at all. I particularly liked the time I had with my eldest nephew Evan. We share a lot of interests.
<p>Throughout the weekend we also had a great trip to the library, a good time with the boyz at the Higgin's Armory and McDonald's and a pretty well behaved time at Bertucci's. We even did some clothes shopping with the kids.
<p>Here are some good quotes from the kids before I forget.
<p>Henry: "Why do turkeys like Thanksgiving?"
<p>Hazel: "Mommy outsigh?" Henry: "There's a 'd' at the end of that Hazel!"
<p>Henry: "I'm my own brother."
<p>Me: "Hello" Hazel: "What you say?" Henry: "I said 'hello' to Henry." Hazel: "Why?" Me: "Um, because he came downstairs."
<p>Here's two pictures of the kids creativity. There's been even more we don't have pictures of, lots of drawings and some cute playing. Yesterday they made a camp for duck in Hazel's room and Meg overheard Henry teaching Hazel "Jingle Bells" with instruments. I'm sorry I missed that one!
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbF0Luu5wFR2zKYnJArhhADWdP1Wa9TMSwN_fTXIUEm0EbEreC4J7M7qu-ahNYJcT4jWfLbP9CvGW8Z_6peE65js5Dh-1YomcWOCn8Hkna4cyHegYoMpY0-SfjnNkj5XQiPg4STZjMr67/s1600/IMG_3785%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbF0Luu5wFR2zKYnJArhhADWdP1Wa9TMSwN_fTXIUEm0EbEreC4J7M7qu-ahNYJcT4jWfLbP9CvGW8Z_6peE65js5Dh-1YomcWOCn8Hkna4cyHegYoMpY0-SfjnNkj5XQiPg4STZjMr67/s400/IMG_3785%255B1%255D.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<p>This is Henry's scene he made. He told me it was Tougas Farms, with benches for sitting and eating donuts, houses for the people who work, a building to sell donuts and a building to sell the baskets for picking apples. I tried to get in the photo so I could put in on their Facebook page ... oh well. Notice the increased realism now that I have let him use some trees and bushes I made years ago.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQgfRONTETEE4YxANiJUo-QorAhnEKjd2nvsFHUS7vmfesch7alS0gmmmZfbuzuGWKyL9KkFqOo3d8IfovWJLqS4w2bNQzDT31B3QozCLGlHhEXW8wnK3WmDWsn6tJ6Lvq1eXCadjgczA/s1600/IMG_3788%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQgfRONTETEE4YxANiJUo-QorAhnEKjd2nvsFHUS7vmfesch7alS0gmmmZfbuzuGWKyL9KkFqOo3d8IfovWJLqS4w2bNQzDT31B3QozCLGlHhEXW8wnK3WmDWsn6tJ6Lvq1eXCadjgczA/s400/IMG_3788%255B1%255D.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<p>Here's Hazy in the morning with a see saw she made.
<p>44 small dollars had nothing.
<p>8,009 half dollars got me one 90% silver half (1964) and twenty-three 40% silver halves (1965, 6 x 1966, 8 x 1967, 5 x 1968D, 3 x 1969D).
<p>17,680 quarters turned up three silver quarters (1959D, 1962D, 1964D), twenty-one Canadians, two UK 10 pence, one US penny, five US nickels, one Kenya 1 Shilling (2005), one U.A.E. 1 Dirham, two Bahamas 25¢ and two South Korean 100 Won.
<p>12,050 dimes yielded five silver Rosies (1959, 1961D, 1963D, 2 x 1964D), twenty-three Canadians, two Bermuda 10¢, one Irish 5 pence, one Swiss 10 Rappen, two US pennies, three UK 5 pence and one Venezuela25¢. This pushes me over the 2,000,000 mark!
<p>2,880 nickels rounded up three War Times (1945D, 2 x 1945S), six Canadians (2 Ni), one US dime and one US penny.
<p>10,000 pennies produced forty-two Wheats, sixty-four Canadians, two US dimes, one Brazilian 1¢ and one Barbados 1¢.
<p>1924, 1936, 1939
kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-75079941693588565362012-11-28T08:56:00.001-05:002012-11-28T08:56:52.509-05:00Happy Thanksgiving!It has been a while since I wrote ... sorry. I had five days off for the Thanksgiving. It was great. The day before Thanksgiving Meg cooked a ton, I patched a five year old hole in our ceiling and the kids spent a good long day at Nana and Grandpa's (with a nap from Hazel)!! They're even up to doing it again - the kids that is - I haven't asked the grandparents, but I think they'll be game too.
<p>For Thanksgiving we had twenty people at our house. It was one of my favorite holidays we've all had together. I've been enjoying the food for almost a week! The behavior of the kids couldn't have been better, they were no trouble at all. I particularly liked the time I had with my eldest nephew Evan. We share a lot of interests.
<p>Throughout the weekend we also had a great trip to the library, a good time with the boyz at the Higgin's Armory and McDonald's and a pretty well behaved time at Bertucci's. We even did some clothes shopping with the kids.
<p>Here are some good quotes from the kids before I forget.
<p>Henry: "Why do turkeys like Thanksgiving?"
<p>Hazel: "Mommy outsigh?" Henry: "There's a 'd' at the end of that Hazel!"
<p>Henry: "I'm my own brother."
<p>Me: "Hello" Hazel: "What you say?" Henry: "I said 'hello' to Henry." Hazel: "Why?" Me: "Um, because he came downstairs."
<p>Here's two pictures of the kids creativity. There's been even more we don't have pictures of, lots of drawings and some cute playing. Yesterday they made a camp for duck in Hazel's room and Meg overheard Henry teaching Hazel "Jingle Bells" with instruments. I'm sorry I missed that one!
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbF0Luu5wFR2zKYnJArhhADWdP1Wa9TMSwN_fTXIUEm0EbEreC4J7M7qu-ahNYJcT4jWfLbP9CvGW8Z_6peE65js5Dh-1YomcWOCn8Hkna4cyHegYoMpY0-SfjnNkj5XQiPg4STZjMr67/s1600/IMG_3785%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbF0Luu5wFR2zKYnJArhhADWdP1Wa9TMSwN_fTXIUEm0EbEreC4J7M7qu-ahNYJcT4jWfLbP9CvGW8Z_6peE65js5Dh-1YomcWOCn8Hkna4cyHegYoMpY0-SfjnNkj5XQiPg4STZjMr67/s400/IMG_3785%255B1%255D.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<p>This is Henry's scene he made. He told me it was Tougas Farms, with benches for sitting and eating donuts, houses for the people who work, a building to sell donuts and a building to sell the baskets for picking apples. I tried to get in the photo so I could put in on their Facebook page ... oh well. Notice the increased realism now that I have let him use some trees and bushes I made years ago.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQgfRONTETEE4YxANiJUo-QorAhnEKjd2nvsFHUS7vmfesch7alS0gmmmZfbuzuGWKyL9KkFqOo3d8IfovWJLqS4w2bNQzDT31B3QozCLGlHhEXW8wnK3WmDWsn6tJ6Lvq1eXCadjgczA/s1600/IMG_3788%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQgfRONTETEE4YxANiJUo-QorAhnEKjd2nvsFHUS7vmfesch7alS0gmmmZfbuzuGWKyL9KkFqOo3d8IfovWJLqS4w2bNQzDT31B3QozCLGlHhEXW8wnK3WmDWsn6tJ6Lvq1eXCadjgczA/s400/IMG_3788%255B1%255D.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<p>Here's Hazy in the morning with a see saw she made.
<p>44 small dollars had nothing.
<p>8,009 half dollars got me one 90% silver half (1964) and twenty-three 40% silver halves (1965, 6 x 1966, 8 x 1967, 5 x 1968D, 3 x 1969D).
<p>17,680 quarters turned up three silver quarters (1959D, 1962D, 1964D), twenty-one Canadians, two UK 10 pence, one US penny, five US nickels, one Kenya 1 Shilling (2005), one U.A.E. 1 Dirham, two Bahamas 25¢ and two South Korean 100 Won.
<p>12,050 dimes yielded five silver Rosies (1959, 1961D, 1963D, 2 x 1964D), twenty-three Canadians, two Bermuda 10¢, one Irish 5 pence, one Swiss 10 Rappen, two US pennies, three UK 5 pence and one Venezuela25¢. This pushes me over the 2,000,000 mark!
<p>2,880 nickels rounded up three War Times (1945D, 2 x 1945S), six Canadians (2 Ni), one US dime and one US penny.
<p>10,000 pennies produced forty-two Wheats, sixty-four Canadians, two US dimes, one Brazilian 1¢ and one Barbados 1¢.
<p>1924, 1936, 1939
kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-43949043009175563302012-11-19T20:28:00.002-05:002012-11-19T20:28:55.421-05:00Today Meg heard two funny things from Henry. This morning she overheard him say to Hazel, "I can't teach everything, Hazel. You need to learn somethings by yourself." We're not sure what Hazel was requesting to be taught. After school, Henry said to Meg, "you know what the old people were called ... pilgrims;" he then described their ocean crossing voyage with some wavy hand motions, "like this."
<p>Not to be outdone Hazel has been pretty chatty too. This weekend we saw her cover her face and say, "where are you, me?" Similarly she told her baby, "I love you, me."
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CCcvMji2kT-PMNCBBDn3ggdjNyCKs2kAZmpSCKFT4TBwpROVnhLua-SB_cuIjpPwhttxWmnd4b5nxKmW-l-luu9wp3LvpArrVybhdggXcewKlPxQijPtrXJai9-2mgJwZ0r-7xgL3voN/s1600/IMG_3779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CCcvMji2kT-PMNCBBDn3ggdjNyCKs2kAZmpSCKFT4TBwpROVnhLua-SB_cuIjpPwhttxWmnd4b5nxKmW-l-luu9wp3LvpArrVybhdggXcewKlPxQijPtrXJai9-2mgJwZ0r-7xgL3voN/s400/IMG_3779.JPG" /></a>
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDLBvlGPaiaOp1cZW6b0UgFFUNaJ3adoxREKybI0Fhk13u2gsMD-izvR2p0wS_pkDk7o_Bqu8TH12DMJAinFeAwumDxY-JruVIrMOPwW2-q8AW7ORbD5KyXOIoB011Dk16o6lee-V8IA5/s1600/IMG_3778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDLBvlGPaiaOp1cZW6b0UgFFUNaJ3adoxREKybI0Fhk13u2gsMD-izvR2p0wS_pkDk7o_Bqu8TH12DMJAinFeAwumDxY-JruVIrMOPwW2-q8AW7ORbD5KyXOIoB011Dk16o6lee-V8IA5/s400/IMG_3778.JPG" /></a><p>8,000 halves had two 90% silver halves (1962, 1964) and four 40% halves (3 x 1967, 1968D).
<p>2,680 quarters turned up two Canadians and two US nickels.
<p>1,200 dimes rounded up two Canadians.
<p>760 nickels had one Swiss 20 Rappen and one new modern one for me, <b>2012P.</b>
<p>9,100 pennies got me seventy-one Wheats, twenty-six Canadians, five US dimes and one Bahamas 1¢.
<p>1917, 1918S, 1929, 1930, 1936(4), 1939kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-53804528380646216682012-11-12T08:39:00.000-05:002012-11-12T08:39:02.769-05:00Phew ... the weekend's over. It was non-stop adventure for Meg and I. Things didn't seem to stop until last night at about 8PM and then at that point we were too beat to do much. I'm not sure how I managed to stay up until 9PM.
<p>On Friday we had a raucous dinner at Friendly's. Saturday I somehow thought we'd have more time to get things done. I was wrong. Taking the middle seats out of our minivan took more than an hour and involved me going back to the KIA dealer and getting the instance of three guys! With the seats out I was able to pick up Henry's new mattress and box spring. I brought that home and we converted his crib into a bed frame only to find out the crib converts to a full bed, not a single like we bought! (Ugh.) The conversion process was a bit crazy as the kids love tools, but still fun. I can't believe he's actually out of his crib-day bed. He's a big guy now! We then went out West for his soon-to-be cousin's reveal party. The kids behaved well and we had a good time.
<p>On Sunday I gave a speech at church about stewardship that I had worked on the night before. It went over well. After service Greg, Evan and I raked and blew leaves outside the church buildings (Evan helped quite a bit!). Nicole watched the young ones and Meg got to have a well deserved brunch with some of her college friends. I failed at fixing Nicole's computer and then brought he kids home for a long Hazy nap and a some good scene making with Henry.
<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIU8_TwzSDEM8umP2oqj3yheBwbXpsjfKCMrQa7LE1jspCAiNT4ySgAuhXi5w0hyphenhyphenDdPsCCnlruPIvBZ1TFpUYjQ99_tanCXaDSDRhwSiNQLwtf7KKcr5k7n003GUdtPD2PSept7CXeByZ/s1600/IMG_3771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIU8_TwzSDEM8umP2oqj3yheBwbXpsjfKCMrQa7LE1jspCAiNT4ySgAuhXi5w0hyphenhyphenDdPsCCnlruPIvBZ1TFpUYjQ99_tanCXaDSDRhwSiNQLwtf7KKcr5k7n003GUdtPD2PSept7CXeByZ/s400/IMG_3771.JPG" /></a>
<p>26 large dollars produced nothing. This batch puts me over the 2,000 mark, however. It took 5½ years to reach this point ... yup, they don't come up much.
<p>8,000 half dollars rounded up five 90% silver halves (1962D, 4 x 1964), twelve 40% silver halves (4 x 1965, 1966, 1967, 4 x 1968D, 2 x 1969D) and two proof halves (1980S, 1985S).
<p>2,800 quarters yielded one silver Washington (1956), four Canadian, one Bermuda 25¢ and one East Caribbean States 25¢.
<p>700 dimes had one Canadian and one Swiss ½ franc.
<p>600 nickels turned up one Canadian.
<p>9,900 pennies pulled in forty Wheats, fifty-five Canadians, one US dime, one UK penny and one Barbadoes 1¢.
<p>1929, 1930, 1936, 1937
kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823963200890450212.post-52860534190313356932012-11-08T10:42:00.000-05:002012-11-09T15:24:04.128-05:00On Tuesday morning Meg and I took the kids to our polling place. Henry brought a small toy broom with him in the van. I'm not sure why, but it did seem to produce Democratic sweep in Massachusetts. After that we went to Henry's school for a parent-teacher conference. Meg and I couldn't be more pleased with the report. According to his teacher he's ready for kindergarten now. We do, however, need to work on his fine motor skills. For that the teacher had several recommendations.
<p>30 small dollars had nothing.
<p>8,000 half dollars yielded nine 90% silver halves (1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 5 x 1964), eleven 40% silver halves (4 x 1966, 3 x 1967, 4 x 1968D) and two proof halves (1972S, 1981S).
<p>9,900 quarters turned up six Canadians, one East Caribbean States 25&#162, one Bermuda 25&#162, one South Korean 100 Won, one Philippines 1 Piso and three US nickels. There was also a new modern quarter in there for me, the <b>2012D Hawai'i.</b>
<p>1,800 dimes rounded up three silver Rosies (1962D, 1963, 1964D), one US penny, one UK 5 pence and one Israel 1 Shekel.
<p>2,320 nickels got me one Bermuda 5ยข.
<p>7,300 pennies roped in twenty-five Wheats and thirty-eight Canadians.
<P>1919
kestreliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945878104798456156noreply@blogger.com0