Hot Air Balloon Day! 10.8.11

Since moving to Still Meadow, we often see hot air balloons in the early morning or evening VERY near by.  We have learned what they sound like and sometimes they are so close landing (or taking off) that we can only hear them as they descend seemingly through the trees.   On October 8, 2011, they all decided to land IN Still Meadow.  Grandma was lucky enough to be visiting, so I threw the kids in the car and we went darting around the neighborhood.  There is something fascinating about watching hot air balloons so close!

Here they come!

Right over the Williams' house.

In the middle of Still Meadow Ave.

Hopping back into the basket - gotta relocate as there is not room here to take the balloon down without blocking traffic.

Hopping over to the clubhouse parking lot.

Reigning in another one near the pool.


Relocating from Still Meadow Ave. to the Pool Parking Lot through the Alston's yard.

The big morning continued as we went to the Bonefish Grill parking lot to have Miss Hannah and her dance team wash Mommy's car:)  Andrew had to help---he's actually gotten pretty darn good at helping Daddy wash the cars!

Sadly, Daddy missed the day's excitement as he had hit Blacksburg to catch the Miami game with Mark. Over the course of the game, Grandma appropriately taught Margaret how to cheer on our Hokies!  It worked, as they pulled off the 38-35 victory just before bedtime for our exhausted cheerleader. 

Summer & Fall Tid-Bits 2011

Last day of pre-school, 2011 (3 yrs old).

Margaret's favorite spot after breakfast her first summer.

Big enough to sit up in the cart unassisted (spring 2011).

On the way to play in the river at the Valle Crucis Park - Andrew really was stoked to go catch minnows with Sarah & Abby, I promise!

The Mast General Store in Valle Crucis, of course!

Catching minnows with Dody

Duke-UVA football game in Cville with Dody & Grandaddy (after tailgating like a champ at Ashley & Matt Blurton's tailgate:)

Touching my first snake!

Don't ever mention that Mommy & Daddy "lizard-sat" for 9 months - we are done with live crickets in our house!

Summer smiles

What do you notice first in this picture...the yellow polka dots, or the blue eyes?

I was ALL smiles until Mommy stopped pushing me to take a silly picture!

I am too precious for words.

"Cars" laptop required to get through an oil change.

The Halloween Cow - where are the rest of my Halloween pictures?!?

 

Sleeping, on the floor, at Bible Study.

We're supposed to be working toward dropping the morning nap, not collapsing on the floor 10 minutes before Mommy comes for pick up!

Margaret's 1 !!!

Oh, where does the time go!  Since Margaret couldn't tell us herself what she wanted for her first birthday, we took and educated guess and got tickets for her first Virginia Tech football game:)   Since we would torture her on her big day by not arriving back at home until well past bedtime, we had birthday cupcakes for breakfast and then hit the road.

Ready for the roadtrip to Blacksburg!

45-yr-line again - Thanks, George!

Can you find us in this picture??

Beautiful campus

Margaret enjoyed conducting the band

Crossing the drill field

"Whatchu lookin' at??"

More into the game this year (at 3 1/2) than last year.

"Mommy, can you say, "I'm so proud of you, Rockstar'"?

About 15 minutes after nap started I hear a quiet jingle, “Mommy, I went poopy on the potty.” So I go up to help “put him back together”. He says, "Mommy, can you say 'I'm so proud of you,
Rockstar'"? Why yes, yes, yes,I can!!!!

Margaret just noticed the camera in her room (propped on top of the valence over her window) and I swear she’s waving at it!

No more diapers!

Last night was Andrew's first successful night with no diaper at all! He went down at 8:00 with nothing and we told him we weren't going to put a night-night diaper on him later (we had been adding it about 10:00pm). Next thing you know, he helps himself to the potty at 7:00am to go poopy! The greatest part is, he did it quickly, we helped him wipe, and then clumsily walked straight back into his room with no complaints! We told him we'd be back in a few minutes when
it was morning time and that was that - Hallelujah!!!

Croup, Round 4 and Margaret has teeth!

My poor sweet Andrew seems to contract croup when I'm not watching. During his first 15 months, he had the terrifying cough 3 times. The first time was the worst. As first time parents, you don't know when to give a little medicine and brush it off that all kids get colds, and when to freak out and dart to the ER. When an infant starts holding their breath, though, it makes you want to hold your own. Thankfully, he had been croup free for over a year, but it was back. The bummer this time is that he is old enough to question it. "Why does my throat sound like that? Why am I talking funny? Why can't I stop coughing?" So we went to our Pediatrician to beg for the steriods. This time, he is old enough for the shot to open his airways. Yippee! Another shot and another SCREAMING child (recall that BOTH of kids cry whenever EITHER of them gets a shot)!

Margaret has begun standing for 5-10 seconds before melting into a crawl. We are thinking she is working more on mobility than on teeth. She didn't get her first teeth until about 8.5 months, but on Labor Day, we saw a top tooth!!! Our children get teeth on Labor Day. Don't know what it is. Andrew first took a hunk out of Michael's finger on Labor Day:)

Andrew has started "preschool sports" at ACAC. There are 4-week sessions of soccer, lax, and then basketball. The first time of soccer was a HUGE success! He and 25 other little midgets wearing their blue t-shirts warmed up for their coaches, did their stetches and jumping jacks (THAT is a sight to see), and dribbled the ball around the indoor court. Sessions 2 & 3 weren't so great. Andrew didn't want to participate, complaining that it was too hot. They were outside and while the temperature wasn't too bad, it was disgustingly humid...the "why does anyone think there is anything good about living in the south" humid, wiping away all precious memories of the beautiful spring and the crisp fall days that feel like they will never come. Already, Andrew has identified humidity...and he loathes it. He is most definitely his Father's son.

Labor Day 2011 in Baltimore

The end of summer brought with it another trip to Baltimore.  Centered around the Vogel Family's annual Colts & Crabs Party (of which we rarely have any pictures, given that are hands are tied up with messy crabs or beers & kids!), there was plenty of time for new shoes....Andrew's first REAL fireman boots and Margaret's first walkers:)

Attempting to go to sleep with Keyes at the Vogel's - around 9pm at Colts & Crabs!

First shoe on

Second shoe on

BOTH shoes on successfully (note big brother's delight)

Let's Walk!

Learning how to eat crabs with Grandma, a crucial Killian skill.

Trying out the firetruck with Caroline

Don't look so thrilled, Andrew!

HUGE boots!

Caroline & Andrew at Grandma's fire station