Fun with old friends.

While we were up in Pennsylvania we took the kids into the city again to visit an old friend of mine from high school. We have been friends for a long time, but rarely get to see each other. The kids had a blast. Before we left I wanted to get a picture of them all together. I had high hopes of them all sitting in a row on the couch, perhaps holding hands. Instead we got these pictures. 

 Piper had no interest in doing anything except lay on the arm.

 Simeon was quite a character.

They are a crazy bunch.

Train Ride

When we were up in Pennsylvania we took the kids for a train ride into Philly. They loved being on the train and walking around the city. 

One thing I learned from that little excursion is that I have a bunch of country kids. Asher was clueless about basic etiquette in the city. He ran all over on the sidewalks and asked questions about all the people we saw. He also insisted on picking up every dirty penny or object he found interesting. Next time I think I'll give him a dollar not to touch anything on the ground.

Hershey Christmas

Sorry for the long break. We went up to Pennsylvania for a few weeks. Despite the frozen tundra and the colds we all got it was a great trip. When we were in York we took Asher and Piper to Hershey park. It's so much fun there at Christmas time. The kids rides are open and there are lots of lights around. 

Piper was my brave little toaster. She went on a lot of big rides and did well. The tilt-a-whirl was a little rough, but she did it. 

Ashman lives for the thrill. He loves all the big rides and was a blast to hang out with.

Treasure Island

There are so many great places to walk to in our neighborhood. The kids have a favorite spot that they termed Treasure Island. Asher always makes sure to have his bucket so he can fill it with shells. 

 These days Dexter wants to live outside. On days where we stay inside, let's just say it doesn't go well.

Chess Men

At least four nights a week I peak into Nate's music room and see this. About a month ago Nate started teaching Asher to play chess. He loves it. I'm sure a big part of it is that he gets to stay up a little later than Piper and have some special time with Daddy. He does actually like playing the game too. 

 He has a really good grasp on the game now. It'll be fun to see if he continues to play as he gets older.

And we are back

Sorry for the long hiatus. Blogger was being a pain, and kept telling me I had to pay to continue publishing pictures. I kept getting mad and walking away. Anyway, I figured it out (I won't bore you all with the technical details). 

Our sitting room still has no furniture, so to make it feel less empty we put the tree in it. 

Asher got a super star sticker at school and really wanted me to take a picture of it.

He then decided he wanted to be the photographer.  

 He actually got a decent picture of Dex. This is him saying cheese.

He's such a turkey.

Zoo Day (minus pictures of the actual zoo)

The kids had off school last week for Veteran's Day, so Leah and I took them up to the zoo. I didn't take many pictures. There were just too many kids to chase and I didn't have the energy. I kept Dexter in the stroller most of the day. When he got too whiny I let him run around for a bit. Piper found this lovely butterfly to sit on. 

Don't let this face fool you. As soon as another kid approached to try to sit down she started screaming like a banshee.