Happy Hogmanay!!!

Happy Hogmanay! All the best for 2007!

 
 

Another Star Wars Photoshop

Here's another Lego Star Wars photoshop that Luke and I worked on. Luke suggested the lasers.

Here are the original pieces contributing to the work:

   

Lego Star Wars Projects Complete

The boys have completed their Lego Star Wars projects from Christmas. Truly awesomely cool. (And the boys constructed these ones themselves... the only help they got was from Mom and Grandpa in finding parts.)

And, sorry, but I couldn't resist the photoshops below:

Cardinal in the Winterberries

We may not have snow for Christmas every year, but we can always depend on the winterberries to be in full fruit for Christmas. These shrubs reside alongside the northwestern side of our home, and offer an interesting view from the windows on that side of the house. We're often spying a variety of birds enjoying the fruit all winter long. From December until as late as April, we've seen bluebirds, cardinals, Carolina wrens, robins and mockingbirds all snatching berries off the very prolific branches.

Latest artwork from the boys

Mowseville by Eddie

Automatic poop throwing Robot by Luke

 
 

Swim Yardage for 2006

Following up from Barry's Barry For Life™........ It's that time of year again... time to tally up my swimming yardage for the year. This year, my yardage was 354,850 yards, or just over 200 miles.

This is off from previous years, although with my new Body For Life mindset, I'm focusing on shorter, more intense swims, so the yardage is not as important. Plus, this year, when I missed a swim, I made it up with an aerobic set like running or biking, which doesn't show up in the yardage log. So, overall, this was a healthier year, despite the decreased yardage. (The 20 pounds I lost must be evidence to that!)

To Monticello and back

We're back home now... Monticello was nice and very interesting, but I think we need to return in April when the gardens are in bloom. We were able to walk the grounds and tour the first floor of the house, but at least half of the trip would be seeing the gardens, which are all dormant this time of year. So we shall return in April!

We also toured the Rotunda and quadrangle of the University of Virginia. It was a beautiful day, with lots of fresh, clean air for the boys to enjoy.

Off to Charlottesville...

We had planned to be in Charlottesville yesterday, but when Eddie started vomitting at 4:30am, we obviously had to call off the trip. He was sick all morning, but by 9:00 had settled down. He took a long nap all day, and by dinner, he was ready to eat.

This morning, he woke up a new child, and we felt it was safe enough to make our one day trip to Charlottesville to see Monticello. On the way down, we had a terrific lunch at It's About Thyme in Culpeper. I had the absolute best roasted chicken I've ever had. This was one delicious farm-raised bird, beautifully roasted, crispy on the outside, and beautifully spiced. Delicious!

After lunch, we arrived at our hotel, the Doubletree in Charlottesville, which was carefully selected for its indoor pool and hot tub. This is a very nice hotel. I wish I had business that brought me to Charlottesville regularly, for I would love staying in this hotel.

After swimming, we dined at The Shebeen, a South African restaurant in downtown Charlottesville. It was incredible! South African comfort food... lots of lamb dishes and curry spices. Absolutely delicious!

Tomorrow, it's off to see Monticello.

Christmas Morning

Here are some photos and videos from Christmas morning. We are very blessed and thankful for all the family and gifts in our lives. Merry Christmas to you all.

Merry Christmas!

¡De nuestra familia a suyo, Feliz Navidad!
De notre famille au vôtre, Joyeux Noël!
Von unserer Familie zu ihrem, Fröhliches Weihnachten!
От нашей семьи к вашим, С Рождеством Христовым!
從我們的家庭到你的，聖誕快樂！
Nollaig chridheil huibh!

All over the world, from our family to yours, Merry Christmas!

 
 

Yahtzee Night

Nothing satisfies like a game of Yahtzee. Luke enjoyed singing "La Cucaracheeee" as he shook his dice. It didn't seem to help his rolls, though. I got the only yahtzee, and even so, Eddie still beat me handily. Becky, Ed, and Kathleen's scores were so low it doesn't bear mentioning.