Driving in My Car

Benji is newly obsessed with all forms of car. Every time we walk outside, he makes a mad dash for his cozy coupe, and dissolves in tears if we try to hustle him inside. Here he is enjoying some time in his vehicle:



When we can get him inside, he spends his time in his spare car, furiously spinning the steering wheel. I think we need to teach him to put his hands in the 9 and 3 positions:

Window Art

With yet another request for an "art project" from Abby, we decided to break out the window markers this weekend. Here is Abby showing off her handiwork:

How to Eat an Ear of Corn

Self-portrait

Abby wanted to see what would happen if we tried to take our own picture. Here is the result:

Little League

Who can resist? Even Abby gives in to him when he flashes this smile and holds his arms out for a hug.

Apple Picking

We've been on the go the last few weeks and I have not had the chance to put these up. Just before Labor Day, the Lamy-Peterson clan came for one last summer visit before settling into the work-school routine. We took a trip up to Carter's Mountain for apple-picking. The trip was short-lived, due to an unexpected heat wave, but everyone had a chance to pick a few apples, at least:

Boston, part II

A few more pictures from our trip to Boston last weekend. We took our old camera, which is on its very last legs, so the quality is not very good.

On Saturday, we took a "duck" tour through the city. It was a great way to see the sites under cover (it was raining) and after the ground tour, we launched in the Charles river. The most exciting part was that they asked for a volunteer to drive. Who wouldn't volunteer? (Apparently, most everyone else on the tour):



And a few pictures from the reception. As you can see, Kevin had the camera:

Ruth ands JJ

Ruth and Amy

Shana Tova!

Happy New Year to all.

"Bravo!"

Abby had a playdate with Aiden this weekend while we were away. Aiden's parents sent along this video of them playing a game they invented. Apparently, it was hours of amusement for them.

Playing in the Leaves

Guess it really is fall.

Welcome Gavin John

Our new nephew

Swan Boats

We went to Boston without the kids this weekend, much to Abby's chagrin. As Abby loves the book "Make Way for Ducklings," she made us promise to go see the swan boats in the Public Garden and take some pictures for her. We made our way there on Sunday morning and took a ride around the duck pond. JJ rode with us, and Jake was kind enough to volunteer to take some pictures (as he went to law school in Boston, he was used to all the tourist stuff). He shot this one from an overpass - that's dedication!:



And here you can actually see the swan, which is all that mattered to Abby:



More on Boston later.

Who are they yelling at?

I just love the incensed look on Benji's face.

Playing Ballerina

Brushing Teeth

The start of school has us settled into all new routines. Benji seems to have adapted to this well. After everyone gets dressed, it is time to brush teeth. Benji has finally figured out what the brush is for, and he is getting pretty good at doing this on his own. Which is a good thing, because he really does not like anyone else to do it for him.

The Wiggles

The Wiggles came to town last week and did a live show at JPJ arena. For anyone not familiar, The Wiggles are very popular child entertainers from Australia. The arena was packed full with what could best be described as groupies. At Abby's urging, we snapped a few (very blurry) photos with the blackberry. Here are the Wiggles during one of their numbers (they encourage picture taking):

And here is Abby bopping along:


Abby had a great time at the show. She was so excited, that she thanked several of the security guards for the show on our way out of the arena.

Benji

My dad took this picture while he was visiting, and I just really liked it.

A few more first day photos...

From Grandpa Steve's camera:

First Day of K

The first day of kindergarten came and went remarkably smoothly. Grandpa Steve was still in town, and Gammy came by to see Abby off for her first day of school:

On the walk down, we ran into Abby's friend Reagan, who will be in first grade this year. Abby was thrilled to have a big buddy to walk in with:


Once we got in the school, Abby took off like a pro. She even remembered the way to the classroom from the open house:


The desks were already set-up with the students names, and Abby beelined it to hers and sat down. She didn't even blink when we left her there:


So far, so good. Kindergarten is an exciting place!

Kindergarten!

Abby started Kindergarten last week and is doing great. The day before class, we walked down to the school for an "open house" in her classroom. This was a chance to try out the walk, find the best route, drop off her supplies, and meet her teacher one more time before the big day. Here is Abby with her new backpack, getting ready to head down the Greenbrier:

Blackberry picking

Last weekend was a busy one, with Ruth's birthday and a visit from Grandpa Steve. We spent Saturday afternoon out at Critzer's Farm picking blackberries, raspberries, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, and cantaloupe. We really wanted to pick corn, but it was not quite ready yet. We spent most of our time on the blackberries, which were abundant, ripe, and very sweet:


The Orchard was beautiful, in the valley of Wintergreen Mountain, and we were the only ones up there, courtesy of an earlier thunderstorm:


Here is Abby picking with Grandpa Steve - they had a system. She also helped Gammy pick her berries (proclaiming herself an expert):



Benji didn't get a chance to pick any berries, but he enjoyed shoving them in his mouth as fast as we could pick them:






He kept trying to steal the blackberries out of Abby's container, but luckily she forgave him: