Ahhhh-CHOO

The other morning Benj decided his breakfast cereal was lacking a little something....

doesn't everyone put pepper on their Frosted Flakes?!?!?!?

When?

When did she get so big????

3, 2, 1.... Blastoff!

A round-up of some of our recent activities:

As might be expected, Julia eagerly anticipated the launch of NASA's Orion shuttle earlier this month. We spent two hours on the day of the scheduled launch glued to the NASA channel on the computer. Waiting for the launch, and then trying to understand why the launch had been halted, waiting for the launch, and then trying to understand why the launch had been halted, waiting for the launch, and... you get the picture. It was a great day to learn about patience, trial and error, and the importance of taking our time!

Thankfully, the rescheduled launch went as planned and we were able to both watch it and get some other things done!

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We finally couldn't stand being cooped up anymore during a recent rain storm and went out to splash around. While it wasn't snow, hot chocolate was definitely a requirement after this playtime!

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We've been doing some crafting recently. One fateful afternoon I actually brought out the glitter (not sure what I was thinking!) and we sparkled the kitchen created pinecone Christmas trees.

Benj felt like working in the nude!

J's Christmas tree matched her gymnastics outfit!

A more successful (and less stressful) crafting venture has been needle felting. We took a class through a friend and Julia, Benj, and I all really enjoyed it. What's even better is that it is something that they can get out and do on their own with minimal mess and only the occasional stabbed finger (which actually doesn't deter them at all).

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December's Zoo School fell on a chilly but sunny Friday. We had a great time seeing some animals out and about who aren't all that active in warmer weather and having the place pretty much to ourselves and our friends.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar as read by Benjamin:

Heard Recently

At the end of dinner:

Andrew: Finish up your dinner and you can have ice cream cones
Julia: With ice cream in them?
(guess she's learning that details are very important!)

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When we went out to breakfast for my birthday Benjamin ordered apple juice. It came in a paper take-out coffee cup with a lid with a straw through the drinking hole. He proceeded to immediately remove the straw:
Andrew: Benj you need to leave the straw in to drink it
Benjamin: No
Andrew: But it's going to spill
Benjamin: No I'm going to drink like an adult.

and he did:

Imitation is...

the highest form of flattery... or something like that. Julia declared this one is for Grandpa Rick.

her best "over the glasses" gaze

there might be a little too much smirk around the mouth but she has the eyes down pat

Florida Living

We made a short trip to Florida at the beginning of November to visit Grandma Su-Su and Grandpa Herb (and the Space Center). While it was a short trip it was jam-packed with activities, Floridian activities, like golf, swimming, and fishing! Heaven for the kids!

my goofy seatmate on the plane 

loving the warmth

a golf lesson from Grandpa Herb

ready to hit the links

a lesson from Dad

Fore!

watch out -she's driving!

trying it out for real!

ready to chip it in!

There was one last stop at the NASA store in the Orlando airport on the way home... I think Julia was hoping this guy could come on the plane with us!

Kennedy Space Center

Our first stop on our recent trip to Florida was Kennedy Space Center. Both Andrew and Julia are space fanatics and we've known for awhile that this trip was a must-do. And it lived up to all expectations!

peek-a-boo Benjamin

Constellation globe with the Atlantis boosters in the background

Space Shuttle Atlantis' boosters!

Daddy kisses

Space Captain Julia in a replica of the Atlantis cockpit

Andrew having fun exploring a replica of the International Space Station

Coming out of the International Space Station

the space explorers

Buzz, Neil, and Michael

future employer???

Benj-ism

So Benj's full name is Benjamin Epes Crowder. His pronunciation of it???

Benjamin Oops Crowder 

(I can't help laughing every time)

Cousin-time!

At the end of October we had a visit from Uncle Jeff, Aunt Helki, Annabel, and Finley. Julia and Benjamin were very excited leading up to it and I don't think the excitement wore off until days after they left!

a walk through the neighborhood

pumpkin carving - they all got their hands dirty!

steering the ship at the marine biology center

ride 'em Benjamin

cousin bonding

cuteness!

Benjamin the Baker

Benjamin loves to help out in the kitchen and this month he was in heaven because we made one of this favorite things, donuts! We were looking for a little treat to bring to Halloween party and decided these would be great but of course we had to test them out first!

He had a great time making the first batch and was really good at it!

Julia pitched in to help make the batch for the party and they both were proud of their creations! And they tasted delicious!

Julia Milestone - First Lost Tooth!

We knew it was coming, the tooth had been wiggling and wobbling for months, but while we were on vacation in Florida it was finally time!

Dad did the extracting (not much effort required) and Julia walked around with a gigantic grin (to show off the gaping hole) for a couple of days!

Thankfully the tooth fairy had no problems finding us in Florida!

Happy Halloween

The kids were very imaginative with their Halloween costumes this year. Julia dressed as an airplane mechanic and Benjamin was the Nesquik Bunny (he loves his chocolate milk!).

Swimming Progress: Clownfish!!

Julia showed up for her swim lesson a couple of weeks ago to find out that her instructor was out, it worked to her advantage because she ended up with a private lesson with the owner of our swim club instead. 

He started out doing her normal lesson stuff but quickly began to run her through an evaluation of everything she has learned. She swam freestyle 2 lengths of the pool, she swam breaststroke 2 lengths of the pool, she swam freestyle streamline, she swam backstroke streamline, she swam backstroke 2 lengths of the pool, she floated on her back for a minute or so! Then he demonstrated a flip turn and had her try it - she nailed it (she had been practicing her flips in the Greenwich Club pool all summer). 

And then I saw him demonstrate a dolphin kick and have her try it. She did and did pretty well. Then he demonstrated the butterfly stroke. On her first try, she was trying to figure out how to move both arms at the same time but on her second, after a few strokes, she nailed that too. I was so impressed! And clearly so was her instructor because when the lesson was over he told her that needed to be moved up a level to clownfish! And that she wouldn't be staying there long because she was already doing most of requirements for that level. 

Julia could not have been more thrilled! She rarely gets over excited about things like this but the smile did not leave her face for the rest of day. It was clear that she was proud of herself - as she very well should be! 

Clownfish

She also told me that she can't wait until she can race on the swim team! That's only two levels from now so swimmers - look out!

Julia's Gallery: A Flock of Flamingos

flamingo with eggs

flamingo with egg standing in the water

Mama flamingo, baby flamingo, and egg (the text says "my picture is mine")

In case you couldn't tell Julia's latest animal obsession is flamingos. She has been studying them pretty closely both on shows and in person at the zoo. These are a few of her latest creations done in crayon.

Summer's Last Hurrah

The last weekend of September was incredible - 80 degrees and sunny, cloudless skies! Of course, we had to make one last trip to the beach. It was worth it even with our sniffly noses!