Blackberry Bound

I think this is my favorite picture from the whole trip.

Little Hike

Here is a 20 week belly and a little rock climbing.

Sam and Gramps play fetch with Bentley.

Sam Fixes stuff

I wish I could remember all the stories Sam made up about these trucks. He is really a great story teller.

Gramps' Toy Shop

Gramps made the best toys for Sam's birthday! These trucks come apart like wooden Erector sets and have nuts and bolts and everything! Thanks Gramps! Unbelievable!!

These boats sailed a thousand miles while were in North Carolina!

These wooden knots are puzzles to keep Keith occupied.

City Saving

I forgot to post these pics from a month ago. Sam took these Montessori blocks and made a whole city wtih his knitted characters, ribbons, and peg guys. (See Blue Pig and Big Chicken). The blocks are the buildings and the spaces between are roads. Unfortunately, this little town was destined for disaster. A massive fire jumped from building to building and all the inhabitants had to move from their homes to shelters.

Thank goodness for Sam the firefighter. The fire truck came with many hoses and started putting the fires out while he helped the people escape the flames and moved them to the shelter.

The hoses reached a long way. (A basket of ribbons is an unbelievable source for hours of play).

These firefighters are really top notch. Not only do they save the people, save the town's buildings, they also go in and repair the houses!!

North Carolina and the Olympics

We have had a great time in North Carolina and have an overwhelming number of pictures.

We have watched a TON of the Olympics and are watching the last Phelps relay race now. Pause. Wow. Holy Crap. 30 meters left. Leezak. WOOOOOW. 8 golds for MP. Very cool. The swimming has been really fun to watch.

So, I have an overwhelming number of pictures that will get up probably next week. So sorry for the delay, but I have a grant due next week and I will be starting my days at 6am on the phone. I just wanted to give you guys a heads up.

Highlights from NC: Sam eating and loving fresh blackberries. Feeding the swans. Awesome wooden trucks that Gramps made. A visit from Lala. Sam's singing. Hiking. Getting caught in the rain and Sam being an amazing trooper. Playing in the waterfall. A visit from Jeffrey and Moni. Lots of chocolate. Lots of naps. Visiting the Stone farm twice. Using Dad's pilates machine (for me - sweet relief!).

Pictures later.

It was a great trip.

The News We've Been Waiting For....

Well, we are half way there and the ultrasound went well - my cervix is in perfect condition so far! I'll start having ultrasounds every two weeks to keep an eye on it to make sure it is not "funneling". I also start the progesterone injections in two weeks. We are taking all precautions to keep the baby IN!

Sam loved the machines and was fascinated with the goop on my belly.

And his name is Charlie. We'll all see him by December 31.

Curly Hair

Yes, this is my hair without any special treatment. If you see the sides and back, it is practically ringlets. It is just "diffused" instead of blown dry. Nice to be different.

More pics from the late evening hike

Very Late Evening Hike

This summer we have let Sam a lot of long naps in the afternoon so that we can do stuff in the evening when it is cooler.

Off to the Garden

Lots of weeding to do.

Sleep Picture Inspired by Danielle's blog

Sam and Ole.

A little cooking

"GORP" cookies to thank the firefighters. Peanut butter cookies with chocolate covered raisins. Yum.

Apricots from Tony and Ann Marie's tree.

I would love to find a recipe that was low sugar. But I'm too new canning to experiment too much. I tried that once with apple sauce with Danielle. The apple sauce was awesome, but the jars that we didn't eat right away got moldy. So, this is my first try. Keith helped a lot!

Pretty jam.