Summer Reading

Summer is in full swing around here, but the last several days have seen off and on rain and storms.  The boys have been disappointed that they couldn’t go outside, but we used some of the rain delays to get a start on our summer reading.  We read a lot normally, but the incentive programs provided by many bookstores give an added element of fun.  Who doesn’t love free books??  We’re participating in the Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program, which requires Alex to read eight books in order to choose one free book.  He’s a pretty fast reader and is already halfway there!  Barnes and Noble also provides a lot of great downloadable activities to go along with the program.  Some of his favorites are the Geronimo Stilton books and the Magic Tree House series.

If your kids also enjoy the Magic Tree House series, you will want to check out the Magic Tree House website, where they have an entire Passport to Adventure planned this summer.  You can print out a passport for your child and earn stamps for each book.  You can even enter to win a Magic Tree House for your own backyard!

What books are on your child’s summer reading list this year?

Book Review: Plan B by Pete Wilson

Pete Wilson, pastor at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, has written a new book, Plan B:  What do you do when God doesn’t show up the way you thought he would?  I originally thought I should read this book so that I might have the right words or thoughts to share with friends who find themselves at the end of their spiritual rope, unsure of where God is at this point in their lives and why He has allowed this thing (death, job loss, illness) to happen to them.  I did gain that insight, but I was also so wrong – I needed to read this book because it is about me!  While Wilson talks a lot about people who face some tragic or life altering event and turn to their Plan B, I think the same ideas can apply to those of us who experience small setbacks or disappointments.  Plan B is very readable and packed with biblical stories, modern examples, and challenging questions.  The included study guide will make it a great book for small groups to study together or for individuals to dig deeper into the material themselves.  I’m looking forward to reading through it again!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Want some?

Want some?, originally uploaded by ostmega.

This is my first entry for the weekly contest at iHeartFaces (http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/). I don’t consider myself any kind of great photographer, but I hope to pick up some tips from others who are!

Happy Boys!

Happy Boys!, originally uploaded by ostmega.

Rare photographic evidence that Alex is, in fact, capable of producing a genuine smile when there is a camera involved.

We’ve been trying to stay busy and away from the television and computer on this summer break. It’s a bit of a challenge, I’ll admit, but we are working on it. The last few days have even seen some real crafting and sewing in our house! If I can find a semi-willing model, I might be able to post some photos soon for both of you that still check this blog…

Flat Alex goes to Europe!

Flat Alex at the Arc de Triomphe, originally uploaded by ostmega.

In late October (I told you I was behind!), Rod traveled to Europe for work. Alex and I would have loved to go along, but this was not at all practical. So, I made a Flat Alex – on a stick – and Rod was good enough to take lots of photos with Flat Alex at famous sites in London, Paris, and Munich. (You can check out more photos from the set at Flickr.)

On a more technical side, does anyone know how to blog more than one photo per entry from the Blog This function in Flickr? I’ve been using my own gallery for my photos, but it’s broken now, so I’ve switched to Flickr and I’m still trying to figure it all out. Thanks!

Happy New Year!

Stating the obvious, I’m quite a bit late on that.  One of my goals for 2009 was to update this space more frequently.  I don’t want to set some unrealistic expectations for myself, but I do want to make more of an effort here.  And, seeing that the last post was from July (!), I don’t think I can do much worse than 2008.

I’m having some technical issues with posting photos at the moment, so I’ll leave you (hopefully) with a fun video from our Thanksgiving holiday in Pennsylvania.

What I did with my summer vacation

I can’t believe that the summer is almost over already!  Alex starts school in just two and a half weeks – where has the time gone?  We didn’t do a whole lot this summer, but we did take a trip to Pennsylvania for Independence Day.  The small town I grew up in usually has an old fashioned Fourth of July celebration, complete with swimming races in the lake, bike parades, egg tossing, and a HUGE fireworks display to end the day.  Sadly, the down economy affected this too, and the fireworks didn’t happen.  They still did the races and parades, though, so all was not lost.

The drive to Pennsylvania from Alabama is not a quick one.  It usually takes us 13ish hours, but with a baby this time, it took a bit longer.  Alex was able to make himself quite comfortable with his iPod, though.  One good thing about the long drive is it gives us a chance to stop at some Chipotle restaurants along the way.  We LOVE Chipotle and impatiently wait for the day when they finally open one in Huntsville.

This year, we had more downtime than usual and took the opportunity to visit Niagara Falls, Canada.  It’s only a short drive from Erie and Alex hadn’t ever been there.  When I was growing up, Niagara Falls was our yearly summer vacation destination and I was perfectly fine with that.  I had a blast there every year.  There were a ton of things to see and do.  It seems now that it’s a bit more tourist-y, but probably is still a good choice.  I say probably because I don’t think the city got a fair shake on our visit this year.  We got there later in the day than I had intended, so we were all a little tired and cranky.  Oh, and it was Canada Day.  We got to share the falls with about 20,000 other people enjoying Canada’s birthday.  (Note to self:  check the Canadian holiday calendar before planning the next trip to Niagara Falls.)  Regardless, we had a good time and Alex said more than once that he wasn’t ever going to forget this day.

The highlight of the trip to Niagara Falls for Alex was probably his ride on the SkyWheel.  There are a lot of places in Niagara Falls to spend money on games and trinkets and normally Alex would be all over that.  For whatever reason, the only thing he asked to do was ride on this gigantic ferris wheel.  It was pretty expensive, but Rod pointed out that this was the only thing he had asked to do and it would probably be what he remembered best.  So, we bought our tickets and waited in line.

I’m happy to report that we were not disappointed with our ride.  We were rewarded for our long-ish wait in line with a terrific view of the city and the falls.  Our timing was perfect for a great sunset view, though I didn’t manage to get any good photos of that.  The photo of the city and Skylon Tower above was taken from our completely enclosed and climate controlled gondola.

There’s the whole happy family.  Not the greatest photo, but it was hard to get the camera and self timer to work well on the tiny ledge of the moving car!

All in all, it was a great trip and I think we all had fun.  Next time we might spend a night or two in Niagara Falls so we don’t have to do so much driving all in one day.  I think it’s safe to say that we won’t be doing that on Canada Day, though…

Summer Update!

Time for a summer update – if anyone still bothers to check in here for my infrequent posts…

The last time I checked in, Declan was about one month old.  He’s nearly five months (and twenty pounds!) now.  He very much wants to crawl around, which is not something I am at all prepared for.  Thankfully, he can’t get his little body to do what he wants it to do quite yet.  It causes him quite a bit of frustration at times, but I’m glad for the extra time to get the house ready for a crawling baby.

He and Alex are the best of buddies.  Alex absolutely loves his little brother, and Declan adores Alex, too.  Alex can always get Declan to smile or laugh.

Alex graduated from his Montessori preschool in May.  He’s been at the same school since he was 18 months old, so this was a big deal for him.  It hit him harder than I thought it might.  The first few days after school got out, his behavior was totally out of character for him.  He finally asked me if he could go back to his school for elementary school, too.  We compromised by writing his favorite teacher, April, an email telling her how much he misses her.  It was incredibly sweet.  Here’s a photo of Alex and Ms. April on pajama day.  He will start kindergarten at our local public school in August.

In house news, things are growing outside.  We bought our current house just over a year ago, but the summer last year was a record drought year and nothing looked very pretty.  I’m ashamed to admit that now that things are growing well, I don’t know what is a weed and what was once a well cared for piece of the landscape.  These, however, I know are hydrangeas and they are staying.

I’m also trying to do a lot of clearing out and organizing, so I should have some giveaways here soon.  Keep your eyes open if you like fabric and notions!

Pottery Love

There is an incredible potter in the town next to the one I grew up in. His name is Bill Campbell and he produces Campbell Pottery. His pieces are just beautiful. I also appreciate that they aren’t all just nice to look at – most are quite functional as well. For example, my mom’s everyday dishes are Campbell Pottery. Just eating your average pasta is a more beautiful experience because of those dishes.

I love to visit the studio and store, which are in an old house and barn that they have converted into an awesome space. You can see (and purchase) any number of Bill’s own pieces, but he also showcases the work of many other artists and craftsmen in his studio/store. When we visited in November, they had the most amazing miniature quilts available and I’ve been saving my pennies ever since!

We were also able to pick up a few new pieces at our November visit, thanks to the gifting generosity of some family and friends. The one below is my favorite, though my photos don’t even begin to do it justice. I’ll try to get some better photos of this one and the others and post those later.  Enjoy!

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Exhale

So the Christmas festivities have ended…finally. It feels like we’ve been “doing Christmas” since mid-November, which I guess we really have. It’s nice to be able to relax and exhale a bit – at least for a moment. I know there will be all kinds of excitement to come in the next several weeks as we await the arrival of the new boy, but for now I’m enjoying just sitting in this comfy chair and looking at the mess that needs to be put away…

Here are Rod and Alex enjoying a laugh earlier this week. That boy just will not smile a “real” smile if there is a camera around. Anyone else have that problem?

Finally, earlier today there was an attack at Playmobil International Airport. It seems that the pirates from Skull Island really wanted to get on a plane bound for Tokyo, but they didn’t have proper identification. They used various canons and shooters, according to Alex, and were finally allowed to board the flight. As you can see below, peace has been restored. It’s a good day.

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