Anne Springs Close Greenway

Hands-down, our new favorite/local adventure spot is Anne Springs Close Greenway. The boys and I checked it out on Saturday (Miles took the picture of me and Noah!) and then went back on Sunday with Mike and our photographer, Hope Bray. It is fun and beautiful, full of open spaces for the boys to run and lots to check out (two log cabins from the 1800's, horses, lizards, sticks galore).  It also has a number of hiking trails that look perfect for little feet and legs (just under/just over a mile long).  It amazing and only 20 minutes away. If you live nearby, its must do!  I promise.  

Greenway

After a fun morning with Noah and Griffin on the Greenway (off of Rea Rd, by Trader Joe's) I c-a-n-n-o-t believe that its taken us this long to check it out! We loved it. The boys loved exploring, running, picking up sticks. I loved just being there with the boys, outside in the fresh air. Seriously, this is going to be my new favorite spot for Saturday morning fun!

Yeah, Ella!

We are so proud of Ella!  Trisha submitted one of her paintings to the Mint Museum as part of an annual holiday card contest and she WON!!  Her winning piece of artwork will be on display at the Mint Museum through January and Ella will be called on-stage and recognized at the Children's Holiday Party. Her artwork will also be the Mint Museum's holiday card which is sent out to all members. WOW! Check out her awesome artwork here.

Love this picture of Ella with Jonathan from last summer -- looks like she's celebrating a big win.  :)

Veteran's Day

What better to do on a cold, rainy Veteran's Day holiday? Run, jump and slide like crazy with some fun buddies at Monkey Joe's.

Special thank you to all Veterans today, including Mike's dad (a career Marine who retired as a Colonel after 27 years of service, flew C130's, served in two tours in Vietnam, and received a purple heart), and my dad (who was drafted and served in Vietnam). We're extremely proud of and forever thankful for all who have served and all who currently serve our country.

I Seriously Dig These Guys

1st Grade

First grade for Miles has been great so far. I've been joining his class as often as I can. Its so cute to be around the oh-so-big, but-still-so-little kiddos.

Miles' school has a great nature trail. Each class has outings on it a few times a year. Today I joined Miles' class while they took to the trails to learn about habitats. The kids loved it and Miles took many opportunities to be silly with his friends.

Parents are invited to help with some of the kids' "specials" (art, technology, library). Miles' favorite special is technology. He loves those computer games.

Miles' class had a fun trip to Hunter Farms a few weeks ago. Loved being able to join them. The kids fed animals, picked pumpkins, took a wagon ride, watched a cow get milked, and learned about all the food that is made from corn/grain. It was a great trip.  (Isn't the hat hilarious?  Mike and I brought back one for each of the boys from our anniversary trip.)

Miles has really been enjoying his class & teacher this year.  Mrs Reeves was so complimentary of him during parent-teacher conferences, including the work he's doing and how he's adjusted socially. We're so proud of him and glad that he's so happy!

Dana & Brad

I had so much fun this afternoon hanging out with Dana and Brad, snapping engagement pictures of them. Seriously, could they be any more photogenic? I'll post a link to my favorites within a week. This is definitely one of them.

Rennaisance Festival

We checked out our first Rennaisance Festival today, after hearing from the Williams how much they love it.  The traffic to get there was ridiculous (took us an 1.5 hours to get there vs 40 minutes), but well worth it once we arrived.  Unfortunately, we don't have many pictures from the day, since I arrived without a memory card in my camera (the shock! the horror!).  I snapped a few photos with my phone.  They are horrible quality, but will serve as our memory, so I can't knock them too much.

There was so much to see: buildings, costumes, musicians, craftsmen, just to name a few. We were all in awe by a the "man who eats swords" show.

The boys had fun on a little ride. Swing power? Four men pushing it - very impressive.

Final stop was dinner at Macado's - which always reminds Mike and I of our college days in Boone/Roanoke. Afterward, we ventured to the Nascar store so the boys could play. A fun day, even without the camera to capture all the details. :)

The Apple & The Tree

Miles came home from school today very excited about his new glow-in-the-dark bat.  Turns out his teacher investigated each student's desk and Miles had the cleanest/most organized desk.  The reward was a trip to the treasure box.  Another example of the apple not falling far from the tree (Mike's tree, that is).  :) 

Speaking of comparisons, yesterday I said something to Miles about how much we look alike. He looked at me like I was crazy. I said, "oh, you know, we both have brown hair, we have cute little noses" (stretching, I know). He stopped me immediately and said, "mom, your nose is SO MUCH bigger than mine." Nice.

Self Portraits

Miles and Noah are taking another art class this fall.  They haven't come home with as much artwork this session, since they often work on one piece for several sessions; but they created these self portraits yesterday. I L-O-V-E them.  

This is Noah's picture.  He told me its a picture of him "in the bathtub, under water".  I think Noah looks stunned in the picture, maybe he's just realizing that he forgot to hold his breath?

 This is Miles' picture.  He said "its a picture of  me about to get into the bathtub, standing in front of the mirror".  This picture makes me giggle.  A lot.  Its as if Miles drew his future, 13-year-old self.  You can be sure I'll have it on hand to compare, when the time comes.