Road trip!

I took the kids on a (200-mile) road trip to Shelby, NC to visit a friend. They did very well and had a great time. I took plenty of photos, too. Click the link to have a look at the album I created on facebook. 

Anna also made a friend, Skyla, who is a year older. She seemed really to enjoy the company of another girl, and did a very good job initiating peer interaction. Go, Anna! This is something that we have been working on for years now, and it was wonderful to see her take the initiative and then to have such a great time with her new playmate. Skyla, for her part, responded beautifully and generously to Anna, which is something we don't always see. So seeing Anna's overtures gracefully received and reciprocated made the weekend even more special.

Thomas and Iain kept busy with Skyla's little brother, Ashton, who is 3.5 years old. Thomas had a blast playing with a boy a little older than his own brother, and the two of them loved going with my friend Pat's husband, Len, to see trains. Iain played with Anna and Skyla while we three women talked over a glass of wine. I have a 1.5 minute clip of the three children pretending to be various animals that was fun. Since I have had no success uploading videos longer than about 20 seconds to Blogspot, I haven't tried with this one. I am happy to email it, though, or you can visit facebook.com, and search for me (Medi Ann Volpe). 

enjoy fall!!

moving right along

Because I loathe the late-summer heat and humidity, as well as the lingering mosquitos, I am glad to see that fall has finally put all that behind us! But I can't believe that the semester is drawing to a close, and Thanksgiving is almost upon us. November here means lots of blue skies and breezes, so those red-orange leaves have the perfect setting for drifting earthward. Although spring here in Georgia is dazzling, fall remains my favorite season, hands down. I enjoy the weather and look forward to the holidays--what could be better?

Anna, Thomas and Iain have participated in various ways in some fall chores. Thomas and Anna help to put leaves we've raked into bags; Iain prefers to scatter them! The weather makes being outdoors especially pleasant, though I know it is bound to give way in a few weeks to the cold, wet days that mean more coloring and play-doh than bike riding and digging in the sand. So we seize these days, and try to make the most of them. I know all too well that next year we will have fewer cool and sunny days!

I have been busy with the camera, though I have yet (a) to get my computer to work with the printer--so there are no prints to be had; or (b) to start learning how to make DVD's with still pictures and video footage. I plan to sort our both of these things in time for lots of creative photo work for the holidays. I hope to have my children smiling out of a TV screen near you!

For the time being, I have posted some photos to my facebook page; click the links to see the albums:

Anna poses; change of seasons; and more fall photos.