40

yep, that's right: I have been around for four decades now. Anna chose a birthday card for me with a kitten on it, and insisted on writing inside. Lewis translated: "Mommy" and "Anna." Thomas offered a card that doubles as a crown, which reads "Birthday Queen." (See photo.) And Iain liked the card he scribbled in so much that he didn't really want to give it to me. I can't blame him: the little lion on the front was pretty cute. 

no news on the home-sale front. we have had a quiet week, with no lookers at all. I admit, though, that I do enjoy having the house clean and neat all the time, just in case. 

lapsed...

so much for my good intentions. although I have failed miserably to update the blog, we finally got the house on the market last weekend. We have had some interest, but no offers. 

Bigger news, however, is that Anna was recognized this week for outstanding progress by the Council for Exceptional Children. 

She was very pleased--I can't remember when she last cooperated with a photographer. And of course we were very proud of her. She has come a long way in her years of preschool, from hardly talking at all to offering descriptions and requests, and expressing feelings. 

I will endeavor to post more regularly; certainly when there is news about the house, I will make it known!

Thomas' latest thing

Thomas announced today that he has a girlfriend. So far, the main activity in which the two of them cooperate is playing during "centers" in their pre-K class. I found his declaration that she would "always" be his girlfriend amusing and a little scary: Thomas remembers everything, and holds fast once he has set his mind to something! At least I can say that I am pleased with his choice! 

 

selling a house

It's something I have never done before, and it seems a little strange. Thomas is having a difficult time getting his head around the concept of someone else buying our house. He alternates between talking about living in Durham "forever" and coming back "home" to Atlanta. Probably the most difficult moment so far was hearing him talk about going in the pool this summer. 

We won't be going in the pool this summer. Of course, I didn't say that: Thomas is still at the age of the monologue. He's happy to do all the talking as long as he's pretty sure you're listening. I was definitely listening. It is sad to think that all the fun family times we enjoyed around the pool are over, and that sense is not totally overwhelmed by the anticipation of the sorts of things we are looking forward to doing together once we are situated in England. None of this is particularly surprising--though that doesn't make it less true. 

The big news of the week is the visit: Lewis' parents are in town, and--since they won't be reading this until after the fact, I can say--we'll be taking them to Tybee Island, along with Cedric and Sara, over the long weekend. Cedric and Sara's arrival and the trip will be a surprise for Lewis' dad, who celebrates his 80th birthday this month. Anna, Thomas and Iain are rejoicing in having a set of grandparents with us, to read and play--and to listen, in Thomas' case! I went to retrieve Iain after his nap this afternoon, and was greeted with a question: "Where's Grandad?" I see how it is... 

Beach means pictures, and I will post them. So far (Cliff and Evelyn only arrived on Wednesday evening), I haven't taken any pictures--I am swamped this week with work. That will change, of course, as the weekend gets underway and I get away from the desk! I know that the photos of the kids are the main attraction here, so I will stop now, and make a mental note to keep the camera to hand tomorrow.

superbowl?

It's impossible to believe that my last post was in November, and it's Superbowl Sunday. We are moving along slowly with the preparations for selling the house and resettling in Durham, but we plan to have the 'for sale' sign in the front yard in a couple of weeks. The next two weeks will be busy, as Grandma and Grandad Ayres arrive Wednesday the 4th and will be staying until the 20th. I do have some photos from Christmas and New Year's. And you can expect more regular posts as the transition gets underway.

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.