Funny things out of Heath's mouth

It really never ceases.  Heath just opens his mouth and hilarious things pour out.  I am not sure if it is the age (compared with Alder's older comments) or if it is his nature as the ham in the family (though he is often not meaning to be).  I'll let you be the judge....

When telling Heath that due to his fatigue he really must take a nap...."I am gonna take a nap as short as an ant leg"

"Dad, can you draw me a 60-mile-an-hour cheetah?"

After describing how something is going to happen: "That's a deal, right Alder?"

In the car today on the way home from school and after I asked if anything interesting happened at school: "When I was playing rock-n-roll cheetahs on the playground with Jayden, Otto and Quin and we were all pretending to die......"  the rest of the story is really not that important.....

Also today: "Hey mom, if there was a pack of cheetahs, like four of them, and one dire wolf.....the cheetahs would probably pounce on the dire wolf, right mommy?"

You can see the infatuation with cheetah these days.  "I'll be the big brother cheetah, Alder, and you can be the baby cheetah"...and they actually commence to role play as cheetahs.

While these antics are super fun and cute, a quite annoying thing he does these days is ask the same question over and over with nary a second in between askings until we answer/acknowledge.

There is also an infatuation with super heroes.....

"Daddy what do you think Batman and Robin are doing right now?"  and this is asked multiple times each day this week.  And he always disagrees when Dad says anything pertaining to normal life, like sleeping or eating breakfast.  Today, he told Dad that Batman does not sleep.  Only Robin sleeps, because Batman stays up and thinks about the Penguin and the Joker all day, because Batman is nocturnal.

Also, when waking and "nuzzling" with dad on the couch hearing Garrison Keillor on npr...first words of the day: "Daddy, is that Bruce Wayne?"

Tonight, he told all three of us that "I fell in love with you" when hugging us.

One morning last week, in the bathroom, first thing with Daddy (Heath still bursts from bed as early as he can possibly rouse himself, usually 5 or 530), as he slid off the potty and was pulling his pants up, he asked "Daddy, why do I have knees?"  Daddy used pulling pants up as a timely example of what it would be like without knees.  Heath agreed that he was glad to have them.

And he is not looking for laughs with any of this.  Just speaking the randomness in his little mind.

Fun times.

Three months in five minutes...

Two beach trips, three mountain trips, halloween, science fair, and lots of days kicking around home.  Life has been full and wonderful.  Full of memories and growing boys.

The first beach trip was back in September.  We camped on the Outer Banks for a night when headed to cousin Jonah's 1st birthday party.  We had a blast both on the beach and at Jockey's Ridge.  The boys were exhausted yet determined to hike to the top of not one but two huge sand dunes where folks were hang gliding.

I gave a talk in Front Royal VA one Saturday and we decided to make use of a paid-for hotel room and all go up.  While I as at a meeting, Jason took the boys to some caverns that they really enjoyed.

Our second beach trip was our annual trip to Emerald Isle in October.  Here are 7 of the 9 kids playing in a bank of sand created by a super high tide.  This was a well used spot for days, for digging, burying and excavating friends, jumping, pretending, cartwheeling, etc.

Unexpected waves of a rising tide brought many squeals and laughs.  There was a tropical storm off the coast that gave us huge waves for boogie boarding.  Our boys were intimidated, but the older kids ventured out enough to be safe and have a blast.

 Indoor card games are always a perfect way to relax.  Our boys are in love with the game Spot It!  And Thanks to being introduced to it on this trip.  If you have never heard of it, check it out.  It is great for ages 3 to adult despite the container saying ages 7 and up.  Heath gets right in there and plays well too.  We grown-ups love it too.

 Here is the whole clan (minus baby Katy).
Miss you guys!!!

 the kids....

 running....

Ah Halloween....The last pieces of candy were finally given away to students in my office today.  Granna and Grandad visited and we had lots of laughs and good times, including apple picking at Carter Mountain (no pics from that though).  No homemade costumes this year as they were pretty set on Batman and Robin.  I need to stress to them that we will not be buying costumes every year though....get creative mom, and plan WAY ahead.  The best part of this year was Jason letting them watch a couple of episodes from the classic Batman and Robin shows from the early 60s on YouTube before going out.  This transformed them into character for the night.  It was hilarious.  If you have not seen these old episodes, it is worth a quick watch.

The school science fair was also last month.  It is a very low key event where projects are expected to be child led and not too complicated.  Jason had the foresight to collect some sand of various sizes from the beach after the boys had observed this in Emerald Isle and collected shells on walks.  The night before the fair, we pulled these shell fragmants and sand out and seived them and talked more about how sand is simply broken down shells.  Alder then created this display.  Heath had to do one too once he saw how cool Alder's was.

Finally, we went to Douthat State Park with some friends for a long weekend and had a great time.  We stayed in a huge lodge (Creasey Lodge) that we recommend highly.  Lots of bunk rooms and a huge kitchen and fireplace room.  Loads of creeks, a lake and miles of hiking trails.  The weather was perfect for a November visit to the mountains.

We also went to the NC mountains for Thanksgiving and we will be posting about that at a later date.....we are truly grateful for all of these fun times, but sheeesh....we have been on the go a bit too much and we can honestly say that we are excited to spend the next month at home....simply being at home.

A random shot of the even more random table in the play room.  Yes, a deer scapula and jaw bone have made it into the pile of leggos.

And here are a few recent favorites.  Alder and Heath are champions at quickly rendering stories that include the most various assortment of characters.  Where else do you find knights, kittens, poison dart frogs and allosaurs clashing one minute, then playing family the next.

Second Phone Dump

Well the phone dump from Dad's phone was fun.  Now, for Lesley's....

Alder, ca. ~ 2 years ago.

A juvenile red-tailed hawk, eating something in the courtyard behind Lesley's office.

No caption needed.

ditto

Must have been two Christmases ago in NC

The two hour trip to NC two Christmas ago, took 6 hours.

airport on the way to Birmingham

making glasses out of those wax-covered string thingies

Bones found on a field trip with Lesley's class at Fisherman Island, the southernmost island on the Delmarva peninsula: dolphin, sea turtles and a whale vertebrae.

a littel tower action when alder had a mild case of the flu...sometimes these surprise sick days lead to very memorable and fun times.

a little underwar-on-the-head action

shedding the beard

a pay haircut for Alder

Probably one of the first warm days of spring

Heath, dress up

Alder dress up

Wow, Heath when he was still sleeping on a tee tee mat with his baby doll Diego...who gets no attention any more.

Before we started cutting his locks

passed out in the car

neighborhood friends at the pool last summer

Mommy's fender bender

Metro in DC going to the Smithsonian two summers ago summer

looking in on the paleontologist lab at the Smithsonian

snapshot of backyard after Hurrican Irene

What we did during the Hurricane

excavating tree roots at Pocohontas State Park about 30 minutes from home, on a camping trip...likely a downed tree from hurricane Irene

Papa giving a banjo lesson

Dad before the Trey Anastasio show in Charlottesville last fall

Trey

ice cream

Random winter walk at Robious Landing, a local park on the river very close to home.  Lesley uses this pic to show her class her family on the first day of the semester

On a hike at Ragged Mountain outside Charlottesville

In this pic: Alder: "Mommy, what is this stuff?"  as he fondled and squished it around.  Mommy: "Thats goose poop!!"  They both die laughing.

Prepping for a multi day trip up to cloud forest in Panama, Lesley with her students.

Bluegrass Sunday afternoon at the Cary Street cafe, eating french fries.

Always a good sign...

Thanks Granna for the faux mustaches

Sledding in our one good snow last winter

there was a phase of woodpile climbing last winter

with Joren, over at Broadfork Farm

casual walk in the neighborhood

early spring pine pollen in a puddle

take a guess

killdeer nest and egg on an ornithology field trip

Merry go Round at Richmond Zoo

Picking strawberries on Alder's 4th birthday.  We took the day off.

Then ate at a restaurant

smoothie popsicles after fresh haircuts

Alder at the dentist...cooperating like a very big boy

When Ellen and Daniel came to visit

Classic scene, still.  This kid loves to draw and trace and color.

Way old, on a sick day, I think Heath must have been two.  I took them to Bass Pro shops to see a state record catfish in the aquarium there. 

A standard yet delicious weekly loaf of bread.  Les must have taken this for the school food blog.

I dont use or value the camera on my phone enough...that is what I am thinking as I see these priceless images all together at once.  We hope you enjoy these images as well.