Asa Officially Learns to Ride A Bike

Pretty sure this is the bike that Jake learned to ride on. He's outgrown it.

Asa pretty much rode on his first try. John thinks it's because Asa was already an expert on his scooter; the bike was just a minor adjustment.

Jake is ready to move up to a full-sized bike.

Chickens in the garden.

Dip in the Creek

Today was beautiful. After school, Asa wanted to go down to the creek with his cup of corn for bait and see if the fish were biting. His choice of pole today was the one he made himself: a short stick with a piece of string tied around it and a hook attached on the end. He puts a few kernals of corn on the hook and throws it in. No serious bites today. Jake and I sat at the edge of the water enjoying the weather. Before we knew it, Jake had wandered into the water. Toes first, then feet; then calves. Once his rolled up pants were wet, he just got all the way in. Asa had to join him when he saw how much fun Jake was having. What a great way to begin the weekend!

getting back into the groove

It just sort of happened without me really realizing it. The posts just stopped coming. I haven't really been taking too many pictures either. I came across the blog on accident, and it made me sad that the last post was so long ago; and it motivated me to start it up again. I guess that we just got really busy with the new school year and updating the blog can sometimes feel like a luxury I don't have time for. I want put this in the middle of my priority list. Let's get started...

I will try to briefly catch you up on what our family has been up to since the Presidential Election.

Asa is playing Lacrosse in the U9 group in our school district. This is his first year at it. He'd barely even thrown with a stick until his first practice. He is one of the youngest players, and the most inexperienced. He loves playing and even though he is in the very beginning stages of learning, he doesn't get flustered at all when he doesn't catch the ball, and at all his "beginner throws". I am very proud of him. The only part Asa doesn't like is the running during practice. Coach has the team running lots of laps throughout practice. His team practices twice a week for an hour and a half, and has at least one weekend day game. John throws with him at home when he gets a chance; and John says Asa's doing really well for a beginner. He needs to learn to be more aggressive during play. He has a hard time with it; it's just not in his nature, and all his life, John and I have kept him from behaving that way at all. I wondered if it's a good thing or not to never let him be physically aggressive. But for now, that is the only thing he is lacking. John is trying to teach him that it really is okay to behave that way while playing Lacrosse.

Asa with his best friend, Sam, at the Fairie Festival

Jake has been very active with school activities. He has been featured in our school district as an "Artist of the Week", appearing on our local school channel and in the district newsletter, and has a display case at his school filled with some of his artwork. He is in the school band playing Alto Saxophone, he was in the school county Honors Choir, participated in the York County Envirothon, and will be recognized this evening in a ceremony at the high school for his academic excellence and participation in Envirothon and the Honors Choir and as a DARE (school drug resistance program) essay winner.

Jake at the Fairie Festival

John is still with UnderArmour, commuting an hour each way to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. He finally has admitted that his Geo Prism has reached the end of its life and agreed to buy a new car. He is really happy with his new Nissan Versa and is glad he finally took the plunge. He is pretty busy with his band, 3-Dollar Suit. They play out at least once a month, and weekly practice is a great outlet for him and his two band mates. Each of the other musicians happen to be the dads of two of Asa's classmates. Give John a call if you need a band for your next event.

I am still working as a part-time librarian at the Arthur Hufnagel library in Glen Rock. I love working there! Surrounded by so many interesting books; no end to discovering great new things to read; satisfying my OCD-tendencies through re-shelving and scrutinizing each section to make sure the books are in the correct order! I am still busy volunteering at the boys' school and with the PTO. But right now, I am the most busy with my springtime gardening. I tilled and planted our vegetable garden; moving established plants from one bed to another; John and I cut down numerous Yew bushes that had turned into trees; lots of planting in containers and garden beds; and trying to reclaim the rest of the large yard removing scrub and overgrowth to make way for a grassy yard. All while desperately trying to avoid poison ivy. I have not done so well with that attempt so far.

This summer our family plans to hop into our new Versa and ride south to visit with Grammy and Granddad in North Carolina for a couple of weeks. I (and maybe the rest of the crew) will go to my hometown of Rock Island, IL to attend my 25-year high school reunion. Jake and Asa have never been there, and I'd like to show them where I grew up. We will also spend many days at the pool, and hope that we can find some camps for the boys. Asa wants to take a camp to hone his bow and arrow skills and to go to a Lacrosse camp. Both fellas will go to Art Camp at their favorite shop, The Studio and Art Bar.

Jake and Asa with our Nubian wether, Yankee

I think that's everything for now. The next post won't be so long-winded!

A Few Holiday Photos

Webkinz!

More Webkinz!

Lily, Jeanne and Asa playing with some gifts.

Lily and Cherie

Wrestling masks from the Roesslers. Clever!

And fun too!

The ancient Smith New Year's Eve tradition of melting wax into a bowl of water to discover your fortune for the year to come.

Asa will become Abraham Lincoln in '08.

Jake will get a seahorse?

Pooped out.

President of the United States: Barack Obama!

Last night we, as a family, voted for President of the United States. We always take the boys when we vote - and let them push the buttons. We want them to understand how important it is - and what a privilege it is for each American to be able to participate in the democratic process. With the outcome of yesterday's vote, we are so happy, relieved, and hopeful for our country's future.

Poor Sport

I had taken this picture the morning before yesterday to capture our first frost in the valley. Note the Obama sign standing proudly on the side of the road.

I came home today, after volunteering at school, to find that someone had driven right over our sign. The day we put up our signs - I had discussed with Sandra, my sister-in-law - who is a volunteer for the Obama campaign and got us these signs - how long she thought it would take before someone would deface or demolish them. I thought it would only take a couple of days. But it's been out there for maybe a week and a half. We have two other signs up, but they are much closer to the house. This one was an easy target being on the other side of our road just off the pasture. Weiners.

Yankee Doodle's Dandy!

This is our new goat - Yankee - the Nubian wether. He is actually the son of our very own Juniper! I was really excited to be offered him by Juniper's step-mom, Rosemary. He was born on July 1 along with one other buckling (who has been claimed by a 4-H kid); so he is almost 3 months old. I can see the family resemblance.

He came home today, and so far seems very frightened of people, of his surroundings, and of the other resident goats, Apple and Acorn. It doesn't help that Apple is trying to assert her position with Yankee. And not gently either. She is very intent on giving him a painful and lasting lesson on who's boss around here. Yankee is so much smaller in stature than Apple - and much thinner and he's still a baby. I won't be able to let him alone with them for quite a long while it seems.

On this first day for Yankee, it's hard to imagine him as a happy and comfortable resident of the Seven Valleys goat herd. But I felt that way during the first days of Acorn and Apple's arrival. Boy, have they come a long, long way. I am pretty satisfied with how things turned out with them. They are no longer scared of me at all. They come to me every time I go out to see them. I can put their leads on them with no resistance at all. Things are good with them. Now that all was well, we will begin the long, rocky road of working another kid into the family. But now I know it can be done - and I have all the confidence in the world.

Minnesota: Evergreen Lodge on Woman Lake

Welcome to Minnesota. Land of folk legend - Paul Bunion. Among other things.

For as long as I can remember this fish-shaped piece of plywood, with the words Evergreen Lodge hand-painted on it, has had the ability to elicit ear-shattering squeals from every child in our seven-car caravan as it came into view. This sign was the official signal that we had arrived at our beloved Evergreen Lodge.

Being here meant that all my 24 cousins and I would be able to enjoy two weeks of sweet emancipation! We would have fourteen days of swimming, minnow hunting, leech killing, and fishing off the dock; of water skiing, row boating, playing cards, burying each other in the sand, and Turtle Races in town on Wednesdays. When daylight faded all the kids would meet up at the Lodge to listen to the juke box, play some pool - some pinball, eat gobs of candy and drink Nehis until our money ran out. That vacation to Minnesota was our last hurrah before beginning a new school year just a week after returning home. It was pure bliss.

Even now as an adult – I have most of the same feelings attached to that place. I feel the same giddy anticipation all throughout the year of summer arriving so we can go back again. It’s not quite the same for me now as it was when I was a kid of the ‘70s, but when I’m there, everywhere I walk, everything I see, being in Cabin 13 - I can see so clearly all the ghosts of my past and feel I am in some way with my family again. These days only a handful of my extended family makes the trek each year, unfortunately not at the same time. Like me, they too, want their kids to experience in some way the magic we felt back then.

The gang: Asa, Natasha, Karissa, Allysa. Not pictured: Jake

Asa with his "Big One"