Trip to the dentist

Milo had his first trip to the dentist recently. Lucie had her appointment at the same time.


The kids got to choose sunglasses, so they weren't blinded by the light.




Disclosing tablets -- ugh.




The kids were total champs.

A message from Lucie

You ruin me

One of Milo's more creative figures of speech is, "You ruin me." That is what he says now when you make him really mad, for example, by telling him he can't eat chocolate before breakfast. "You ruin me, Mommy!" Since we have never said anything like this to him, we imagine it is a creative application of a word that he has, actually, heard quite a bit, as in, "Milo, why did you tear up this magazine? You ruined it."

I guess I've been ruining Milo quite a bit lately. This morning, when I made him change out of his pajamas, he told me, "You are a terrible mommy. I don't like you." And then, "You are going to DIE." Later, at least, he came up to me and said, "I love you, Mommy. I don't want you to die."

Happy Halloween from Lucie

Peaks of Otter

Immediately after returning from New York, we went camping with friends at Peaks of Otter, Virginia.


Lucie used a timer to take this picture.


There was an amazing apple tree full of apples. Jacob and Gavin roasted apples in the fire, and Jason made an apple tart. We also ate our share straight off the tree. And we saw deer eating the apples.


"Are we at the 'Balance Rock' yet?"


Some of us got to see a Civil War reenactment. Here some renegade Union soldiers are stealing the Johnson family's hams and cider. You can see Lucie standing there, right in the middle of the action. It was weird. The Confederates swooped in at the last minute to save the day.


Milo played a lot with sticks.


More photos are in the Boo Blog Annex.

Trip to Brooklyn

We took a trip to Brooklyn to visit our friends Shannon and Erica. It was wonderful. There was a bit of crying when we had to go home. Here are some of the highlights.


Sunrise at RDU. Milo said, "It looks like mango juice."


Can you remember Milo's first flight?


Breakfast in Shannon and Erica's garden


Drawing with chalk in Prospect Park


Goose watching


Tree climbing


Subway riding


Coney Island


T-shirt making


Museum going


Pigeon chasing


Drinking a cherry-lime ricky at Tom's Restaurant


Crashing

More photos are in the Boo Blog Annex.

What we did this weekend

Mushroom hike






Wiggled a loose tooth


Looked up cartoon pigs on the internet


Identified mushrooms


Bathed


Violin practice


Cooked a roast


Played with haz mat guys

Defining moment

C had to work late at the museum on Friday night. In the car on the way home from school, L started making pouty noises when she remembered this. "No whining in this family," I said. She said, "I'm not whining, I'm grumping." I said, "No whining or grumping." She said, "I'm not grumping, I'm growling." I said, "No whining, grumping, growling, or complaining in this family." She said, "I'm not growling, I'm talking back." Then she cracked up.

Tasting menu

This morning:

C: Milo, what do you want for your birthday dinner tonight?

M: Macaronicheese....and pizza...and dumplings...and chickens on a stick.

Camping

We went camping with friends at Grayson Highlands State Park. Lucie has been itching to go back ever since last year's Labor Day weekend trip. How fast a year goes by.


The great climbing tree.




The great free-for-all in the Stinehelfers' enormous tent.


Danny cooking breakfast.


Milo clowning for Molly in the meadow.


They kept poking the thistle and saying, "It's sharp."


Setting off to hike the Rhododendron Trail.


Milo had a hard time not eating all of the huckleberries and blackberries that he saw along the way. The walking stick helped.


Molly posing before our destination -- the rocks at the top.




Lucie at the top.


Milo also conquered the summit.


Claudia wasn't the only child who got carried on the way down.


Alex brought his model rockets.


The rocket veered over the campground. We had a moment of excitement wondering if it would set anyone's tent on fire. We never found the rocket.


We ate s'mores, of course.




Last fling on the swings.



Many more pictures are in the Boo Blog Annex.