Canoeing

"Believe me, my young friend, there is NOTHING -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats" ~ Wind in the Willows

One of the many highlights of the cabin was going out in Mike's canoe. Our cabin was situated right above a dam, which meant that even with a low water level, it was possible to canoe far up the river. Which was about 42 (Kateri's favorite "BIG" number) times better than when we got stuck in the shallows last year!

Sebastian absolutely loves the canoe, and though he has never actually spent time in it while it was in the water, he has enjoyed it on several occasions.

Kateri was thrilled to be able to go out in the canoe again, and Pat made sure that she was invited every time he went.

On her way down to go canoeing

Kateri was a big help in getting the canoe down near the water.

And she was careful to take all safety precautions!

And to follow all the rules.

It was splendid to be out on the water again!

Sebastian watched longingly from the shore.

He will have to wait until he is two!

Thanksgiving At the Cabin

We had such a beautiful Thanksgiving at the cabin this year! Kateri and Sebastian were both very excited for the festivities, but were far more interested in playing with the plates and napkins then in actually feasting on all the deliciousness.

Cheesin for the camera smile

Setting the table

Mac and the end result of his hard labor: deliciousness.

Jillian at her very first Thanksgiving, she slept right through the feast. 

Teamwork and flying rolls gets the job done!

Nanny with all all the scrumptiousness she prepared!

I did not make a single thing for Thanksgiving! It was really such a treat :)

The plan had been to drive back to Manassas for dessert with the Myers Family, but I was feeling rather exhausted and we ended up staying out at the cabin. We missed everyone, but it was the right decision! Energy is an oh-so-precious commodity and as we all know the days of sleeping in/catching up on sleep are in the past!

Thanks to the Greniers for such a glorious and festive feast!

Frying Pan Park

We saw unusual sights . . . 

Grass growing quite happily in the truck bed . . . Made me wonder why on earth we have such a hard time with it considering we grow our grass in SOIL!

Charlotte was excited to find a chicken that had escaped the coop and lost no time in making her aquaintance. Kateri, ever cautious, shouted, "No, Sisi!!! NOOOOO!"

The two of them had a splendid time running around the grounds.

Intrigued by the duck eggs

And the cow!

No visit to Frying Pan Park is complete without checking out the tractors!

Sorry to include you on your phone, Lu! But Danny was so cute I couldn't resist!

While we were there, there was a large horse competition going on inside the barn. Outside, many of the horses were warming up and going through their paces. Kateri was so impressed with all of them and wanted to just watch the horses the entire time. I am really hoping she will be able to take some riding lessons at some point!

Sebastian's crazy month continues . . .

This has been quite the month for Sebastian with all the stomach viruses and constant GI issues, but he still had one trick up his sleeve.

On Tuesday, he pulled this little table right on to his left ankle/foot:

He couldn't stand, walk or put any weight on it, so we brought him in to the doctor right away. Poor baby :-( Mimi and Johnny were so generous and watched Kateri, she had the most spectacular time building forts and playing.

Sebastian got to wear the cutest little hospital gown!

It is difficult to see, but there will little cartoon characters all over it and the material was so soft and cozy. Why can't they make adult hospital gowns like that?? Sebastian had to have a whole series of xrays done in case the pressure had radiated up his leg and broken something higher up. Nanny (Pats mom) went in with Bashy during the extensive xrays, and he did so well thanks to her help and distraction! Meanwhile, my mom sat with me and even brought me a big bottle of water infused with EmergenC- Truly I was so spoiled with all the help and support!!

The xray results didn't show any fractures, but because he couldn't bear any weight at all, it was possible that the fracture happened in the growth plate. I hadn't realized that growth plates don't show up at all on xrays!! 

So off we went to the orthopedic surgeon, who said it could either be a deep contusion or a fracture in the growth plate, and he had a temporary cast put on Sebastian. It is the tiniest little cast! 

Kateri was especially excited because they brought in green tape, and she has always maintained that green is Sebastians favorite color! 

He was so brave, never crying and only flinching when it hurt. 

So proud of our little guy! Please keep him in your prayers for a quick healing! We will know a week from this coming Monday if there was a fracture in the growth plate or not.

Apple Picking

A couple of weeks ago, Kateri, Sebastian and I headed out West for some apple picking. It was a gorgeous albeit chilly morning. We each grabbed a bag and headed out to look for some Granny Smith apples.

Kateri was very excited about the whole concept of apple-picking, but she was exceedingly happy when she discovered she could eat one while picking!

Sebastian enjoyed the whole process as well.

Wow! This apple came from way up there!

Deee-licious!

Kateri was quite the apple picker-upper, preferring to find the apples that had already grounded.

Sebastian was happy to put his feet up after some hard work!

After picking quit a load, we walked by the pumpkin patch, much to Kateri's delight. She immediately picked out her favorite in the field and requested it's immediate purchase.

They advertised "Pick your pumpkin straight off the vine!" and yet not one pumpkin was connected to a vine.

Kateri turned to me and said emphatically, "I'll be RIGHT BACK. I'll be RIGHT back, mama", and then she headed off:

All in all, we had a great time and did pick a bunch of apples, as you can see below:

However, a week later went to Hartland, which is much cheaper, absolutely gorgeous, and the apples are even more delicious! Needless to say, we have been eating many apple pies, crisps, cakes, sauce and fresh crunchy apples this fall!

Literature

Ever since she could crawl, Kateri has had a love for chapter books. I will never forget finding her when she was about 9 months old, carefully leafing through "Anna Karenina".

These days, she will sit quietly for a few minutes carefully looking at whichever chapter book she can find. The other day, I saw she chose one of my favorites:

2 year old master reader

However, don't let appearances fool you! Although she does love the written word, she cannot yet read it!

And, for good measure, here are a couple photos that I should have included in the best buds post, but completely forgot about!

They look like they're on a roller coaster!

(Really, sometimes I need to post these pics as a reminder to myself that they aren't fighting all the time ;) )

Poor little stinker

Poor little Sebastian has had a bunch of little viruses over the past few weeks. I knew he wasn't feeling his best when I found him like this:

 He loves the cow/John Deere blanket Mihi have him, so he brought it out to snuggle when he felt sick. 

The true test of how Sebastian feels is his willingness to watch tv. If he feels really poorly, he will sit still and watch, otherwise it holds no interest for him!!

Thankfully, he has been acting much better the last day or two, and I think he may finally be over these viruses! Thanks be to God!

Here is a picture of him after getting a mosquito bite on his forehead. He is like Grandpa Myers in his reactions to mosquitos!!