Visit to Maryland

We visited family in Maryland for a few days. We had a Hanukkah celebration and went to see ICE. ICE is a show near the Gaylord Hotel. It was indoors and was 9 degrees inside- with amazing ice carvings for the holiday season. It was cold!!

Some photos and a video:

Dave Matthews Movie

Some of the girls went to see the Dave Matthews 3D concert movie last night. They handed us the 3D glasses, and we felt the need to take some photos.
Wanted to share...

Hanukkah

We celebrated one night of Hanukkah with friends. Kim and Harry had us over, along with Gail and Bob. The kids put on shows. The meal was amazing, potato latkes and sweet potato latkes. Yum. It was a wonderful evening. Photo of Cooper and his friend, Renee, at the bottom.

Thanksgiving '09

It all began at the Shaw's with some backyard football. The cows looked on. Some very serious ball players had a great time.
We then went to the Zullo's for an amazing feast, great company, and fun games. Thanks to all for making it a special day.

Flowerish

testing out how to save some Animationish files in order to share them.

Halloween 2

We had our traditional gathering to celebrate Halloween with friends at our house. Cooper was with others in another neighborhood. We had Sam and some of his friends here, as well as others. Stu outdid himself with this year's pumpkins.

It was a great time- good food, great friends, and lots of candy!

Halloween 1

Our town has a parade (about a week ago) to celebrate Halloween. Cooper was dressed as Swine Flu. Sam immediately found friends (none of whom went all out for costumes) and was off. Cooper scratched that idea for a costume and we spent the week brainstorming other ideas.

Just Trying New Things

Trying out new ways to save an Animation-ish file before doing more with students this week.

Ausable Chasm

We went with Nanny and PopPop today to Ausable Chasm in New York. We took the ferry across Lake Champlain. The walk along the chasm was awesome, with views of rushing water and amazing sandstone cliffs. We boarded a raft with others for the last part of the journey. The raft got stuck for about 20 minutes in some mild rapids. It was a blast! We had to bounce up and down and rock back and forth to dislodge the raft. It was beautiful scenery and a great time.

A few photos:

Sam Turns 12

Sam had a sleepover (oy) with 6 friends. We went bowling and then they kept themselves busy at home until forced to go to sleep at about 2:30 a.m. The only photos taken were at the bowling alley...

Beach Part 3

Here's a sampling of the last photos taken while at the beach.

Family Photos

Here's a sampling of this year's family photos taken by Jeffrey.

Beach photos, part 2

Here are some more photos- from the beach, of the family, at mini-golf, and more. Enjoy!

Beach Photos, part 1

Here is a sampling of the first set of beach photos. We begin in Point Pleasant, NJ on our way to Delaware. We went to the boardwalk there and tried a few games. We're in Bethany, at the house in the photo posted below. What a fabulous place, great time with family, fun on the beach, and more!

Some captions can be found if you put your mouse on the photos.

Beach 2009

We're in Bethany Beach, Delaware for our 23rd annual trip with family. We are in a new house this year. Here's a photo for viewing, taken by my brother. More updates and photos to come.

July 3rd Celebration

We were fortunate to share Burlington's fireworks on July 3rd with friends. Due to the weather, we gathered at the Shaw's house. It was perfect and a great Plan B.

View the photos below, or click below the photos ("View all Images") to view them in a gallery style.

Driving Range/Rain

Sam joined me and some friends at the driving range the other day, before the driving rain forced us into finding shelter. He was a great help, with lots of tips and advice. Looked pretty good himself, too!

Cooper Turns 9

Cooper had a fun time with friends on his 9th birthday. They went swimming, destroyed a pinata, enjoyed dinner, a couple of movies, snacks, and a sleepover.

Some photos...

Sam- Pitching

We went to Sam's baseball game today. Sam pitched for part of the game. Here are some photos and a video of him in action. (The first photo you see below shows what Cooper does at Sam's games...) Click on the arrows to move from one photo to the next.

BubbleShare: Share photos -

Here's Sam (#7), first playing third
and then pitching.
The sequence at the end is of Sam at bat.

Talent (?) Show

Cooper's class had a picnic and talent show the other night at the Coach Barn in Shelburne Farms. There were a variety of acts. Cooper and some buddies provided the commercial break. It's a take on a Verizon dead zone commercial.

Here are some photos (the girls insisted on one) and a video of the commercial. They mumble a bit, but you get the idea.

Duck Boat Tour

Here's a short video clip (there are more...!) from our Duck Boat Tour. Cooper is at the helm for part of the trip, when we were on the Charles River.

Boston

We made a spontaneous trip to Boston for an overnight. We went to a Red Sox game with other Shelburne friends, went on a Boston Duck Boat tour, visited the aquarium, and more. Here are a few photos... some video coming soon.

I ran into my old friend, Peter Reynolds, at a conference last week. He's an author/illustrator of children's books, owns a book store, and started a company called Fable Vision. He created an animation software for kids and big kids (adults) to use. I've been experimenting with a trial version, and Cooper has too.

I like this better than the software he used for the recent animation. Much better. The possibilities are endless. Check out Cooper's latest:

Cooper's Concert

In between Sam's baseball games that we have on most nights, we also had the pleasure this week of attending the 3rd grade concert. This was a singing concert featuring songs they've learned in music class. It was short (!) and sweet. Cooper was placed front and center, so photos were easier.

Cooper Animates

Sam has been using a new application at school called Pivot. Cooper saw it and just started playing. He created an animated gif. I think there's more to come, but here's one of his first attempts. Click on the image to see it move.

Opening Day

Yesterday was Opening Day for Shelburne Little League. We were at the fields all day (8-4!). Between the parade, ceremony, home run derby, bake sale, silent auction, and yes, even the games, there was a lot of fun to be had. Sam is a Red Sox again this year. We captured a few photos, but were too focused on the game to get any action shots.

BubbleShare: Share photos - Play some Online Games.

Easter and Shelburne Farms

We visited with the Zullos and Bouchards to gather Easter eggs this morning. The children continue to adore finding eggs.

Here's a quick movie of the fun:



We then went with the Zullos to Shelburne Farms. We saw the baby lambs, played with chickens, and took a short hike. It ended with a visit to O Bread for some warmth and yummy treats.

Here's a short movie of this adventure. By the way, it was about 33 degrees with a cold wind! It was freezing!

Old Friends

We had a wonderful seder for the first night of Passover this week. We were fortunate to share the event with good friends. Sam, Bailey, and Jack have been buddies since birth.

The Basement's Done!

After many years, the work has been completed. Stu put a lot of his energy into this project. Here's a short video showing it just before and just after the carpet was installed. Cooper helps with the viewing of the before part.

Sam- Basketball

Sam had his final basketball day today with a tournament in Burlington. They played a team from Colchester, and lost by one point at the end. It was a great game, very tough to watch. I made a highlight film, with Sam as the common thread.

Time for Me

I went away for an overnight with my book group (13 of us!) out to Shelburne Farms. We went for a horse-drawn sleigh ride, went snowshoeing, had a fabulous dinner, and most of all, laughed a lot. I took a few photos that I'm willing to share...

Pre-Dance

Here's a quick photo of Sam and some of his buddies, just before they left to go to the middle-school dance. As you can see, they dressed for the occasion.