Mulberry Street

I won't lie.  It was a frigid morning and I didn't know if we would make it to the race before it ended.  Luckily, we got there five minutes before Eric crossed the finish line giving me just enough time to park, walk over, and pull out the camera.  Eric ran fast and thought he might have placed in his division, so we stuck around for the awards.  It wasn't until later that we discovered that he had placed but spelled his name wrong so he didn't get his prize.  Bummer. The kids were in shock from the cold. Eric running the final 100 meters. Eric displaying his vanity. Eric's post-race smile. Results Place: 24th out of 322 Time: 33:46 Distance: 8K Pace: 6:48

Another trip to a kids' museum, or rather The Children's Playseum .  It would be a stretch to call this fun house a museum, but Genevieve considers it one and the same.  Eric commented that now Genevieve's perception and enjoyment of real museums is ruined.  After Genevieve got over feeling overwhelmed she played dress-up, decorated a cupcake, pretended to go grocery shopping, played house, pet live bunny rabbits, painted on walls, banged on drums, drove firetrucks, curled doll's hair, and danced like a fairy.  This playseum has everything you could think of and lots of it.  The only downside is that this location is crowded and a little cramped, not that Genevieve noticed.  She played and played and played and I hope she learned a little bit along the way.  We are sure, however, that she had a fantastic afternoon.  I would recommend going at least once, but basically you can do all these same things in your own hom...

Okay not really, but sort of. Do you understand Aperture and Shutter Speed well?  I don't or rather I didn't, until now.  I have read and re-read my camera field guide numerous times in attempts to get a firm grasp on these two photography elements, to no avail.  Then I discovered  Pioneer Woman's blog entries on Aperture and Shutter Speed (see Lesson 1 , Lesson 2 , Lesson 3 , Lesson 4 ).  Drummond and her team of photography contributors speak my language.  I only had to read through her "What the Heck is Aperture" series a couple of times but it really makes sense.  I plan to explore her photography section as time permits.  Then maybe I'll learn enough to take better photos. Below is an example of my attempt at manipulating Aperture.  The focal points are all on her face and the background is super blurry.  I like using the "AV" setting because I can pick the aperture, but the camera decides on the best shutter speed....

My heart is full and I am grateful.

Bisous has officially accepted Emory's presence.  Or, at least the presence of Emory's warmth and fuzzy blanket.  We're not sure which.

We spent the afternoon at the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum .  We all had a great time and I highly recommend it, even with the hour drive to get there.  Plus there is a fabulous Thai restaurant down the street that Eric and I want to go back to, it was that good.  The museum really was about discovery - specifically how things work.  When you first walk into the museum you're eyes are met with a system of pulley's, cranks, conveyor belts, wheelbarrow, and buckets to transport apples from the apple tree .  Genevieve was absolutely ecstatic and didn't want to see anything else...  ...until she discovered the Ambulance/Hospital room .  Then she really didn't want to see anything else and we practically had to drag her around to show her everything else that was available to see.  I'd guess we spent 75% of our time in this section.  There were hospital beds and big machines with lots of knobs to turn, x-rays and light ma...

We love having lunch dates with Daddy.  On this particular day we met Eric at the Museum of the American Indian.  We didn't even go inside.  We just enjoyed the waterfalls and a walk around the museum.  Then, Eric pointed out that his name is in the middle of "America."  A fact he loves to point out to anyone willing to listen.  Genevieve thought it was pretty cool.

 Emory still needs a little help sitting up on his own, but he's getting there.

D is for Dog (paper bag and dog puppet) E is for Elephant and Egg (paper craft and paper mache painted egg) F is for Frog, Fish, and Fall G is for Giraffe H is for Hands (hand print turkey feathers) I is for Indian (fabric headband, and thumb print corn craft) J is for Jewelery (fruit loop necklaces)