Spring is here . . .

Hannah shows off her Easter dress (and one for Baby Maggie) from a special package from Meme.

About to get into some trouble . . .

The Merry Pranksters.

Hannah reading with Grampa.

Dr. Luke likes to take care of the animals.

Hannah is getting the hang of Luke's bike. (Or is it simply the lure of the pink helmet and sunglasses?)

Luke instructing me to stay out of the special "kid cave" (aka freezer box).

A serious Russian Princess in the arms of her father (hat and coat from Meme).

Luke working with playdough at school.

January (oops, now February) Update

Luke plotting his next move in Zingo.

Hannah in pursuit of her favorite new snack - fresh snow.

Thank goodness Hannah is now in charge of making dinner . . .

Our new snowblower (hand-me-down from a friend) works well, but with some stubborn pieces like Luke, we must go manual style.

Mommy and Hannah in the front yard. We're smiling because it's 30 degrees (above zero, not below!)

Luke and Daddy clowning around - Luke loves the handmixer's beaters.

1974

Alexandra, age 5, with grandmother Valre on the stoop, Charlottesville 1974.

With my parents, July 1974. Love the 70s clothes and hairstyles.

A, among the corn and tomatoes in the backyard.

A on the teeter-totter (place of many pinched fingers and toes).

Two!

We still can't believe our big girl is 2!

Hannah prefers frosting to cake.

She loves her new baby "Aya" (named by Luke) from Meme and Pepe.

Hannah could tell that Mommy was just a little bit proud of the homemade tutu, so she deigned to try it on. . .

Hannah enjoys her new rocking chair and new baby Maggie (from Nana and Grampa).

A shot of our Christmas villages and a peek at the tree.

Getting Ready for Halloween . . .

Trying out some costumes - Luke is now planning to be a skeleton, while Hannah shows off the top of her ladybug costume.

Hannah shows some great ghoulish Halloween spirit as she cooks up some babies (!) for dinner.

Hannah and Grampa love the cabin!

Luke with some handcrafted pipe cleaner glasses.

Hannah and Mommy.

Luke as a doctor, complete with important medical accessories - stethoscope, glasses, and necklaces.

Nana and Hannah ham it up for the camera.

Playing around with the sepia tones in Picasa.

Apple Season

Luke and Hannah check our apple harvest from the trees we planted in the spring - one delicious apple!

Hannah examines the apple up close--it's a variety called "Freedom".

Luke and his friend Mary horse around at the orchard. We went on a hayride on the weekend, where we saw the orchard, heard the many dairy cows mooing, petted the barn cats, examined the apple-washing and polishing machine, and sampled some Honeycrisp apples.

Luke checks out the view during the hayride.

Hannah in her new bob haircut.

Nana and Hannah at the cabin.

Luke and Daddy walk on the bike trail, en route to the community garden.

Luke and Hannah harvest fingerling potatoes--not a big crop, but enough for a few dinners.

First Day of School

Luke started preschool on Wed, Sept 3 (two half-days a week). Here he shows off his new backpack.