Hamming it Up

William appears to be following in his brother's footsteps!

Day Out with Thomas

Have you been able to "keep up with the Joneses" this past weekend? I know, it's been a busy one, most especially for Thompson. This afternoon, our proud engineer returned from his "day with Thomas", compliments of Annie and Poppy. All aboard!

WY at 8 months

It's been another busy month in the life of Mr. William...master crawler. Let's see...he is fast perfecting his pulling-up technique. Still nursing. No teeth. Napping and sleeping well. Loves the water whether it's pool-time or bath-time. And have we mentioned he likes food?

His current food list includes yogurt, oatmeal, rice, cheerios, Kix, crackers, goldfish, blueberry muffins, bread/rolls, cornbread, mandarin oranges, cherries, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, pears, bananas, applesauce, white beans, hummus, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, corn, sweet potato, carrots, zucchini, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans. I continue to make his food, just as I did for Thompson, and with the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables summer brings, it is proving to be the perfect time to introduce these yummy foods. If I were to take a guess, his favorite foods would include blueberries, raspberries, yogurt, spinach, squash and green beans. Williams is developing the art of self-feeding by using his fingers to pick up small bits of food (i.e. berries, bananas, crackers, crumbs, etc.), so we will begin to let him practice more in the coming month.

And one other observation to note has been discovering how he puts himself to sleep when riding in the car. He'll be babbling to us one minute, and if he begins to let out several "aaah"s, then we know sleep is imminent. After 5-10 "aaah"s, he'll turn his heard to the left, close his eyes and call is nap-time.

Tee it Up

Poppy surprised Thompson this weekend with his very own golf club: a putter. He had taken one of his old putters and sized it down to "Thompson-size". Saturday afternoon, Poppy and Bobby took Thompson to the club and played eight holes. All things considered, Thompson did well. When asked what he learned, he said "to be still and be quiet"...a challenge for a 4-year old "so excited" to play golf. Sunday afternoon found the boys enjoying a quick round of putting at the 18-hole putting course at Hanks House. He is already talking about "going golfing" again. Thanks Poppy!

putting in at Wade Hampton

playing the 18-hole putting course at Hanks House

Up in the Air

An exciting first happened this morning for Thompson and mom...a helicopter ride! Yesterday afternoon upon arriving in Cashiers, a helicopter landed beside Rusticks (Annie and Poppy's store). Not surprisingly, Thompson was eager to check it out, where he met Mr. Steve, the pilot, who graciously let him sit in the pilot's seat. And as if that wasn't enough, Steve called last night to extend an invitation to Thompson to join him at 9 am today for a ride. So, with Annie holding William, Thompson, mom and dad stepped aboard for a flight over the valley. We took off over Cashiers Lake to Whiteside Mountain...Summer Chapel...Wade Hampton and Annie and Poppy's house...Rock Mountain...Sapphire Valley...Lake Fairfield and Camp Merrie-Woode with Old Bald on our right...Pinnacle Ridge and Horizon (Mamere and Papere's mountain house)...downtown Cashiers...and then back to Rusticks for our landing. We couldn't have asked for better flying weather! An awesome experience, and one we think Thompson hasn't quite figured out how lucky he is.

The proud co-pilot

Flying over Lake Fairfield with Camp Merrie-Woode

in the distance and Old Bald on our right

The 4th...3 weeks later

So here we are...3 weeks later...and I'm just getting around to recapping our 4th of July weekend in Cashiers. I guess it goes without saying it's been a busy few weeks. So, without further ado (and in an effort to keep it simple), we enjoyed...

* having Aunt G and Bart (her beau of 3+ years) "home" from NYC

* welcoming Bart's mom Anne to the mountains

* bluegrass music at the 2nd Annual Cashiers Mountain Music Festival

* sharing silly bands with "Cashiers Finest"

* rocksliding at Grimshawes

* visit with Uncle John and Aunt Beverly
Beverly is Papere's sister, thus T and WY's great aunt and uncle

* William's Dedication
* golf at Wade Hampton (Poppy, Bobby, Bart and Graham)

* SweeTreats ice cream

* the "hot pool"

* Summer Chapel

* grilling out on the deck

* watermelon teeth

* 8+ fireworks shows from Pinnacle Ridge

* news of a bear sighting on Horizon's neighboring lot

* good times, laughter, fellowship and fun!

Mystery Dinner

Early last year (2009) I found I was getting together with/running into women from my neighborhood frequently, but rarely were we without our children. We were growing as friends, as were our children, but limited in our "girl-time". The solution: Ladies Supper Club. Eighteen months later, we still meet once a month at someone's home for an evening of food, fellowship and fun. Currently we are 11-strong (we said farewell to two friends last month who moved due to job relocations, but welcomed two new women this month). Last night I hosted Supper Club and decided to serve up a Mystery Dinner. See if you can figure out what was served...but be careful as you may "start with dessert and end with the fish".

Ristorante Che Jones

Tonight's specials are listed within,

so select what you like and dig right in,

though names may be strange, each contains a clue,

to some dish or implement familiar to you.

If you figure them out and select the right order,

you'll consume our mystery dinner without disorder;

but if you can't decipher the true name of the dish,

you may start with dessert and end with the fish!

In any event, it's all in the fun,

so stick around until we're done.

2K-pound Paddlers

A Small Raise

Edward's River

Farmer's Friend

Gordgeous Blonde

May We Hit the Farm?

MIssissippi Mud

Mr. Freeman and a Sissy Get Cozy

Polly's Delight with Smiles

Popeye's Delight

Snow White and Rose Red

Southern Comfort

We Carry a Tune While Mining for Diamonds

World Cup's 1st Punch

As for the boys...William hit the sack early while Bobby and Thompson joined Herb and Anna for an Asheville Tourists baseball game.

A Bear?!

Thompson alerted us this morning that our trashcan had fallen down with garbage coming out. Upon further investigation, we discovered we were not alone as several others had been toppled over and rummaged through. Our initial thoughts were of Mr. Bear, and our assumption was confirmed when Herbie showed Thompson the "bear poop" in the yard!

Blueberry Pickin'

Sunday afternoon we went to DuPont State Forest in Brevard with the Freemans. Herb and Bobby fly-fished there in the spring and have been mountain biking there in recent weeks. During their ride Saturday morning, they noticed the wild blueberries were ready for picking. After about a mile hike to the "top" (which Thompson did great, not complaining once! and William decided to catch some zzz's in the backpack) we picked and picked and picked some more, stealing a few to enjoy along the way. So, with all the fresh blueberries, it could only mean one thing: time to hit the kitchen to make some blueberry "treats". First on the list was blueberry cobbler, which we enjoyed Sunday night, followed by blueberry cheesecake ice cream last night. And we still have blueberries to enjoy! Blueberry muffins anyone?

William's Dedication

“Let the little children come to me.”

Mark 10:14

On Friday, July 2, we gathered with our family at Annie and Poppy's home for William's Dedication. It was a special day, shared with Annie and Poppy, Mamere and Papere, Aunt G, Bart Smalley and his mother Anne, the Freemans, the Schwarzkopfs and the Fedors. We were honored to have Virginia Monroe of The Church of the Good Shephered preside over the Thankgiving and Dedication, just as she did in April 2006 when Thompson was dedicated.

“Train a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

Proverbs 22:6

With the Schwarzkopf family present, our dear friend Jill (owner of Realities Photography) put her camera to work and captured the essence of the day - from the sweetness of the dedication, to the fellowship with family, to one tired baby...and all the moments in between. Click on the following link to view her pictures: http://pictage.com/871805

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart

and with all your soul and with all your strength.

These commandments that I give you today are to

be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children.

Talk about them when you sit at home and

when you walk along the road, when you lie down

and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands

and bind them on your foreheads. Write them

on then doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Deuteronomy 6:5-9