Since I had the week off, we got to go to Granny and Grandpa's house. It actually took the kids a few days before they realized that they hadn't received anything from Granny and Grandpa on Christmas day!
Stephen was very proud of his "Ohio State jacket":
Granny enjoyed wrestling all three kids at once!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas!
Ah, the joys of watching their faces as they discover Santa's surprises.
Getting Ready For Santa:
Getting Ready For Santa:
2007_12_25 - Christmas Day |
Monday, December 24, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Finding A Tree
Since we were home this year for Christmas, we went to our local tree farm to get a real tree. The weather was actually really nice this year, so I got more time than usual to hunt around before everyone was ready to go (sound familiar, anyone?).
2007_12_08 - Christmas Tree |
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Wexner Center and Conservatory
One of the kids' favorite outings is to go to the Franklin Park Conservatory... they change their exhibits a couple of times a year so there is always something new to see. We combined this visit with a trip to the Wexner Center For The Arts (on the OSU campus) to see a William Wegman exhibit.
The kids liked the Wegman exhibit, but really loved the conservatory. This time, they were showcasing a collection of miniature buildings made entirely of natural materials: plants, sand, and stone. There were several famous monuments, and an entire room devoted to fairy tales. Marcus's favorite is probably still the Chihuly glass, though!
The kids liked the Wegman exhibit, but really loved the conservatory. This time, they were showcasing a collection of miniature buildings made entirely of natural materials: plants, sand, and stone. There were several famous monuments, and an entire room devoted to fairy tales. Marcus's favorite is probably still the Chihuly glass, though!
2007_11_24 - Conservato |
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thanksgiving
This year we got to have both sets of grandparents up for Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun, with great food, trips to the zoo, and wonderful company.
2007_11_22 - Thanksgivi |
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Wildlights At The Zoo
Each winter the Columbus Zoo stays open late and puts up millions (yes, millions) of lights. They are quite a sight to see, and there are other fun things for the kids besides the animals: a skating rink and model trains. Honda R&D usually has an event at the zoo where we get some munchies, a stuffed animal for each kid, and the opportunity to see some of the animals up close.
2007_11_17 - Wildlights At The Zoo |
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Bye Bye Crib
It's been a long time since I've updated this blog, so here goes...
In mid-November, we switched Stephen from his crib to his bed. Here the kids are saying goodbye to the crib. They showed us what it looked like when each used to sleep in it...
Elise never actually sucked her thumb while sleeping.
Stephen always turned to face the opposite way of the other two.
In mid-November, we switched Stephen from his crib to his bed. Here the kids are saying goodbye to the crib. They showed us what it looked like when each used to sleep in it...
Elise never actually sucked her thumb while sleeping.
Stephen always turned to face the opposite way of the other two.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Rocketry, Part 4
If anyone ever doubts how much kids learn by osmosis, check this out. Stephen was supposed to be helping Angie cook. What did he do instead? Stephen built a "rocketship":
Monday, November 5, 2007
Halloween
Well, we managed to carry on our traditions from past years pretty well. Our Annual Pumpkin Carving Party had a total of 45 people this year, and no carving-related injuries (at least none that I know about)! We might have to move the carving to the garage next year to make enough "party space".
I started on the Halloween costumes earlier than ever, and still ended up finishing the day before the big event. Marcus was Harry Potter in Quidditch uniform, complete with a broomstick and Golden Snitch. Elise was Hermione with wavy hair and her wand. Stephen was Hedwig the owl, although without the beak many people thought he was a chicken. I'd say chicken is about right, since this normally-talkative kid wouldn't say "Trick-or-Treat" or "Thank You" to anyone we visited!
Here are some pictures from the party and from Halloween night:
I started on the Halloween costumes earlier than ever, and still ended up finishing the day before the big event. Marcus was Harry Potter in Quidditch uniform, complete with a broomstick and Golden Snitch. Elise was Hermione with wavy hair and her wand. Stephen was Hedwig the owl, although without the beak many people thought he was a chicken. I'd say chicken is about right, since this normally-talkative kid wouldn't say "Trick-or-Treat" or "Thank You" to anyone we visited!
Here are some pictures from the party and from Halloween night:
2007_10_31 - Halloween and Pumpkins |
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Rocketry, Part 3
I rebuilt the fins in a different way and made some adjustments to the nose cone to help it stay on a bit better and release a bit better. We still had one "nose-first-into-the-ground" incident, but it was fixable with some tape. All 3 kids enjoyed launching and catching it. Here's a video of what the current launches look like:
Still some work to be done, but it is getting more reliable and a bit higher!
Monday, September 24, 2007
More Rocketry
Well, we made a few adjustments to the rocket and tried again. On the first launch, we tried wedging the nose cone on a bit tighter to stop it from coming off before apogee. Apparently it was on a little too tight:
That freed us up to try other configurations, including empty bottles. They worked surprisingly well (sorry about the bad camera work!):
So now the rocket is back on the bench for repairs... I mean, design improvements!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Water-powered Rocketry
About a year ago I got an issue of Make magazine with plans for a water-powered rocket. Well, I finally decided to give it a try. The build went pretty smoothly overall, with the main problems being finding a way to get glue to stick to a 2-liter bottle and finding the right o-ring/notch depth combination to create a good seal when pressurizing the rocket. Marcus, Elise, and our neighbor, Addie, helped... mostly with the parachute.
Today we headed out to Smith Park along with the Mangolds for the rocket's inaugural launch. I'd say it was a success because: no one got hurt, the rocket went up in the air, the parachute worked, nothing unfixable broke, and we all had fun. Next up... more height!
Here are some pictures:
... and some videos:
Nose Cone Failure On First Launch:
Today we headed out to Smith Park along with the Mangolds for the rocket's inaugural launch. I'd say it was a success because: no one got hurt, the rocket went up in the air, the parachute worked, nothing unfixable broke, and we all had fun. Next up... more height!
Here are some pictures:
Water-powe |
... and some videos:
Nose Cone Failure On First Launch:
Early Nose Cone Release And Tether Failure On Second Launch:
Our Best Launch:
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Stephen's First Day of Preschool
Stephen had his first day of school on Wednesday, and it was a success! No clinging, no crying, just quiet attention and eventually some participation.
Stephen's First Day of School |
Friday, September 7, 2007
Strong Wind
Wind speed today was 15~18mph, gusting up to 30 at times. So lots of windsurfers (and a few kiters) left work early to take advantage. I only had strength for a couple of runs, but I used my rest time to take some pictures. My new personal speed record is just shy of 25mph! Click the photo below to see my favorites from the album:
Riding the wind at Alum Creek 9-7-07 |
Monday, August 27, 2007
Mountain Biking
First Day Of School!
Monday, August 13, 2007
The Big Haircut
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Hammy-Boy
Delaware Classic Car Show
Elise rides without training wheels!
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