The Christmas Picture

Adirondacks, July 2012

Enjoy a little bit of Christmas fun from the Cornetts this holiday!

Holiday Madness, the Prelude

We have been very careful to temper the joys of the holiday season with the realities of routine and our own good sense about the experience of Christmastime. The madness of our life takes careful balance! And the season has its own agenda. I have spent the past few weeks carefully planning our intake of holiday joy, getting ready for the actual holiday. Time with family, peace on earth, good will to all.

But I couldn't resist this gingerbread house kit. And neither could the kids. 

Fooseball made an appearance at Thanksgiving, and interest hasn't flagged. 

Jude had his "special child" week at pre-school in early December. This involves a lovely tradition with the preschool bear, but Jude seems most to enjoy the "show and tell" aspect. Nothing like a short speech to your peers about all your favorite things. Ada slept with the bear.

Art projects from school have taken on a distinctly holiday theme.

Alpenrose Dairy near our house has a fantastic "Storybook Village" which included trains, live animals, sweets, and a visit with the Big Man himself. We got in and out without any tears (or photos).

The Christmas tree went up with a very small amount of fuss. It is nice to have help.

Rocket jammies are also nice. It's hard to believe they can dress themselves.

We took advantage of the week off from school to get Jude onto skis for the first time! We made 11 trips on the beginner lift at Timberline and he fell down about 33 times. This was one of those Dad and Jude moments that will stay with me forever.

Two days later, Jude and mom surprised me at gymnastics with one of his new tricks. Who taught you that, Jude? "Self." 

Finally, a quiet shot of our boy on the computer. He's learning to read, learning to type, and learning a million things about Wild Kratts. Ada is right behind him, and the two have been getting along famously.

Jude wrote (with Grandma's help) a nice letter to Santa, in which he promised not to hit his sister if he could get some toy that he really really really wanted. He's been true to his word. Of course, he also promised that Ada wouldn't hit anyone and she could get this other toy that he really really wanted. We'll see if Santa takes the bait. 

Adventures with Children

This is a short collection of photos from our fall activities.

Naked fingerpainting on the back patio,

 

Camping trip with Dad, 

Rock climbing class, 

A new love for summer dresses, 

Hiking trips, 

Fort building, 

Romping in the tent, 

Posing for photos,

Halloween, 

Dressing up, 

Looking cute, 

Thanksgiving, 

Fancy shirts, 

Going for walks, 

Wearing pink. 

We came from the trees . . .

and we are drawn back to them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fun pictures from the first fall at our new house.

Salmon Toes

I'm visiting my grandmother this week in Naples, Florida. Yesterday we got matching nail polish on our toes.

Halloween Pirates

This is a test to see if I can blog from my phone.

Jude was a Pirate Chef and Ada was a Cabin Boy. We visited about a dozen houses in our neighborhood, and Jude told everyone our life story.

Hope this works!

Matching

With a boy and a girl, there are rarely opportunities for the children to wear matching clothes.  Jude loved these moose jammies so much as a two-year-old that we snatched up this larger pair when we were in Alaska a few years ago.  Now, Ada wears the old ones and Jude wears the new ones.  They love having the same outfit...

The view from above

Are you tired of videos of kids swimming yet?

Swimming Adventures

Over the summer we took full advantage of our wonderful neighborhood pool. The kids are fish in the water, and this is a good preview of their skill and grace. A big thanks to Annie, Ben, and Milo for bringing the underwater camera on Labor Day.

The pool closes this week! We'll have to settle for these memories until next June!

Fall Camping

We put the tents up in our front yard for a few days to get the kids used to the idea.  They seem pretty comfortable with it.

First Day of Preschool, 2012

First day of preschool for the Cornett kids. We went screaming out the door this morning, but managed to stop long enough for photos and some height documentation on the kitchen wall.