Early Reading Buddies

Okay. So they're not actually reading. Just looking at the books. Mostly pulling all the books off of the shelf. But they *are* enjoying books. And aren't they cute together? Cora and Amanda.

Cheeky Comparisons

Check out the cheeks and the jawlines of these babies. All the pics are around the same age, give or take a month or two.

Bradford

Bradford

McCance

McCance

Cora

Cora

Now look at this baby.

Yep. They all look like their daddy. Minus the boys' brown eyes. And I love that they look like him.

Upper Body Strength

This little girl is gaining more and more of it everyday.

Trying to pull up on the chair, but was a bit tired and only got to her knees.

Made it on the bookcase.

And is so proud of it.

Bathtime in the Big Tub!

Cora has graduated to the big tub. She loves it. Anytime you walk into the bathroom with her, she begins kicking her feet and voicing her excitement. She would splash in there for hours if we'd let her. And is even happier when a brother gets to bathe with her.

Cora's 8 month portraits

8 month portraits is only loosely correct. She was a bit younger than 8 months when I began the portrait project. She's now 8.5 months and we're still working. I've had lighting issues, escaping issues and so forth. This week my dear friend, Cindy, is planning to come help me out. I may even ask her to do the photography for me. She's very talented with the camera (and has more than a point and shoot too.) But here are some of the better ones I've managed to get thus far.

The gown and the cotton one-piece were both worn by the boys for a similar portrait shoot. The cotton one with embroidery was my dad's, handmade by my grandmother.

An Energetic Ending

Recently, while at our Sunday school Christmas party, a friend (who does not have children) commented that we must have a "high-energy household." Boy, he was right on the nose. Perfect description, and he meant nothing negative about it. That's just the way it is here. So, to end our day on Tuesday, our last day, we stopped at Project SWING, a 23,000 square foot playground in the Old City before heading back to the hotel. We took turns and the boys spent about 45 minutes running, chasing one another, climbing on this wonderful playground.

If you can't make it out, it says, "Travel the universe on the wings of your imagination."

Fort Mantanzas

Monday we ventured south about 15 miles to Fort Mantanzas, where the Spanish soldiers guarded the southern river approach. We took a pontoon boat across the barrier waters to the small island where the fort is located. The boys, Bradford, in particular, really enjoyed the boat ride. And while we were at the fort looking out at the water, we all got to see several female dolphins jumping in the water!! After thoroughly exploring the fort and taking in a wealth of information from the wonderful Spanish soldier (interpreter), we helped the boys complete their work to become Junior Park Rangers then walked the nature trail.

The fort as seen from the boat--much smaller than Castillo de San Marcos

Bradford worked hard in the cold wind to earn his Junior Park Ranger badge.

This soldier was full of knowledge--history, marine life, birds. If it was about or lived near the fort, he could tell you all about it.

Bradford didn't think that he'd sleep very well here.

The desk in the same room

This is the observation deck accessible only by a narrow ladder, which I happily got to skip since I was the babywearer.

Me with Cora asleep on my back. She's so go-with-the-flow.

Along the nature trail, McCance wants a picture with a palm tree.

View of the barrier waters from the nature trail
We didn't stay here long since it was very windy.

Along the boardwalk trail through the maritime forest

The variety of textures in this palm were amazing.

I will add my other St. Augustine area restaurant recommendation here. The Gypsy Cab Company. Pretty basic food, but homemade and full of flavor. Their house dressing is fabulous. I bought a bottle just so I can try to duplicate it at home.

Back to the 1740s

Our next stop, after eating some Mayan cuisine for lunch, was the Colonial Spanish Quarter Museum. We visited a leather worker, the home of the artillery sergeant Gallegos, the carpenter, the blacksmith and a calligrapher. Each interpreter was full of amazing knowledge of their craft, as well as the history of their city. We all soaked it up (Cora napped on my back in the Ergo.), and the boys worked hard on their I Spy/Bingo game to win a prize at the end of the tour.

The leatherworker works on a sheath for a knife.

I just thought this rooster was beautiful.

This was the kitchen (one of two rooms) of the Gallegos home.
This stove is called a fogon, a luxury stove at the time--although Senora Gallegos
would have had to haul a lot of water from outside in order to use it.

The carpintero had an outdoor shop with a palm thatch roof.
Here he shows us how to make lucet (a type of cord) on a tool that he fashioned.

The herrero had finished working for the day, but we learned about charcoal and found the huge bellows which was part of the game which the boys were doing.

The calligrapher writes his last certificate for the day.

By the way, if you are ever in St. Augustine, do give Casa Maya a try. Delicious, very fresh food. I had eggs with poblano mole sauce and they were fabulous. The smoothies sounded fabulously tasty, but I was too full to try one.

Castillo de San Marcos

The day after Christmas we left, joined by Grandma and Grandpa H., for St. Augustine, Florida to enjoy a history vacation, which for us means we got to count our vacation as school days! This fall, we had read about the Spanish settling in St. Augustine, so we took this opportunity to see some of that first hand.

Our first full day there we started at Castillo de San Marcos. I've been there two other times and was excited for the boys to see it. Bradford's favorite thing there was the miniature model of the fort on display in one of the rooms. Both Bradford and McCance enjoyed all of the cannons and pretended they were firing them. They also watched the entire video about the fort and it's history--because they wanted to.

McCance, Bradford, and Scott on the drawbridge (not original to the fort) entrance

Bradford with two of the Spanish soldiers
(McCance was wary of them and refused to join the photograph.)

Scott and Bradford check out the view while McCance plays in the dirt

They had a lot of fun "firing" the cannons.

The pigeons huddled on the top of the lookout

The interior of the fort as seen from the top

Bradford looks out on the water

My favorite lookout window on the Castillo