New York Report, 2010 Edition

This year's trip to White Plains kicked off with a sandbox conspiracy, moved smoothly on to the generational initiation of the kids' table, and was cousinarific throughout. Lucy is especially skilled at mugging for the camera, and Eric is, if possible, even cuter than before.

A Day in the New Life

After moving, lots of non-visually-exciting things happen, like applying for bank accounts and buying toilet paper. So since no one had taken any pictures since we got here, today we took pics all day long.

We ate breakfast...



Read bird books...


Ben helped Mom make a blueberry-peach pie:


While Alex hung out with his animals.


We went to Patapsco Valley State Park and walked across a cool suspension bridge:




And played in the rocks there:


After that we were tired:


Then more bird books.

Then Mom forgot to keep taking pictures, like of us eating pie.
Then Dad read to us from James and the Giant Peach (the part where the Cloud Men throw hailstones at the peach) before bed.

Goodnight.

Spelling sinister sentences

These remind me of those anonymous notes, pasted together from newspaper cutouts, that criminals write to police departments in old movies.

Turtly is the name of the (stuffed animal) turtle, of course. I don't know why the jaguar is sad.

"No visitors allowed exept [sic] if you are one of us [signed] the cats," (very creative use of a line and two numbers when lacking an e) placed outside the Fisher Price house.

"Dear Squeaky [the stuffed dolphin], I heard that a stingray stung you." (Many letters were unavailable by this point (the above sentences remaining on the floor), so several number or composite-letter substitutions were needed.) This one is especially sinister. Suggests the writer thinks it would be a shame if the stingray would have to sting Squeaky again....

We jumped into the swamp again

Alex Spells Bovines

Reading field guides is still the most popular activity for the mini-Yoders, but spelling the names of the animals also consumes hours daily.

Yoder Cup Soccer

Unremarkable behavior in many children, but A&B have so far been so unsporty that half an hour of kicking balls in the backyard was worth documenting.

Kentucky Trip Pictures

Here are a few pics from our weekend in KY.



Reading animal books while waiting for food in a cafe. (Notice Ben's book is about lions, not birds! Perhaps this is what is giving Alex his shocked expression.)



Outside the wedding reception.


At the pool at Carter Caves State Park.


At the natural bridge at Carter Caves.


Smores!