Dylan and Robert

Dylan adores his big cousin Robert! Robert is quite patient with him, even when a one-sided sword fight is at hand...

Sledding!

We found a great sledding place up the Taos canyon! It was just a little open area next to an empty road and the kids climbed a short distance and made a short sledding trail. The more momentum they got and the more times they went down, the farther they would go until they would continue across the flat part for a long time! Lots of fun was had by all!

Thanksgiving in Taos!

Pirate!

This guy's creativity is so inspiring! He is always drawing and his drawings are so detailed. I will post some pictures of his drawings soon, but today I had to post his pirate flag. He has the costume, the stick for a sword, the attitude. All he needed was the flag so he disappeared into his room, colored this pirate flag and taped it to our walking stick. All afternoon, he carried that flag everywhere he went.

Love This Sweet Guy So...

Friends!

We have been lucky enough to get some neighbors across the street who have a boy Dylan's age who goes to school with Dylan and they get along great! They also have two younger kids who satisfy Hannah's never-ending craving to play with and care for babies! Dylan has become so accustomed to having a playmate just across the street that he and his friend both don't get it when the play date has to end. We try to explain that is really is okay, that they will have many years of living across the street from one another, but they still think they need to play 24/7. And let me just say that the two of them together is quite a bundle of boy energy.

Hannah!

Wanna Read A Good Book?

Dylan loves to draw and write! This is one of his first books, a fascinating look into a day in the life of a real pirate! He did almost all of this on his own. He just needed help on the blends "sh" and "th". Let's face it-- you can't write much of a book without those blends, especially when you are talking about ships. So, put on your phonetic hats and enjoy this great read. In case your hat is rusty, below I will provide you with a translation!

1. One day there was the highest castle.

2. A pirate lived in the castle. A ship was leaving and it had the pirate in it.

3. Then, the pirate saw another pirate. They took out their cans of cannon balls and shot at each other. (Notice their smiles as they shoot at each other. It must be a game, right?)

4. Then the ship kept going...

5. into the night.

6. The ship kept going until day

7. until he got to his castle. He said, "I'll make friends with the pirate I shooted."

8. So he invited the pirate to his castle.

9. The other pirate's boat arrived at the castle.

10. Let's play a game.

(Now isn't that a lovely story with a brilliant moral at the end?)

Sister and Brother Time!

Hannah took most of these photos for an art contest at school.

Hannah and Her Little Friend!

For this baby-crazy girl, how fortunate that our friend and neighbor has a new baby girl that she is willing to share with Hannah!

My Little Pirate!

Dylan's Preschool Halloween Party!