Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
and Breathe...
It's always so hard to come back from a vacation.
This past weekend, my husband and I went away for our 10 year anniversary (which is actually not until the 31st). We went to Jekyll Island, GA and stayed at the historic Jekyll Island Club. We were only gone 2 nights and really only had 1 full day of vacation, but it was a really nice day. Now, we are back home, up at 6 AM and on the go. And, it's a cloudy, grey, gloomy looking day. That's not helping.
While in Jekyll Island we had the -you couldn't ask for better weather- weather. Blue skies, not a cloud to be seen, perfect temperature, not hot, not cold, perfect.
We began each day (all 2 of them) eating our pastries and drinking our coffee sitting out on one of the many large porches, listening to the trickle of the water fountain in the courtyard and watching the birds flutter about.
The island is not really that big so we rented bikes for the day and rode everywhere. There are bike trails all over the island that weave in and out of forests, over old wooden bridges that crossed bubbling creeks, past ponds (and a couple of gators) and down quiet country roads. Since the hotel was on the bay side, we rode our bikes to the beach and spent the afternoon walking and laying on the not crowded beach.
It was just so nice to not have a schedule or anything that needed to be done and nowhere that we had to be. The change of scenery and the fresh air was very welcoming.
I did miss the kiddos a bit. They would have liked this place. But it was nice to have some uninterrupted adult time.
And now off to plan our next vacation....
In the meantime, here are some pictures from our time at Jekyll Island:
One of the about 25 pictures I took just of the hotel. It was very photogenic.
The hotel grounds were beautiful with lush green lawns and massive oak trees with low hanging branches and spanish moss (which having grown up in Florida I used to think was really ugly -the moss- but now find it fascinating and a little soothing).
The island was full of these awesome bike trails and beautiful scenery.
We saw 2 decent sized alligators while on our morning bike ride.
The beach was amazingly uncrowded. It was beautiful and serene.
Paul is better at the self portrait that I am since his arms are quite a bit longer.
This past weekend, my husband and I went away for our 10 year anniversary (which is actually not until the 31st). We went to Jekyll Island, GA and stayed at the historic Jekyll Island Club. We were only gone 2 nights and really only had 1 full day of vacation, but it was a really nice day. Now, we are back home, up at 6 AM and on the go. And, it's a cloudy, grey, gloomy looking day. That's not helping.
While in Jekyll Island we had the -you couldn't ask for better weather- weather. Blue skies, not a cloud to be seen, perfect temperature, not hot, not cold, perfect.
We began each day (all 2 of them) eating our pastries and drinking our coffee sitting out on one of the many large porches, listening to the trickle of the water fountain in the courtyard and watching the birds flutter about.
The island is not really that big so we rented bikes for the day and rode everywhere. There are bike trails all over the island that weave in and out of forests, over old wooden bridges that crossed bubbling creeks, past ponds (and a couple of gators) and down quiet country roads. Since the hotel was on the bay side, we rode our bikes to the beach and spent the afternoon walking and laying on the not crowded beach.
It was just so nice to not have a schedule or anything that needed to be done and nowhere that we had to be. The change of scenery and the fresh air was very welcoming.
I did miss the kiddos a bit. They would have liked this place. But it was nice to have some uninterrupted adult time.
And now off to plan our next vacation....
In the meantime, here are some pictures from our time at Jekyll Island:
One of the about 25 pictures I took just of the hotel. It was very photogenic.
The hotel grounds were beautiful with lush green lawns and massive oak trees with low hanging branches and spanish moss (which having grown up in Florida I used to think was really ugly -the moss- but now find it fascinating and a little soothing).
The island was full of these awesome bike trails and beautiful scenery.
We saw 2 decent sized alligators while on our morning bike ride.
The beach was amazingly uncrowded. It was beautiful and serene.
Paul is better at the self portrait that I am since his arms are quite a bit longer.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Books
I just added a new book to my "Books I've Read" list. Check it out by clicking on the "Books I've Read" heading at the top of the home page of my blog.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Spell Check
I have to share some of the recent work my kindergartner, Grace has brought home. At her school, the focus is on phonics. Spelling is not a main subject. Even for Kristin who is in second grade, they rarely have spelling tests. It's just not emphasized. The emphasis is put more on writing, phonics, comprehension and concepts of print. So as far as spelling goes they prefer the kids to sound out their own words, usually with no help from the teacher. They learn the letters, sounds, digraphs, consonant blends, ect., and then they are on their own.
As you can imagine, this results in some writings that are rather difficult to decipher. It is neat though to see the progress even Grace is making throughout the year. At the beginning, I was hard pressed to get every other word. Now, however, I can figure out most everything. It does occasionally make me laugh though, the way she sounds out some words. She is sounding them out the way they sound to her. Sometimes, that is WAY off. It's cute. It makes me smile.
Here are 2 recent examples:
These are writing assignments that are part of a writing prompt. The teacher starts a sentence or asks a thought provoking question and the kids have to respond.
In case you need a translation, the above paper says: "I see two baby penguins. I will name them Macey and Sara." Notice how she spells "penguins." "pingwins."
Here is another:
As you can imagine, this results in some writings that are rather difficult to decipher. It is neat though to see the progress even Grace is making throughout the year. At the beginning, I was hard pressed to get every other word. Now, however, I can figure out most everything. It does occasionally make me laugh though, the way she sounds out some words. She is sounding them out the way they sound to her. Sometimes, that is WAY off. It's cute. It makes me smile.
Here are 2 recent examples:
These are writing assignments that are part of a writing prompt. The teacher starts a sentence or asks a thought provoking question and the kids have to respond.
In case you need a translation, the above paper says: "I see two baby penguins. I will name them Macey and Sara." Notice how she spells "penguins." "pingwins."
Here is another:
The translation for this one is; " I would say would you like one of my cookies." Notice the word, "cookies." "kuceys."
Cute, huh?
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The View From Here -Part 2
So far, the view from here hasn't changed all that much, though I do see lots of other changes in the way of spring around our yard. *If you are confused, go back a few posts.
Here is the view from our hammock today;
Here is the view from our hammock today;
Below is the picture I took from our hammock on February 14.
I know, it hasn't changed much, but it's there. It just subtle. Take a look at the other obvious signs of spring I found in our very own yard!
My lonely, only Hydrangea bush.
One of the 18 azalea plants we have in our front yard. (It used to be 23 but we recently had some removed)
Our Tulip Tree.
Another Azalea.
More of the Tulip Tree.
I couldn't not include a Jonquil.
I don't know what these purple flowers are, but they sprout up in the same spot every year. And they are pretty.
Yeah, Spring!!
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