Spring Pics

Since I didn't purchase any school pictures, the kids indulged me one afternoon at the Botanical Gardens.  It's certainly not their favorite way to spend an afternoon, but I was happy with the results. 

Athens Airport Tour

Scouts continues to be a wonderful experience for Scott.  He has an active den, with many connections to the community.  One of the dads arranged for us to have a tour of the tarmac of our little regional airport.  It was so exciting for the boys to see the planes up close.

Our guide was an Eagle Scout and was so patient with all of the boys' questions.

He took them through all of the pre-flight inspections, including the fuel line and the exterior wings and rudders.

Next the boys got to sit in the cockpit.  Too bad they didn't actually get to fly!

Just in case the pilot forgets...

We also toured an older plane.  I can't remember the type, but it was certainly older than the first.

These pictures below capture the personality of the boys perfectly.  Scott wants to learn as much as he can about everything.  He always has a hundred questions.  He is serious and wants the facts.

Andrew just wants to pretend he is soaring above the clouds.  His imagination takes over.

Reading on a Saturday Afternoon

Yard work

Derrick cut down a tree today.  It's not something that is typically on the "to-do" weekend list, but he has been eyeing this dead tree for a while.  It's pretty far from our house and he was sure it would come down easily.  And it did.  All it took were two strategic cuts and a strong push. 

 

Now comes the harder part of cutting limbs and disposing of the trunk.  

Why is it that destruction is always more fun and easier than clean up?  

The interior of the tree was hollow.

And the ants were working hard to make it their home.

Vet School Open House

The Annual UGA Vet School Open House has become a tradition in our family.

There are activities that we look forward to every year, like the Teddy Bear Surgery:

A surprise bonus was that we saw my niece Callie while waiting in line!  She was on a field trip with her class.  

Checking the vitals of the bears before surgery.

Callie and Amanda suited up and ready to go!

Another room that we always look forward to is the Anatomy room.  They always have different specimens for us to view.

Comparing human tongues to a cow's tongue

Amanda was fascinated by the X-Rays

We also always see new things as well.  This year we arrived at the right time to see a sheep sheering demonstration.

The wool was so soft

Can you tell which one has been sheered?  His friend was going to be sheered later in the day for another demonstration.

Another new experience was seeing the insect zoo sponsored by the entomology club.  There were exhibits of live and preserved insects.  Scott loved the samples of food...cookies made with mealworms.      I had a bite and thought they tasted fine, but just couldn't get beyond the sight of worms in my cookie.  Scott certainly is my most adventurous eater!

Winter Fires

We have had a cold winter.  After several years of barely using our fireplace, we have made up for it this year with many fires.  

Most surprising is it is April and we had a fire tonight!  That is unheard of in this part of the country.  Normally our last fires are in February.  

It certainly felt great to watch a movie in front of a warm fire.