January

January has been a busy month for us, as evidenced by my complete lack of posts.  School is back in swing for all four of us after a relaxing winter break.  Here are a few things we've been up to lately.

Cliff found this great website called The Family Dinner Project that gives all of these ideas of how to get the whole family involved in meals at home.  It also gives lots of ideas for dinnertime conversations with your kids, as well as games to play either after dinner or between dinner and dessert.  We've been trying their ideas during one meal per week, and it has been a lot of fun so far.  We've had some good talks and have played some great games. Plus, the kids really seem to like to help cook.

Making meatballs to go with our spaghetti!

On MLK day, Cliff and Laura went to Athens to watch the Georgia-Iowa gymnastics meet (the tickets were one of her Christmas gifts).  Since Nathan and I had the day to ourselves, and it was nearly 70 degrees out, we hit the park.  Nathan hasn't gotten to the park as much since he started kindergarten, and when we drove up to the park, he said, "Mom, I am gonna hit that playground SO hard!!"

We had a great time at the playground.

After the park, we went to Sonic for some cool treats.

The kids have had the rare (in Georgia) pleasure of a few "snow" days lately.  There hasn't been much snow at all on our standards, but just the mention of the word snow shuts things down in a hurry down here.

Early dismissal day for Winter Storm Leon.  No snow yet at this point, so they decided to work on puzzles.

Another thing we've started is family reading time.  Now that Nathan can read well enough to enjoy books on his own sometimes, we have been enjoying making hot chocolate and having a quiet hour of reading around the house.  This came in very handy on those snow days.

Family reading time!

And yes, we did finally get a little snow, the first snow in our three winters here.  The kids lost a total of two and a half days of school over this "storm".  Seems crazy to us Midwestern folks, but people here sure were excited.  I went grocery shopping the night before the snow came, and it's a good thing I went when I did.  The following morning, my friend took a picture of the milk case at Kroger....completely empty!  

I thought the view of snow on the neighbors' magnolia tree across the street was such a rare sight, it deserved a picture.

Not even enough snow to cover the blades of grass and our road was bone dry....and the kids still got this day and the following off of school!

Dreaming of a couple months from now when, instead of snow and a tarp, I will see sparkling blue water in my pool.

The kids were excited to play in the snow, but after about 20 minutes or so, they decided it was overrated and that they'd rather go in and be warm and dry than wet and cold.  

Trying to aim a snowball at Mom.

Snow angel!

Having a good time.

Fast forward literally just two days......and here I am in Savannah with Cliff for his annual Georgia Music Educators Association conference.  Today, it was nearly 60 and sunny and just gorgeous.  I walked all over this beautiful city, stopping here and there to pull out my book and read in one of the great public squares or parks.  It's our third year coming to GMEA, and I just don't get tired of this city.

Beautiful Spanish moss hanging from the trees in one of the public squares.

Forsyth Park fountain.

A bottle of Orangina,  a good book and Forsyth Park made for a winning combination this afternoon.

When I got back to the hotel from my walk, I learned the great news that Laura's gifted class's project won first place in their grade level at the regional science fair at Georgia College.  Laura was one of three selected from her class to present the group project at the judging.  Grandma and Grandpa took her to the awards ceremony after school today so she and her classmate could accept their award.

Laura and her classmate, Will, with their blue ribbons.

Gina

A Towner Look Back at 2013

First swim!

It's hard to believe we're facing the end of another year.  The big news for our family in 2013 is that, for the first time since leaving Iowa in 2009, we are homeowners!  After renting for the two years in Nebraska and our first two years here, we finally bought a property we can call our own.  We closed on the house just in time to have a Labor Day pool party (we have a POOL!) with some friends of ours, and we spent the month of September moving into our new place and clearing out the rental house.  We are happy to say that, after two years of living out in the country, we are once again living in town, in a very centrally located neighborhood with lots of beautiful, mature Georgia pine trees.  We are getting reacquainted with the ups and downs of home ownership (clearing out clogged gutters is definitely a "down"), and we are very, very happy to be settled into a house that offers us so many advantages.

Modeling the new Tilly hat!

Cliff has had a successful year despite facing a few challenges, not the least of which has been some nagging foot pain, that have put a damper on his active lifestyle.  This fall, a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis has finally put him on the path to healing.  He is looking forward to getting back to his normal active self in 2014. Despite the challenges, 2013 has had its bright moments as well. His work at Georgia College is progressing. The band program has continued to grow both artistically and in size. Cliff has continued his research into wind band literature by commissioning and premiering new works. These projects have led to an upcoming presentation in March at the College Band Directors Association Divisional Conference. Additionally, he has been researching a phenomenon known as social loafing and its effects in the large ensemble rehearsal. He is hoping to develop more rehearsal techniques and strategies to reduce social loafing in rehearsal, thus improving the efficiency of rehearsals and the musical and creative output of the musicians. On the home front, Cliff is enjoying the responsibilities of being a homeowner.  There is something satisfying about keeping a house in good repair.  The new house was m

ove-in ready, but there were a few areas that had been neglected over the past few years.  The honey-do list is long, but Cliff is enjoying working on projects (as the budget allows) and crossing them off the list. With a few camping weekends, Cliff has also been able to reconnect with nature and make some new friends. The family purchased a canoe this holiday season, so Cliff is looking forward to family trips out on Lake Sinclair. The first one has already been taken, and it was very therapeutic. 2014 looks to be an exciting year.  With conference presentations, honor bands, a trip to France and an emphasis on the great outdoors, Cliff enters the new year with great enthusiasm.

Montmorency Falls, Quebec City

Gina has continued multitasking as mom/wife/French teacher.  Her teaching load at the college grew from one French class last spring semester, to two classes during the fall semester, to three this coming spring semester.  In addition to teaching more French classes, Gina has picked up part-time work teaching water fitness classes once again, this time at the college's Wellness Center.  It's been great for her to get back in the pool regularly, and she is very, very excited about spending next summer working out regularly (and playing regularly too!) in our own pool.  Of course, the biggest change for Gina this year has been going from having Nathan home full-time to having him in kindergarten full-time.  This change has been bittersweet, for sure, but has brought with it its own set of advantages.  Regardless, Gina counts teaching Nathan to read during our home preschool time earlier in the year as one of the coolest accomplishments she's ever achieved.  In her spare time, Gina still enjoys reading and scrapbooking, and she has taken to being a relentless recycling warrior at the kids' school.  It's entirely possible that people are starting to think of her as the "crazy recycling lady" at school, and she is perfectly cool with that.

Laura and her BFF.

Laura is continuing to grow into a young lady at a rate that still catches us by surprise at times.  In the spring, Laura wrapped up a great year in second grade, a year that saw her come in second place in the second grade at the final county-wide math team competition, and a year in which her classmates voted her to win the Citizenship Award.  To be clear, she has a rambunctious streak in her too (she is a kid, after all), which she loves to let loose at home with us and her brother.  She speaks her mind openly and is learning how to assert her independence.  Over the summer, Laura enjoyed the new challenges of soccer camp and theater camp, and she says that traveling to her first foreign country was a highlight of the year for her (more on that later).  This fall, she started third grade, and has really enjoyed the new experience of traveling to different teachers for her different subjects.  She still counts math as her favorite subject, but she has been enjoying her science, social studies and
OE (gifted) classes too.  Laura continues to participate in ballet, and she just completed her third Nutcracker this month.  It's been a big year for Laura in gymnastics, as she moved into the competitive group this fall.  She had her first meet in October, and she is working hard to be ready for another one in February.  Despite her busy schedule, Laura still loves to play with her brother and do arts and crafts at home.  She has also forged quite a bond with her best friend, and it seems we are heading into an era of sleepovers, phone calls and all kinds of girly fun.  We are discovering lots of simultaneous "big girl" and "little girl" qualities in Laura that are making 8 a fun age to be around her, for sure.

Resting between quarters

When asked, Nathan said that turning 5 was the biggest highlight of his year.  This, of course, means that our big guy has crossed the threshold into kindergarten this year.  After finishing a very fun year of home preschool in the spring, Nathan was very excited to take on the challenges of full-day kindergarten.  He has adapted to his new routine as well as we could have hoped.  He loves his teacher (who also happens to be a friend of ours) and his student teacher, and he comes home every afternoon in a happy mood (even if he isn't always quite as happy about doing his homework).  He has become quite the reader this year, progressing quickly from words to sentences early in the year, and from sentences to full books shortly after.  His most recent enjoyment has been regaling us with lots of snappy jokes from a book he got at the library.  Over the summer, Nathan once again enjoyed participating in Tiny Act camp, and he still takes part in weekly recreational gymnastics at the same gym as Laura.  He recently got promoted to a new class; this was a big deal for him because there are other boys in this class, and he no longer is the only boy in a group of girls.  He also continues to enjoy playing soccer through the park's rec league, and he is getting more and more aggressive at attacking that ball.  Nathan loves to spend his time at home playing with his sister, wrestling with anyone who is willing, running (fast!) and talking everyone's ears off.  He is very, very fond of his Playmobil and Lego sets.  He has gotten quite innovative with those Legos, and we find all kinds of interesting creations around the house.  Nathan continues to entertain all of us with his sense of humor and sunny attitude.

A big highlight for the entire family this year was our three-week long vacation in July.  A trip to Vermont for Cliff's brother's wedding was developed into a multi-state (and multi-country) adventure.  This was the first wedding the kids ever attended, and they even got to serve as ring bearer and flower girl, jobs they were very proud to undertake.  Along the road to Vermont and back, we made stops to see the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to spend time with Cliff's parents and  old family friends at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, to visit friends in Massachusetts, to glimpse the Manhattan skyline just outside of NYC, to enjoy some exciting rides (and some absolutely sweltering weather) at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey and to visit with some of Cliff's high school friends in Folly Beach/Charleston, SC.  In the middle of all of this, we spent an amazing week across the border in Montréal and Québec, Canada.  This was the kids' first visit to a foreign country, and their first time being in a place where English is not the main language.  During our week in Canada, we enjoyed renting an apartment in Montréal (and getting to be part of a great local neighborhood), visiting great sites (the Biodôme, Jardin Botanique and Six Flags La Ronde, to name a few), teaching the kids to use the subway, eating fantastic food, visiting Old Québec (gorgeous!!), seeing the Montmorency Falls, and so much more.  This portion of the trip also allowed Gina to check something off of her "French teacher bucket list", and she is proud to say that she held her own speaking French with the natives.  Overall, it was a trip we will certainly remember for a long, long time.

Out to lunch in Montreal.

We hope that all of you reading this have also had a year full of adventures, challenges and the usual highs and lows that make life interesting.  We are looking forward to more adventures to come in 2014.  We want to thank each of you for being in our lives, both near and far.  Best wishes in the New Year!!

The Towners

Family Retreat 2013

Last weekend, we enjoyed our 7th annual family retreat.  We have definitely come to enjoy this little getaway every year because it is so relaxing, and we get time to look back on the year, plan ahead for the next year, and just spend time together.  This year, we stayed in a barrel cottage at Unicoi State Park, just outside of beautiful Helen, GA.

On Friday night, after we had settled in at the cottage, we headed to nearby Smith Gall Woods State Park for their Winter Solstice Celebration.  We enjoyed a candlelit hike around the lake, hot chocolate, sending twinkle boats into the lake and a campfire.

Hot chocolate at the Winter Solstice Celebration.

On Saturday, the rain came in....and boy, did it rain, rain, rain!  It rained continuously from Saturday morning until sometime Sunday night.  Despite the soggy weather, we had a great time.  Cliff and Laura took a hike around the lake (with umbrellas), I scrapbooked, the kids played, Cliff worked on personal goals, and we read and relaxed.  On Saturday evening, we went to the Unicoi Lodge for their Deck the Halls event.

Decorating cookies at Deck the Halls.

Having a pretty serious conversation with the Big Guy at Deck the Halls.

He was a little star struck!

Roasting marshmallows at Deck the Halls.

Back at the cottage....hard core game of War.

On Sunday, we spent more time relaxing at the cottage until it was time to go into town for dinner out at a German café.

Cliff helps Laura write some goals for her bicycling this year.

I got a lot of scrapbook work done.  It was very therapeutic!

Pretty view from our cottage, despite the cloudy, wet weather.

Out to dinner....that's quite a mug of hot chocolate!

On Monday, the sky finally dried up in time for us to check out of the cottage and spend some time in town.  We were able to walk around, do a little Christmas shopping and play mini golf.  Laura was especially excited about this; the last time we were in Helen, she earned a free game off a hole-in-one, and she was happy to finally cash in her prize.

Our little barrel cottage.

Taking a break from loading up the van outside the cottage.

Beautiful German-inspired Helen.

We had a chance to tour the Festhalle in Helen, and I found this poster.  We had an old polka album at home growing up, and my sister and I always laughed at this song.  The guy showing us around the hall seemed so tickled at how much this poster amused me that he gave me a beer stein with the Schnitzelbank song on it!

Ist das nicht eine Schnitzel Bank? Ja das ist eine Schnitzel Bank!

Cliff gives Nathan some pointers at Alpine Golf.

Mini golf with a view.  A nice way to end the trip!

Gina

Nutcracker 2013

We are coming to the close of another year, and in Milledgeville that always means it's Nutcracker time in the Georgia College Community Dance Program.  The show's 3-day run ended on Sunday.  We are proud to say that Laura did a lovely job in both of the dances her class did this year.  Even though it is one of the busiest weeks of the year for me and Laura, I think she and I have also come to look forward to it.

Heading to dance class in the auditorium the week of the show.

Laura is in Ballet III this year, and her class had two dances.  They performed as Lamb Chops with Little Bo Peep, and they also performed as Gum Drops.  This year has been special for Laura because she is in the same dance class as her best friend. 

My pretty Gum Drop.  As usual, Ms. Amelia selected beautiful, elegant costumes.

Laura and her best friend Savannah.

Part of the fun of the week is hanging out backstage.  While it can be crowded and get a little tiring, it is also a nice time where Laura and I spend time with each other and with our friends (she with the other dancers and me with the other dance moms).  Between the dress rehearsal, the special Friday morning show for area school kids and the public performances, we spent 5 show-lengths backstage over the weekend.

Laura, Savannah and Dezmine wait to perform as Lamb Chops.

Of course, some time is spent backstage playing games or watching movies on someone's iPad.

There is also lots of silliness backstage.

Savannah, Emma Kate and Laura

More silliness!

The performances were very nice.  The Lamb Chop routine was very lighthearted and fun, and the Gum Drop dance was very elegant.

Laura (middle) onstage as a Lamb Chop.

The Lamb Chops skip around Bo Peep.

Our little Lamb.

Lovely Gum Drop choreography.

Despite being very tired by the end of the run, it is always a little sad to see it all end.  When we got home from the last show on Sunday, this is how I found Laura in her room:

Reading her program, thinking about this year's show and probably already dreaming of next year's.

Gina