Last Friday we made our first ski trip of the season. Thomas and Evelyn and I spend the afternoon at Hidden Valley, in the Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania.

[slideshow]

Thanksgiving weekend is one of the best times to ski, as everyone is home from school and from work, and most non-skiers are out shopping. The main problem with early-season skiing in the mid-Atlantic is the climate. Local resorts make most of their snow, and this requires cold temperatures. We hit Wisp the day after Thanksgiving back in 2005. The last two years have been too warm.

This year Mother Nature has been cooperating. For several weeks now cold air has been streaming out of Canada and south across the Great Lakes. This means plentiful lake-effect snow at the higher elevations, and excellent snowmaking conditions just about everywhere.

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Our fall Saturday schedule has included alot of time spent watching the kids play their weekly games on the soccer fields. One recent Saturday afternoon we supplemented our usual game schedule with a trip to Hartland Orchard, in Markham, Virginia. Apple picking seems to have changed over the years, from a necessary agricultural labor, to a fun fall afternoon activity for the whole family.

And it was fun. The weather was beautiful. Perfect, really. We were a week or two late for most of the harvest, but there were still a few apples on the trees. And there were plenty of apples and cider for sale at the nearby farmhouse.

[slideshow]

Kayleigh and Thomas are on the swim team again. Practice began after the pool opened Memorial Day weekend. We will be there each weekday evening, until school lets out (end of this week) and practice time moves to the morning.

Time trials were held this past Saturday. This is the first of eight early morning swim meets. Last year during June the kids had to deal with cool weather, and cold water. This year we are having a heat wave, and a thick, muggy fog shrouded the pool area.

This year Kayleigh has graduated from of the eight-and-under division. This means she swims two lengths of the pool (50 meters) instead of one. She will be working on her stamina, and her turns. Here she is swimming freestyle:

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The Canon Digital Elph has been kept busy since the arrival of Numero Cinco last week. For a slideshow of all of the to-date photos of Jeffrey, try clicking here.

[slideshow of all Jeffrey pics]

We had quite the surprise late, very late Saturday night. Kathi unexpectedly started labor just before midnight, and just a few minutes later we were enroute to Prince William Hospital in nearby Manassas. The official time of birth for Numero Cinco was Sunday at 6:30 AM, May 18, 2008. Yesterday Kathi turned in the Form SS-5 (Application for a Social Security Number Card), meaning Numero Cinco actually has a name: Jeffrey David Hansen.

[click for all of the baby pics]

The original plan was for Kathi to report to the hospital Thursday, May 29. She had an appointment for an induced labor. This was two days before her due date, and fit her previous pregnancy experiences. She had never been early before. Kayleigh and Thomas both arrived overdue. Evelyn and Melanie also waited, and were induced.

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Sunday, April 27th was the third anniversary of Melanie's birth. Her birthday celebration filled the entire weekend. The festivities started Friday afternoon with a short party at our house for several of her neighborhood friends.

[more Friday photos]

Saturday evening Lynne hosted a party for Melanie at her beautiful home in Oakton. Lynne treated us all with a delicious meal of grilled ribs and potato salad. Kristin and Laura provided entertainment, with some of Melanie's favorite activities: blowing bubbles, opening gifts, and tossing the ball to the pups.

[more Saturday photos]

Then Sunday our neighbors next door joined us for one last birthday party. We grilled fish on the backyard grill and enjoyed what was left of Melanie's big Costco birthday cake.

The weekend of the 23rd we went skiing again at Wisp. Some friends of our had graciously invited us to stay with them in a house near the slopes. It was available for Friday and Saturday nights. Our previous ski days at Wisp have always been day trips. A full day of skiing and six hours of driving make for one long day. Too long. This weekend would be a real treat.

[slideshow from the ski trip]

The forecast was for an icy Friday morning, so I convinced everyone that we should leave Thursday evening instead. The plan was to leave home right after the birthday party for Lynne. Unfortunately we still had some packing to do. By the time we pulled out of the driveway it was nearly nine o'clock. I wasn't happy, but we still had time to complete the three-hour drive before the weather arrived.

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We enjoyed a fine feast at Lynne's house. Kristin and Laura were there, and of course Tahnee and Czar. Special guests were Barbara, Donna, Ying, and Rita.

[more photos]