First Field Trip

William's class went on a field trip to a local farm for pumpkin picking. On the way, William said, "finally... a pumpkin patch!"

William and his classmate Ryan waiting in the parking lot for the rest of the class to arrive.

Getting ready for the class picture... look where William decided to sit... not on the hay bales like the others!

Class Photo... Mommy almost got everyone in the picture.

After the photo, we waited our turn for the Pumpkin Express Hayride to the pumpkin patch!

On the hayride... William's teachers led the class in songs as we bumped along.

We unloaded from the hayride and began our search for pumpkins. Notice the firefighter boots... yep, they made the trip... it was really muddy!

Mommy and William on the way back for our snack!

All the kids sat on the tarp, said the blessing, and got a little snack.

Yum... an apple... Miss Cathy is helping him open his juice.

Of course, we spent a little time in the train!!

What a great (albeit cold) morning!!

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

I recall having to memorize a Robert Frost poem in middle school. Poetry was not my greatest academic accomplishment but Frost's words spoke to me. My favorite Frost poem is Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening.

Remember the story of a traveler and his horse on a cold, snowy night?

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

I just learned that this poem was illustrated as a children's book by Susan Jeffers. How Exciting! This will certainly make William's winter reading list this year.

Here's an excerpt from Amazon.com.

Robert Frost's well-known poem takes on new life in its first picture-book adaptation. The poem--long appreciated for its strong rhythm and evocative images--leaves readers wondering, "Where was the man going on the darkest night of the year?" and "Why on earth did he stop by the woods in a snowstorm?" Artist Susan Jeffers answers these questions visually--the kindly older gentleman who narrates the poem stops his sleigh to feed the forest birds and creatures. He stops once more to visit his daughter and grandchildren, then is off again through a blizzard, with many miles to go before he can sleep. The silent beauty of a snowy night shines through Jeffers's artwork; the man's clothing and blanket are the only bright touches of color in the white and wintry world of the woods. This quiet yet powerful book has a magic all its own.

I can't wait to read this book with my son - hopefully the illustrations will help to inspire his interest in Frost!

Fall is in the Air in Bennington!

Fall in the Northeast is magical!

Picture a chilly, clear blue sky....then add a canvas of fall foliage that takes your breath away....as far as we're concerned, this is heaven!

Fall is our favorite time of year. It's the surest signal that the holidays are fast approaching. It's our time to relax, get outside, and prepare for lots of great family time.

Armed only with a rolling picnic of our favorite snacks, a handful of Marriott Awards points, and dueling cameras, we drove north to Bennington, Vermont. Located in Southern Vermont, this sleepy town is a popular tourist destination for admirers of Fall Foliage - after this trip we can understand why. Poet Robert Frost (Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening) is buried here also.

It's only about three hours from our home to Bennington!

Vermont is known for its covered bridges - we stopped here to admire the scenery. Note the man fly-fishing in the bottom right of the picture - very relaxing to watch.

KC and Will (now known as Firefighter) take a moment to pose near the bridge. Check out KC's new hair-do...very sassy!

Next stop, Bennington Battle Monument - 306' to the top!

Built in the late 1880's, this monument is a dedication to the famous Battle of Bennington that took place during the Revolutionary war in 1777.

Brigadier General John Stark ("Live free or die!") led a small group of Continental Army soldiers against the Red Coats and mercenary force. Before engaging the enemy, Stark prepared his men to fight to the death, shouting, "There are your enemies, the Red Coats and the Tories. They are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow!"

Before going to the observation area in the tower, Will offers some grass to a Moose statue.

In the tower...looking towards downtown Bennington. This picture does not even come close to capturing the beauty of the skyline.

The Battle of Bennington Monument

The monument is the tallest man-made structure in Vermont. From its observatory level at 200 feet, which can be reached by elevator (but not the stairs, which are closed), one can see Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts

Downtown Bennington is also home to about a dozen bronze sculptures of ordinary people going about their business. Dave scopes out an old ladie's bag of groceries...hmm...he must be hungry.

KC looking for sale ads in a local "business man's" paper. Note Firefighter flanking Mommy to the bottom left.

Ah HA! Finally something for me! I want some ice-cream, shouts William!

Firefighter runs through a patch of pumpkins!

Firefighter William

"Firefighter"... that is how William refers to himself these days... "Firefighter needs his boots," he says first thing in the morning. So, he gets out of bed and runs to find his firefighter boots (aka - snow boots from last year). "Firefighter wants peanut butter and jelly"... "Firefighter wants a lollipop"... you get the idea.

Also, whenever any children's museum is mentioned, William will exclaim, "fire truck!" In his expert opinion, all museums for children should have fire trucks. Over the summer we went to the Baltimore museum that did not have a fire truck... disappointment was abundant in the LaCombe household. (Actually, we had a great time, but he said repeatedly , "no fire truck" when we were there.) We also visited a very small museum over the summer in southeastern Connecticut that redeemed itself only because it had a fire hydrant with hose and a fire alarm. Otherwise, it would have been a very bad day.

So, we visited yet another museum in Connecticut, Stepping Stone Museum for Children (we must be on some sort of world tour or something) and thankfully, there was a firefighter jacket and an ambulance... close enough!!

William found this jacket and his experience at the museum was complete!! Is he some sort of fire inspector??

We built a car together and raced it on the track... while dressed as a firefighter!

Hey Daddy, you are right... this is the sound the heart makes!!

Driving the ambulance... almost as good as a fire truck!

Honking the horn... it was pretend but he was serious about it!!

Hey Dad, look what we found... does that pediatric neck brace look familiar???



The tired firefighter rested in the gorilla den... we knew it was time to head home! Of course, taking that jacket off and leaving it there created quite the scene!!!

William did inform Mommy that he wanted a black firefighter jacket with pants and helmet for Halloween... not the tan one. Yes sir, William.

We went to a birthday party at the Mid-Hudson museum recently. This is where the association between museums and fire trucks started. There is a little fire truck with plenty of costumes to wear! Is he excited... or what!!

He ran around the party in the jacket, helmet and boots for the entire party... up and down the stairs!!