Happy 4th of July

Ben and Josie along with Daniel, Charity and James visited for the weekend. We had a wonderful time working out with the Wii Fit Exercise Pack; and jammin with the Wii Rock-band Kit that Ben brought. We learned that Josie got a substantial pomotion to Engineer status in the IT Support dept. where she works. It was rainy for the 4th of July in Winchester, but that didn't dampen our spirits. James entertained us with his cute expressions and cooperated beautifully for a trip to Wash. DC on Saturday to browse the folklife festival. We drove to Vienna and boarded the metro for a straight shot to downtown DC, so parking was not a problem, nor was the fact we had a baby stroller and provisions for our trek. Hi-lights included samples of weaving, textiles, art and architecture from Bhutan and a bevy of NASA employees to explain the latest projects in space exploration. Here are some shots our shutter-bugs captured of all of us hanging out together.

James is growing fast---peditrician weighed him in at 10 lbs 5 oz. so he has regained and surpassed his birthweight. He is also more alert during his waking hours and better at tracking movements. This morning he was stretched out on a blanket on his tummy and held his head up moving from one side to the next---and he is barely a week old. He particularly liked being supported on mommy's lap while mommy played the piano with one hand. Plans are to make him a prodigy while Mom perfects her multi-tasking while taking care of baby's needs.
Now if James could get his days and nights straightened out so that mommy can get some sleep that would be terrific!

Layng the foundation.

This is the oleo act at the Howell Homestead. We hope to post the happenings of our lives for the benefit of our children and grand children from time to time. We will also try to keep friends and family up-to-date on the mile-markers that occupy us from day to day.

First big change is the addition of a new grandson who arrived Apr 13th 2008 at 3:19p.m. to 2 proud parents: Daniel and Charity Howell. We agree he is the most handsome child on the planet. Daniel and Charity named their baby James Vernon after their mother's fathers. James has a strong name and equally strong disposition.