A trip to DC

We headed to DC for a weekend. We went down to watch the Aggies play Georgetown in basketball. Fortunately, that is not the only reason we went, because the Aggies took a beating from the Hoyas. It was still fun to watch them play out here on the East Coast.

It was very cold, but we managed to make our way around some of the DC sites and visit our favorites - Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and the Space Museum. We met my brother Chad, who lives in DC and he came with us to some of the sites.










Relaxing poolside at the hotel. It is amazing, but really all the boys need on a vacation is a pool at the hotel. It doesn't matter what amazing sites there are... as long as there is a pool at the hotel.





We also visited friends of ours, the Lintons, who live just West of DC. They were kind enough to have us over for dinner. It was great to catch up and enjoy some time with them.

Saying Goodbye to an Antique

Yes, it is true that our home is over 80 years old. There have only been 4 owners of this home, but none of them have had the heart to get rid of the old "snowman" coal boiler system even though it has been decommissioned forever and was simply taking up space in the furnace room. With our use of the furnace room for extra storage, including our year's worth of food storage, it was time to part ways with the snowman. I must admit, it was somewhat sad to see such an antique go, but it sure has given us the needed space.

Madison Parade & Lighting of the tree

Each year on the day after Thanksgiving, Madison brings in the Christmas season with a parade, ending with the great lighting of the tree. It is always a very well attended event and the kids enjoy seeing Santa at the end of the parade.

Thanksgiving Festivities

We had a great time this Thanksgiving. The boys went and played in their annual "turkey bowl" in Chatham in the morning. In the afternoon, we went to some friends of ours (the Dents) to enjoy a great Thanksgiving dinner, fun and games. This time of year always makes us realize how blessed we are to have such a great family and friends.

Hiking @ Pyramid Mountain

On Saturday, Mike took the boys on a scout activity - hiking 5 miles at Pyramid Mountain in Boonton, NJ. They all had a great time. Having just started in Cub Scouts, Porter was thrilled to be able to tag along with Braxton's Scout Troop.

Soccer x 3 = a lot of Soccer

It sure is great to watch the boys have fun playing soccer. This year was the first year that we had all 3 of them going at the same time. Needless to say, Saturdays became a logistical challenge, especially since Mike was coaching two of the teams. Somehow we were able to make it work. The older the boys get, the more exciting the games are becoming - it is a lot of fun!

Braxton






Porter





Hudson

Family Fun Night - Rock Climbing

This has become a fun little family event for us as of late. The kids love to go rock climbing. They really can climb those walls so fast now - we, parents, stand no chance in beating them to the top.

Halloween Festivities

So what your telling me is all I have to do is ring the door bell, say the simple words "trick-or-treat", and I get candy? What a concept, a concept that my boys have come to love. It was another successful Halloween with lots of fun eating the traditional white bean chili before heading out, school parades, parties, trick-or-treating and of course counting the candy after the big night. Good times were had by all. Costumes this year: Braxton- "Scream", Porter- Captain Rex, Hudson- a bat. I even brought out a couple costumes - the "hippie chick" and the "witch".



Central Ave School Halloween parade- I am one of the Room Mom's of Hudson's Kindergarten class so I got to dress up and join the parade this year.






Our ward Trunk-or-Treat



Halloween Night-