New Blog Announcement

So, an immediate "Hello!" to Michael Vance on his RSS feed, and a belated "How are you?" to everyone else just dropping by.

We have started a new family blog. It's different to this blog in that it has a specific theme. It's similar to this blog in that we're still mostly insane, so, there you have it.

Go visit there if you want, or don't, or whatever.

pizzaandamovienight.blogspot.com

Familypile

Beth has been hard at work all week. She just got home at 9:40pm and declared that this was the best part of her day!

Trevor + Patrick = Trophy

It's been two years

It's been over two years since I've posted here. Has anyone even noticed?

My guess is that they have not. What with the rise of facebook, this has turned into a redundant way to share pictures of our family.

Let me know if you miss us here.

First Day of Preschool

Today was Trevor and Mariah's first day at preschool. To say they were excited about going would be a giant understatement! At around 8:10am they asked if they could go sit in the car and wait. When it was time they just wanted to run, but I made them pose for this picture first. (Click on any picture to see a larger version in slideshow format)

 Then, the running.

And the getting in the van as fast as possible.

And the setting shot:

Nametags this year are the around-the-neck variety.

Trevor did a good job with his name.

And so did the big M.

Ms. Beth is back, and glad to see Trevor.

The backpacks were hung on the coat racks with care.

Alissa got to play in the Child Watch room all by herself today. I think she missed her buddies.

The Child Watch room overlooks the basketball court, so I got to wave at her all morning.

Final note: Beth, the kitchen is ready to accept new artworks!

Cousins

Hannah, Sharon, Lauren

Trevor, Reagan, Alissa, Mariah

Lauren Donates Her Hair

Lauren decided this week that she wanted to donate her long hair to Locks of Love, a wonderful charity that turns real hair into wigs for cancer-stricken children. This was totally her idea, and we couldn't be more proud of her. As a bonus, she's super cute with short hair!

Before/After Haircut pics!

Lauren's story time

Lauren wrote a story today about jumbo the Elephant at her Thurber House camp. She shared it with the kids for bedtime. They asked for two (TWO!) encore readings.

Playground

Norwood

Good day for the pool.

Zoombezi Bay

Beth and I were worried about what might happen with 4 kids at a water park. Turns out... it was wonderful. The girls took to the water like little fishies, and a fantastic day was had by all. Bonus: minimum sunburn coverage! 

Bath fun and dressup time

The three littler ones have fun in the bath. They play boats very well together!

Hats: the accessory that makes the outfit.

Lauren's Piano Recital

Lauren's new piano teacher does a bi-annual recital, and it fell on Lauren's 6th week of taking lessons. They decided it would be a good idea to have her perform, regardless of her skills, so she could get the experience of being on stage. We agreed, and here she is! The first thing she plays is a standard F# blues bass line. Then, she plays a practice song called *I don't remember*. What's important, is that it's the first exercise she had to do with both hands doing separate things, and she figured it out in about fifteen minutes.

You can press the little button in the bottom right corner of the video to watch it in full screen.

Trevor snow carting

Catching snowflakes with his tongue while he rides the shopping cart fireman- style, Trevor cuts quite the dapper image in the Kroger parking lot.

Homework

Pictures for Beth

Halloween!

A maskless stormtrooper...

And our swashbuckler!

COSI fun

We had a lot of fun at the science center today. Little man doesn't sit  still for pictures like his sister does, but trust me. Good times were had.