Thanksgiving 2016!

For Thanksgiving this year, we stayed with Grammy and Grumpa, and they hosted a big affair.  We were joined by Mee-maw, Grandpa, Aunt Sarah, Uncle Kevin, Quinnie, Uncle Ryan, Pastor Patty, her husband Andy, and our friends from Germany, Heinz and Doris.  It was so much fun to be surrounded by our friends and family!  Oh, and did I mention all of the delicious food?!?!

A day after dinner, Chad and Lauren battled over the wishbone!  She was so excited and kept making sure that we had [properly saved the wishbone.  The previous year, Lauren wished for snow and we got a huge storm.  This year, Lauren wished to lose a tooth!!  ha ha ha  I am pretty sure she will get her wish.

Over the course of the weekend, we went to the model train show in Delaware, jumped in large piles of leaves, watched the park lights being lit, and spent time with Heinz and Doris.

                               

           

       

It was a quick but fun trip back home for the holiday.  And while these holidays can sometmes be stressful, making sure everyone gets equal time with the grandkids, I keep reminding myself that we are creating precious memories.  And that is what I am thankful for...quality time with friends and family!!  Oh, and all of the delicious food!  Definitely thankful for the food!  =)

Craig Laughlin Joins Hockey Practice!

During one of Lauren's mini mites practices, I got a text from Chad that there was a special guest.  Normally, we arrive at practice early, and wait in the car with snacks until Chad gets to the rink.  He grabs Lauren and their gear, and the two head to the locker rooms to get ready.  Charlie and I normally hang out in the car a little while longer, and sometimes we just stay in the car.  It is not relaxing to keep an eye on Charlie, as he runs all over the rink, and as a result, I hardly get to see much of the practice anyway.

But this particular day, Chad told us to come inside asap.  Once I saw who was on the rink, I got so excited.  The Washington Capitals tv announcer, Craig Laughlin, was out there with the kids.  And he was wonderful.  He played with the kids, encouraged them, skated around with them, and everyone had so much fun!  Charlie refused to sit still, so I didn't get as many action shots as I would like, but at the end of practice, he posed for some photos!

                               

I am not sure who had more fun, Lauren or Chad!  It was definitely one of the highlights of the Mini Mite season, and I am so glad that they both got to have this experience together!!

Sophie's 6th Birthday Party

This year, we headed to the Ackermann's house for Sophie's 6th birthday party.  They brought in musical entertainment and both Lauren and Charlie were very excited!

It was so much fun to watch all of the kids participating, singing, and dancing.  Lauren did not know any of the kids, other than Sophie and Emily, so it was touch and go for a few minutes, when the kids had to partner off, and Lauren had a hard time finding a partner.  I offered to be her partner and she grudgingly sat next to me with tears in her eyes.  But thankfully, another girl was without a partner and the two paired up nicely.  It is so hard to step back and let them navigate the world  on their own, but worthwhile to see them overcome an obstacle.  Once Lauren had a partner, she gained a little more confidence, and had a blast.  And Charlie enjoyed the food/cake and the rocking horse!

We all had a lot of fun celebrating Sophie's birthday.  =)

       

       

                       

                       

We Voted!

Given this particular election cycle, I wanted to take Lauren and Charlie to the voting booth with me.  We have had conversations about the candidates and the job of the president, so it only seemed fitting that they participate in the entire voting experience.

They were very patient and helped make sure I filled in all of the bubbles.  While we waited in line to submit the ballet, we talked about all of the people, throughout the country, who were going to be doing the exact same thing that day.  When it was our turn, Lauren helped me place the ballot in the machine and both kids were thrilled to get their own sticker!  We paused for a quick picture outside and then headed off for lunch.

And while I was not pleased with the outcome of the election, it was important to have a conversation about respecting the office of the President with the kids.  I feel that it is very important to show them that sometimes you will lose and sometimes you will win.  But you must always stand up for what you believe in, and never take your right to vote for granted.  After all, we are raising the next generation of government.

Mom and Grandpa Lose Their Minds Again!

This year, Grandpa and I decided to get back into the running game.  We picked a 10K that would be cool.  Running across the Bay Bridge.  Other than sitting in traffic, no one gets a chance to get out and just stand on the bridge, and it seemed very intriguing.  Unfortunately, the cool factor seemed to overshadow the difficult factor.  We definitely did not train enough for the initial climb up the bridge, and the climb at the very end of the race!

Despite the difficulty, the lack of water, and the fact that Grandpa pulled a muscle, it was still pretty fun.  And I am definitely doing it again next year!!

It was an early and COLD start to the day, but what a beautiful view of the bridge!!

Once, we made it up the initial climb, it was time to stop for some photos.  I guess you could say we were having fun, because the pictures were a little goofy!!  ha ha ha

 

Once we crossed the finish line, we grabbed up a bunch of water, and collapsed on the ground.  It was difficult to get back up and take the bus back to Annapolis.  We were both exhausted but I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Well, maybe not a heartbeat, because I haven't run in quite a while.  But I will definitely be running it again this fall!!

 Thanks for being my running buddy Grandpa!!

Halloween 2016!!

This year Lauren was adamant that we have a "Star Wars" Halloween!!  She originally wanted to be a storm trooper, but we quickly switched over to Rey.  Lauren made the perfect Rey, and obviously that meant Charlie would need to be BB8.  =)

Their costumes rocked this year, and everyone was very happy.

We started the festivities off with a neighborhood Halloween parade, followed by an ice cream sandwich party at one of the playgrounds.  There were a lot of Star Wars costumes, and everyone loved Lauren's Rey.  But imagine our surprise and excitement when we discovered another Rey in the neighborhood.  Both girls looked awesome, and at times it was hard to tell them apart on the playground!!

The next day was Halloween.  Lauren came home from school and it was all we could do to keep her from trick or treating at 4pm.  She was in her costume and running around all afternoon.  We held her back as long as we could, but she wanted to go see her friends, from the bus, so we started walking around before 6.  Once it was dark, everyone was out and about.  We joined up with some neighbors and both Lauren and Charlie had no problem running up to a house for candy!  =)

                               

Both kids made out pretty well this Halloween and I think the whole thing was a success.  I love watching them get so excited and I cannot wait to see what costumes they pick out next year!!

Apple Picking, Corn Mazes, and Pumpkin Picking!!

Since moving to Virginia, Chad and I have started quite a few fall traditions.  Now it is starting to become hard to fit everything in within the few months of October, but we were successful once again this year!

On October 10th, Grammy and Grumpa came up for the weekend.  We headed up to Hollin Farms to pick some apples.  The pickings were pretty slim, but we did manage to get some good ones.  Lauren and Charlie really liked getting to pick the apples off of the trees and we ended up with 2 full bags.  Lauren even ate one of the apples on the car ride home, which is very unusual for her.  

                               

                       

The following weekend, Meemaw, Grandpa, Aunt Sarah, Uncle Kevin, and Quinnie came up for a visit.  We headed back up to Hollin Farms to pick out some pumpkins.  I love to buy our pumpkins here, but they grow on the side of a very steep hill.  So there were a few falls, and the trek back up the hill, with a wagon full of heavy pumpkins, was hard, but we got some good ones!!

           

 Then, on Halloween weekend, Meemaw and Grandpa came back up for another visit.  Chad and I had a Ennis work party that weekend, so the grandparents came up to babysit.  Before heading to the party, we all went to the corn maze in The Plains, Va.  The kids had a blast with all of the activities and we managed to get out of the maze fairly quickly.  They recommend that you not overthink the maze and let the kids make the decisions.  We were more than happy to let Lauren take over and it seemed to work pretty well!!

                               

                           

           

October is always a busy, but fun month.  This year we enjoyed time outside, in the beautiful fall weather.  We made apple pies, carved pumpkins, and spent some wonderful time with family.  It doesn't get much better than that!!!