Fall 2012

Well, when I get too far behind, I stop. 

Here's a look at what's been happening this fall.

Samantha tried soccer. She was a little young. Honestly, she's so tough at home, I thought she would jump right in. But, she was the youngest player on the field and she didn't know any of the kids, so she was pretty content to walk up and down the field but never touch the ball. 

 Grandma Sheehan came for a visit. We had a blast. But I didn't take many pictures. :( On Saturday, we went to the Erie Canal locks. The weather was beautiful and the locks were fabulous. Lou, the great Lock worker, was informative and fun - just like a tour guide. he even let Anna Kate turn the knobs to help him operate one of the locks! We watched the locks work twice and walked along the river.

 Samantha's **5th** birthday was awesome (and very busy!). We started the day with a Halloween party with our school group. She dressed as a flower princess but was a little embarassed when everyone sang to her.

 Will was an elephant again this year. This might be the costume I'm most attached to.....it was a hand-me-down from Hillery, and all of our kids have worn it! And each of them have loved it. Will is our child who was most enthusiastic about wearing the hood up, which was super fun! He wore it for days and days.

 Our friend, Brianna, came over to help us celebrate Samantha's birthday!

 And Myra was here too! (Yes, Will is still in his elephant costume!)

 Samantha's birthday was a "5-star" birthday . .. .  because we all agreed she's a 5-star girl!

 And on Halloween we bundled up and headed out to trick-or-treat. Honestly, I expected Hurricane Sandy to have ravaged our neighborhood, but we were spared. So we bundled up, dressed up and went out. Anna Kate was a Mom; Lucy was a hair stylist; Samantha was a rose princess and Will was the elephant!

 He really likes the tail, too!

Buddy in action

Will loves to follow Dave's lead and imitate him. So, when Dave started sweeping up the wood chips from chopping wood, Will found a broom to do the same. Even if he was in his diaper and bike helmet.

 Do you see that small, glass Pyrex bowl near Will? It holds our fish, Sunny, which travelled home from Wildwood with us. Today, when Lucy was cleaning the bowl, Will was keeping Sunny company. Will fed her and waited and waited and waited . . . . . for Sunny to eat, which she did not, which kind of upset Will. 

 He didn't seem to think it would be overwhelming for a fish to have a small boy's head in the water . . . . hmmmmm

Will's moved to a big boy swing and loves it!

 Like I said, he imitates Dave. (sorry about the trash cans) This is Will's scoot bike, which he decided to work on . . . .. just like Daddy.

First Day of School

Wednesday, September 5, was the first day of school. Anna Kate started third grade at OSLS and Lucy started first grade at home. Here are pictures before Anna Kate left for school. 

 Ready to go! We had dropped off supplies on Tuesday, so there wasn't much to carry on Wednesday!

Anna Kate had a great first day; although, I think it was a little disappointing for her since this was her first "first day" - no schoolwork, no books, no "real school" - just classroom rules, procedures, etc. 

 Sissies wanted a picture all together

 Will just watched

 Samantha insisted on a picture of just the two of them

 This was how Buddy looked as Anna Kate left the driveway. He just watched her go, even following her down the driveway, waving. Sweet!

 Samantha followed suit (yep, we're getting ready for winter here, with our wood all chopped and seasoning. That's the last stack that needs to be moved in to the garage.)

 A week ago, Lucy lost her first tooth on the bottom. Her adult tooth was growing behind, so it's not easy to see, but it's gone! 

 Lucy's first day of first grade

The end of summer

I haven't been great about taking pictures. And I have been even worse about blogging. But, we're back! About a week after returning home, we set out for a few days camping with our dear, dear friends. It was awesome. There's something about the "hanging out" while you're camping. It revived our souls! Oops . . . . I didn't take pictures. 

The next week, we headed to Boston for a wedding of a couple who met on WWSP '11. Woo-hoo. Our good friends were super hospitable and generous, and our children loved, loved, loved spending time with them (and their dog, Jenny). Oops . . . . I didn't take pictures. 

Then, the kids and I headed to El Paso, Texas, to visit family. At least this time my parents were there to help with the picture taking. In El Paso, we mostly eat, drink, and swim. It's quite a life! I soaked up the 100 weather, the mountains, the big blue sky, and the sun, as well as some incredibly precious time with my sisters, their kids, my parents and Emilie and Eliza, and some old friends. It was a busy couple of weeks, and we missed Dave terribly. But we had a fabulous time! Here are just a few pics 

Will loved the pool and became quite fearless. We even had a day where he swam without floaties or any help. He was all boy in the pool and loved getting everyone's attention. 

 His older cousin, Maddy took great care of him (and the girls!)

 It was a full house for most meals and for most of the time!

 Lucy learned to swim earlier this summer in Wildwood, and she became a much stronger swimmer at Gramma's!

 Samantha learned to swim at Gramma's! She is a strong swimmer already!

 Will loved playing basketball, which required a tireless workout from the adult involved! This time, it was Aunt Heather.

 Lots of time just hangin' with cousins.

 Perhaps a highlight for Will was cousin Emmy's guitars! He has fallen in love with guitars and she has two he could play with. This heart one with wings quickly became "his."

 Time with Eliza was super precious. Anna Kate even passed up an afternoon at the movies for some alone time with this one. She jumped right in to the chaos and noise and was so much fun!

Anna Kate made these yummy meringues one night (Aunt Kelly's birthday night - celebration in spirit, if not in presence!) for dessert.