Our day of thanks was relaxing. Brad and Audrey provided an excellent feast. There was football and a warm fire. Our hearts were as full as our bellies. Happy Thanksgiving!

Who are these people??

I guess the politicians were taking a break on Halloween when they stopped by for some candy.

Trick or Treat!

Disney Day

We snuck in a day at the Magic Kingdom to celebrate Charlie's 15th birthday. The birthday boy went from never riding any rides to riding everything in one day! He went on Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Space Mountain. We all had a blast- Happy Birthday, Charlie!

Top Ten Reasons We Loved Henry

10. He let Olivia carry him around on her hip like a baby.




9. He inspired songs. Well, one song anyway. Thanks, JM.





8. Every morning he spent some time with Brad to start his day off right.



7. He was patient with kids and adults who “over-loved” him. He was never hissy- he just waited patiently for a chance to escape, and then he’d rub your leg on his way to someplace else.



6. He just loved attention from people.




5. He was a good brother to Grace.




4. He would happily sleep in your lap for an hour prompting the excuse, “I can’t right now because Henry is sleeping on me.”




3. He was waiting for us at the door every day when we got home from school/work.




2. Kisses. He gave sweet, sweet kisses.



1. He loved us.

Long over due Post

Yes, it is summer and therefore you should see multiple updates to this blog. Don't you know that teachers spend all summer drinking cocktails by the pool? I've broken away from the pool party for just a brief moment to update you on some of the happenings around here lately.

We spent a week in Virginia and Wash DC. You see the picture of Charlie and Olivia with George and Martha Washington. Notice Olivia's face. There was a lot of that during the week. Not that I blame her- history isn't exactly fascinating to almost twelve year old girls. Charlie was slightly more interested occasionally, but I had a great time. We saw Montecello, Mt Vernon, the Capital, various sites around DC, the Holocaust museum, and a lot of the Metro.

The highlight of the trip was seeing Brad's cousin Robby and his wife, Deb. They are expecting a baby very soon. Thanks to Robby for the awesome tour of the capital that he arranged. Dinner was great and we cannot wait to do it again.

I'd promise to update more about our trip or summer or Mitchell's graduation, but the pool is calling...

Prom

Mitchell and his girlfriend, Sam, recently attended the Paxon Prom after a lovely meal at the Melting Pot (fondue). They looked great in their fancy clothes.

Bishop helped Mitchell figure out the laces for the fancy shoes.

Mitchell graduates May 30th. Yowza! Two, graduated!

Charlie has been given an award for being one of 800 middle school students in Duval County to keep a 3.5 GPA througout his middle school years. Way to go Charlie! He's all registered for classes at Paxon (yep!) in the International Baccalaureate program.

Olivia's cast is off and she's recovered enough to play in a few end of the season softball games. She might let me take pictures tomorrow... might.

School is out for summer on June 5th (June 10th for teachers). Oh, happy days!

Catch up, Up date

Mitchell turned 18, started driving, got a car, and started dating a very nice young woman all in the space of about two months. My head is still spinning, but he's a happy kid- er, adult. We celebrated his big day at the usual spot with the usual suspects (Charlie took the pictures).

Bishop is seriously looking into joining the Navy. He is attracted to the structure, money and adventure. Brad took him to the recruiting office today to find out about the possibilities. They now have a long list of things to do. Thank goodness we are off for Spring Break next week.

It turns out that our decision to buy a hot tub rather than go on a trip this break is a good one. Brad loves the spa (and so do I).



Here's another reason that a trip would have been difficult: Olivia's cast. It comes off next Wednesday, but she'll be tender for a little while after that. She fractured her growth plate sliding into second base at softball practice. Second injury to the same ankle. OUCH!

The Pink House

Ever since I lived on San Jose Blvd. across the street from the pink house, I've always wondered what it looked like inside. Last weekend, my curiosity was finally relieved and as a bonus, we toured the house with Ned and Stephen who were visiting from Chilly Philly.

Lucky for us, they brought some warm and wonderful weather with them. What a fun weekend, filled with visiting, eating, touring and a little Super Bowl partying. Unfortunately, I was having so much fun I completely forgot to take any pictures with my new camera so you'll just have to take my word for it.

It is possible that I was distracted by my new diamond ring! That's right, after 20 years of marriage, we decided to upgrade. The television was also upgraded, lest you think that Brad was neglected. His 52 inch Aquos brings our entertainment shrine- er family room into a new dimension. At one point, Ginny and I were outside comparing diamond color grades while Brad and his dad were actually measuring television screens- a veritable Rockwell moment. I think that Ned and Stephen were quite amused.

Back to the pink house... The interior was a bit less grand than I had envisioned. The rooms are spacious with wonderful light from large windows. The back yard's oak canopied patio would be a perfect spot for entertaining. There is even a garage apartment (great for some distance from the teen in your life). However, it was a bit pricey for a home that doesn't even have an upgraded kitchen. Still, there is the pineapple fountain out front. For the right people, it is a charming home.

We have another wonderful weather weekend ahead of us, and I am ashamed that I ever complained about the heat. One month of gray, chilly weather cured me! I hope y'all have a lovely weekend, too.

Camera-LESS and JAGS

The holidays blew by with the usual mix of over-busy and joyful reunions with family. Unfortunately, in all the hullabaloo, my camera is gone. Therefore, I have no pictures of the fabulous times we had in December.

Still, it was great, great, great to have Leslie, Josh and Charlotte stay with us for a week. Everybody was digging the new Wii game system. I think Charlotte won, though. Josh might disagree. Wait, no, Josh won the tennis, but Charlotte won the water obstacle in Mario Galaxy. I have no idea who is the winner of the Uno Attack, but that is one fun game. Go get one and see for yourself.

The trees and decorations are still up and here's why: Last night the Jags beat the Steelers in a nail biting, topsy-turvey game. We had some folks over for the game, so I left up the decorations just for the party. Since the Jags won, it would be bad luck to take them down. They play again next Saturday against the Patriots. I know they haven't lost this season, but in this house, we BELIEVE the Jags can win. Merry January!