Drew turns 3!

Drew turned three on Dec. 16. First, we had a party on the weekend at Chuck E. Cheese with our friends Leah and Cheryl and Grandma and Papa. Then, on his birthday, I made a Dora the Explorer cake with the Dora pan that I had used for Lauren and Claire. And Drew even got to enjoy a birthday donut courtesy of our friend T.J. A great day!

Halloween Parties at School

The kids had a great time at their Halloween parties at school. The older kids line the hallways of the media center and the younger ones parade past to cheers. If you look closely in the picture of Claire at the parade, you can see Trent's rainbow wig in the background.

Adventureland

Every year, in September, we go to our local amusement park, Adventureland. This year we went on Labor Day. The weather was gorgeous - sunny and low 80's, and the lines were short. Papa and Grandma came along for the second year and had a nice time on the rides! Claire is very adventurous and rode on many big rides this year. Drew loved it! The next day, he came up to me with a copy of the park map, and said, "We go again? Ride on Frog Hopper!"

Thomas the Train

We were so excited to win 4 tickets to see Thomas the Tank Engine on his tour through Iowa. Drew, Claire, Lauren, and I went to Boone to see him. Trent was at a birthday party and Tim was still in New York, so 4 tickets was the perfect amount. We got to ride on a passenger train that Thomas "pulled."

Brothers

Trent is playing football for the first time this fall, on a team with his former St. Francis classmates. It's tackle football, so his strength and size are serving him well. He plays primarily offensive tackle. I laughed when I realized that Drew's new fall outfit featured Trent's jersey number, 72!

Sneak Peek Kindergarten

Claire has a week of "Sneak Peek" Kindergarten this week at Westridge Elementary! We walked the block and a half over there this morning. She was so excited! They had her name on a desk and everything! Hopefully she will meet some of her classmates and learn more about her new school.

Princeton and Friends

Claire, Drew, and I visited with our friends Laura and John Overdeck and their kids on Independence Day. We played in their backyard and then went to the Millburn, NJ kids' fair. Claire and Katie Overdeck are just a few months apart and enjoyed getting to know each other.

Then on our way to the airport on Wednesday, we stopped by Princeton. Tim and the kids posed by Rockefeller College, where Tim lived his freshman year. His room is the one right above the archway. And the kids all got new Princeton gear, which they wore on the plane ride home.