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.

More from the NJ Trip!

We took so many pictures on the trip that I need to keep posting them!! We spent 4 days with Tim's brother Andy, his wife Dana, and their kids. Nana (Tim's mom Marilyn) and Grandpa Terry came up from Virginia too! We went to a July 4th barbecue at a country club, where Lauren enjoyed the ribs! On Sunday, our niece Caroline was baptized. The kids loved holding Caroline.

NJ Trip

We are on a trip to visit our cousins in New Jersey. On the way, we flew into Philadelphia and saw some sights. We visited the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, and Betsy Ross's house. I also included a picture of the kids with our cousins Molly and Peter. We had lunch with Tim's Aunt Lois and Uncle Alan. The kids loved the beach!!

Easter

We participated in not one, not two, but THREE egg hunts this year. The first was held indoors due to rain and wind, at St. Francis Church. Then we went to one at a park near my parents' farm. Then we had an egg hunt on the farm on Easter morning. Drew really got a kick out of it this year!

Minneapolis trip

It's been a while since I updated my blog, so I'm going to catch up a bit with some older photos. Over spring break this year we went to Minneapolis. Drew stayed home with Grandma and Papa. We went to the Mall of America, including the American Girl store. Lauren had saved her money to buy Chrissa, the Girl of the Year, and Claire had saved for a Bitty Baby. They were running a deal where you could get free wristbands to the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park in the mall with purchase, so we spent a day at the park too. Lauren and Trent rode on the big roller coasters that suspend you upside down and everything! Our other day was at an indoor water park hotel. Very fun!!

Ballet recital

Yesterday was the girls' ballet recital. Their studio holds a noon, 3 PM, and 6 PM show to manage the length. We lucked out this year and they both were in the same one!

Drew is pouting in the bottom shot because he wanted to be in the picture and we told him to sit down.

We have a new cousin!

We are all thrilled to welcome our new cousin, Caroline Gilbert to our family. She was born yesterday, March 11, in New Jersey. Congratulations to her parents, Andy and Dana Gilbert, and big siblings Molly and Peter.