Holiday Deco

Connor picked out our tree and I think he did a pretty good job!

We all did a little decorating...

And here's our first tree in OUR FIRST HOUSE!  Yay!

TR Holiday Party for the Kids

Santa arrived and every kid got a gift.

Connor got a remote control atv.  I don't know how Santa knew!

We competed in a mean game of bowling;o)

And went on a hay ride.

We also had lunch, hit the bounce houses, got a sword balloon, you name it.  It was such a nice day out for the kids.  There were so many things for them to do.

Bears Basketball

Connor started practice for basketball two weeks ago.  His first game is the first weekend in January, with two weeks off for the holidays preceding it.  Should be fun to watch!  He's loves to be back on the court.

TR Holiday Party

Last weekend the ship had the holiday party downtown.  We got all dressed up and went out with adults.  It was fun.  We should do that more often...

Dude and His 'Rifle' - GrandPop corrected me...

Yea, he has his own rifle...

GrandPop, Connor and Will

These were all Connor's shots... not too shabby for 25 yds out!  Better than me!

What A Life!

Look at these two shacking up on Connor's air mattress at MomMom and PopPops!  Lily and Rocco have it so tough.  Can I please be them?!?

Our Tiger Cub

Connor is VERY excited to be a part of cub scouts.  He just started last month, and he'll earn his Bobcat Badge this month.  He's totally digging it.

Fall, On the Creek

Gorgeous!  Loved all the colors, although they are long gone now.

Happy Belated Halloween!

Apparently I am way behind...

We carved pumpkins with Ava and the Aunts

And Will took Connor trick or treating.  He and Logan were Anakin.

And Will decided that he needed a last minute costume... hunting gear in the garage.  Always handy.

My Ruffian

In true football fashion, Connor's first butterfly stitch, compliments of me of course.  He was actually looking into a friends door when the friend came out.  Just a small gash at the corner of his eye.  Perfect motif for football!

Project Update

We did get the tree fort finished a while ago, I've just been on a hiatus blogging.  It's a big hit with Connor and the other kids.  So fun.  WWIII was in our backyard the other day, complete with bodies lying scattered.  Even got camo makeup for the real enthused;o)

One Proud Momma!

I went in to school for Connor's conference a week or so ago and saw this on the wall outside his class... I chuckled.  Monster Truck Jam coming up on Nov 12th, he's going to go nuts!

My Camo Kid

What can I say, he's a bit obsessed!

Prints in Stone

We finally got down the foundation down for Will's gun cabinet.  Connor was happy to add his handprints, name and age to it!

Not Ready for Cold Weather!

If this is any indication of how our next few months are going to look, I have to say that I am not looking forward to it.  Connor and I were trying to keep warm last weekend at football.  Yes, we were spoiled with the weather in Hawaii.  Yes, we enjoyed being outside and going to beaches year round.  Yes, we took it for granted.  Yes, we are going to be cold until next June:-/

A New Project

The site of Connor's new tree house

The frame

The birthday girl putting in the floor with Will

Even Andy flew all the way from Hawaii to help out:o)

Stay tuned for more progress...

Redskins, Game 1

GO REDSKINS!!!  (Notice Connor completely covered in mud)

Ready & waiting for the ball to be snapped

Everyone was announced

Got that flag!!!!

Our New Family Member

On Saturday we adopted a fine pooch from the SPCA here in Norfolk.  Her name is Lily Buxter (Connor picked that out!), she's about 7 years old, and a perfect fit for the family.  She and Rocco became fast buds and the naps together have been great:o)  We are working on getting her to know her name, to come when called, and teach her our yard - especially since we don't have a fence!  And I have to say she is doing great!  So far, so good!

Extracurricular Activities...

Connor is back at the Y here doing swim lessons.  He loves the water.  The Y Has an awesome outdoor pool and slides that he got to enjoy during the summer.  Now that it is closed, swim lessons resume indoors:o)

We asked Connor if he wanted to sign up for soccer or tball with his buddy Ross and he told us 'no'.  He wanted to play football.  Lucky for us the Y just started a flag football league for boys ages 6 to 9.  Connor finally has an excuse to dive on the ground and get dirty.  Yay!

Ready for 1st Grade!

Boy, I don't know where the time has gone, let alone the summer.  It's been a crazy one packing up to leave Hawaii, buy a house in VA, and get all of us here.  We tried to jam in some fun, right before school started, and I think we did a good job.  We also had some friends and family visit in our new place so that was very cool.  Connor was a little apprehensive about starting 1st grade, but he has some new friends and everyone was at the bus stop together, which helped a lot.  His teacher, Ms. Mangum, seems like a doll and is great with the kids.  Thank the Lord!  We also have Connor enrolled in after school care too - hoping that I can find a job quickly!  Needless to say, there's been a lot going on and a lot of changes in a short period.  Connor is adjusting well and taking it all in stride.  Makes it easy for me.  What a great dude!

Catching Up... Sort of

One last fishing excursion before school starts...

Connor lost 2 teeth this summer!

We went to VA Beach for the day and played tourists, complete with a surrey rental:o)

Busch Gardens silliness

Many crabs and beers enjoyed this summer!!!

Dutch Wonderland with Ava, Aunt Nelly & Nana

A shared birthday for Connor and Ed.  Happy Birthday!

Me & the dude at Sesame Place (met the Baravik's there - great time!)

LBI, of course.  Had to get a day trip in there.

Shooting BB guns with PopPop

Lots of swimming with Matt

Connor's first rifle with GrandPop and Dad

And our new house... YAY!!!!