Missing our Kadie dog

On Saturday, we had to say good-bye to Kadie. Her health had been failing for a while, but by the end of last week, she was really starting to struggle. It has been tough to lose both of our beloved pups in such a short amount of time, but the kids are handling it well. Of course, they do keep begging us to get a puppy.:-) It will be a few months, but I'm sure we'll venture down that road again - we had so much fun with Kadie and BJ , we can't imagine not having a dog again. For now, we'll just enjoy our sweet memories - and be thankful for the (almost) 13 years we had with Kadie. We miss that girl!

Liam's Last Fall Soccer Game

These are pictures from Liam's last soccer game this fall. He had a great season. He learned a lot and had a lot of fun. Click on the video below to see him in action.

Trick or Treat

The kids (and parents) had a great time Trick or Treating on Friday night. We met up with some neighbors, and the kids loved hanging out with their friends - even Jenna had a friend to go with! Last year she tried so hard to keep up with the bigger guys, but this year she didn't mind being a house or 2 behind. Here's what they looked like before we left:

Grady as a Clone Trooper

Erica as Miss Stafford Lakes

Jenna, the Hokie cheerleader

Liam as a Redskins football player**

Liam REALLY wanted to be a Hokie football player, but we couldn't find a helmet anywhere - except the real ones that cost $200. His next plan was to be a Patriots football player, but that didn't work out either. When people asked if he was a Redskins fan, he let them know that he liked the Hokies and Patriots better.:-)

Pumpkin Patch

We love Fall at our house ... we like the cooler air, the changing leaves, pumpkins, football, and the return of hunting season. We try to visit a farm each year to pick out our pumpkins, and this year we found a great place! It had hayrides, 2 pumpkin patches, a corn maze, a hay maze, a playground and petting zoo. We had lots of fun, and I even remembered to take pictures! Here are just a few:

Jenna and Erica on the hayride

Grady with his big pumpkin

Liam, Jenna, and Mommy in the corn maze

Daddy and the boys on the hayride

Trip to Massachusetts

I'm a few weeks behind and many pictures short, but it's the thought that counts, right?! We went to Massachusetts earlier this month to help my aunt and uncle celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. We had a great time and enjoyed seeing family that we hadn't seen since we were up there the last time - nearly 6 years ago! My parents are both from there originally, so most of my extended family is there. We had a great time reuniting with aunts, uncles, cousins, great aunts, second cousins ... you get the idea! Unfortunately, we were so busy visiting with everyone that I only took a few pictures. These are a few that we took when we visited Patriot Place with my parents. The kids enjoyed hanging out there, and Liam has decided that he wants to play for the Patriots when his career with the Hokies is over. In addition to visiting with extended family, we had a chance to hang out with my parents more than usual. The kids really enjoyed having sleepovers in Mimi and Papa's hotel room! We hope to go up there again sometime - 6 years was too long to go between visits.

Surgery over!

My mom's surgery is over, and all went well. It sounds as if rehab will be pretty tough, so I know she'd appreciate prayers for that. The hardest thing for her will be resting - just last week she was talking about adding a 2nd workout to her daily routine! She'll be back to 2-a- days in no time, I'm sure.

Prayers for Mimi...

Please pray for Kirsten's mom - a.k.a Mimi. She will be having surgery this afternoon because she ruptured her quadriceps tendon ... can you imagine?? We'll update when we know more. Thanks!!