A new coat and leaves...

Bailey loves to be outside and the leaves are very intriguing.... when gathered into piles, they provide all kinds of entertainment!

Especially when the daddy gets involved...

Isn't he funny???

-yes!

uh oh....

Mom to the rescue...

All smiles!

Who knows???

Happy Thanksgiving!

It was a quiet day, we got up early to cook and have fun in the kitchen, remembering Thanksgivings past and all we are grateful for. We reminised about when our boys were born and we had told my parents in Chicago that we could not come. The night before we changed our minds, decided to surprise them and made the 6 1/2 hour trip in the car with 6 month old babies. I will never forget the open mouthed look on my mother's face when she opened the door and we handed her two babies in blue winter stocking caps!! Pure joy!...(miss you mom!!!...)
We both really enjoy the festivities of the holidays but prefer an informal day at home with our flannel shirts on around the family table. Tim, Joni, Cooper and Chelsea were here late morning. Cooper found the toys and played before dinner. His dad helped build a farm...

Then there was dinner and the finale...PUMPKIN PIE!!! mmmmm....

We got out the Disney films and Cooper was entertained!

-while mother earth relaxed...for a short while more....

Funny (to us...) clips of Cooper at dinner...


Cooper's dog Remington and he like to play tag and run in circles around the house, we are laughing out loud watching the energy and wishing we had some!...

By the way....Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Getting ready....

Yesterday we did a "Mission Organization" on Chelsea's closets. The charming old farmhouse she lives in has no bedroom closets and only 3 in her whole living space. Brant just left for Basic Training in the National Guard and all the closets were full of boxes from moving that had never been unpacked. There was not even walking room in them. Tim came and helped us hang curtains, move things and organize. I wish I had taken before and after pics but my battery died. We spent 7 hours organizing. Now you can walk in and turn!
Tim brought Cooper too. He was pretty hungry when he came so we ate breakfast before starting. Enjoying egg cassarole and french toast.

A playful moment....

Almost there!! (due 12/12)

Disney pics...

Here are a few new pics from Mike & Lori's recent trip to Disney. Bailey had a great time seeing the "Jaws" exhibit! ...and many other rides!

She loved the characters breakfast...

and found new friends...

Poo was probably the favorite!

She just had a great all around time!

-until it tuckered her all out!!

Cross Country season is over...yeah!!

Cross country season is over and Tim has time again for family socializing...yeah!! He brought Cooper for a visit today and tomorrow we are going there. So nice to see them all again! We missed Cooper's busy-ness, how he runs from place to place and his sunny personality! He missed the play house and all the 'treasures" stored there. He immediately found his bug-catcher backpack and had it on all day. (He went home with it too!)

He missed his buddy and invited him to come and play.

...and his other buddy, Aunt Chelsea,...

who helped in many ways.

And then he found an old friend too,...Emily (and mother Jen) who came to say "hi".

He is not a bit shy....look at Emily's face (sitting on her mother's lap)!!! hahahaha!!

It was a gorgeous day for November and he got out all the art supplies and "created".

It was one of those golden days that we will treasure! Thanks for visiting guys!!

Play tent in the family room...

Happy Birthday Judi!!

This is Judi (Left ) and me (right, in false eyelashes & flip...remember "That Girl"?!) in our college dorm room at Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing where we were roommates. We went to high school together too. Judi had been editor of the school newspaper & I was assistant editor where we became great friends and were often mistaken for sisters. She is celebrating a BIG birthday this year (60)! Cindy (bride) went to both schools with us too. She & Judi went to grade school together also. Following nursing school we all went to different hospitals, followed different career paths, moved to different cities and were in a lot of weddings together. (Judi far right, me next to her and Carol, Cindy's college roommate.)

We make an effort to see each other about once every 6 weeks or so and over the years have been lucky enough to get to go to many different places...(here in Toronto)

have many celebratory meals for many occasions....

here with husbands...(Larry with me and Harvey with Cindy)

and go on many adventures as we are growing older.

This is one of our special memories....we took our mothers, one Christmas to a tea at the Ritz. We were lucky enough to take them to mother-daughter banquets, home tours and outings like this for the short time that we had them. They are having a party in heaven without us now. Cindy next to her mother, Judi's mom at the end next to my mother, Judi and me.

Happy Birthday Judi and many, many more!!!!

Yeah, Pick North!!!...Congratulations Coach Starkey!!!

Sorry, sorry,....but since this blog is like a diary to me, today I'm just a mom and have to brag a bit. Tim's high school cross country team went to state! It is an all day event in Columbus and teams from all over Ohio who qualified are there. If you think of the major cities in Ohio...Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Akron, Cincinnati and all the other cities, towns and villages in between, -the fact that Tim's team even qualified was a major event! (at least in our family:-) The top 15 teams run in each division. There were girls teams that ran in first, second and third divisions, JV and Varsity and then boys. Tim coaches boys teams at Pickerington North HS in Columbus, a division one school. As we entered Scioto Downs race track, we saw Tim's JV team right away...like finding a needle in a hay stack, so we followed them to watch for team support. Larry thought we were following for another reason...

Cute bunch of kids with a LOT of spirit!!!

I may be getting old, but I was glad for them that it was a warm day!

We smiled when we decided that they like Tim enough to write his name on their backs...(in the red baseball cap with the smiley face undies!!)

This doesn't begin to show how big this place is or how many people are there, but gives you a pre-race idea.

They"re off!!

We found Tim with the aid of binoculars. Here, he and his assistant coach "Chap" (for his last name) are running across the field (under the W) to watch the action and encourage.

First runners coming in....

Coach Tim reflecting after a good race. (Tim, check out the flag by you..."Refuel with chocolate milk"...lol! Cooper LOVES his chocolate milk!!!)

With the team after "cool-down" crossing the field to get their awards...

They came in a very respectable fifth!! Congrats!!!

Tim was interviewed by reporters......

then saw us and jumped a fence to come greet us. We felt again, like we did watching him in sports and school activities growing up....

full of such sweet pride and love like I'm sure the parents of these boys do!

Reflecting...

Proud moments...

Still giving advice?? Actually I was so glad we could be there, Larry's been under the weather all week but wouldn't have missed this for the world!

Getting their medals...

Pats on the back....

Cheers on the announcements....

-and the best support a coach could have...a good wife!! (We wished the littlest member of the family had been there to cheer the guys on too, but alas, they are saving his energy for running in 2020 more or less...)

Great day, Great race!!!....and then the ride home....