Outer Banks

Here are a few more photos from the trip.

Colin practicing karate on the beach!

All the kids in a crab walking race.

11 kids in all!

Jumping in the Outer Banks

At the end of August we planned a week long vacation to the Outer Banks in NC with two other families .  Hurricane Irene messed up the beginning of our trip, but as soon as it was all clear we headed down to the beach house.  As I was scrolling through my photos of the trip I could not believe how many of them contain a kid with both feet off the ground!  Here for your viewing pleasure are are the best (but not all!) of the jumping kids!  By the way, Jack's stubby legs don't get much air yet, so he isn't in any of them.

 

Groundbreaking Lunch

Back in September, on Constitution Day, the church broke ground on the Philadelphia LDS Temple, which was really exciting!  President Eyring and a lot of other General Authorities came out for the event, and I lucked out and got to be part of a small committee of 7 women to host a lunch for them after the ceremony.  My friend Tiffany and I were in charge of the centerpieces and the desserts.  It was lots of work, and one of the best experiences I've ever had!  We got to meet all the General Authorities and Pres. Eyring and his wife and daughter, and then eat with them.  They were all so enthusiastic and kind.  I'll never forget it!

It was decided that the whole lunch should be decorated patriotically, so Tiffany and I rounded up some reproductions of the Constitution and used them under the flower arrangements.

I made lemon tarts and dark chocolate cupcakes.  Tiffany whipped up some killer apple crisp.  We had an incredible lunch of grilled salmon, salad, veggies, and rice.  

A hideous photo of me, but the only one we got with Pres. Eyring!

Fall Field Trips

 The boys took a couple of field trips with their preschool during the fall, and here are the highlights:

Squirting the hose at the firehouse. 

Our wonderful trip to the farm.  I figured out that this was my 6th trip!

 I think this was Jack's first time on the horse.

Holding a chicken- Colin was into it, Jack wasn't.

 I took the boys to NJ to pick some Pink Lady apples.  They were fabulous!

Halloween, again

I had to post this hilarious photo of Amelia at her school's Halloween parade.  I sent Amelia to school with an extra stick on mustache because I knew that the one we put on before school would bother her and she'd want to take it off.  Consequently, she had to put the second mustache on without a mirror, and it ended up being crooked and upside down.  It was awesome.

The Meal

Sarah drove out from Indiana with her family for Thanksgiving, and we had a wonderful, and very busy week!  We cooked for two days straight and ended up with an heirloom turkey, 7 pies, quince cranberry sauce, and all the necessary side dishes.  It was really fun, and the food turned out great.

Looking Cool for Thanksgiving

Fall at Valley Forge

We had a lovely little trip to Valley Forge recently to see the last of the fall colors. 

 No visit there is complete without a race!

2nd Grade Play

Amelia's 2nd grade class put on a little Thanksgiving production for their parents.  Amelia was lucky enough to be the narrator, and she had the most lines of all the kids in her class!  Needless to say, she did a wonderful job, and we were very proud of her.

We had a blast raking leaves recently, and the kids had a blast spreading them out over the yard again!

Primary Program

The kids were in the fantastic Primary Program this year again for church.  Amelia wore a special Liberian dress that our friend Victoria gave her.   Colin and Amelia had 12 scriptures, about a zillion songs, and their lines memorized, and did a great job!