Thanksgiving week

Thanksgiving in NJ, 2005.
We decided to take a mini vacation this year for our trek North. On Tuesday, we visited Washington D.C. Since both sets of Laura's grandparents are buried our first stop was Arlington National cemetery. This was awesome. Not only did the kids get a chance to see the cemetery but we got to see 2 military funerals. It was an honor to see the full precession which included the military band, firing squad and caisson.









Our next stop was the mall. We parked midway between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial to try to make the most of the time we had. The weather was cold and the kids were already tired from being in the car. It gave us an opportunity to stretch our legs for a bit.
We spend a lot of time at the WWII memorial before heading down the mall along the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial. The coolest thing for the kids was to climb all the steps.

After Lincoln, we walked over to the Korean War memorial and then decided to see the rest of the city via car.














Day 2 of our trip was spent in Baltimore with some friends. We took the kids to the Baltimore Aquarium. They had a blast! Noah loved the Dolphin show.

Day 3. Thanksgiving day! It took us a little longer than we anticipated due to the traffic but we made it to Mindy's in plenty of time for dinner. I can honestly say this was the best meal Mindy has ever made for us. (OK, it was catered, but nevertheless...)

Day 4 we spent time with family and friends. Here is why Cole is Cole!


The kids were wiped out from all the driving and really needed a nap. We decided to kill time by taking a ride into NYC. We drove across the GWB, down the FDR, thru Wall Street and back up the East Side all within 1 hr. Cole got to see: Yankee Stadium, the Brooklyn Bridge, South Street Seaport, Ground Zero, the Intrepid, Empire State Building and more. He was in awe and it was fun to share it with him.

The last 2 days were spent in the car with small stops along the way. All in all it was a really good week and the kids had a great time

2 Sport Athlete cont.... Season Ending info

Both Soccer and Baseball ended this past weekend. Cole played great all year round and finished the season strong, going 3 for 3 with a triple. His final batting average was .917.

Soccer: He scored 5 goals in has last game.

We plan on taking the winter off before we decide what's next.

Halloween 2005

Halloween was a blast this year. The kids had a great time and got plenty of "loot".





















Check out the "sweet" pumpkin carving handywork.

2 and 3 year pictures

We finally got around to taking pictures of Jordan and Noah's 3 and 2 year shots.

Bye Bye Tribby

This was a huge weekend for Noah as he made the jump from crib to big boy bed. As I dismantled the crib, he just kept saying "Bye bye tribby" We think he was ready although he is much younger than either Cole or Jordan were when they switched. He is at that age right now (2yrs, 1 month) , of trying to be really independent. He wants to do everything on his own and gets really pissed if anyone tries to help him out.

Here is his best and future college football pose

Pumpkins

Today we drove up to the North Georgia Mountains. The original plan was to see the foliage, go apple picking and get some pumpkins but we got a little sidetracked. It's a little early in the leaf changing season so we may come back in early November. We did visit a great little orchard where the kids got to see the apples being packaged, sliced, diced, juiced and baked into pies. Of course, no visit would be complete without samples of each. Nothing beats a freshly made apple fritter.

We then drove up to Blue Ridge to see the little downtown area. We arrived just in time to see the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway departing. All 3 kids were in awe of the big train.

We did some sightseeing, grabbed some lunch and had the kids pick out there own pumpkins.

Hockey Night in Atlanta

Saturday 10/8/05
We took the train down to Philips Arena for the Thrashers home opener on Saturday.
We had a blast. I think the Noah liked riding the “choo choo” more than he enjoyed the game itself.
Cole and Jordan were totally into the action. And there was plenty of Action as the Thrashers beat the Capitals 8-1.

2 Sport Athlete continued....

Our Saturdays are consumed with sports running from one event to the other. Cole continues his assault on the record books. He is batting 8 for 8 in baseball and averaging 6 goals a game in Soccer. Last week, he scored 7 goals, played solid defense and was passing. He is really starting to understand the game and it is fun to watch to progression in his skills.

Cole_Phillies

Noah's Birthday

Noah turned 2 today! He was so excited. When we picked up his Birthday cake, a fireman, his face lit up. When it was on the table and Cole or Jordan got near it, he was quick to shoult "No!, My Happy to You!"

We had a very quiet day and had some close friends and family come by just for cake and icecream. It was great see him playing with his new trucks and finally have something of his own.

2 Sport Athlete

Cole started his 2 sport career today. He scored 5 goals in an 8:00am soccer game, rushed home for some lunch and went on to go 3 for 3 in his Phillies debut.

Jordan's Birthday

Here's a picture of Jordan and Noah in their new ride.

Jordan turns 3

Little Miss Jordan is turning 3 this week. She invited a bunch of her friends to "Build-A-Bear".
They had a great time!. She made a beautiful little princess bear and named her Susie., Noah named his Chip.

Ode to a Truck

Today was a sad day! Only 4 months into owning the "Hemi" I decided to trade it in. Although the 2005 Dodge Ram served us well, the rising cost of gas made it impractical to use as an everyday vehicle. On a good week I would get 15 mpg. No matter how hard I tried, I could not justify keeping it for a commuting 60 plus miles per day when gas prices are over $2.50 / gallon.
I bought a fully loaded VW Passat which gets about much better mpg. It's a cool little car and parking is MUCH easier! Noah keeps asking for "Daddy's Truck" but hopefully that will pass.

Fishing in North Georgia

Canoe
A friend and I took our boys, Will and Cole to Lake Winfield Scott in the North Georgia Mountains. It was the first time Cole was on a Canoe. He had a blast, the boys did great. We caught a few fish and had a good day outdoors.


Will & Cole

Colorado Trip

Blue River
This week I went to a conference in Keystone, Colorado. This above picture is of the Blue River where I had my first fly fishing experience. As you can tell from the view, it was awesome. Why would anyone want to live anywhere else.

Below was taking the luge down Breckenridge. Not the same as skiing but not bad for August.

Luge

Grossology

Fernbank
Today we went to Fernbank Musuem to check out the Grossology Exhibit. Grossology Grossology...The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body

We learned about Gas, Vomit, snot and played Guess that smell. Cole crawled through a mouth, down the esophogus, into the stomach and came out the lower intestine as... poop.

It was awesome and disgusting at the same time. Both kids enjoyed finding out what makes you burp


snot


Nose

1st Day of School

Cole's 1st day of school 8/1/05
Today was Cole's first day of school. He started kindergarten today. We can not believe how fast time has flown by. As you can see by the pictures, he was super excited. At 6:00 am he came running into our bedroom because the alarm clock woke him up. He was dressed and ready within minutes. Fortunately, the bus stop is right outside our house. His eyes lit up when he saw the bus. When it stopped and the doors opened, there was a slight bit of hesitation and a tighter than normal hug but he hopped right in, Yoda lunchbox in tow, and grabbed a seat in the first row.
He is off to a world of new experiences and new friends. We are so proud.


Cole's 1st day of School

Hoppe's

8/31/05
Mindy and the Michaels stopped by on their way back from Florida. We met at Champps for dinner and the kids had a great time.


8/31/05

Downtown Disney

We decided to break up the ride back from Ft. Lauderdale and give the kids a surprise. We left FLL around 7:00 am and made it to Orlando by 10:00.
Since the kids really don't know much about Disney World yet, we thought stopping by Downtown Disney would be perfect. It would give them a taste of it and allow us to scope out our actual visit for next year.

The excitement level was still there. Their eyes lit up when they saw all their "friends". Cole could not contain his excitement and it looked like he was hopped up on speed. He bounced from place to place, wanting everything in site. He really liked the Lego store where he build a racecar. Jordan and Noah were simply in awe.

I had promised each one a souvenir. Jordan picked out a beautiful princess tiara, Cole chose a Saturn 5 rocket and Space Shuttle. Noah had a tough time deciding until we went into the House of Pooh. His smiled went from ear to ear as soon as he walked in. We ended up with small Pooh bear which now goes everywhere he goes.




We had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. It was a lot of fun in a short period of time.

He hit the road and made it back to Atlanta by 8:00.

Papa's 95th - Day 3

Papa and the kids

We again met for breakfast at "The Bagel Tree" with the whole crew.
Cole kept everyone informed about the Space Shuttle launch. We had to get outside at 10:39 to see if we could see it take off. We didn't but that didn't stop us from talking about it all day.

We hit Sawgrass mills and went down to the beach for the rest of the day. The water was perfect and Cole and Dad went diving for treasures.

We decided to take Papa out for dinner so we went down to Verdi's to celebrate. As if he wasn't all ready hooked by Jordan, she won his heart when she sang Happy Birthday to him.

It was a lot of fun to see him smile. I am very thankful we had the opportunity to spend some time with him. The kids have pictures and memories to hopefully last a lifetime.

Papa's 95th - Day 2

We met Papa, Marion and all his buddies at "The Bagel Tree" for breakfast. We gave Papa a framed 8 x 10 of a picture taken the night before. He could not get over the fact we were able to do it so quickly. Ahh the joys of digital photography.

After breakfast we decided to take the kids on a boat ride. The best option was a Water Taxi,.
We received an 1 1/2 tour of the Intercoastal Waterway. we past multi-million dollar homes, yachts and saw some native wildlife (iguanas).

Cole had a blast as the "captain" pushed 20 knots.

Marion had us over for dinner that night. The kids were tired but made it through without breaking anything. Jordan and Noah both tried chopped liver. As expected, Jordan love it.
Dinner was uneventful and it was a sweet gesture on her part. The kids are not big into sweet potatoes, and green beans but they survived. Dessert of black and white cookies was more their style.

Papa's 95th

Papa Dave turns 95 this week. Since our recent successful trip to HHI, we decided it would be a good time to visit Papa. He is turning 95 and had never met the kids.

We drove down on Sunday, July 24th. We left the house around 4:30 am and the trip was pretty easy taking about 10 1/2 hrs. The kids were great.

We called Papa to see if we could stop by. He was thrilled. Laura and I had not seen him in about 6 years and were expecting the worst. We couldn't have been more surprised. He looked great. He could not wait to show us (the kids) off to his friends. We followed him, yes he still drives - we were shocked, to the inverrary diner. There was about a 10 minute wait so it gave us time to catch up and for him to see the kids do what they do best. Run around and act like monkeys. It didn't take long to see, he formed an instant bond with his only great-grandaughter.

Everyone was so nice. Random strangers would stop by just to say hi to the little ones and each one offering either lollipops, cookies and compliments.

We spent a few hours total before calling an end to a VERY long day.

Major League Debut

We had a special night last night. I was given 3 tickets to the Braves game and the seats were absolutely fantastic. Directly behind home plate, Row 10. With Jordan and Noah garnering most of our attention, I thought it would be nice for Laura and I to take took Cole.
Not only did the Braves win, we got to be a part of a special evening. A local high school kid a few years ago, Jeff Francouer, made his major league debut. You could see the excitement in his face the entire game. What a thrill it must have been to play for your favorite team in front of all your friends and family. He received a standing ovation every time he came to the plate. He did not disappoint either. His 1st major league hit was a 3-run homerun which put the Braves ahead for good.

It was an exciting evening. Cole did not stop smiling, laughing and tomahawking the whole night. We had a blast.

Hilton Head Vacation July 4th weekend 2005

Well we finally bit the bullet and took a vacation. As you can tell from the pictures, the kids had a blast. Cole spent the entire time in motion. Each morning we hit the beach for a few hours until hunger set in.

Cole discovered his new passion..... Boogieboarding.. Even though the kid can't swim and doesn't like to get his hair wet, he became a shark. He loved the ocean and was surfing in no time.

Dad found his new future as a Sand dollar hunter. Within minutes, we were able to round up a few dozen sand dollars and if there is ever a market for them in the future, we'll be set.

When Jordan and Noah would fade for an afternoon nap, Cole headed to the golf course to play golf with Papa. On other days, he and dad would go fishing.

Hopefully this trip generated the types of memories that will last a lifetime. We can't wait to our next family trip