G-man's 11th

Last prime birthday until 13! Oh, wait, that is not very interesting. Trying again...

First birthday while in Middle School! Hm, not much better...

Penultimate birthday before being a teenager. Yeah, let's go with that.

Not much to see here: he is still a fun kid. Loves reading, playing soccer, reading, a little iffy on middle school, loves Minecraft. One great kid!

Halloween Decorations

Nothing particular about this post, except some of our most interesting decorations for Halloween put up in October.
First, what would Halloween be if not for the (nasty) Halloween cereals? This year there were five to collect, and thankfully Market Basket had them on sale plus a coupon. They decorated our window shelf next to the table, for ease of access. Even JW didn't get into them, as they were not that tasty.

Second, last Christmas, I unilaterally decided (yes, some protest after the fact by the family CEO; I am merely the CFO, but can hide the expenses! :)) to collect the Lego Monster Fighters theme. Totally works for the Halloween theme. The real problem is the number of hours I "have" to spend setting them all up. But, the kids help (loose pieces) so it also counts as quality time, right? The picture doesn't do it justice as to the sheer number of figures, buildings, and vehicles. Not so great that they also have a Christmas line...

Luann's 29th, 2014 Edition

I don't even remember how YOUNG my wife is, right? She did me a solid, and picked out her own birthday present, and arranged all the details. I present to you the result:

The kids had a good time while taking pictures. There was even a session that involved some sticks as swords or light sabers, depending on the child. JW even found one to use as a gun.

Aunt Ruthy Visits

I convinced Ruth to come out and visit. We had maybe two years living in the same state before I decided to up and move away. I guess we were never meant to live close to one another. I miss having her close by to hang out with, be there for my kids, and shop for me (seriously, I have no fashion sense).  We went on a grand tour of Boston and tried to show here as much as we could in the four days we had her.

Apple Picking in NH

Fenway Park

Hey, it's Baby Ruth (her nickname growing up

Cape Cod Bay: The water was super cold

Can You tell we're sisters?

Our little buddy at lunch.

 

One of the trip highlights. Getting stuck watching a bridge lift and let a ship through. First time experience and very exciting. I think the people behind us thought we were crazy as we were taking pictures of the bridge. We didn't mind the 20 minute delay at all.

I miss you Ruth! Come back again. SOON!!!

First Half Marathon

After running Ragnar, I realized the only thing that motivates me to run regularly is signing up for a race. Since I can't start small, I decided to sign up for a half marathon. I ran 15 miles total for Ragnar. So why not 13 miles all at once instead of spread out over two days?

It was really difficult, especially at the end. However, the feeling of accomplishment was wonderful. To achieve such a lofty goal in such a short time was exciting.

Pre-Race Pics

Thank you Tara for joining me!

It begins.

Beautiful view of the ocean

I did it!

Kayaking the Charles 2014

As a date, I took Luann to the Charles River to kayak. Not the most exciting date ever, but it was fun to do something different than just a movie or dinner. One side benefit of the place I work is that they have two single-person kayaks that you can borrow. Oh, and they are also right on the Charles river, and you can grab the kayaks and drop right in the river and go.

Things to note when kayaking on the Charles:

1. The river is not that deep.
2. Stay out of the way of the rowing teams practicing. They actually move quite fast!
3. Selfies are really hard when in a kayak.

First Day of School

 First day of sixth grade

Middle School here he comes!

First Day of Third Grade

 Now she's the oldest at the elementary.

First Day of Kindergarten

He is so excited to join the big kids.