New York New York!

The day after Christmas we traveled to New York. We stayed at the Marriot Marquis at Times Square. We ate great food... saw fun plays and just enjoyed being together!

Christmas PJs

Another favorite is the Christmas PJs opened every Christmas Eve.

Favorite Christmas Traditions

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is the letters we write to each other and deposit in Christmas stockings on Christmas Eve. Our special Christmas eve program includes a few quiet minutes to read our letters. The room is a sweet tender emotion as we reflect on the love we share.

We're getting ready for Christmas

The Lighting Celebration

Emily's Birthday

Matthew's Concert

Thanksgiving at Home

We were so glad to come home to Dave and Miranda visiting from New Hampshire... We cooked up a Thanksgiving feast of our own... It turned out pretty well even though the turkey was still a little frozen and that threw off my timing... but Miranda's amazing gravy made up for it all and we had a delightful time together... complete with a late night tour of the monuments. We are so grateful for the chance to get to know Dave and Miranda better... what amazing people who will be wonderful parents! We look forward to next Thanksgiving together with hopefully a thawed turkey!

Thanksgiving in Midway

Mike and Pam gave us the wonderful treat to be at their beautiful home in Midway... complete with a late night trip to the hot pots! Cousin Katherine Mackey joined in the fun. Thursday we loved being with the Mike Weilenmann clan for a Thanksgiving feast to be cherished. The room was full of tender emotion... we have so much to be thankful for. That night we traveled up to Merry and Jim's, where they welcomed us with the best pie I have ever eaten. Meg and Jay left early the next morning and Greg and Jessie took the rest of us to the airport that afternoon after a fun breakfast they enjoyed at the Aspittle's while my siblings and I took care of some business.

Dad's Funeral

Dad's Funeral was a tender tribute from people who love him. A great day to honor a great man! We miss him dearly!

Gathering with Family

With the news of Dad's death we quick made plans to travel to Utah... We flew in 2 teams (Me, Matt and Em... Jay and Megan) and by Saturday afternoon we all arrived. Mark and Louise treated us to a spontaneous turkey feast and tour of their new home! Emily fell in love with Lucy - Melanie's cute little dog. We loved spending time with family and attending to the sacred task of preparing for a funeral. Melanie wrote a beautiful obituary... we all pulled together to attend to the details.

A Week to Clap for Megan

Monday I got to clap for Megan as she was inducted into the Nation Honor society, Tuesday I got to clap for Megan at our Young Women Night of Excellence where Meg played the violin and wowed everyone modeling her modest homecoming dress, Wednesday I clapped for Megan as she received a special academic award at Oakton High School for straight A's! After we celebrated with a hot cider at Starbucks... which Megan enjoyed! (see photo above)

The Halloween Haul

Another successful Halloween... Emily and Megan sort and count.

Trunk or Treat

Megan, Emily and I had a spooky time at the trunk or treat held at our church. There was chili and candy galore. Matthew and Jay were at Matthew's soccer game and missed out on this fun.

off to a halloween party...

That evening Jay and I went to a Halloween Party for a little bit before I had to leave to chaperon at the youth dance. I had a great time even though my date was a little goofy!

A visit from Merry!

October brought a wonderful surprise visit from my sister Merry. We had a great time together... I will always remember the late night run for the new donut craze at The Fractured Prune... the experience was amazing, especially the car ride there with a special cd fresh for the occasion, burned by Matthew. The visit was topped off by a trip to the Library of Congress for Merry and I . Thank you Merry for your time and love. We all loved having you here!

visit to the pumpkin patch

Columbus Day afforded the sweet opportunity for Megan, Emily and I to enjoy a wonderful autumn afternoon at Cox Farm, including lots of cider and apples, burlap sack sliding and a pony ride for Em. Three cute little pumpkins now adorn our steps!

a perfect day for a picnic

Today we were fortunate to have Elizabeth, Katherine and Matthew Mackey attend church with us. Following we all made a wardrobe switch and headed off for adventure. Our first stop was Fairfax Hospital to see the historic location where Matthew Mackey was born. We then drove in and met Kimball for an incredible picnic at the Iwo Jima Memorial... followed by a heroic effort of races and general fun. I am proud to say that Kimball and I won the wheel barrow race and I must say, he gets extra points for not complaining when partners were chosen and he ended up with the old aunt! We returned home and ate caramel drizzled apples with whipped cream and toasted peacans and played games. A memorable time to realize again what a blessing family association is. We missed Jay who had taken an early flight to Arizona for a week of work.

memorials at night

Jay and I had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth, her boyfriend Kimball, Katherine and Matthew Mackey in DC for the late night tour of the memorials. We never tire of the inspiring beauty of this place. A highlight was the intense pear and almond chocolate bar on the steps of the Lincoln.

visit to historic Waterford

A friend encouraged me to visit a wonderful craft festival in Waterford and we had a lovely day of touring historic homes, looking at beautiful things and eating good food... a winning combination!

Look who's cooking tonight!

Matthew is earning his cooking merit badge!

Megan's homecoming dance

Megan looked beautiful tonight for Oakton's Homecoming Dance.

Emily's spa night...

Tonight Emily created a spa in our home... Dad was her first customer!

Trip to Utah

This past week I had the privilege to travel to Utah and see many people that I love.

What a joy to see my adult children functioning happily in their college world!

We had a wonderful gathering at Melanie's home (unfortunately I forgot to take pictures). Greg reported on his mission experience and made his mama proud. We ate the best pizzas in the world.

Monday Dad and I went on an outing to the ranch. It was a sacred experience to share memories of that beautiful place together. We stopped by Hires for a rootbeer freeze.

I went to lunch with 3 of my sisters... we missed martha! What a thrill to see Merry's school and the difference she is making in the lives of so many children and educators... way to go Miss Merry! Aren't sisters wonderful!

In Provo we shopped til we dropped, but I left feeling grateful to leave Greg and Jessie a bit more settled and having seen where they live. I loved staying at Jessie's apartment and meeting her delightful roommates.

It is tough to have your heart spread out across the country.

Family is the great blessing of my life... to be sandwiched in between two great generations and so many to love and admire.

off to college...

Greg and Jessie flew off to BYU to start classes September 2...
We miss them!!!!

Together at Last...

What joy to have our family together...
We only had two days so we made the most of it.

Greg Returns!!!!!

Megan made us t-shirts to wear to the airport... we anxiously awaited the time... Greg's plane was late in leaving New York. I will always remember the moment he came around the corner and there he was... tall and thin with shinning eyes... our boy who had become a man!