The Barnstormer Rocks!!!!

I think this picture pretty much says it all. Griffin's favorite ride is definitely "The Barnstormer!" which is a rollercoaster for little ones. It is fun to have an adventure boy! He can definitely keep up with the girls. I think we'll put a hold on bungee jumping for a few years though.

Boo!

Another great Halloween in Celebration. I have to say that there are so many opportunities to dress up before the actual night with all the parties leading up to Halloween that it can be kind anticlimatic. I was exhausted before the night even started!!! We had fun at The Sweeney's Front Porch pre- trick-r-treating get together. The adult costumes are getting better and better each year- and of course the kids we all cute as well...but some of our friends' costumes were hilarious! The girls and some of their friends plus Griffin in his wagon headed out for a full night- at first, Griffin got out of the wagon at each house, but then he was content to open up one lollipop at a time, take ONE lick and then go on to the next one. I am pretty certain he ate his weight in sugar. Some of the houses were outrageously decorated (can you say Disney?)- everyone had a great time- Lee gave all of our candy away & we had the usual end of the evening ritual which is kids ringing our doorbell after 10 p.m. even though all lights are out and there is no indication that we are even home! The holiday season has begun.

Go Team Dan!

Last Saturday night I participated in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Tower of Terror race. Some of you may remember I ran The Rock-n-Roll Marathon in 1997 with The Leukemia Society...fortunately, this race was much shorter- 4 miles! Still, running at night (10:15p.m.) had it's challenges- specifically I like to be in my p.j.'s by 10 p.m.!!!! I was really tired that day & it was rainy & my motivation was low. A group of us ran in support of our friend Dan who was diagnosed this past summer with a brain tumor. Many of our friends who did not run came to cheer us on which was so awesome. Once I got there, the energy was great and it no longer felt like a late night out (for me anyways). I have run my fair share of races over the last 10 years, and no matter the distance, the last 1/2 mile is always tough. Our race was not timed, but it felt as if we were running at a fast pace. It was a great experience and although I am still a morning running, I will definitely do it again.

Friends & Ohana

We had dinner tonight (minus Sydney) with my friend Rachel and her husband Steve and their two adorable sons, Max and Coby. Rachel & I have known each other I think since 7th grade- we went to "dancing school" together. Often times we are mistaken for sisters. The last time we saw one another was New Years 2000 and 3 out of the 8 of us at dinner were not even born. But as good friends often do, we did not skip a beat. I think having e-mail (and now blogs) makes it so easy to stay in touch. Even though I had never met her boys in person, I felt as if I had already known them because I had seen them in photos over the years. The kids had a great time too!

Our Little Chefs

The girls made dinner for us tonight- homemade pizza. They both were excellent and faster than if we had ordered takeout!...now we just have to work on the clean up!!!!

A Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

Josie's 2nd grade class had an outing to The Pumpkin Patch, which inspired us to go as a family later that same evening. We had a lot of fun picking out different sizes and shapes. The highlight for Griffin was sticking his head through the "monster cutouts" inspired by his new favorite show "Happy Monster Band". Happy Fall!!!

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A Healthy Rivalry

Once upon a time, Lee & I used to watch sports on t.v. on a regular basis. Then we became parents. Moving to Kauai further complicated the issue, b/c sporting events were always on at crazy times- football before breakfast? Anyways, watching sports for me always ended up as a painful experience because my teams (Browns, Indians) always ended up losing & Lee's teams (Giants, Yankees) have won both The Superbowl & The World Series more than a few times. So I have to admit, over the past 10 years I have become somewhat of a fairweather fan because I don't really pay attention until the seasons come to a close- however I do enjoy a good game especially attending in person. So, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a casual get together with our friends and fellow fans Kathy, Al (Yankees) and Terri (Indians) to watch game one of the AL division series Indians v. Yankees. Lots of food and cheering (it's always good when Terri is on your side) and a win for Cleveland. Lee was a great sport as Cleveland won the series- I think he is secretly relieved that he does not have to her me repeat again..."I've never witnessed a championship team in any major sport in all my life". It ain't over yet and I am not the most confident fan, but I have to admit it is fun looking forward to watching the games in October. Hopefully, this win be the year that I can put an end to that all too familiar saying.