8 Years

September 28th was our 8 year wedding anniversary! During breakfast we showed the kids our photo album from that awesome day we spent with our family and friends who traveled from as far as Asia and as close as down the street to be a part of our celebration. After breakfast, Finn snuck off to find his wallet and removed two nickels from it - he said he had to search hard to find two of the same kind of money. After handing one to Tegan, they counted to three and then Tegan gave her's to Cristin while Finn gave his to Patrick. The gift was so sweet.

Here's a picture of us at end of the work/school day, playing with some fresh-fallen leaves before the 5 of us went out for dinner.

After dinner we ran into a friend who found out it was our anniversary...and quickly pointed out we were not supposed to have our little kids with us on our anniversay date-night dinner.

We politely disagree. Our kids have as much to celebrate as we do.

A Mix of Recent Photos....

A very successful lemonade stand one Sunday morning. All the cyclists riding by the house were great customers!

Braden looking like he's in a catalog but really he's relaxing on the shores of Lake Champlain.

Cristin and Finnegan find some quiet time.

Some of our chickens going to town on half a watermelon.

Patrick, Tegan and Finn riding the Keene's jet ski on Joe's Pond.

A sample of the goods from our garden.

Finn at Thunder Road, watching the very fast race cars...go Dave P!

The kids with Lexi, their awesome babysitter for the summer.

Patrick prepares the fish he caught in Lake Champlain for breakfast.

A rare family portrait in our backyard.

Braden's first haircut...just a trim please!

Tegan's so proud of her brother for graduating pre-school.

Tegan's first day of 1st grade!

Cristin took the boys up to the top of Mt. Mansfield (via gondola) and then hiked around a bit on the morning of Finn's birthday.

Braden loving the moment with his Papa and Grandpa.

Finn's first day of kindergarten.

Braden on his trike.

A mellow moment between the boys.

Chillin' out on the rock wall.

From left to right: George, Bob (or Ray), Ray (or Bob), Goldalicious, Oscelot, and Pirate. The kids came up with the names. And yes, they are all girls.

A relaxing April morning in North Hero

Natural light

Have a seat...

Recognize anyone?
The lakehouse

Riley enjoying the view

Finn soooo excited!

Tegan playing it cool

Braden & Cristin tossing rocks into the water

Florida pics as promised...

A beautiful day at Cocoa Beach . . .

In addition to the beach, we did a day of Disney World, another of Animal Kingdom, and spent a day in between each busy day with relaxation days. The house where we stayed had a great playground, a pool, and all the luxuries of home.