Fall part 2

Busy busy continued right on into October.  Both Eddie and I have our birthdays in October.  Then there are all the traditional fall activities that we wouldn't want to miss out on.  We visited Cox farms for the first time and that was so much fun.  Eva had a blast trying out all their different slides.  There was even a little farmer area where kids could try their hand at milking 'cows', pumping water and gathering corn off of a conveyor.  It was a sweltering, hot day but that didn't spoil our fun.  Eva went trick or treating on Halloween for the first time with Eddie and some neighborhood kids.  It was a such a great time getting out with our neighbors and enjoying a crisp fall evening.  Eddie V and I handed out candy to those who visited our house.  I'm told that Eva was the most polite trick or treater out that night.  :-)

November crept up on us and brought about some sad news, the passing of Eddie's grandmother.  She was a wonderful woman who had a good, long life (96 years!!).  We headed up to NY for her funeral and stayed a little over a week.  We had already planned on visiting and then heading over to MA for Thanksgiving so we just extended our trip a little bit.  We were away from home for 2 weeks, the longest we've ever been away.  The kids were a little weary by the end of our visit, as were we all.  It was so good to be able to see all of our family though.  We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad A's house and we were joined by almost all of our northern family, on my side.  No sooner did we arrive home to VA then Mom and Dad A came to visit us.  They had purchased an amazing deal on airfare several weeks before we knew we'd be away from home for an extended period of time.  We loved having them around and the extra hands were so welcomed.

Busy Season

It's blissfully quiet, this fine Friday afternoon, as I sit here working. I can't help but smile and take a slow, deep breath as I listen to the sound of... nothing. Eva has 'chosen' to sleep during her nap time today. Thank you Lord. The slow, peaceful silence is completely the opposite of the past several months.

We kicked off our busy season in August with a trip to visit our NY family. Everyone got to meet the newest member of our family, Eddie V, and, of course, they loved him! We had the opportunity to venture to Schenectady Central Park where Eva had her first ride in a paddle boat. Such fun!

September brought some good and some bad things.  Labor day weekend we had the privilege of joining our MA family to celebrate the upcoming marriage of my bro, JD, and his lovely fiancee, Amanda.  We couldn't have asked for better party weather.  A gentle breeze kept us cool and the apple trees shaded us from the sun on a bright, cheerful, summer day.  Extended family joined us in our celebration and it was such a treat to see everyone again.
 
On the way home from MA we took an unexpected NY city adventure.  Our van's transmission decided to give out in the long stretch of traffic preceding the GW bridge.  Long story short, our wonderful college buddy put us up for the night and our van was fixed so we could resume our travels the next day.  God orchestrated every detail and if it had to happen, it happened in the best possible way.  Eddie's employer was more than gracious and we are so thankful that he's a part of the company.
 
A few weeks later it was time to go back up to MA/RI to participate in JD and Amanda's wedding.  It was a beautiful ceremony and a fun-filled reception.  They were the perfect couple; joy was written across every inch of their faces.  We wish them a lifetime of happiness and God's grace.  Eva was a lovely flower girl (even though she chose to stare at the floor the whole way down the aisle and not throw a single petal).  Eddie V sported a very cute little tux.  Eddie IV looked dashing, as always.
 
More to come about our fall...