Happy Fall

Hi all. Fall is definitely here now. The leaves are turning & falling like crazy. Had a good halloween night - kids trick-or-treated on The Mall on the UVA campus, right near Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda. It was a perfect day for it. They got lots of loot & I think the last of the candy is (finally) gone.

Sean started crawling this morning! 9 months almost to the day. Nothing is safe anymore. Ian is learning that the hard way. :)

It is official - we are headed to DC. I'm assigned to CG-12A Office of Workforce Planning & Analysis. We'll be sorry to pull Erin & Timmy from school mid-year for our move to DC. Timmy is still absolutely loving his school. His class celebrated Diwali today - he had a great time. They also got to paint tipis (teepees!) outside yesterday.

Still looking for a rental in the DC area - we've narrowed our search to Annandale, Falls Church, Arlington, McLean, Bethesda-Silver Spring-Rockville-Gaithersburg areas. I'm seriously looking at getting an e-bike for the commute! We'll let you all know our new info once we settle on something.

Mike ran the Marine Corps Marathon in October and came SOOO close to having a personal best. He qualified for the Boston Marathon again & we are all proud of him. 26.2 miles in 3 hours and 15 minutes is really awesome in my book! Somehow he finds the energy to run, normally after going nuts with the kids all day. He is doing the Richmond Marathon this weekend too!

Hope all is well with each of you - looking forward to Thanksgiving in NY!
Beth






















Timmy navigating our local hike











Go 'Hoos! Great football game v. Wake Forest. UVA took the lead with 2 seconds of regular time left on the clock, final score 17-16.









Our animals: Erin - cheetah, Timmy - rabbit, Ian - elephant, Sean - tiger.

Teeth!

Fall might finally be here. The temperatures are cooling down a bit and the leaves are falling. Word is that the foliage won't be very good this year because of a severe rain deficit. It has only rained once very briefly in that last 30+ days here I think (we've been on water restrictions since mid-Aug).

This past weekend Mike ran the Jackson Ambulance Run 20 miler near Fredericksburg. He is gearing up for the Marine Corps Marathon on the 28th.

Also this last weekend - Sean got his first tooth - actually two at once! He is handling it all quite well. He is a very agreeable fella.



















Unofficial word is we are DC-bound after I finish school in December. We have been looking at rentals in the DC area and are really undecided as to what area we'd like to live. Good schools, reasonable commute, enough room for all of us & dogs (at a reasonable price)... it is a tall order. Hopefully we'll also be able to find a good preschool (that has openings!) up there during mid-year. Could be a challenge.

Hope all is well - we love to hear from everyone!



Ian chilling

















Another scrub-a-dub 4 kids in the tub

Welcome!

We are going to have a go at a blog to keep everyone more up to date with what is going on & pictures, etc. We look forward to your comments!




Timmy's first day of school!
(preschool that is)
(standing by his classmate Ved)














Sean passed out on the couch












Mike - having just finished his half-marathon trail race at Douthat State Park, VA

















Erin - playing in the front yard










Beth & Kids hiking at Douthat State Park



















Erin, Timmy & Ian on dam at Douthat
(this state park is incredible! great campgrounds, lake, beach, playgrounds, hiking, etc - it is about 2 hrs away near Lexington, VA)