Whoa Nellie!

Whoa Nellie!
Originally uploaded by thesullys.

The weather has been marvelous over the past few weeks (with some notable bad streaks in there --- tornadoes came through twice), so the kids have been outside lots after school. The windows are open and so we can hear the activity outside. We have finally gotten Aidan interested in riding his bike (thanks, Abby and Emma!), and Jack is getting really good too. Maggie is now two-wheeling it, the first kid we know of to go straight from tricycle to two-wheeler (no training wheel period).
The ramp has been like honey for the bike riding bees of the neighborhood. Jack is especially in love with the concept. We are now making him wear his helmet. BTW, Nora's in on the act too on her tricycle. After a dreary winter with hardly any snow at all, its great to see spring and enjoy all its benefits.

Kids + Cookies = Awesome!

Kids + Cookies = Awesome!
Originally uploaded by thesullys.

We had a GREAT time in St. Louis on spring break

The Tarantulas that Ate Cleveland

The Tarantulas that Ate Cleveland
Originally uploaded by thesullys.

Christmas in Cleveland...and we went to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. Sammy and Jack had fun looking for the tarantulas at the Madagascar exhibit.

Is Spring Coming??

We are in the dog days of winter and are ready for the spring to come. I know, I know, there are plenty of colder places we could live, but with four kids of this age, the house can really seem like a confinement in this weather. And then there are the renovation projects that make it even more painful to ALL be in the house at the same time.
Okay, I'll quit harping. We are having a good February. Thankfully, we are all pretty healthy, and the kids are all doing well in school.

Advent - Week 3

O come, Thou wisdom from on high,
And order all things mightly.
To us the path of knowledge show;
And teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

Fall Fun

SHE RULES THE AUTUMN!

We had one of those Saturday mornings that will be hard to replicate --- maybe ever again. We got out of the house early (7:30) and had an amazing breakfast at the Loveless Cafe, a Nashville institution, a down-home restaurant that sits at the entrance to the Natchez Trace Parkway.
Then we headed down the Trace to take in the colors, which were at their peak. It was great! Then we pulled off at a rest stop. I had brought a rake along, and we used it to make a big pile of leaves, mostly reddish maple leaves. We put the pile at the bottom of a hill, and the kids had an absolute blast running down the hill and into the leaves. We had leaf fights and wrestling matches. What a hoot! We are doing to make this into a tradition.

Bro & Sis - ready to Trick or Treat!

Bro & Sis - ready to Trick or Treat!
Originally uploaded by thesullys.

Jack "in the Box" holds his sister's head steady for this shot, about one hour before we ventured out to trick or treat.

Halloween!

Well, we made it through another Halloween. The kids had a great time. Aidan created the character Captain Underpants, and dressed up as a superhero, complete with stuffed biceps. Jack made his own costume of, of course, a Jack-in-the-Box! He looked great. Maggie was a bumblebee with the cutest curly pigtails, and Nora was our ladybug, complete with wand.

Our neighborhood didn't have a lot of houses "open for business," but that did not deter the kids. We started out with our neighbors, the Batarsehs, at about 5:45 pm (after having chili and cornbread together) and by 7:15pm, Aidan and Nora were spent and wanted to go home. Andrea took Maggie and Jack by about 10 more houses after that. Needless to say, everyone slept quite well. Grandparents --- please don't send any candy for a while! :)

Boys Ready for School

Boys Ready for School
Originally uploaded by thesullys.

First Day of School

hey all - its been a hectic morning here in Nashville, with the start of school. We are going from everyone at home to having three in full time school! Jack and Aidan had a great start at Eakin Elementary...with Aidan showing Jack the ropes in his new kindergarten. Maggie began all day preschool at Hull-Jackson Montessori School, run by the Nashville Public Schools.
It was a half-day, so betwen all the dropping off and picking up, we are exhausted, and its only 12:30pm!! More later

Whew!

We have had a whirlwind of a summer, with trips to California, Colorado and Ohio all within six weeks of one another. The trip to Calif. was with our boys Aidan and Jack to visit Andrea's brother and his wife who live in Irvine. We went to LEGOland and to Disneyland (of course) and the boys had a blast. We all did, but LEGOland was of particular interest to our boys. When the LEGO people created their theme park, they must have had Aidan and Jack in mind. What a fun place.

Hi there, cutie pie! 

HE IS RISEN!

...HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!
May your Easter be a time of reflecting upon and relishing resurrection JOY!!!

MSNBC - Dream trips

MSNBC - Dream trips

First Post

Well, we are starting a new blog. We'll see how it goes. We had started one for our trip to Ghana, but it has seemingly shut down.