The Virginia Creeper

Over fall break we biked the Virginia Creeper. This wonderfully scenic 17 mile bike trail is great for the whole family. The entire trail is actually 34 miles long and was once used as a railway and before that was traveled by Daniel Boone. We were excited to go as a family but didn't know exactly how Tanner, Connor and Sydney would do on a 17 mile bike ride. We decided to have 2 "tag-a-longs" on the back of mine and David's bikes and let the three of them rotate between riding their own bike and riding behind us so we could smother any whining of being tired before it even began. Our thought was Sydney would start out on her own bike with the boys riding behind our bikes. When we got to the bike rental place and took a test drive, Tanner did NOT like the wobbly bike hooked onto the back of David's bike that he had no control over. Sydney, after testing out her bike decided that it was not at all like her bike at home and didn't feel comfortable riding it. Smooth start. We all got on the shuttle and 30 minutes later, and thankfully as we began our journey, everyone was happy. Tanner took off on his own bike with me and Connor behind him and then David and Sydney. Tanner did great but was very cautious. He was so slow that our hands started to hurt from grasping the hand brakes so often. Connor and I decided to go at our own pace and then stop every once and a while to let them catch up with us. This worked great because it gave us a chance to stop and enjoy the gorgeous scenery and check out the many cool bridges. Connor and I bonded. We sang, and he talked about how we must be out in front because no one else was around. (actually everyone else in our group except David, Sydney and Tanner were way in front of us.) About 11 miles down the trail there is a great cafe that we all met up at and ate lunch. The teenagers bragged about how long they had been waiting there. (oh yeah, well if I was on a bike by myself I could keep up!) The last 6 miles something kicked in with Tanner and he stayed with group without any trouble. It was a lot more smooth and level, rather than bumpy and downhill. He even got the hang of passing people, saying "passing on your left" as he'd whiz by. When we finally finished the trail Connor got off and said "wow, my bottom hurts!" You got that right, Connor! It was a great family experience, one we will definetely do again.

Cousins

When the Utah cousins come for a visit all the Tennessee cousins put everything else on hold!! My kids could not get enough Jonah and Koen time while they were here. Tanner and Connor indoctrinated the boys into their latest craze of playing Davy Crockett and fighting "the mexicans" at the Alamo. Jonah got Sydney hooked on making "recipes" and experiments. We love cousins! We can't wait for Andrew to come at Thanksgiving?

Maine in the fall

Portland Lighthouse


Belted cows
About to sail in the Rockland Harbour

One of the B&B's we stayed in


David and I love the fall. Humidity is gone, cool evenings, and David would add that it's football season (whatever). We have always wanted to visit Maine in the fall. We kicked around the idea a few months ago and then the idea died. Then about a month ago David says "let's go to Maine". So, after a whirlwind of securing babysitting (thanks grammy and grandpa) and buying tickets, we take off for the southern coast of Maine. We flew into Boston and stopped in the first town in Maine: Kittery. Over the next few day we made our way through the picturesque towns of York, Ogunquit, Kennybunkport, Rockland, Camden, and Bucksport. Maine is beautiful. The port towns are quaint, the people are nice and the scenery puts a smile on your face. We loved this trip and definetely want to go back and visit a little more northern Maine too.

Baptism Day

I can't believe my babies are 8. I can't believe they are now baptized. I've never seen children more excited to be baptized then Tanner, Connor and Sydney. Here are a few pictures and comments the kids made that day.

Tanner: "My heart was beating so fast from happiness. It was the best time of my life."

Connor: (speaking to Tanner as he climbs out of the font) "I can't believe my sins are washed away!!" Then later: "I'm so glad that it's a commandment. I loved being baptized."

Sydney: "I wish I could be baptized again! It just felt so good."

I hope they remember this day for the rest of their lives.

Race for a Cure

Trey, Sydney and I ran in the Race for a Cure today! This is an annual fund raiser Knoxville puts on for breast cancer. It is held down town and they always have a huge turnout, bands playing, cheerleaders cheering along the way. This is the 3rd year I have done it, 2nd year for Trey and 1st for Sydney. David was signed up to race until the Wednesday before he "tweaked" his knee playing basketball. (sure Dave) We rode down with our good friends, the Kah's and Kacey Jackson, and met up with the Langfords at the race. Trey beat his last year's time by over 2 minutes. Sydney was excited to race this year. After a mile, however, she got a cramp so we had to walk a time or two for a minute but she was always ready to start back up. This girl has some determination! Looking back it's amazing that she ran it considering the fact that she's not involved in any sports right now like soccer or cross country. She basically just ran 3 miles without any preparation. Wow! Way to go Sydney! She had a number of strangers along the way tell her what a great job she was doing. At one point I thought she was ready to give up so I of course I did what any good parent would do and promised her a treat at the end of the race. On the way home we stopped off for some hot glazed! Now that's worth racing for Sydney. When I asked her what her favorite thing about the race was, she answered "finishing it". David, watching at the finish line, said it was very uplifting, seeing so many cancer survivors finish the race and receive a flower. He said that the cancer survivor that came in 1st was completely surprised to be the first one in and shared a great moment with her husband at the finish line.

Suprise breakfast dessert

Saturday night I had reminded the kids that when they woke up they could just quietly get some cereal so we could sleep in. I told them that when we got up at 9:00 I would make chocolate chip pancakes. After getting up at 9:00, I thought "wow, they were quiet this morning, I didn't hear them at all." As I get to the kitchen I can hear whispering on the stairs and a quick scamper to the top. When I looked on the bar this is what I found waiting for me. Tanner, Connor and Sydney then come racing down the stairs, saying "do you like it?, Surprise!, we made a breakfast dessert just for you!". Then- "come on mom, eat it." Oh boy. Upon further explanation, while they were quietly waiting for me to wake up and make their chocolate chip pancakes they decided they would make me this wonderful dessert made from pudding, cereal, and nilla wafers. Sydney had made a nice note instructing me that this delish dish was indeed for me. They then told me that they thought since it was pretty "junky" (a phrase meaning junk food in our house) they would add a pear to their offering. They are always doing sweet, thoughtful things like this for me. Thankfully when Tanner asked me again when I was going to eat it, David walked in a took a big bite, which seemed to satisfy them.