winston and duffy

winston and duffy
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

amy and joe brought winston by. what a difference since we last saw him. he is HUGE and incredibly handsome.

knex from santa

knex from santa
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

mike and tom spent the last two days working on this really cool gift from santa. under the ever watchful eye of madeline, they built this water park slide fron knex. kept them very, very busy- a good thing, even if it has over 500 tiny pieces that will eventually end up scattered throughout the house, breaking the vaccum. merry christmas!

sarah's new slippers

sarah's new slippers
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

madeline picked out these slippers for sarah's hanukah present. the girl has taste. the flamingo slippers are actually coming in handy, since we maintain the house temp. at 60 degrees. sarah informs us hourly that home is at least 30 degrees colder than the dorm temp. and completely unsuitable for human inhabitants. we do our best to encourage their independence.

gingerbread house construction crew

gingerbread house construction crew
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

mike,sarah,matthew,tom and madeline keep busy christmas day.

madeline post practice

madeline post practice
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

madeline spent the entire ride to philadelphia conked out on the back seat- i guess her coach decided that christmas was no reason to go easy on them in morning practice.

santa's helper

santa's helper
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

we are, as always, down to the last minute. thanks to our santa's helper, we may actually get things done on time.

christmas tree '05

christmas tree '05
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

the tree has been decorated, the angel placed on top and now santa has only to brave rockville pike this week.

holiday picture

holiday picture
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

finally, a picture where everyone's face is visible. madeline thinks her shoulders look like she plays tackle football, but alas, i think we are done.

holiday outtakes

holiday outtakes
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

it's always so much fun to try and take our holiday picture when the kids are so cooperative- william is always happy to tackle the gang...

holiday outtake 2

holiday outtake 2
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

and again,

holiday outtake 3

holiday outtake 3
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

and again

tom dolan invitational

tom dolan invitational
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

audrey, madeline and allie were so excited to make the cut off times for the tom dolan invitational meet- we couldn't let an ice storm get in the way- so i stayed overnight with the girls in a hotel close to the meet. it was just so enlightening to watch " the oc " and 'reunion" with them. yikes!

first taste of snow this season

first taste of snow
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

our little devils making snow angels on the deck.

sarah's dorm room for christmas

sarah's dorm room for christmas
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

well, sarah and ashley went to target and decked the halls. they are ready for the holidays, complete with elf costumes- note ashley's garb. i can only hope they are as ready for finals.

rokenbok

rokenbok
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

john set up a table in the basement last week and mike and tom have been spending all their free time following the 50 step instructions to set up a rokenbok system. the boys finished the last step today, inserted batteries, and voila- a functioning system. mike and tom were very proud of themselves and their resourcefulness.

john and tom

john and tom
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

today we went to a farm to find our christmas tree. it is cold enough to feel like winter, but there is no ice or snow yet- maybe tomorrrow. here,john and tom looking through row after row of trees, for just the right one.

found the one

found the one
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

after traipsing over the two acres, the kids have agreed on a beautiful tree and madeline begins cutting it down.

taking it home

taking it home
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

john and madeline tie the tree to the top of the van for the ride home.

billy goat trail

billy goat trail
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

mike and tom spent sunday doing their favorite activity (besides annoying madeline)- rockscrambling. john took them scrambling along the potomac river and they actually came back exhausted- making us all quite happy!

sarah sighting

sarah sighting
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

sarah has been home for 5 days, but this is a rare sighting, for those of us not awake between midnight and 5 am. note the sporty new haircut.

testosterone central

testosterone central
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

looking out the kitchen window, i see this scene of male bonding. conferring about wood chopping and football . very sweet, until i start thinking that in three years, when madeline goes off to college, i will be the only female in the house ( not counting dogs). yikes!

learning the tricks of the trade

learning the tricks of the trade
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

tom is proud to split his first log (with a little help from dad).

doing the carving

doing the carving
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

john has the honor of carving the turkeys-one roasted, one deep fried- for our thanksgiving feast. i think tom had the funniest thankful thought, "i am just thankful that this is the last term that george bush can be president" .

grandmom and grandpop

grandmom and grandpop
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

mike and tom explain their wampanoag project to grandmom mary and grandpop ben. having never seen this project, i am really surprised by how much they know about this native american tribe.

will's room

will's room
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

hey will, you'll be happy to see your room put to good use as mike and tom have commenced construction of the beanie baby house on your floor. note the colorful rug for the beanie babies, handwoven by mike.

john splitting wood

john splitting wood
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

john is working on fulfillling my little vermont farmhouse fantasy.

getting ready for the cold weather

getting ready for the cold weather
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

splitting the wood from a tree chopped down last spring. our stockpile of wood is growing in anticipation of the cold weather and the high price of oil.

bedtime stories

bedtime stories
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

tonight is our first frost. all the deck plants have been dragged inside and we lit our first fire of the season. tonight's bedtime story, harry potter, is read by the fireside. it is almost 11:00 and they are still spellbound while john reads. hot cocoa is finished and i think it is time for bed.

fall evening on the court

fall evening on the court
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

mike, abishek,tom, lauren, samantha and samuel
spend hours playing in the leaves now that fall is really here.

william's birthday dinner

william's birthday dinner
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

william and sarah come home to celebrate will's
22nd birthday. clare and bob stop by for dinner too- grilled steak, homemade mashed potatoes and salad- the big kids eat heartily, excited to get a real homemade meal. sarah notes that she thinks the dining room has shrunk in size since she moved out. i guess we will have to expand when they start coming home with significant others. it will give john something to do with his nights and weekends.

happy birthday will!

happy birthday will!
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

william blows out the candles on the supersized cake.
it is a good feeling to have all the kids together for a few hours. certainly lively!

robotom

robotom
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

robot tom at the school halloween party.

mike and tom halloween 05

mike and tom halloween 05
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

mike, a birthday present and tom, a robot are ready to hit the streets on this spectacular halloween night.

madeline on halloween 05

madeline on halloween 05
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

madeline and a few friends went as '80's jane fonda workout girls.

will reading

will reading
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

william comes home for sarah's birthday dinner and entertains us while we cook dinner, by reading from al franken's new book.

dinnertime

dinnertime
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

the big kids enjoy getting together.

missing the dorm already

missing the dorm already
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

sarah can't believe that our house is louder than her dorm. after midterms, she was hoping for quiet and relaxation. she's been home for an hour and is ready to go back.

happy birthday sarah

happy birthday sarah
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

happy 18th birthday sarah!
it doesn't seem like that long ago that you were taking your first steps at the rusty scupper or giving your favorite animal, rainbow bear, to your best friend kirsten.

homecoming girls

homecoming girls
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

allie,katie,steffi,sam,taylor,allison,hannah,rachel,dana,annie and madeline having a good time before they are off to homecoming dance.

and the fun begins

and the fun begins
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

a beautiful day to drive out to the farm and pick our pumpkins for halloween, as we have done for the past 21 years. our numbers are diminishing as the older kids move on, but mike and tom are ready to go!

like father like son

like father like son
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

john and tom looking over the crop.

tom's pumpkin

tom's pumpkin
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

tom searched and searched and found just the right one.

time to go home

time to go home
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

a full wheelbarrow and it is time to go. another ritual observed and enjoyed. i asked john if he would still come with me to the farm when all the kids are gone-he said by then he hoped we'd be bringing the grandchildren. take note will and sarah.

mom and dad visit

mom and dad visit
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

ethel and sid stop down for dinner when they are attending a conference in baltimore. sarah and will, always available for a free meal, come on over to share some quality family time. madeline is, of course, at one of her many social engagements.

dusk on the court

dusk on the court
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

the kids have been playing all afternoon and dusk has arrived. two scooters and some rocket balloons have kept mike, rafael,rebecca,abishek and mike busy all afternoon.

cub scout campout

cub scout campout
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

a night at little bennett regional park. roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. boys, sticks and fire. boys had a great time, john needs coffee and advil the next morning.

rosh hashana 05

rosh hashana 05
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

our kids (don't know where dan was when i snapped the picture) waiting for rosh hashana dinner to begin at the starin house. madeline, helena, clare, danielle, bob, will, sarah and dan together again. the big kids have come home from their various colleges, jobs etc. to enjoy this time with friends and family. we sorely missed arden and liz!

dan and esther

dan and esther
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

dan and esther in a sweet pose.

lisa and tobiJPG

lisa and tobiJPG
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

tobi and lisa working tirelessly in the kitchen.

will and shofarJPG

will and shofarJPG
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

will welcomes the new year as he blows the shofar. all those years of trumpet playing pay off.