Scott's love for trains goes back to his grandfather. He gave Scott his first train -- a "G-scale" LGB. Since then, Scott, his dad, brothers and even a coworker who Scott introduced to the hobby, have had a serious passion about trains. Specifically LGB (although they wouldn't turn away an occasional Bachmann or the like).

I'm beginning to wonder if the love of something (ie: a hobby) can be passed on through generations, hereditarily. We take the girls to random train shows around Cincinnati/Dayton and they love every minute of it.

Watching daddy make some deals...

mess  n.

Like the Sienna commercial: "Frankly, the thought of owning a minivan used to make me cry myself to sleep at night," I have that exact sentiment. Unlike the commercial, I didn't purchase a Sienna... we purchased a Chrysler Town & Country.

This was a tough decision for me. I've always been a bit of a car junkie, raised by a mechanic father and grandfather. I would love a sweet car or SUV, but having the van has been SO much easier for the girls, AND me. They love getting in by themselves and I love having more room (I can actually have my double stroller in the back and still have the third row seats up). The automatic doors that all slide open and remote start doesn't hurt either.

Still, I was a little heavy hearted when my Montero sold. We purchased it when I got pregnant, as a more reliable and safe vehicle. We brought the girls home from the hospital in it. We drove their first trip to see their grandparents in it. Brought back their Christmas and first birthday presents in it. I know it's just a hunk of metal, run by gasoline and oil, but it also ran on love, because I had precious cargo in it for almost 3 years. Goodbye old friend!

Upon visiting the Uhls, Lauren, Whitney and Sophie played (and destroyed the house, the best they could) while I was able to love on James and Owen. The boys are getting so big and observant! The girls had a blast and I was so happy to have visited.

Jumping on Sophie's bed...

I went to Plymouth schools for a few years when I was younger, before being transferred to John Glenn. In Plymouth, my VERY best friend in the whole world, was Tara. Not only were we cool because our names were so similar, or our birthday's were so close (she is a month older than me) but we were like peas and carrots. We even had to be in separate classes by the third grade because we were always getting into trouble by talking during class (shocking, I know).

Now, after 15+ years (and the magic of Facebook), we scheduled a visit. She has an adorable son, Noah, who's a few months younger than Whitney and Lauren. We talked, watched the kids play, ate pizza and drank wine. Evidently she still knows me, inside and out. :) She too, had to go through the injections for infertility. It's odd how parallel our lives have been after so long. We've vowed to get together when we can from now on. Our next scheduled visit is around Thanksgiving. Can't wait to see the Reilly family again!

Playing with Noah's Thomas the Train table...

While in Indiana, the girls and I surprised my mom with a visit. While we were there, we discovered she had 5 new kittens, who just wandered up to her house! One cat, the gold one, was particularly friendly. Whitney and Lauren spent the morning catching, playing and rounding up all the kitties. And, eating all of Granny's freshly-picked tomatoes from her garden. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time watching the girls chase the kittens all over the place!

Like every year, we made the 5-hour trek to northern Indiana for the 44th Annual Marshall County Blueberry Festival. Scott was able to take a couple of days off over the weekend (a rarity) so we tried to cram in a weeks worth of things to do, in a few short days.

One of our favorite family traditions, the hayride. It was a PERFECT day for a Fall hayride.