XU Student In Training....

One more post on our trip to Buffalo... we were able to spend time with Molly's brother Dan and family. Exciting news is that Rachel has been accepted to Xavier University in Cincinnati!!! While we totally support whatever decision is made, we are crossing our fingers that Rachel chooses a college close to us... we'd love to have her so near and Chalet Blenk would be open for business whenever Dan and Sue want to come and visit!

Relaxing in Yo Town...

Our visit to WNY included a day with Grandma Diane and Grandpa Mike. It was so nice to celebrate the season with them. We enjoyed a tour of Fort Niagara where we saw where Erick used to work, a musket being fired, and a jail cell that Conor and Abby spent some time in (much to their chagrin). G'pa made Abby and Conor their very own treasure boxes to match the one Uncle Steve made for Erick years ago.

Shufflin' Off to Buffalo

It was a great weekend in Buffalo the week before Christmas. We loved seeing so many of the Mulhern cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents. The M&M fairy made her presence known and the kids loved meeting Princess the dog, going bowling with Mariah and Reilly, and sharing Anderson's with the Protos. There's never enough time, of course, but we made the most of what we had and it was lots of fun.

PRM's Holiday Concert: December 17

Conor played bells and mouthed a few bars with his fellow first, second and third grade classmates. We cannot remember the name of the song... I think Conor is trying to forget the experience. He most likely will not make his mark in the music industry. :-)

Nativity's Advent Concert: December 16

Abby sang her heart out to many songs this year, including a family favorite: "Melikeleke Maka." She looked way too grown up and did her first public hair twist, reminiscent of Aunt Peggy's style when she was younger. :-)

Karate Kids Upgrade

Both Abby and Conor had a belt test for karate on December 12. With a record number of testers, and tons of chaos, both kids passed. Conor is now a Ninja with a yellow belt/black stripe. Abby is a yellow belt. Sensei Scott said Abby was mighty close to skipping a belt level. Her focus and dedication are incredible. Congrats Kiddos!

Abby and Her Books

A classic pic of Abby.... with her happiest armful of things....

Down Home Thanksgiving

This year, we stayed in Cincinnati for the first time ever on Thanksgiving. The kids enjoyed long breaks from school, and Erick and Molly some time off from work. Each person contributed to the Thanksgiving dinner. Abby and Erick made sweet potatoe casserole, pumpkin pie (and tarts); Erick did the turkey and stuffing; Molly the mashed potatoes; and Conor opened the canned cranberry sauce. :-) Brumby loved all the crumbs. We gave thanks for our blessings... including all of you!

Silly Sibs!

So Brumby has been with us for over 5 months and is quite at home. The kids love their new "brother," even when he does not display model behavior. Just a few weeks ago, Brumby actually ate Abby's homework (we sent the teacher the shreds we could collect with a note, that she admitted to putting into her "teacher memory box.") Brumby likes to run out of the yard, chew on shoes, sneak upstairs to drink the toilet water, and nibble on stuffed friends in the kids' rooms. But even with all of this, we love him. This picture shows the three "kids" bonding in Brumby's crate! A reminder of what a great demeanor our youngest, and newest, member of the family truly possesses.

Welcome Avery Gean Leimbach!

Our pseudo-family here in Cincinnati, Jessica and Rich Leimbach, welcomed their daughter into the world on Tuesday, November 10. After over 24 hours of hogging popsicles and enjoying the beautiful cityscape out the window, Jess had had enough and Avery finally arrived! She is a beautiful baby and we are so glad she is here. Abby, Conor and Erick met her on Sunday (Molly snuck into the hospital so she did not have to compete with others to hold the little lady.) Congrats to all the Leimbachs!

California Comes to Cincinnati

We were thrilled to have cousin Isla and her parents visit us this past weekend. Isla sure has changed since we last saw her. She is a doll! We already miss her laughter in the house. Brumby really misses eating all of Isla's crumbs on the floor, even if he had to spend the weekend on the porch. ;-)

And The Saints Go Marching In....

Third grade at Nativity means the All Saints Day Wax Museum. Each student picks a saint to research and then on All Saints Day (or the day after), they dress up as the saint and they become part of the wax museum. Visitors have to "push the button" on the saints and they come to life to tell their story. In our continued effort to not be predictable, Abby took on the persona of St. Hermione (yes she is really a saint). It was fun to go visit all the saints this morning and to hear so many interesting, and often gruesome, stories. We also finally got a picture of Ms. Gille, Abby's third grade teacher!

Halloween Was a Scream!

This year, Abby was a cow girl and Conor was a screamer. We were happy to have the festivities fall on a Saturday so we could party into the wee hours of the morning and sleep in the next day. :-) The extra hour helped out too. Molly's costume was conceptualized by Abby -- Smarty Pants (smarties taped to the pants and a graduation hat). We celebrated the weekend by watching Harry Potter 4, now that everyone in the house has read the series up to this point. Molly and Conor are excited to have made it to book 5, but wow are the movies getting scary!

Halloween Is In the Air!

Hello from Cincinnati! With under a week to go until Halloween, we have been busy decorating, planning costumes, buying (and taste testing) candy, ghosting friends, and today we carved our pumpkins. It's always so much fun doing this tradition. Erick continues to win the creativity award: this year, he carved a gourd into an anteater-type thing. Tonight we lit our pumpkins for the first time. Here they are....

Abby Moves Into Third Grade!

Abby headed back to Nativity School this morning to begin her third grade career. She was cautiously excited and thrilled to have Ms. Gille (no picture of her yet). With the big three pack of tissues in hand and friends by her side, she marched in to school.

We had to have a photo shoot with Brumby before leaving for school today. Abby has become VERY fond of him. I think Brum is going to miss all the daytime activity now that we are all back to school.

School Days... School Days!

It's hard to believe that summer is over already (at least for Conor). He returned to school today at Pleasant Ridge Montessori, entering into a new classroom with a new teacher. While we did not get a snapshot of the teacher -- Mrs. Colleen Crews -- we will introduce her in a subsequent blog. Con was a bit apprehensive these last few days, not sure what to expect. When Abby, Brumby, and I picked Conor up after school today and I asked him how it went, he replied "Awesome!" I'm jealous that he already got to see the volcano erupt in the classroom. If this is the first day, I can only imagine what will happen throughout the rest of the school year.

Temporary Sanity

Our trip to the Outerbanks was truly wonderful. While threatening not to come home and tempted to buy the Bait and Tackle store that was for sale, we decided that we would rather not learn to take all this natural beauty for granted.

The kids loved seeing their cousins (some real; some that we gladly adopted), and they made many memories together. Conor was awesome at wave riding with Kevin; and Abby, Ashley, and Kira swam, played DSs, and pulled off an amazing Talent Show on our last night.

For Erick's birthday, we surprised him with a parasailing trip 1200 feet over the sound from Manteo. While canceled due to wind the first time out, we got it in early the next morning. Conor and I were able to watch from the boat while Abby opted to stay "home" with her peeps (as she now calls them.)

Giddy-Up Let's Go!

Abby finished her second Horse Camp at the beginning of July. This year she was joined by 7 friends from Nativity in a one-week, all-day camp. While it could have been swelteringly hot, Mother Nature granted the campers a week of cool temps. How lucky! Abby rode "Roni" the Pony for the week with her good friend Rehme (same partner as last year!). This year, Abby learned to "post" and did an amazing job at the end of the week Horse Show.

Jilly Bean and the Hot TaMolly

After an excruciatingly long training period (lol), Molly and Jill Buehler completed their first ever triatholon on Sunday, June 14th. It was a day filled with many unforgettable feats (losing one paddle while canoeing), new realizations (Molly has asthma) and overcoming obstacles (trying to remember how to work the gears on the bike borrowed just the night before.) From the close call start to Killer Hill to Lance Armstronging it back to Ft. Ancient, Jilly Bean and the Hot TaMolly prevailed.... and still with smiles on their faces in an almost record-breaking 3 hours 35ish minutes . Here's to the next physical challenge....

Dance Your Day Away

Abby's annual dance recital was a bit later this year. She performed in a record seven numbers on a rainy afternoon. She is now doing ballet, tap and jazz. Ab's favorite type of dance is jazz and her favorite number in the recital was "Best of Both Worlds."

Welcome Brumby!

Since our new family member joined our team on June 7, we have set new records for trips to Pet Smart, hikes in French Park, and visits to the local dog park. We love all these new activities and it's been fun to see Brumby grow and learn to catch frisbees and start chasing birds. He is very much at home and we love him to death.