the reunion

you know, there are perks to being terribly behind in posting on this blog.  now that it's almost december, i figure what better time to share pictures of our annual family reunion at the beach than now?  as i sit here shivering with a space heater at my feet, i can relive those warmer days of sweltering in the sun and riding the waves.  and most importantly, i can revisit my niece and nephew when they were not yet four months old -- after just having seen video footage of one of them crawling.  time flies ...

the youngest generation: nick (3 months), liam (9), kate (3 months), susanna (8), reilly (8), laurel (4), and teddy (2).  missing was dexter (who celebrated his first birthday while we were there) and billy (who was just a few weeks old and couldn't make the trip -- which was a wise move, given the shenanigans)

the house we rent has a pool on the front deck, which was a huge hit.  i tried my hardest to get a shot of the four big kids all jumping in simultaneously ... and finally gave up

activities included family games of baseball (there's susanna at bat) ...

... and the annual beer tasting competition, with my brother-in-law richard defending his title yet again

aunt mary and uncle ron put together an elaborate treasure hunt for the kids, complete with clues scattered throughout the two sides of the house and outside

success! as the girls unearthed the treasure at the end of the hunt

on our final day, we noticed a huge crowd gathering at the ocean's edge, following something en masse -- which turned out to be a shark.  they extracted a huge fish (seen here) that was half mauled and bloody.  needless to say, we were happy it was the final day

kate is only 3 days older, but was already showing nick what's what

ohmygosh that sky

all 26 of us who could make it ... missing only 5.  anyone want an official atkins family reunion shirt?  they're selling like hotcakes

wordless wednesday: second cousins, part 2

back in march, my cousin kristine, her husband jamie, and their children reilly and laurel came down to visit us and to see UVA play in the first round of the NCAA tournament in raleigh.  the kids had so much fun together -- and did again at the beach this summer -- that we knew we needed to schedule a trip up to their neck of the woods.  after several failed attempts at scheduling, we finally found a time that worked for everyone, and it couldn't have been more perfect.  it was a gorgeous fall weekend with the leaves hitting their peak color, and it also happened to be the end of the kids' fall break.  we drove up to charlottesville on friday, went apple picking and toured the UVA campus, and then hit the road saturday afternoon to visit wintergreen.  it was just the perfect way to kick-start autumn.

the whole crew at our first stop at the apple orchard -- what you can't see are the most scrumptious apple doughnuts that we had just devoured.  up until this point i had been totally gluten-free for 62 days. i sort of fell off the wagon ... but i daresay those treats, warm out of the oven with a light apple glaze on top, were worth it

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after being fortified by doughnuts, we braved the orchard and left with an impressive haul (also impressive: laurel's love of the wolf ears headband we got for free at the great wolf lodge)

things like this always crack me up -- i have no idea what a dilapidated truck with no doors or seat has to do with an apple orchard, but the kids thought it was cool

we took this picture just for UVA alum aunt leslie -- seems thomas jefferson's building is in need of some repairs, but the lawn was still perfect for hide-and-seek

we decided to check out a brewery for dinner on saturday night, thinking we'd beat the crowds by getting there early.  an hour-and-a-half later, we were finally seated.  luckily we had brought cards, books, and there was cornhole to play while we waited

next stop on our weekend tour: the wintergreen ski resort.  it was without snow but still beautiful.  can't beat that view ... what we could beat was the frigid air as our wet bodies hopped in and out of the hot tub

right before departing on sunday afternoon, the eight of us took a rather challenging hike.  chris, who has an issue with heights, confided later that he wasn't at all upset when we cut it short and turned back.  but the kids had no fear ... which actually was sort of worrisome

notice chris's position -- farthest from the side of the cliff :)

our halloween hero

"actually, no, it was daddy who made my costume," liam informed a neighbor after she mistakenly complimented my handiwork as we made our way around the neighborhood trick-or-treating.  he laughed, "you shouldn't ever underestimate the abilities of a dad!"

indeed.  i had absolutely nothing to do with liam's costume; from conception to completion, it was all chris.  i was up in richmond for a girls' weekend with college friends in early october when he texted me from a craft store, asking if i thought we had enough hot glue sticks for this project he was tackling.  while i was gone, liam had finalized his costume choice, and then chris had googled ideas of how to create it, had drawn up a list of necessary materials, and had braved ac moore on a saturday with two kids to make it all happen.  when i returned home the following afternoon, i walked in to find him armed with that glue gun, painstakingly transforming an old straw sombrero into the mushroom hat worn by Toad, the beloved character of one of liam's favorite nintendo games.  (if you're not familiar with Toad, you're not alone.  as spot-on as the costume was, no adult ever guessed correctly what liam was.  but the kids all knew.)

i was involved with susanna's costume -- in the lamest way possible.  we popped into a costume store on a whim back in september, they happened to have one frozen gown left in her size, and i purchased it.  (somehow i think chris wins this round of who's-the-best-parent.)

frozen princess anna and toad, gearing up for their big night. 

 (the picture doesn't do the hat justice -- i wish i had taken it from a different angle)

this had to have been the most perfect halloween night yet for our kids.  it was clear -- no need for umbrellas like the monsoon from 2011.  it was comfortable -- we weren't sweating it out like the 80+ degree evening of 2009.  and the best part?  for the first time since they've been in school, it didn't fall on a school night.  rather than having to rush home to get in bed, we were still ringing doorbells at 8:30 pm.

these factors all contributed to their most massive candy haul yet.  and so what is a family to do when they wake up on november 1st to a torrential, day-long downpour?  when their outdoor activities are all cancelled and they're stuck inside, staring at their loot?

analyze the data, of course.  chris and the kids spent much of the morning sorting and counting and creating an excel spreadsheet.  this is an excerpt of their printed report:

and this is one of several printed graphs (others were broken down by wrapper color and candy manufacturer.  email me if you'd like a copy.)

so from start to finish -- literally -- chris was the hero of halloween.  because liam's right, you know.  you should never underestimate the abilities of a dad.