Happy Halloween!

from Charlie Potter ...

... and Sarah the Cowgirl (and yes - that is an authentic Stetson hat from Cheyenne, Wyoming. And slightly less authentic pink cowgirl boots from Wal-Mart)...

... and Allison, the Little Mermaid ...
... and David, the fourth not-quite-annual Mackey cow!


We had a great time, stayed out much too late, and got lots of candy. Everyone was super-good all night long. We all started off together in the cul-de-sac, then Charlie and Bryant went off with Liam and his dad, and Sarah, Allison, David and I went around with some of their friends from the street. When we finished our street, we drove over to Sarah's friend Alice's house, and joined Alice and Chloe for another round. We finished the night in Chloe's neighborhood because she wanted to show the girls her "freaky neighbor's house" where they do a big haunted house. Sarah didn't enjoy the scary part, but we all got lots of candy and had a whole lot of fun!

Charlie & LiamSarah and Allison with Fiona the Bride and Katie as Madeline

Scooby Dooby Doo!

Raleigh: The Aftermath

After the football game, we got some pizza and hung out at Aunt Susan and Uncle Ben's house. The children insisted they weren't tired and that they wanted to stay up a little more. 75% of them were wrong.

... and then there was one!

Thank you Aunt Susan and Uncle Ben for a fantastic visit!!

A Raleigh Good Weekend!

We had a blast visiting Aunt Susan and Uncle Ben in Raleigh for the UVA/NC State Game in Raleigh, despite an unfortunate outcome on the field.

We had so much fun at their tailgate party...

Although, by the end, some of the boys needed naps...

... and the girls were learning redneck ways.

During the game, Charlie and Sarah sat with Aunt Susan and Uncle Ben, and Allison and David sat with Mommy and Daddy in a different section. Sarah started off reading her book and claiming not to like football, but after a while the Wolfpack fans unleashed her inner Cavalier smack-talker, and she stunned the Thompsons and their friends with her impassioned support of the Wahoos and her verbal abuse of State fans.

The Other World Series

We told Charlie he could stay up as late as he wanted to watch the World Series. In the car on our drive back from Raleigh, he rested to be ready to watch the big game. He was so excited.

As the game started, Sarah planted herself in the den and announced that she was going to watch too. Daddy told her she could watch for a while, but she said she wanted to stay up as late as Charlie.

"No," I explained. "It's going to be on really late."

"Then how come Charlie gets to stay up?"

"Charlie loves baseball, and he loves the Red Sox. This is really exciting to him. You bring a book to baseball games. If it was something you loved, you could stay up that late. But it's not like it's the Princess World Series!"

Sarah smiled and went into the kitchen. A few minutes later she asked me in a hopeful voice, "Mommy, when IS the Princess World Series?"

Thinking she was joking, I sent her in to ask her daddy that question, and I was surprised when she called out to me, "Mommy, he says he doesn't know." I went back in to her and explained that there was no Princess World Series, but that I was just using that as an example to say that Charlie is interested in baseball. She made one last-ditch effort ("Is there a Pony World Series?") before breaking down and sobbing that there wasn't any special event that she would get to stay up late for. Charlie offered helpful suggestions ("Hey, Sarah, on New Year's Eve you can stay up late!"), but Daddy and I suggested that our exhausted daughter crawl in bed with a book, and minutes later she was fast asleep. Dreaming about the Princess World Series, no doubt.

And The Other Farm

The Murphys' neighbors have a farm with exotic animals: monkeys, camels, zebras, miniature stallions, etc. We were invited to check it out, and I got kissed by a baby camel!

Back at the Farm

Sarah gives Brennan a ride

Ellen, Sue, and Tracey - before the game
Allison with Trixie's daughter Erica
Sarah and Conor ... the tree-huggers
The Murphys and Mackeys enjoying dinner

More Virginia Football

It was a very exciting game. Virginia beat U Conn 17-16 in dramatic fashion. Our camera ran out of batteries, but we have a few cute pictures from the beginning of the game.

Sarah, Henry, Taylor, Allison

Wahoo-wa!

We had a great time at the Virginia football game!

We started with a pre-game party in one of the Pavilion Gardens with the first-year crew, once again organized by the Rodgers. It was a blast to see everyone! The kids all ran around as if they see each other all the time.

Charlie and Jack Rodgers tackling each other
We stopped by another tailgate party on our way into the game to see some of the Sigma sisters.

Melanie, Erin, Tracey, Christy, Sue, Amy, Shelley

Charlottesville

The ladies went to Charlottesville on Friday night for some Homecoming events at the sorority house. The men and children had a party at the Murphys house - they lit a bonfire in the backyard, and roasted marshmallows for s'mores. A few brave souls even spent the night camping out in tents in the backyard, although there was not a Mackey among them.

The next day, we all came back to Charlottesville. The weather was beautiful, and we had fun walking around. This was Allison and David's first trip to Charlottesville, so we made sure to show them all the highlights.

I told the children that this was my old school, and Sarah asked if they could see my homeroom. So on Sunday, before we left town, we walked around and visited some of the places I lived. My dorm from first year is being torn down soon, so we hung out and took some pictures.