Made me Cry!

Last night we were at my parent's house celebrating a late Thanksgiving.  At dinner, Jacob remarked that he got many of his "tastes" from his family.  He then listed some examples - coffee ice cream from great-grandma,  chocolate milk from grandpa and sports from dad.  I asked what he got from me and then Benny chimed in and said "kindness."  I started crying.  What a sweet thing for that kid to say.  And unexpected too given the rough and tumble nature of Ben!  Then Jacob, not wanting to be outdone by his brother, said that I gave him "a positive attitude".  Wow - so much to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We went up to Vermont for Thanksgiving this year.  Mr. Cook hosted and we enjoyed a great meal at his house.  Everyone pitched in - with the cooking and the dish washing!  Aunt Stacy even started a new tradition and made a delicious green bean casserole.  Here are some pictures of the gang:

These two are not being as thankful as they should be!

Right before dessert.

Figuring out Grampy's new iPod and iTunes!

Official Results

And the boy's time is official.  See who finished 26th overall in the race...

Click on the image to see the full results with Jacob's time, pace, etc.

2nd 5K

Jacob ran in his second 5K road race today.  He took part in a race in Newfields, NH that was organized by Girls on the Run.  There were 534 registered races and 167 of the racers were young girls.  Jacob finished the race in 24:24 and averaged a 7:52 minute mile!  He finished 27th overall.  Here are some pictures:

Looking sharp!

Ready to go!

With Grandma and Grandpa.

Right before the start of the race!

After the race!

1st Sleepover!

Benny had his first sleepover last night. He went over to his friend Ryan's house. Ben wanted to make sure he was prepared so he packed 25 stuffed animals. My little boy is getting big.

Benny and his giant bag - a change of clothes, a toothbrush and 25 of his favorite furry friends!

And the boy is 12!

Jacob turned 12 today! He is getting so big. I think this will be the year when he grows taller than his mom! Here are some pictures from today's celebration.

The perfect present - a book about Legos!

And the handmade card by Aunt Liz!

Happy, happy, happy!

12 candles to blow out!

Lego League - They Did It!

Jacob's Lego League had their regional competition at UNH yesterday. Last year his team had the best performing Lego robot and went on to the state competition because of their high score. This year's team has not been as successful with the Lego robot but focused more on their research/service project. I also jumped on board this year and am officially an assistant coach for the team.

They chose the topic of obesity and learned more about the causes of obesity and its impact on people's lives. They then came up with a solution to prevent obesity and shared what they learned with their school, friends and family.

At yesterday's competition they took 1st place for their research/service project on obesity and are now heading to the state meet in Manchester!

Way to go team!

The team!

Jacob and his buddy Hunter.

Jacob running the robot for one of the missions.

Relaxing and enjoying the warm weather.

At the practice table trying to improve the robot.

X-Country

Jacob's cross country running season is over. He had a great season and did well for his first time running and his first time on the team. At the first meet in September Jacob finished 37th out of 80+ boys. At the last meet of the year he finished 24th out of the 80+ fifth through eighth graders. He plans to run over the winter and has signed up for a 5K later this month. Way to go Jacob!

The boy and his new rec-specs. He looks tough!

The entire team. The girl's team finished first in the league and first in NH!

Jacob and the assistant principal. Jacob and Mr. Leatherman have a Steelers-Bengal rivalry going on!