The boys had a great time at their friend's house for a Halloween party and also did some trick or treating of course.
We participated again this year in the Race for the Cure in honor of my mom who is now a 19 year survivor!! It is hard to believe that she was dealing with this way back when I was just a freshman in college. Seeing her hold her 19 balloons and growing each year is always an emotional time for us. It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed it very much!
I have been training for about 4 months for this big event and I finally completed it! It was a great sense of accomplishment and something I can check off my bucket list. It was so amazing to do this race with some of my closest girlfriends and hundreds of other women.
The Ramblin' Rose is an all female triathlon...250 meter swim, 7 mile bike, 2 mile run. My goal was to finish in the top third and break 1 hour...I finished in 58 minutes, and was 183 out of 568 athletes, so was very proud of my effort :)
Jake had his first game of fall baseball today and had a good day, going 2-3 at bat. He also played in left field and only had a couple of balls hit to him, but stopped them and prevented some runners from advancing. He hurt his wrist on his scooter last night but "played through the pain" and did a good job for his team. His uniform "The Storm" is pretty fitting for all this hurricane weather going on.
After months of training, I finally completed a full distance practice triathlon, 3 weeks before the big race on October 5th. I had done some back to back bike/runs and one shorter distance practice tri, but this was the first time I did the entire distance (250 swim, 9 mile bike, 2 mile run).
The Perry house is all abuzz for football season and we were thrilled to be able to have the pleasure of watching our Ohio University Bobcat team take on the OSU Buckeyes on national television. We took a pre-game pic out on the back porch and then buckled down to watch the game. We were dancing in the kitchen as the Bobcats took the early lead and then kept the pressure on for most of the game. We really put a scare into those Buckeyes and we could not be more proud of our team!
On Sunday, it was time for some NFL games. Brian was hyped up for his Browns to take on the much pumped up Cowboys and I was getting annoyed that everyone was picking the Steelers to get upset. And we were both ready to see how our Carolina Panthers would fair. I again tortured the family to put their jerseys on for a family picture and Jake insisted we get one for Dodger too! How much longer do you really think they are going to humor me with these pictures??? Bri and I both lost our fantasy football games, but were so excited to see the Panthers get a big win in San Diego!
Dylan is very excited about his three year old class at preschool this year. His teachers are Ms. Cynthia and Ms. Heather who are both glad to have Dylan in their class this year. He is making lots of new friends. This past week he took in a baby picture and learned about how God made him special and how He makes everyone special! He goes to school every morning from 9 am - 1 pm which works great for us to have time each day to dedicate to work.
Jake recently started 2nd grade and is already loving it. His teacher is very nice and he is making new friends and is glad to see a few friends from kindergarten in his class as well. His teacher complimented me on his reading, as he is already two levels ahead of where he ended last year which is great news!
He was in the same class again with his sweetie Sami (hugging in the picture) and Vada (cute brunette in the other picture). In fact, on his birthday, Vada met him at the door and pulled down her shorts to show Dylan she was wearing big girl underwear. I know they say Dad's need to buy shotguns to protect their daughters, but I think I'LL be the one in my rocking chair protecting my boys :)
Jake had a great time at First Grade Field Day at his school. They did a lot of fun games outside, and they are all getting excited to enjoy their summer vacations. He's had a really great class this year and I adored his teacher, Ms. Pergola. She really challenged him and his reading just soared this year. He would get most excited about some of the science lessons they started to do some of this year too, especially.
I was able to volunteer in his class this year and teach art enrichment, bringing in famous art and doing some special projects with the kids. They seemed to really enjoy it and I loved getting to know all of his friends. And Brian and I were both able to go to his end of year luau party.
Dylan's friend, Aidan, returned home after spending 2 years in England, and they immediately became buddies again, recently celebrating Aidan's birthday at a bounce house. These four little boys have been together since before they were even conceived, as their Mom's and I were anxiously praying for all of them, and now...here they are...all 3 years old already! They each have their own, wonderful, crazy personalities, and we're certain, will be buddies for life :)
Jake had a wonderful birthday party this year at our local, minor league ballpark. They do a great job there, and even let all the birthday kids throw out a ceremonial first pitch. Jake was VERY nervous, as was I when I saw he would be throwing from the round of the mound...a pretty long throw for a 7 year old! But he stepped up and threw a perfect strike into the catcher's glove and then grinned from ear to ear!! He also got a signed ball from all the players, which he thought was very cool, and spent the rest of the night running around the ballpark with his friends. He got a new big kids bike for his birthday, but more importantly, FINALLY lost his very first tooth the night before he turned 7! We've been waiting a while for that one :)
As usual, the boys (all 3 of them) gave me an absolutely, not just Mother's DAY, but entire Mother's Day WEEKEND!! They spoiled me rotten with wonderful homemade cards, crafts, pancakes, and the softest, most beautiful robe I have ever seen! It made me wish that every weekend was Mother's Day...although Brian would probably draw the line there :)
For those of you who were at our wedding, yes, this was a little early...our actual anniversary is August 21st, but we go when the babysitters can make it...and we're very grateful to my parents for that! It was our first visit to Hilton Head and we absolutely loved it. We got to enjoy a round of golf, fun on the beach, some great meals, and our favorite splurge...a massage in a cabana overlooking the beach!! 
It was truly fabulous and unforgettable. We felt very lucky for the time away and to still be in love after all these years :) Although it really is hard to believe that it has been 15 years...we feel very blessed to have had such a wonderful life together so far and are excited for the years ahead!
Well, you know I could not miss out on going to Jake's first dance and with my camera in hand! It was quite a comical experience. I didn't remember that girls could squeal as loud as they do when a Hannah Montana song would come on!!! I just recently discovered that Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus were the same person! (One of many blessings of having boys!)
Jake and his friends did more running around and chasing each other than dancing, although I did see him doing the Macarena...and yes, I of course got on the dance floor for the electric slide!! Do you think that it will still be ok for me to shake my groove thing in middle school or is he going to be requesting that I stay home?
comes with a border collie! He is as active and smart as we hoped he'd be...catching frisbees and pushing around soccer balls are his two favorite activities. We've taken up frisbee golf as a family and he anxiously waits for his turn to run one down. And he is helping Jake with his dribbling, because he's almost as good a basketball defender as I was :) If Jake can get the ball past him, he can get it past anyone!!
After Dylan turned 3, it was time for him to make a visit to the dentist! He loved every minute of it, especially the very cool sunglasses he got to wear so the light would not be too bright in his eyes. He even got to wear a pair of the gloves, just like the hygienist wears. He got a very good report and lots of fun goodies for his first visit :)
I can still hardly believe it, but in January Dylan turned 3 years old! He celebrated with a homemade cake made by his Dad. When Jake was 3, I made his cake and we had to nickname it the San Andreas Fault cake because of the crate down the middle...guess I've been d
emoted :) He loved his birthday hat and rarely took it off that day.
Dylan got a new set of hockey sticks and nets for Christmas and could not wait to get out in the driveway and give it a try. He's really got the stance down in this adorable picture :)
n the ice from the fights! This year we got to see a little bit more action...and well, Dylan just kind of eats his way through these events...popcorn, pizza, ice cream...but we all had a great time!
incredible of course. We were also able to spend almost an entire day visiting an old Charleston plantation. Even in the winter time it is still amazing to see. We took a nature tram ride, toured the gardens and even went through a huge maze of bushes. The boys also enjoyed the petting zoo, although one goat seemed to have it out for Dylan!!
