Ragnar Relay 2008

Jim and Amy, along with 9 others, completed the Ragnar Relay Washington DC. The 183 mile relay race lead us from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington DC. Our race started in Cumberland at 10:00am on Friday, September 26th and finished in Crystal City on Saturday, September 27th at 3:50pm. Each runner ran 3 legs of the 36 leg relay. We ended up being one runner short, so Jim and two others ran 4 legs each. Way to take one for the team!!!

Team SKA (Sofa King Awesome)

Chad, Vicki, Amy, Peter, Regina, Rachel, Cory, Ginny H., Dave, Ginny D., and Jim
Rachel, our team captain got us started in Cumberland.
Rachel coming in for the first exchange.
Amy gets ready to run her first leg.
And she's off!

One leg down, two more to go.
Jim gets ready for his first run. It was a bit rainy, but he was ready.

Jim spent most of his first leg running down hill in the rain.
Everyone got the chance to run at night, many of us in the rain. Here we are at one of the major exchange points. Our team was so awesome that we didn't even fit into one picture! :)

Amy takes off for her last run. Her run ended at White's Ferry, MD
Ginny H., Jim, Amy, and Dave
Here comes Jim as he finishes his FOURTH run!
Doesn't he look relieved to be done. That first downhill run did a number on his knees, so he was pretty happy to be done!

The Finish Line
Rachel, our fearless team captain brought it home...with us running in behind her.

WE DID IT!!!
This was such an amazing experience! Amy ran almost 13 miles and Jim ran more than 17 miles. We have decided to kick it up to the next level and have already registered for the ING Miami (FL) half-marathon on January 25, 2009!

Bev's Big Baseball Birthday Bash

We celebrated Mom's 60th birthday with an evening at PNC park in Pittsburgh.

Happy Birthday Mom!!!
Dad got us some "sweet hook-ups" and we had dinner in the restaurant at the ballpark.
Allison and John

Sadie and Sophie were eager to help Grammy blow out the candles.
After cake, we made our way to our seats...a perfect time for a "self portrait".

Mom got a birthday "shout out" on the big screen. And no, I don't have any idea who those people are!
Sadie enjoyed her first ballgame.
The Party People:

Aunt Jayme, Uncle Mike, Carl, Mary Ellen, and the Birthday girl.

Mom and Allison really got into it while singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".

Sophie's First Day of 4-Year-Old Preschool

Our four-year-old "baby" is all ready for her second year of Preschool!

Say Cheese!

Sophie has her backpack all packed and she is ready to go.

Her new Princess backpack is almost as big as she is!

Sisters!

Sadie's First Day of Second Grade

It is hard to believe that our "little" Sadie is ready to start second grade!

Sadie was all decked out in her new stylin' outfit!

It was a beautiful morning for our walk to school.

All color coordinated with a matching backpack and lunchbox.

Walt Disney World

Our family took our first trip to Walt Disney World at the end of May. The girls had a great time. It truly was a magical experience!

All Aboard! We traveled to Florida on the Amtrak Auto Train.

Our first night in Orlando, we went to Downtown Disney, where we ate dinner and enjoyed browsing the shops and sites.

One day, we rode with the driver in the front of the Monorail. Sadie and Sophie thought they were hot stuff!!!

The girls enjoyed meeting all their favorite Playhouse Disney friends!

We had lots of fun visiting all the Disney parks.


Getting ready for the Bug's Life 3D show.

These wild ones belonged in a cage!!!

Waiting to enter the Haunted Mansion. When inside, it was quite Biblical...weeping and gnashing of teeth!

Getting ready to go for a spin in a teacup.

Sadie LOVED (not) the Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios. She had been talking about it for weeks. I don't think she quite knew what she was getting into!

Taking a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority.
It's a Small World! Sophie could hardly contain her excitement.

We had lots of fun meeting all the characters throughout the parks.

One of the highlights of the trip was meeting some of the Princesses.

On our last night there, we had dinner with friends from the 100 Acre Wood. We told them that we were celebrating Sadie's birthday (which was 2 days later) and she got a special birthday card that was signed by Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore.