Newman Cousins

We had a really nice Thanksgiving this year. My parents, Stu's parents, his brother, sister in law, and nephews all came to our house. The boys really enjoyed seeing and hanging out with their relatives.

The next day was beautiful out. We went to the beach to hang out for a few hours.

PreK Pow Wow

Wesley was in the PreK pow wow at his school a few weeks ago. The kids sang a lot of songs and said some chants. It was really cute and Wesley was so happy to be in it.

World Prematurity Day

Today is World Prematurity Day. Most of you know that Brandon was born at 26 weeks, weighing only 1 pound, 14 ounces and measuring 13 inches long. Before he was born I didn't know much about prematurity. Premature birth is a very serious health problem. Babies who survive often have lifelong health problems. Looking back at the picture of Brandon from the day he was born, I can really see how far he has come. He has been through more in his seven years of life than most kids his age. Please continue to pray for all of the babies that are born too early.

Wesley's Last Soccer Game

Wesley had his last soccer game on Saturday. It was a very cold morning out but the kids still had fun. After the game they got their trophies which they were SO excited about.

Brandon's Soccer Party and Last Game

Brandon had his soccer party a few weeks ago but I realized I forgot to post the pictures from it. Brandon had a great soccer season. He improved so much this season and had some great plays.

Wesley's Soccer Party

Wesley's soccer team had their pizza party tonight instead of a practice. Their last game is on Saturday but since it gets dark so early now we decided it would be better to have our party. I really had fun coaching his team this season along with Anthony and Chris. The kids played so well and had so much fun playing together! The parents got us a soccer ball signed by the kids on the team which was so cute and a gift card which was so generous of them.

Birthday Parties

On Sunday we had two birthday parties. The first birthday party was only Brandon. It was for his friend, Shane, and was at Ace Gymnastics. This was the first drop off party he went to. He said he had a fun time.

After Shane's party, Brandon and Wesley had a birthday party for Ava. Ava was a preemie just like Brandon. Another preemie who they know was also there. Seeing the three of them together it is pretty hard to imagine they were once so small. Ava had an Inside Out pajama birthday party. They showed the movie on a large screen and had popcorn and nachos for the kids just like at the movies.

Family Getaway

Brandon and I were off of school on Thursday and Friday because of teacher conventions. So Stu decided to take off and we took Wesley out of school for a few days and went to visit Stu's brother, sister in law, and nephew in Maryland. We left Wednesday after work/ school and got there around 9:45. On Thursday we went to Washington DC for the day. First we stopped on the way for the kids to see the airplanes landing at BWI and to play on a playground. We were able to see the Capital, White House, Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial from a distance. We also spent some time at the Air and Space Museum and the kids rode on the merry go round on the mall.

On Friday we went to the National Zoo.

On the way home from Maryland we stopped at the University of Delaware so Brandon and Wesley could see where I went to college. It happened to be homecoming so it was a good day for us to stop!