The Mustang Revolution

This soccer season Tyson chose to take his soccer skills to a new level, and tryout on a competitive level.  We have always been impressed with Tyson's athleticism, and obviously so were the coaches.... as he was chosen a member for team "Revolution."  Throughout the soccer season, our entire family enjoyed cheering Tyson and his teammates on at games and tournaments. Not only did Tyson continue to improve on the field, and impress us with his abilities, he also gained several friendships and enjoyed the opportunity to play with great boys in a sport he thoroughly enjoys!

The following pictures were taken by the team photographer....... No doubt this boy is impressive!

 

 

The Halloween tournament could not go unnoticed.....team Revolution came dressed to impress in more ways than one :)

Halloween Italian and Mexican Style

Halloween sugar cookies, and a spooky Halloween gingerbread house are two of our holiday traditions, and Preston has mastered them both!  It's just two Halloween traditions that help us make this holiday one that we definitely look forward to.

 

 

 

A few Halloween-themed cereals were a HUGE hit this year, and will definitely be brought back next year to add to our holiday traditions.

Thanks to Tyson and Preston and their decorating skills, our house became Halloween ready.  Each year the boys like to add a new decoration to our yard hoping to make it a bit more spooky. 

Far from being spooky were the Italian chef and Mexican Muchacho Halloween costumes the boys chose to wear this year.  Personally I have never see anything soooo adorable!

 

One of my most favorite activities of the year......the annual Halloween costume parade!!  Soo much "darling"......a smile never left my face! 

 

Halloween parties, Halloween dances, trick or treating, lots of candy, and lots of FUN is what our Halloween evening was filled with. 

Tyson with his good buddy Grant



Preston with his best buddy Brett

 



 

Even Rosco got into the celebrations, and enjoyed running to the door every time a trick or treater knocked or rang.  Although disappointed he couldn't pull the "bone" off this skeleton, he was happy to be part of the celebrations, and he too could agreed it was another successful Halloween holiday full of FUN!

 

 





Our Magical Weekend In Chicago

To think this weekend was considered "business" makes me grin.....very big! Spending time on an all-expense weekend getaway with your husband and senior in high school in an absolutely beautiful city is more like "magical" to me!!  What irony it was to be asked by Deloitte to host and accompany great friends we knew from Shanghai, who now live in Illinois, and (who are ironically also clients of John's company) to a Chicago Bears Football game.  We were ecstatic at the chance to reunite with these wonderful friends of ours, while at the same time make a great business connection with a client!

 

We love and respect the Hoefling family and their beautiful seven children (three of the children were at college and not able to be with us that day.  One of the girls pictured is a good friend of the Hoefling family). We loved reliving fabulous memories of our years spent in Shanghai together, and catching up on Post-Shanghai life.

 



 

The magic of our weekend in Chicago was only made greater with the opportunity to spend time with family! Annette, Troy and their three absolutely darling kids moved to Chicago just a couple years ago.  We loved having the "locals" show us around their city, and introduce us to their favorite restaurants and shops.

 

 

 

Seriously, walking the streets with adorable Rainy, Grace, and Clayton kept a smile on my face the entire time.....regardless of the chill in the air.

 

Luckily our local Thueson family knew of  a particular excursion in the city they knew we would all enjoy.  With their help, we enjoyed an incredible architectural boat trip through the beautiful city of Chicago.  Of all the cities and countries we have had a chance to visit, this ranks up there with the most beautiful.

Annette, who served as our favorite tour director and driver, was amazing at showing us around their new city of Chi-town.  In her efforts to show us the best of the city, she just might have had a minor fender bender with a pole underneath the "L" (Chicago's elevated subway system.)  Thanks to Annette's fantastic attitude for life, and her determination to not let a minor setback ruin our precious time together, taught us all a lesson that day.  Magic is accomplished and found in any situation, and a person's attitude is key!  So, big thanks to Deloitte, to reuniting with old friends, and to  Annette, Troy, Clayton, Grace, and Rainy for helping to make our time in Chicago so purely MAGICAL!