TRIP TO VIRGINIA-LABOR DAY WEEKEND--August 31-Sept. 7, 2011

Doug was on a 2-1/2 week trip back East and was planning on stopping at Jennifer and Sabe's on Labor Day weekend;  Michele, Brian and their family were traveling to Jennifer's for Labor Day; AND Jackson was playing a football game on Saturday (something I've never seen him do thus far), so I flew back to meet everyone.


I arrived before everyone else came and got a little one-on-one with Isabella!  She is the cutest, sweetest little 5-year-old, and we had a lot of fun together.  I even got to see her get on the bus in the mornings for Kindergarten.

These kids nowadays are so smart!  We played the game of Memory countless times, and Izzy beat me more times than I certainly won.

The Lakes arrived Friday evening and the big day for the game was Saturday.  This is Jennifer's name tag identifying that Jaxon is her son.  Little League Football is serious business and quite the family affair.

Jaxon all suited up and ready for the game.

What makes Jaxon's team so special is that Sabe is one of his coaches.  Sabe and Jennifer will never tell you, but Sabe was known throughout the state of Virginia as an outstanding quarterback, a legend in his day.  So, football is really his element.

Garner and Cole were supporting Jaxon all the way.

Izzy entertained the boys on Jaxon's motorized scooter while they waited for the rest of us to leave for the game. 

The game was played at Olivia's new high school football field.

Sabe and Jennifer have loved this experience for the last two years, and the whole family has totally supported all of the many practices and games.  In the month of August alone they practiced every week night, and now that school has started they practice three nights a week!  AND the practices take one-half hour each way to drive to and from.  Talk about commitment!!

I have to admit that I got tears in my eyes when they played a recording of Leann Rimes singing the National Anthem.

Jaden carrying Brielle on his shoulders.

The school in the background is Olivia's new high school where she is a freshman.  I got to go inside the night before; it seemed more like a college building than a high school.

Jaxon is number 13 and the smallest on his team BUT...

...boy can he catch the ball and run!  These three pictures taken by Jennifer tell the story.

There's no doubt we will be watching Jaxon play a few more ball games.

He really is a natural-born quarterback.

I love this picture of father and son.

The cheerleaders did a great job, too.  I have a feeling that Isabella will be one of the cheerleaders in a year or two.

The coaches talking to the team after the game.

Jaxon was sad that they didn't win the game, but we told him we didn't come to see him win, but to play!

The Lake family with Jaxon

He was a pretty tired boy after the game.  He is asleep all curled up with his best buddy--Louie.

Jennifer still prefers natural light in her photography business, but she made this cool studio in their basement.

McKenna and I had fun trying it out.

Well-organized props and clothing.

The next few pictures are examples of the way she decorates her house with photographs.

In the evening, we went over to Sabe's parents' home in Jefferson, Maryland for a cookout and for the kids to swim.  This home has quite the history.   

In the original stick style/carpenter gothic architecture, the Horsey House was built in March 16, 1812, by Governor Lee (second Governor of Maryland) for his daughter when she married Outerbridge Horsey (1776-1842), a U.S. Senator from Delaware.  Outerbridge's son (also named Outerbridge) was founder of a distillery on the property in about 1850.  The Horsey factory was said to be the only distillery in the U.S. which operated by producing one class of whiskey, an indication of the demand for the Horsey brand.  The distillery was burned by Confederate troops on September 12, 1862, during the Battle of South Mountain, reportedly lost by the Rebels partly because of drinking too much Horsey whiskey.  The distillery was rebuilt and used until prohibition in the 1920's which caused the factory to close.  The house was remodeled in the 1870's at an extravagant price of $10,000.

Something really interesting--In the top floor there are rooms where house slaves slept.

On Sunday, we all went to church.  This was a cute picture of how Cole stood Channing up for a few minutes in front of him while we were waiting for everyone to go home.

Channing is the best baby boy and everyone just loves him.

The cousins surely enjoy each other, too.

On Sunday afternoon, we kept trying to get out the door so that Jennifer could photograph the Lake Family.   She intended on taking us to Harper's Ferry but the later it got she knew there wouldn't be enough light by the time we got there.  So, we drove over the border to Brunswick, MD, to the train tracks!  I've got to admit I was a little concerned about the location of this.  HOWEVER, I will never doubt Jennifer's vision again.  The pictures turned out amazing.  I'm so glad that I got to tag along.  You can see more pictures on Jen's website.

The Lake's left for home around noon on Monday morning to return to New York (about a five-hour drive) and Doug finally showed up that evening.  He, along with the Lake's, was disappointed that they didn't get to see each other.  


I was able to spend some time with these two beautiful girls until I returned home.

On Tuesday, Doug had a warranty inspection in Fairmont, West Virginia, so I was able to spend the time with him on the six-hour, roundtrip drive.

All in all, the trip was great!  Thanks Jennifer, Sabe, Olivia, Jaxon and Isabella for welcoming such a large group into your beautiful home.  It's not everyday Doug and I get to be with nine of our grandchildren at one time all living back East.  

The main thing I will always remember about the weekend was how well the Anderson Family worked together to support each other in a common interest.  Jennifer and Sabe, you are doing such a wonderful job raising your children.  To see your dedication and love for each other as a couple and family was truly special to observe.