19 October 2008: Charlotte / Stake Conference

Joanne went to Charlotte, NC this week for the AFPA Mind and Body Conference. It was a little rough being home with all three girls, but she pulls it off all the time when I travel, so I figure it was definitely my turn to take one for the team.

Saturday was Homecoming for W&J. We went to a tailgate lunch and saw Joan Downing, who is now in graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. We haven't seen Joanie in a while, the girls were disappointed to hear that she wasn't here to babysit them, but they were still glad to see her. They wanted to read the coal miner's book while we were on campus, and then we went to part of the homecoming football game.Saturday afternoon I took the girls to the stake center for stake conference. I had priesthood leadership meeting at 4 PM and the evening session at 7 PM, so it made for a long day. The girls were very good.

The Sunday morning session was at a high school near the city, and Joanne's flight home was landing just after 1 PM, so we went to stake conference, then to a park to get some wiggles out while we waited for mommy's flight to arrive. We played on the swings... ...on the rocky horses...
...and drove the train!For the first time in her life, Emily mastered the monkey bars without anyone holding her legs. It was such a momentous accomplishment, she had to show mommy on our monkey bars when we got home.The thing that makes daddies so cool is they let you do this stuff in your church clothes. (And they give you pop tarts in your lunch box.)

If you get bored this week and need a compelling read, check out this excellent Wall Street Journal article from Stanford Law professor Lawrence Lessig.

12 October 2008 - Visitors from Maryland

I've got kind of a picture heavy update for this week (Don't forget you can click on them to see them in big form). Pictures are more interesting than reading the minutiae of my life though. Joanne has recently become addicted to making patchwork quilts for humanitarian aid. This is one she recently finished.Madeline had a preschool trip to Simmons Farm and got a baby pumpkin!
She petted a bunny...
...and a goat.
Emily lost both top front teeth this week.
Madeline has decided she loves curly hair.
At soccer on Saturday morning, she decided she was cold, and I decided I was hot, so I took off my sweatshirt, and Madeline put it on.
Baby cousin Calista brought her mommy (Danae) and daddy (Jerry) to visit for the weekend. We got the tandem swing going for her.She was a monster on the slide.
And she's just too darn cute for her own good.
That's about it for this week. Have fun, happy fall.

Matt

4 October 2008 - Savannah

Every October I attend the annual conference of the International Association for Computer Information Systems (IACIS). This year it was in Savannah. This is a picture taken out my hotel window. The ship on the river is a lot bigger than it actually looks in the pic, it was just a ways away. Savannah is a true colonial city, having received its first settlers from Europe in 1733, led by General James Oglethorpe. There are tons of old houses and churches. I took this picture of a very old street, which is paved with oyster shells in cement.
This is the side of the County Courthouse. It's really old, I can't remember how old, but it's pretty cool, and has the carved stone architecture you'd expect from the European settlers.
This sign was just outside the hotel's door.
This is a view from the hotel balcony across the Savannah River toward the Wyndham Hotel.

The girls did great while I was gone, but we were happy to get back together when I got home late Saturday night. Next week it'll be my turn, while Joanne goes to a national fitness conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Take care,

Matt

28 September 2008 - W&J Football

Mommy went to the Relief Society broadcast on Saturday, so we decided to go to the W&J Football game. Our teams are usually really good (NCAA D-III), so it's fun to go to the games and watch what they can do. I have several of the players in classes too, which makes it fun to go support them.The girls wanted a blanket, even though it was 75 degrees outside.
They also wanted me to take a crazy picture of them doing bunny ears on each other.

For the record, mommy had a good time at the broadcast, so it was a good evening for all.

Matt