They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into the already crowded auditorium. With their rich maroon gowns flowing… and the traditional caps, they looked almost .. as grown up as they felt. Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and Moms freely brushed away tears. This class...

Perhaps Tristan has watched Star Wars too many time. I honestly think it is only 3-4 times, far fewer viewings than Peter Pan or The Little Mermaid. But it appears to have made an impression. Last night, during a bubble bath, Tristan was playing with his wash frog (for...

Day two of our Lake George adventure had us visiting Six Flags Great Escape. This time, it was William’s turn to have a blast. While Tristan, Cary and Mary Kate seemed to enjoy themselves, William was simply joyous. He road a boat, flew a plane, jumped on a motorcycle,...

Thomas the Tank Engine came to Lake George this year…and so did we! Together with Tristan’s friend Cary (and both families), we all treked to upstate New York for a ride on the famously Useful Engine. Tristan was concerned that the whistle would blow at any moment and remained...

Tristan thought is would be a good idea if he helped his grandfather paint the garage door. Initially, Pop-pop thought this was a good idea as well… The door looks as good as new, so apparently, the teamwork paid off. Thanks Tristan and Pop-pop!...

There have been a lot of projects around Stately Payne Manor recently. First, the winter freeze cycles destroyed our front steps and they were repaired by a quite impressive stone mason. Then the gutters needed to be replaced. This week, work continued on the back deck, replacing the rotted...

M is for the million things she gave you… We celebrated Mother Day this year with dinner at home. Steak, baked potatos and corn on the cob were the main course (actually, that sounds like a Father’s Day meal). William apparently enjoyed himself…Hopefully, the moms did as well....

No, we have not embraced child labor, Tristan and William are trying out their bubble mowers on one of the first warm days of the summer (94 degrees!) The shirtless look started with William being too warm in the outfit Tom picked out this morning and then he got...

While Jennifer was out of town, Tom took the boys up to Macedonia State Park to go fishing with Tristan’s friend Rory. Rory’s dad, Andrew, has supplied the equipment in the past, but this time Tom brought his own nets ($1 butterfly nets from Target). William figures out the...

Tom’s latest obsession is the family tree. His sister, Deborah, started this a long while ago with the goal of seeing how far back the family went. Tom’s simply want to understand how his boys are related to Jennifer’s sprawling branch of relatives. Check out the tree at http://paynebancroft.myheritage.com....