Christmas Family Photoshoot 2011

In preparation for the holidays, Cristy and Nathaniel decided to have a fun family photoshoot (courtesy of Susan Moreira, Inc.) for their family Christmas card. It was a little cold but a lot of fun, as Moreira photoshoots always are!

Troy, the Mad Bomber

Dad, the Razzy Reindeer

Mom, Mrs. Claus-in-Training

Thanksgiving 2011

For a little break in tradition we had Thanksgiving dinner at Nathaniel's mother's house in Alexandria this year. The food was made prepared via "assigned potluck" and there was PLENTY!

Troy was pretty happy that there were multiple form of cracker on hand.

Nathaniel was delighted to partake of his step-mother's famous coconut pecan brown sugar sweet potatoes. Yummy in his tummy.

Cheese!

Vanessa made the turkey this year, and is was marvelous again. She is now 2/2 and 1/1 on being an incredible host. On top of much food and drink, all guests were supplied with copious holiday music, pool downstairs, and Ghirardelli chocolate :)

Many of us went back for multiple plates because we had to try everything at least once!

What do I spy with my little eye? Grandma Campbell's Famous Rolls! Delicious!

One of Vanessa's work friends at the Patent Office also had a little boy named Aiden that attended. Troy, wanting to be a big boy and do everything that Aiden did, went right over to Aiden's mom and chomped onto her GRANOLA BAR!!!!! HE LOVED IT!!!! We are so proud of Troy for branching out and trying new foods. (Note: he remains a textbook "Sensory Food Aversion" eater and tries two new foods a month.)

A few days later we went over to Nathaniel's step-mother's house in Burke and helped her put up her Christmas tree. It was a lot of fun, and besides having dinner with her -- we <3 you Chinese takeout -- Troy spent some time adapting to her dog Hallie (who he will not stop talking about) we also snagged a few family pics.

You have to give it to Troy -- he's thinking with his noggin'!

Our eating issues continue, but Troy is becoming more and more comfortable eating with his hands and face (and hair, and ears, and...) messy, and that's good news.

In this picture, we believe Troy was saying, "What...you want to get punched in the face!?!"

Troy says, "that's it Dad. You mess with Troy, you messin' with the BEST!" **Jab to the Nose**

Next Up: Family Christmas Photo Shoot!

Fall in Northern Virginia

Fall is a very pretty time in Northern Virginia. Below are some pictures that my mom took recently while walking her dog Hallie around a local lake.

PS We are now accepting visitors for Fall 2012 :)

Next Up: Thanksgiving 2011

Halloween 2011

Our Ward Halloween Party is one of our family's favorite events of the year. We look forward to not only seeing all the creative costumes and seeing the bright smiles of the parents as their kids show off, but also the chili cook-off competition and the trunk-or-treating at the end.

Troy was so happy that he was actually bored with happiness. He told his dad, "I'm just gonna stand in this box until something better happens to me."

Unfortunately, this year we didn't get a lot of pictures. Maybe if we told you that Cristy was a bear, dad was a pig, and Troy was a giraffe you could guess our oh-so-clever costume idea?

Xander Taylor: Dragon
Amanda Taylor: Mouse
Nate Taylor: Patent Examiner

Scott Family: Dumbo and two circus performers.

Larson Family: the "Incredibles" baby and Edna Mode (thank you Google).

Clemans Family: A Fairy Princess and a Nerd.

The little Bullock baby was an octopus. HOW cute!

Next Up: Thanksgiving!!!

VMI 5 Year College Reunion

On October 21-22 the Moreira family traveled three hours south to attend Nathaniel's five-year college reunion. Everyone had a really great time and it was great to catch up with the nearly half of the class that returned from across the country.

They couldn't stay the whole time though because they had to hustle back for Nathaniel's ten-year high school reunion!!!

Nathaniel really enjoyed his department (English & Fine Arts) and made friends with several teachers during his time there. One of them, Penny Ticen, met us for lunch and a tour of the newly renovated campus. A lot had changed!Troy seemed to enjoy himself and was always taking in the new sights. He was particularly interested in the Saturday morning Alumni Parade.
And the band! Go Tubas!
VMI Alumni are proud of their heritage but not so fond of marching, as the picture illustrates. As one of Nathaniel's good friends put it on Facebook, "going to watch a parade on Saturday because I forgot what it was like to march in 1,000 of them as a Cadet.

(Note: if you look in the center of this picture you can see Troy sitting on Dad's shoulders.)
After the parade we all walked into the courtyard of "Old Barracks" for "Old Yells" for the participating Alumni classes. Much like Computer Science, Engineering, and Mormons, the VMI community has it's own microcosm of language and jargon that must truly be lived to believed or understood.
The Best Class in Barracks!
There are a hundred little things about this school that you are forced to memorize as a young "rat", and a million more you learn as you continue on as a Cadet. This picture alone brings back dozens of memories regarding the administration, architecture, statues, and of course fun, painful, and all together momentous remembrances shared with good friends and Brother Rats.

Enjoy this video, which may seem odd to everyone, but is filled with rich traditions and many proud alumni.

Nathaniel was so happy to share these two days with his family. Nathaniel is also proud to be from the first and only university to send its entire student body to fight in combat, and that continues to send its brothers and sisters into combat today. No less than a half dozen of the class of 2006 have already died on the field of honor, with many more having been injured, and we are all very grateful for their sacrifice, as well as the sacrifice of those that are currently serving (that is, the other half of our graduating class that was not able to attend our reunion).

The following quote was read at the commencement ceremony of the class of 2003:

"Cadets remain stronger and more aggressive than their male counterparts at civilian schools. They eagerly play sports such as rugby, boxing, karate, lacrosse, and football. They drive fast cars or big trucks. They play hard. They drink hard. They are physical, often abusive among each other. They are not trying to prove their manhood: they are celebrating their masculinity. They are competitive, often vulgar, and tough, and every citizen who may someday send a friend or relative into war should rejoice, because combat is competitive, vulgar, and tough, and they will be leading men in combat."

This post is dedicated to us, the Virginia Military Institute, and all of our soldiers who defend our freedoms. Rah Virginia Mil.