November 2025

Here is a link to all of November's photos and videos. As usual, they mostly feature Alex. Here's what we've been up to:

This month we completed the 10-week class for certification to do fostering. That was a long journey because it was 3 hours, every Thursday night. We couldn't have done it without our very reliable babysitter, Taciana, who has been great with Alex. We still have more work to do before we can do any fostering, including interviews, paperwork, and putting up doors in a room we'll use as a bedroom. So stay tuned in 2026 for that.

Rob: A friend from church with a passion and talent for musical theater has been working on a musical production for the past 10 years that finally debuted off Broadway. So I joined with another guy from the ward to go see it. We hopped on a train to Grand Central and walked there, getting some pizza along the way. The play is called "The Art Tour" and it was really good. The two actors, the music, the props, all of it very well thought out and entertaining. A couple from the ward was also in the audience, and we walked back to Grand Central with them. A fun night out in the city.

Rob: I've had a mysterious medical ailment that I'm still trying to figure out. Severe abdominal pain that comes and goes, and varies in severity, and has caused me to vomit a couple times. I went to urgent care during a painful episode and they did some X-rays and other tests but they weren't very conclusive. They prescribed antibiotics in case it's is some kind of urinary tract infection. But it continues. They didn't see kidney stones, and I don't match all the symptoms, but I'm wondering if that might still be the cause. To be continued.

Rob: Alex had his 9th birthday this month, and it fell on a Sunday. We were going to go do something fun together on Saturday, but unfortunately that was when I went to urgent care (see above). So Becky and Alex went to mall and went bowling, which is great because Alex really likes bowling right now. On Sunday we opened presents and blew out candles placed in cinnamon rolls. He got some new toys, clothes, and nice gifts from family (thanks!). We also got him a bike with training wheels this month, a used one in good shape. We are hoping we can motivate him to pedal it long enough to cover some distance. Like a puppy, Alex is always full of excitement, energy, and cheer and we are so grateful for all his smiles, laughs, and chatter to himself that we can't understand, along with the pitter patter of his feet running to and fro around the house throughout the day.

Rob: For Thanksgiving this year we didn't have major plans. I roasted a lemon pepper chicken with croutons and onions and Becky made sides, including carrots, potatoes, and brussels sprouts, and we invited our friend Kathy from church to join us. Becky also spent a lot of time helping someone else from church with transportation so she could be with her granddaughter, who is in a group home. Later, I invited our new neighbors next door to come over for pie and really enjoyed hearing their stories and getting to know them. On Friday, I took Alex to Chuck E. Cheese and Barnes & Noble in Poughkeepsie for a long outing while Becky put up the Christmas decor, so now it's officially Christmastime in our house. Alex is happy about that, because like every year, he plays with his favorite ornaments and things that have been in storage all year. Saturday and Sunday was just most of the usual things, but it was a really nice long 4-day weekend.

Becky: Over the last couple of months, Alex and I have spent a lot of time in libraries because it's been too cold to do a lot outside.  I've developed the habit of reading through this young adult book series that seems to be in every library.  It's just a series of books that give you a Reader's Digest-type account of various historical figures and events.  I usually read 1 of the books per outing (the text is for young readers so you can really blow through them).  Despite their simplicity, the information is really interesting.  I've learned about Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Henry VIII, Shakespeare, the Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos, the Beatles, the Winchester Mansion, the shark attacks of 1916, Katherine the Great, Benedict Arnold, etc.  I continue to read "The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store", last year's Book of the Year, and I agree it is pretty great.  But I've enjoyed my light reading at the libraries just as much.  I do stay busy, but am glad this chapter of my life affords me some good chill and read time.