Thanksgiving at the Spillmans

For the second year in a row now we have had thanksgiving in the mountains where Fletcher and Nancy have a second home. The weather was beautiful and the kids were able to run and play outside. It's so peaceful and scenic up there, and even though the house is small it doesn't seem to feel crowded even with 4 families packed in there. We enjoyed a feast of food and best of all good time with family. We've also continued the tradition of getting a Christmas tree on thanksgiving, only now we get to pick one out right off of Fletcher's land and bring it home. More on that on the next post. Kevin took all of the pictures and you can see his eye for the unique details -- like a raw turkey.

First Snow

We got our first snow in November, shortly before thanksgiving. It's always so great to get snow, even just a dusting. The kids were fascinated. I thought it would be a sure sign of a blustery winter, but of course it's now the week of Christmas and the forecast for Christmas day is 64. Bah-humbug.

Aprons

I've started exploring some apron patterns and I find it highly addictive. I have a new one in the works for myself soon.

Here are a couple I made that my sweet friend snapped up shortly after I finished them. :)

First Camping Trip

Kevin's parents have a wonderful camper that we've been meaning to try for quite some time. We finally found a weekend that would work and pounced on it. There's a camp ground not far from the Ashboro zoo, so we picked up the camper at their house and got the how-to. Kevin was a little hesitant driving it at first but it proved a little easier than he thought. We were off to the zoo for the morning and the kids had a great time seeing the animals.

We brought Bou along for this adventure, and while she was nervous at first she settled down pretty well. The weather was so mild that we cracked some windows and left her in the camper while we toured the zoo.

The campground was only a few miles away and from what I understand it's pretty much the Ritz Carlton of campgrounds. It was very family oriented. It had a little store, an inflatable bouncing area for kids, a shower/outhouse, a movie room, and a fishing pond. It was very nicely kept up and we parked and hooked up right away.

Kevin tried his hand at fishing with little success thank to some over-friendly ducks and geese, who were clearly used to being fed. Except for the male goose who was overprotective about his little baby geese. I seriously saw my life flash before my eyes.

We had a camp fire at night and thoroughly enjoyed our first time camping. It's something we hope to do with the kids often and this was a great first taste of it.

Halloween

This year Halloween was even more fun than last since Adison is 2 and walking and Cole fully understood the candy-getting process. Cole has typically not been a fan of dressing up, but my Dad found a fireman costume at Costco and snapped it up right away. He has rarely taken it off since. I don't blame him, it looks like the real deal. Reflectors, brown canvas, red suspenders. He's wearing it as I type this (and it's December 23rd!).

Adison was a yellow M&M and couldn't have been cuter! Once again we were able to go trick or treating with our dear friend Lizzie and her sister Rachael only this year we went in our neighborhood. We had such fun the kids did a LOT of walking! Kevin and I did our share of sampling their bounty and helped weed out the pile a little. :)

Never Leave the Camera Unattended....

....with the babysitter. :) I love these pictures.

Kindred Spirits

This is my friend Diane. I am sure I have mentioned her before, but if I haven't, we met on the way into a singles social (back in the day...) at our church and hit it off immediately. So much so, that I invited her to vacation with our family a few weeks later at the beach.

Over the years lots has changed for both of us, and we no longer live in the same state but it only takes about 3 minutes on any conversation with Diane before I am laughing hysterically. She's one of those special, wonderful people who you just cherish. Time and distance don't seem to apply and whenever we talk or get to see each other it's like time hasn't passed.

She came into town a few months ago and I got to meet her sweet, sweet, little boy Samuel. This little boy is addictive. He's like a little cute-drug. It was so fun to catch up and I'm so glad they squeezed a stop at our house into their visit to NC.

Never leave the Camera Unattended...

...at a family gathering.

Adison's Party

We celebrated Adison's birthday late in the month since not only her great-grandparents would be in town, but also because the rest of the family was driving in for the weekend.

She has no problem being the center of attention and is definitely turning into a little girl. She loved her purse and glasses from G. G.

It was fun to watch her open presents but more fun to have the whole family around to celebrate.

State Fair

October is State Fair month.

I LOVE the fair. Love it. I'm not sure why really; I think maybe it's the official start of fall for me, so it's cool and you're outside and there's all the lights, sounds and smells.

We go to the fair for three reasons: the Fudge, the Bowling ball game, and the Bingo.

Kevin and I took the kids one afternoon, beat the crowds and I think they really had a wonderful time. The big draw was the Fun Slide. It was basically one of the few rides that both the kids could do, but it was surprisingly fast for something suitable for toddlers. We rode it, I think 4 times. Adison is crying because we told her we weren't going to do the slide anymore.

The animals were another favorite, and the kids really enjoyed seeing all the pigs, cows, donkeys, horses...and bee's! One exhibit had a beehive encased in glass and a tube that allowed them to enter from outside the building. Kevin is explaining things to Cole in one picture.

Kevin and I have a tradition of bingo at the fair. We (and when I say "we" I mean "I") had successful bingo win's two years in a row, so we entered with high hopes. Cole LOVED bingo and did fairly well considering we had 6 cards going at once. Adison kept busy buy piling bingo markers in the stroller, which we would only later discover. Sadly, we did not get a Bingo, but had a lot of fun and I think we have Cole hooked. Time for family Bingo night.

We also love the game where you have to roll the bowling ball over the hump and get it to stay there to get a prize. It was a slow morning there, because we played 5 or 6 times, and then the lady let us play another 5 free until we won a prize.

The Oscar Meyer Weinermobile was there again and this time it was open and we snapped a pic of a couple of cute hot dogs. :)

I could go on and on, but we had a fantastic time, and it's a tradition I really look forward to continuing with the kids.

Breakfast with 3 Generations

My grandparents were in town a few months ago, and we met them at a true southern breakfast restaurant down at the fairgrounds. The pancakes were almost bigger than the plate.

It was such a treat to have them in town for a visit. (I realize now that my dad's parents were in town for a visit also this year and I haven't even blogged that yet. I'll be searching for that picture CD after this). The kids warmed up to G.G. and Great Grandad quickly and talk about visiting them still, months after they have gone home.

I moved from Seattle so young, so I don't miss too much about the city but I do miss seeing my kids with their great-grandparents. I realize what a treasure it is for the kids to have 2 sets of great-grandparents to meet and get to know, and I do wish we lived closer so they could come to know what wonderful people they have in their family. Since I am so far behind on blogging, this doesn't begin to scratch the surface of their visit here, but I'll say that we thoroughly enjoyed it, and it ended too quickly.