Thanksgiving

Robby and I hosted Thanksgiving this year and it was such a fun day!  I was a little nervous at first, but  when Robby decided to smoke the turkey on his new Big Green Egg and I knew that task was off of my plate, I was excited about having everyone here.

I loved getting to use our dining room for the first real time and also my china that rarely gets used.

Handley made place cards for everyone, just like I used to do when I was little!

The turkey on the Egg was amazing.  It was so juicy, full of flavor, and fell off the bone.  Robby was very proud!

The kids were anxious for the feast and sat waiting patiently for the call to come fix their plates.

After stuffing our faces everyone went out for a game of baseball to work off some of those calories.

When we all got too cold outside, we made our way in for desserts!  Ryan and Heather brought a pumpkin pie, we had made cupcakes that looked like turkeys and the girls also helped me make a pecan pie, my personal favorite.  It's my Memaw's recipe and I can remember having this pie at Thanksgiving and Christmas since I was a little girl.

After everyone had left my little helper and I were happy that the kitchen was finally clean after a few days of baking and prepping for our feast.

Then it was time to just sit in front of the fire, enjoy a glass of wine, and be thankful for all I have!  I hope everyone had a wonderful day gathering with their families and giving thanks.

Weekend Getaway

Robby and I had the best weekend getaway with some of our best friends in Asheville, NC.  We were gone Friday-Sunday and Gigi and Papa were kind enough to take care of the kids for the weekend.

While we were there we ate nice meals out and went dancing one night!

We also toured the gorgeous Biltmore Estate (which I LOVED).  It is amazing and I would have loved to spend more time there.

We also checked out the Grove Park Inn and their giant fire places on our last night.

It was the best weekend and we couldn't have picked better friends to spend our time with.  Good times and laughter always follow us no matter where we go, and as you can see from the ladies photo bombing behind us, our fun is contagious!

To read a full recap of our trip and see more pictures and details, check out our posts on Magnolia Mamas {links are below}.

Day 1- Evening
Day 2 - Daytime
Day 2 - Evening

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I always decorate for Christmas after Thanksgiving, but social media peer pressure has made it harder and harder to wait this year.  That and the fact that I'm so excited to decorate our new house for Christmas for the first time has me itching to get all of my decorations out and start spreading Christmas cheer.  However, we are hosting Thanksgiving this year so I want the house to still look and feel like fall for our big feast.

I did decide to go ahead and let the kids put up the trees in their rooms.  Hudson pretty much demanded his be up the second we bought it and ever since then the girls have been begging to get theirs out of the basement.  Since they are off school all week we're getting lots done around the house and this evening's activity was decorating their trees.  I drug all of the stuff out of the basement and we got to work.  They were each so happy to see it lighting up their rooms and we listened to Christmas music on the iPod while they hung ornaments.

Tomorrow we'll spend the day preparing for our feast and then Friday it's game on.  Thanksgiving and fall stuff will be packed away until next year and it will be full on Christmas here!

Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast

Today was the Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast.  Harper had been so excited and was looking forward to their feast all week.

Only a couple of moms got to go and help with set-up and because of that I was able to stay and take a few pictures.  It was the most darling thing ever and the entire hallway was filled with sweet kids.  The teachers make a life-sized turkey out of brown paper bags and it is filled with popcorn (just like the turkey legs on their plates).  One of the Assistant Principals came to the feast and did the honors of carving the turkey.  Cutest thing ever!

 This little boy just loves Harper so it was sweet that when I asked her to smile for a picture he leaned right in.  All of the kids sang a Thanksgiving song and as a class they stood and said what they were thankful for.

It was sweet as can be and I'm so very thankful for a great school and amazing teachers for our kids that do fun activities like this because I know this is the type of thing they will remember!

Wearing Walker Out

Before the time change, the kids and I used to take Walker on a walk every evening after dinner.  Now it's pitch black after dinner because of the time change and not to mention it's freezing cold, too.  I braved the frigid temperatures today to walk him, but he isn't getting quite as many walks as he was before.  Thankfully he still walks to the bus stop twice a day and just loves to run around our big yard to get some of his energy out.  However, when we still need to wear him out all I have to do is tell the kids and they know just what to do.

Hudson and Harper have this game where they hide on the couch under a blanket and say they are hiding from the "gum people."

They'll be real sneaky and then start yelling, "The gum person is coming!!!"  Random?  Yes.  Entertaining to them?  Yes.  I'm not quite sure how it started, but I think it had to do with hiding from Handley one day when she was chewing gum.  Now they also hide from Walker who likes to find gum or just about anything else he can from the trash.  Once they are discovered in their hiding place they take off running and you can guess who goes chasing.

We have a path in the house that becomes where they run laps, round and round and round.  Walker automatically will chase Hudson when he runs because Walker knows Hudson is always up for playing and wrestling.

The girls will sometimes get him to run with them and if he isn't all they have to do is grab a toy and run for him to know it's game on.

He's really fast now!  The kids used to be able to out run him, but that isn't the case anymore!

Tonight when I should have been getting everyone in bed I was sitting amongst the chaos, taking pictures and trying to soak up these sweet, sweet memories.  Our precious puppy, my crazy kiddos, and all of the laughing and fun they were having!

Off to a Great Start

Our week is off to a great start and I just love the time I have with Hudson while the girls are at school. He loves the days he goes to school, but I love the days he is home.  He makes me laugh and we have so much fun together.

He loves taking pictures and on this day he was going around taking shots of just about anything...the fridge, his water cup, the light switches, anything that struck his fancy.  

On Monday morning I spent my day with Walker at the vet getting his latest vaccines.

This little guy isn't so little anymore. He was 21 lbs. at his appointment, up from 8 lbs. when we got him, and he is growing like crazy.  He's a big baby though...just 4 months old and still all puppy.  He's doing great with potty training, loves playing with the kids, and thinks he is a couch dog.  He's really smart and already knows how to do lots of "tricks" like sit, down, stay, high-five and dancing with us.  He likes to go exploring in our wooded area and thinks it is a game to wait for us to come get him and then run off which is not fun!  Overall though, he's super laid back, so sweet, and just a big baby who still hasn't figured out how to go down stairs.  We have to carry him down and I know we won't be able to pick him up easily for too much longer.

And this other big baby slept through the entire afternoon at dance today.  He had to get up extra early to go with me to the elementary school to help out with something and he was worn out this afternoon.

The sad part was that he loves going to dance with the girls because it means he gets to play with all of the other little brothers who are there.  I kept trying to wake him up today and he was NOT waking up. Then, when he finally woke up as we were getting ready to leave he was so upset because he didn't get to play.  Poor thing.

Everyone went to bed early tonight and I'm not too far behind them!  I'm so tired and can't believe it's only Tuesday.  I can't wait for Thanksgiving break so we can all sleep in.

Big Day for Teeth

Today was a big day for the teeth in our household.  First up, the kids and I had our 6 month dentist appointment.  This was just our regular appointment, but a big deal for Hudson because it was his first official appointment.  We had talked about it all day and he was so excited.  He practiced opening his mouth wide and showing his big smile.  When we got there the girls were seen first and he kept asking when it would be his turn.  When he finally climbed up into the chair, he did awesome! I was so proud of him for sitting so still, following the directions and acting like such a big boy. He loved seeing all of the tools and getting to try out "Mr. Thirsty" all on his own.

Everyone got a great report at the dentist today and were all excited to pick out a prize for having a great appointment.  Our dentist did tell me that Harper's loose tooth was ready to come out and would probably be out any day now.   She's been so excited for it to come out and asked Robby if he would pull it for her tonight.  He couldn't get a good grip on it, but had some pliers handy and that did the job!

She acted pretty nonchalant about the whole thing, but I know she is super excited for her first visit from the tooth fairy and is hoping for a glittery dollar bill, just like Handley got for her first tooth.

And one other quick Harper story.  Her teacher is so sweet and occasionally send me pictures she takes.  Today she sent me this one and said at the end of the day she saw Harper sitting at the teacher table and pretending to "work." So appropriate since Harper told me today she was going to be a teacher when she grows up.  

Halloween Fun

Our Halloween this year was one of the best!  It started bright and early for the girls to get ready for school.  They were both excited about the fun Halloween centers and activities they would be doing at school that day.

While they were at school I went to Hudson's school for his party.  They ate yummy treats, played some games, and made spider hats.

After everyone got home Robby helped them carve our pumpkins and Handley was the only one who really loved digging in and getting her hands dirty.

Next the kids were ready to get their costumes on and help me set-up for our party!  This year they were all superheros.  Hudson was adamant that is what he was going to be and thankfully, the girls were pretty easy going about being a girly version of a superhero complete with tutus and sparkles.

We hosted a pre and post trick-or-treat party for our neighbor friends and had the best time.  I had good intentions of taking pictures of all the kids, but they were all running around like crazy and I was too busy running my mouth with my friends.  All of the kids piled in out ours and another neighbor's golf carts to make their way house to house for trick-or-treating and they all loaded up their bags with candy.

We came back to our house for more fun and the kids all started digging in to their loot.  When I put the kids to bed last night they were all so happy and said they had the best time trick-or-treating.  That made me so, so happy!  The one thing I was most worried about when we moved from our old neighborhood was that we wouldn't have the same sense of community here. That definitely isn't the case though because we have met so many wonderful people and friendships that I know will last for years to come!

One of those neighbors is a sweet, sweet girl who lives across the street from us.  She is a junior in high school and also ended up coaching the girls' cheerleading squad this year.  She's responsible, respectful, smart, sweet, and the perfect role model for my girls. She's exactly the type of young lady I hope my girls grow up to be.  We all love her!