In Search of the Perfect Tree

On Saturday, we dropped Sarah off with Mom and Daddy and then drove to Whitetop Mountain, Virginia to find our Christmas tree. Two horses pull you up the mountain in a wagon and then take you back down with your tree. We actually found our tree closer to the bottom of the mountain. So we climbed down and then climbed back up to take the wagon back down.
It was really cold at the bottom of the mountain, so we all bundled up. Once we got to the top, the mountain and trees blocked the wind and it got warm up there. We had to shed some of our layers- quite strange.

Hang on tight Adam!

Here we are in front of our tree.

I think this is us standing in front of our tree but the tree looks way too short. I'm thinking maybe it is the angle of the camera???

The perfect tree!
Yes, it fits in our living room. Thank goodness Daddy was there to help Kevin bring the tree in. They only had to trim the top of it a little bit.

Whew! We made it back up to the wagon.

Deck the Halls

Last Sunday, Kevin (and Jackson helped before and after choir practice) went to help decorate the church for Christmas. He and Jackson came home so excited that they wanted to put our tree up that night. So Kevin brought the tree up and put it together. Adam looked at it once we got it together and said "Christmas tree...big!!!" Tuesday night we had time to put the ornaments on the tree.

This is as high as I can reach and I am determined to put an ornament there.

Adam was in full concentration as he put each ornament on the tree.

Sarah had to put in her two cents as well. She is such a fussy pants!
(Those people that said the third child is the most laid back were so wrong!!!)

Look! This is the ornament I made last year!

No, I want to do it!

We aren't sure why, but this is where Adam went once we were all finished. I guess it's cozy lying under a Christmas tree.

Sleeping Beauty

Sarah was definitely NOT a sleeping beauty today, but I got a few shots of her last week sleeping so peacefully. Today she screamed and fussed most of the morning and early afternoon. I am hoping that she will sleep good tonight- which she is getting better at by the way. She goes to sleep (with a lot of coaxing from us) around 11 or 12 and then sleeps until anytime between 5 and 7. Much better than the "partying" she was doing between 2 and 5.

Happy Fall

Kevin raked leaves right before all the rain last week and left a huge pile for the boys to play in. I thought that after all the rain and wind there wouldn't be any leaves left on the trees, but it looks like there are plenty more for several more leaf piles.

Another Trip to the Zoo

Two weekends ago, I went to the Women of Faith Conference with my church and Kevin stayed home with the kids. During one of our breaks, I texted him to see how he was surviving. Boy was I surprised when he texted back that they were at the zoo. He is definitely braver than I am, and it looks like they all had fun!

Sarah slept the whole time.

Jackson and Adam at their favorite part of the zoo- the playground. (I'm not sure who the stray kid is. At least Kevin came home with the three of ours and no extras.)

Jackson and Adam each standing on a big gourd.

Here is a picture of the giraffes. I love the giraffes. Jackson got to feed one at the Lazy 5 Ranch when he went with his class. They were so close to us there that we could touch them- but we didn't!

One Month Check-up

Kevin took Sarah to her one month check-up today. The doctor felt sorry for Kevin and put off her shots until next month. He never feels sorry for me! Sarah now weighs 11 pounds and 4.5 ounces! She is 23 inches long. I can't believe how much she's grown. She is doing a lot better at night, too. She is making it for five and six hour stretches between meals at night. We are going to let her sleep in her crib for the first time tonight. In fact, she is asleep up there now. I'm hoping it goes well.

I was with Jackson at the Lazy 5 Ranch on a field trip with his class. Unfortunately I forgot and left the camera at home this morning so I didn't get any pictures of him feeding the animals. He preferred to drop the food into their mouths instead of letting them eat from his hand. I didn't blame him- I wouldn't want Llama drool all over me either!

Halloween at the Beach...and the Mountains

Sarah and I went to the mountains in Bryson City, NC to help Nana celebrate her birthday. It was an all girl's weekend full of adventure. Our first adventure was getting to the mountain house. It was a pretty steep climb on a one lane gravel road to the top of the mountain. Once we made it up there, we said we weren't leaving and we didn't! On Sunday we mustered up some courage and headed back down the mountain which proved to be a little less of an adventure until we took a wrong turn and Emily ended up driving back up the mountain in reverse until we could get turned around. She's a lot braver than I am! We headed to the train depot for the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad where we rode the train to the Nantahala Gorge. We got off the train right by the river and had a yummy picnic lunch on some rocks. The train took us back to the station where we got back in our cars and began the trip back home. I didn't get any pictures of Sarah's first trip out of town because I let Kevin take the camera to get pictures of the boys trick or treating.

While Sarah and I were adventuring in the mountains, Kevin took the boys to the beach to visit his parents. The campground Jan and Jacky live at had some Halloween activities and trick or treating for the kids.

I can't believe Adam actually put his costume back on.

Snacks with Daddy... A Krispy Kreme pumpkin doughnut.

Yes, Jackson and Adam have swimsuits on and are playing at the beach on November 1. It was 80 degrees that day!