November Adventures

Aaron and Robyn

We've had the opportunity to hang out with Aaron, Robyn, Taylor and London a couple of times before they move to North Carolina.

 The kids will miss hanging out with each other, especially Brooke and Taylor, who have been buds since birth.

 We'll miss having such good friends so close, but we've treasured the years we've been able to spend together.

 Thanks Aaron and Robyn for your friendship and for sharing with us so many smiles and good times. Best of luck on your next adventure.

 Excited to come visit you guys in North Carolina.

Gender Reveal Party

In lieu of the normal baby shower, we thought it would be more fun to make a party out of revealing the gender of the baby. We went to the doctor for an ultrasound, but looked away at certain 'critical' moments.

 We then sealed the important shots in an envelope, and gave it to our friends the Davis'. They hosted a party and packed a box with appropriately colored balloons.

 Connor was surprised merely that there were balloons in the box.

 Tracie was very surprised with the gender. She was convinced this one was a girl.

 It was a fun evening with friends, and we enjoyed the surprise. Now we just need to figure out where our little guy will sleep, what color to paint his room, what we will name him, etc. (Brooke thinks we should name him Shark!)

Thanksgiving

We had lots of great company and help for Thanksgiving. Brooke and Connor helped with the pie dough, making cutouts to adorn the top crust.

Connor was also a master sous chef in his carrot prep.

His independence is evident by his constant, "I do it! I do it!"

Tracie's parents came out for the week, and Joanna is a master at crafts. Brooke emulates as much as she can, and Connor enjoys wearing the fruits of their work.

Don't worry, the manhandled dough did not end up making into the pie.

Joanna was a big help all week. Brooke and Connor really enjoy spending time with Po-Po.

Taylor also came out for the feasting and festivities. It was nice having an extra set of arms to help string the lights outside on Friday. We even made time for a potato peeling throwdown.

Brooke was loudly cheering for me, which helped propel me to a narrow victory.

Now the food. We baked pies in the morning after the Turkey Bowl. Pumpkin pie as well as a Spice Apple Cranberry. Last leftover slice being consumed as I type.

On the savory side, the turkey was very delicious. Here it is getting the finishing glaze touches.

Connor was excited at the prospect of devouring all of this food. In reality he stuck mainly to the biscuits, but that just meant more leftovers for us.

We were so grateful to be surrounded by family on Thanksgiving. We really enjoy having people we love over to our house and sharing our love with them both through our company and our fare.

We're also grateful for this cute guy, and we are looking forward to seeing him as an older brother.

Brooke is a great girl. Very smart, personable, and engaging to both adults and kids.