ICE!

One of our snow days was because of ice last week. It was beautiful! It warmed up by mid-morning and we even ventured out to meet Scott for lunch.

 

 

SNOW!

Yippee! We had snow last week! We got 3 snow days. It was fabulous. We all enjoyed our family time. We went sledding, did some holiday baking and did lots of shopping once the roads cleared up.

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving

My grandmothers drove in from Arkansas for thanksgiving. They had the best time talking with the girls and just seeing how much they're grown! They also got to meet my sister's fiance. Here are a couple of pics from their trip.

 

 

 

 

a sad day

a few weeks ago we had a very sad day. our beloved cat, garfield, passed away. he was the best cat. he loved the girls the the girls loved him. ainsley is still grieving. she says he was the best cat in the whole wide world. this experience brought up lots and lots of conversation about death, heaven and forever. Scott and I were asked many, many questions. where is heaven? which way is heaven? how do i get there? when will garfield be back? does God have water in heaven for garfield to drink? why did that mean dog kill garfield? it has been a tough time for her. she is doing much better, but still misses him. we all do. he was the best cat in the whole wide world.

Mario Cart

Ainsley has recently discovered Mario Kart. She played quite a bit during our snow break and has really improved. As you can see, she takes it seriously!

 

Retreat!!!

A couple of weeks ago, Scott and I ran off to Nashville for a quick overnight trip. We went to the Titans/Colts game and had the best time. It was FREEZING, but we both dressed in many layers and had hand & foot warmers. I have really gotten into the NFL in recent years and I was so excited to see the Colts play. It was actually my idea back in the summer when the tickets went on sale. Our "best available" seats were 3 rows from the very top row. Fortunately we had binaculars and we know most of the player's jersey numbers. On our way back we stopped at Burgess Falls in Cookeville for a quick hike. We have never hiked in December. It was fun to see all of the icicles, though I felt like a mom trying to keep Scott from climbing on them. :)

*Please note that the images of both Scott and me were taken by Scott in freezing cold temps, and we know they are out of focus. :)

 

 

 

 

Eric the Elf

We started a new tradition this year, Elf on the Shelf. Ainsley loves looking for our elf each morning. She named him Eric. In case you're not familiar, Elf on the Shelf is a book & doll. The book explains that the elf will watch the children and report good or bad behavior to santa each evening. Each morning he ends up in a different place in the house. There have been several nights where Eric stayed in the same spot. oops!