Thanksgiving

The 2016 Thanksgiving tree, as full as ever!

Kaye K and Big Daddy spent Thanksgiving weekend with us!  They drove in late Wednesday night, and woke up bright and early Thursday morning to start the day with a 5K Turkey Trot in our neighborhood!  Rooke and Gretchen had been participating in a kids' fitness class each week leading up to the race, so they were physically ready for the trot.  We had to work on the mental and emotional readiness a little!

Ryan is such a great dad.  He took the two bigs and led the way for our family, encouraging our gingers up and down the hills (and there were plenty!).  I had Bridgette in a stroller with Mom as my walk/jog partner.  My dad was the oldest participant in the race and finished just a couple minutes behind us - I'm always inspired by my parents' commitment to staying active!  It was a great way to start Thanksgiving Day together.

This little turkey finished FIRST in the category of girls under 10!  She's a natural.  And clearly gets that from her dad.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, eating, and enjoying the company of family.  Steve and Vallerie brought Gramma over and Nana was with us all the way from Oregon!

My dad killed it with his rolls.  They were probably my favorite thing on my plate! 

As always, holidays are shared with some family via technology.  Thankful for FaceTime! 

Nana was wonderful to sit and paint and read and tell stories and generally be the wonderful fun-loving Nana I've always known her to be.  I'm so grateful she made the trip, and that my kids are old enough to receive the blessing of her company.  

Not sure what they were watching, but Kaye K always has something fun to share with her grandkids! 

Trying on Nana's fancy jewlery! 

We played lots of games! 

Kaye K and the girls had their own special table at lunch after church. 

Big Daddy getting lots of love at the American History Museum. 

The girls discovered the joys of Nana's stories!  

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.  We have SO much to be thankful for.  Always.

November at a Glance

November was a beautiful month here.  The colors are amazing and the weather forced us to spend as much time outside as possible. 

Taken on "National Love Your Read Hair Day"!

We visited the Arboretum on Veteran's Day and loved exploring the massively beautiful grounds, including the bonsai garden.

We went back to the Arboretum with a dessert picnic a couple weeks later to enjoy the vibrant colors.  I felt like Moses at the foot of this tree that was on fire with color! 

The swing on our front porch has been one of the best things about our house! 

Living so close to DC and being part of a church on Capitol Hill during a presidential election has been interesting.  I'll admit to learning quite a bit as I helped the kids understand the process.  

Ryan had a day off on election day.  He joined us for our homeschool co-op family presentation, then we met back up as a family for an afternoon on the Mall.  We walked through the Supreme Court on our way to the Air and Space Museum because . . . why not?!  And it felt like the right thing to do on Election Day.  

Guys Trip {Girls' Play}

I'm a little behind in sharing these photos.  Back in October, Ryan took Rooke on a special trip to visit family and attend the Payne Family Reunion in Louisiana.  They stayed with Ryan's grandparents, who have lived in the same house for over 50 years!

 

Four generations of good-looking Paynes!

Isaac Bonaparte (IB), Kevin, Ryan, and Rooke Isaac Payne.

Rooke's middle name is Isaac after his Great Grandaddy.

Saying goodbye to Great Uncle Doug at the airport.

It was a special trip for this big guy!

And while the boys were away, the girls got to play!  We had a fun girls' weekend, starting with Bridgette's request of Costco hotdogs - ha!

I surprised the girls with tickets to see Disney on Ice!!  We had so much fun getting dressed up in the morning and loved the show!

Aunt Vallerie did a girls' sleepover and had a special art project for them to work on.  The tiles were just beautiful!

Sweet clothes sent with love from Grammy Deb.

Fall with Friends

We are loving the mild fall weather!  And we are so thankful to have new friends to share the outdoors with.

Bridgette and her buddy play on the playground while their big sisters and Rooke take part in a fitness class.  Fun for all!

Our neighbors were fun friends to share an evening of trick-or-treating.  Costumes aren't my forte, so the kids foraged in their dress-up box and hauled in an amount of candy that should be illegal!

Playing football outside with a friend who can hold his own.  My 8-year-old's heaven.

Patricia came for a visit!  I was grateful for a day with my dear friend from Minot, who is pregnant Baby Girl!  We spent our Friday together catching up during the driving to a farm with a picnic after pumpkin and apple picking.  

Patricia gave me a recipe for pumpkin apple cake - yum!