Christmas just around the corner...

I know that Thanksgiving is this week, but I couldn't wait to decorate for Christmas. Sam was so excited. Jumping up and down, taking all the decorations out the boxes. We also put up the outside lights. It's bizarre to put up Christmas lights in 80 degree weather. We are on a tight budget, so we are using our son as a Christmas tree. Just kidding! But he sure makes a cute Charlie Brown tree!
Best Christmas present ever! Isabelle has developed quite the personality. She is funny and loud and 100% cute. She loves to dance, sing, read books and take long luxurious bubble baths. Haha! Don't know about the walks on the beach yet. Will find out this summer.

The infamous troll village. According to Grandma Irma, trolls are evil. They might be evil, but they are festive.

Decorations are up. Ready for Christmas. Sam says that you can't have Christmas without snow. I respectfully disagree. I am enjoying the lack snow and warm weather.

Ahhhh! Hi Sam!

The Cheese eating a cheese. Daddy doing what Daddy does best (and the most of): Studying! That's why he's on top of his class. (That's what she said) :)

Cleaning out the garage

Today we decided to clean out the garage. It is cluttered with crap and we haven't been able to fit our car in there. Hell, we can't even walk thru it. We were hoping someone would think we were having a yard sale and take it all. No such luck. I am really glad we decided to clean out the garage. Had we not, we would have had not just this beauty, but hundreds of them all over. Not the Charlotte's Web I was expecting. And of course, Rueben had to go and put her in a jar. Now she sits in the garage, contained, along with her eggs nest. Rueben can't wait until they hatch and there are tons of tiny poisonous spiders crawling inside the jar. I can't even stomach the visual.
Posing for the camera. She was a great lesson about Black Widows for Sam.

Caring for her eggs.

"Are you going to help or just take pictures"

He's such a good little helper. Taking a break from hammering.

A little too big, but he wanted to go roller blading.

Carrying her "baby" around.

Yay! We finally did it. Took us all day long, but now we can use it for it's intended purpose.

Halloween

Halloween was fun this year. Sam really got into it. All day long he kept asking if we could go trick-or-treating, kept waiting for it to get dark. We went out with a group of about 10 kids. Most of the time Sam was the first one up the stairs and ringing the doorbell. I could hear him scream "trick or treat" then "thank you". The weather was cool, crisp, but pleasant. Poor Rueben was at the hospital doing a 12 hour clinical. He missed out on all the fun.

The cutest little bumblebee you've ever seen. Isa having fun at the mall.

Talking on the phone and driving.

Even though we bought him a new costume this year, he wanted to be a skeleton again.

Boo!! Scary kids

Eager to go outside

We finished the night singing Happy Birthday to the school boy.

Blue Ridge Parkway

We drove north, into Virginia, to the part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The colors were brilliant, despite the locals saying otherwise. We stopped at this lookout point for lunch. You can see Pilot Mt. from this lookout. It was amazing.

It's a bird...it's a plane...it's Superman Sam. This outfit is two sizes too small and he wants to wear it everyday. As soon as I get it out the dryer, he is wearing it. When it is dirty, he will ask to get it washed because he "wants to save the day".

Making friends.

Cute girl eating grapes.

So beautiful!

Rugrats

The best family car ever.

Loves to make noise...err, music. :)

pumpkin fun

Isa out picking pumpkins. She kept running all over, climbing and trying to stand on the pumpkins.
"Yeah! We're at the pumpkin patch"
Check out my pumpkins!

The boys. Just couldn't get both of them to look at the camera at the same time. Carving out our jack-o-lanterns.
So intense.

A hiking we will go....

We had a really busy and fun day today. We went up to Pilot Mountain. Compared to Utah mountains, it is a hill. Fun none the less. The trees are changing color and it's just beautiful. After that we headed over to the Yadkin river to try some fishing. No luck there, but it sure made for a nice picnic spot. On our way home we saw a sign that read Hanging Rock National Park. We sure got our exercise when we decided to take the 2.4 mile hike (round trip).

This is the looking down from Pilot Mountain. FYI: Pilot Mt rises 1400 ft above the valley floor. There are trees everywhere. There is camping, hiking trails, and horseback riding. Plus the lazy Yadkin river is nearby for fishing or rafting. It is best recognized as Mt. Pilot from the Andy Griffith show. We are in Mayberry...

Where's Isabelle?
There she is! Such a happy girl when she's outside.

He's starting early...good thing he can't reach the pedals. What a cheese!

This was the phrase of the day: "Now, that's the way to hike" Isa was the least tired of the bunch.


Defunct train tracks....make for great pictures.

Sam took this picture of us. He's acquiring mad skills with the camera.






Ready to start fishing...




Yadkin River...

No fishies...

Rrarr! I'm a tiger!







Busy eating lunch, being a space cadet just like her mom...















The beginning to our 2.4 mile trek at Hanging Rock National Park.




Beautiful colors. Love this time of year.




Look I'm a tree....

"I'm tired"

How I hiked half the trip up and most the trip down. Couldn't tell you which was worse.

Stopping for a small break...almost there.

My knees were trembling...so worth the hike up.

I love Isa in this picture.

Another one of Sam's picture.

Always ready to climb...

Reading the sign, making sure we are heading the right way out.