our family sure enjoyed this day after christmas snow!! here are some shots of the family sledding at the pond in our neighborhood. the boys had a blast, and caroline wanted to be right in the middle of it all as well. christmas pics will follow...

this was our second year joining the anderson's in what we hope will be an annual tradition!!

we took off saturday morning for boone with one goal..

it was equally as cold and windy as last year, but we had a great time on the hayride..picking a tree..there was even some horseback riding which ben david bravely attempted!

finally, we enjoying some yummy pizza together!

that evening (pictures are in reverse order of occurence:)...our family had a great time decorating together...a first for us. it was fun to see the boys into the ornaments and picking out which ones were theirs. we have some great homemade ones from our cousins over the years, and many from great aunt geraldine as well. there are even some that were ben's when he was little!!

the evening was complete with christmas pj's, homemade sugar cookies (courtesy of ben) and eggnog!! there is even picture of the boys "clinking" glasses and saying "cheers!!":)

it was a fun start to the season of advent as we prepare for christ's coming.

(p.s....be sure not to miss the previous thanksgiving post!:)

lots and lots and lots of sprinkles.

this past weekend we enjoyed a really fun trip to riverbend farm in midland, nc with the wray family!! audrey and aims laid low at home this year, but k and deuce joined in on the adventure. the boys had a great time experiencing the tractor ride to the pumpkin patch, 40 foot silo slides, hot dogs and much more!! caroline...well, she enjoyed being chased around the wide open fields and trying to pick up pumpkins much bigger than she is...

all my pumpkins:)

ben david...taking a break in the pumpkin patch

so...this past weekend, our fearless fathers...ben and evan...packed up ALL the kiddos (minus miss caroline and annascott) and off they went to pisgah forest in asheville for a super fun camping trip!!!! while my sister and i stayed home with the little girls, this crew of 2 adults and 6 kids took off for an adventure that included hiking, wading/swimming in the river, finding snakes, eating roasted hot dogs, and marshmellows, hot cocoa, mac and cheese, homeade croissants, biscuits AND pancakes!! all of this prepared via campfire and campstove...very impressive!!! the tent was pretty cool as well...three whole rooms! it was called the "XL 3 room vacation lodge"...almost enough to persuade me to come...almost. from what we have heard....this trip was a BLAST!! ben david continues to talk about the hot cocoa with marshmellows and james the super cool tent and snake that daddy found. these cousins had a great time together, and what amazing dads to provide such an exciting experience. there is no doubt this was the first of what will certainly be a fall tradition!!

i will have to snag some of evan's pics so we have some of ben as well...these are all from my camera, hence, none of ben!

campfire time

chef extraordinare...ho-bo's for the guys...

last weekend we had the great honor of entertaining our good friends, andreas, and his new bride...julia! these newlyweds are from germany, and are currently spending a few weeks in the states on their honeymoon.that being said...they voluntarily chose to spend the weekend with our family on the east coast leg of their tour of the US! we were flattered and delighted to host this wonderful couple.

the boys were so excited about their "friends" coming to visit. their fun started when ben took them friday evening to the airport for an exciting "picnic" where they got to watch the planes land. after that, they picked up our friends and even assisted with the luggage (see below).

the boys quickly took to andreas and julia. james immediately requested that andreas read him a book once they got home. actually...for the remainder of the weekend, ben and i were pretty much off duty. ben david and james made it clear all weekend that they wanted ride in the car (a very fun convertible) with their friends, have their friends take and pick them up from sunday school, play with them, etc....

and andreas and julia did not miss a beat..they jumped right into our weekend routine, starting with some yard sale hoping, followed by the traditional saturday morning "pancake breakfast at mcdonalds". this was actually julia's first time trying a pancake...and what better place to do that:) after breakfast..it was off to ben david's first soccer game!! we had a great time...and ben david proudly scored his very first goal!!

the weekend festivites continued as we took andreas and julia out for some mexican food that night at cantina 1511. sunday, we enjoyed church together, then a yummy lunch at the andersons. that night, we had a great time grilling out at ben's parents.

all in all...it was a terrific weekend!!!

WE MISS YOU ANDREAS AND JULIA...COME BACK SOON!!!!!!!:)

fast friends

sweet julia was willing to ride in the backseat with the boys!!


cruising in the convertible...