Happy Thanksgiving!!

Kirt's brother and sister-in-law came up to visit on Thanksgiving. We had a really good time visiting with them. As always, we made too much food (but it was good, if I do say so myself). After our feast, we decide to get some fresh air and enjoy some of the Emerald coast. Off we went to one of the local beaches, it was Chris' first time on a panhandle beach. We walked for a little while and then let the kids play of the playground that was there. We definately have a lot to be thankful for this year.

Lets Go Fly A Kite!

Way back when school started, I found these kites on sale for a dollar and set them aside. As usual, the kids found them and were bugging me to take them out to fly them. Kirt was able to take off a couple of days before Thanksgiving, since the kids were out of school all week, and we found some open fields to fly the kites! The kids had a blast. Of course, Kirt had fun too I think... He was trying to ram into Emily's kite which made for good times all around.

Thanksgiving Lucheon

Jason's preschool hosted a lovely Thanksgiving luncheon on their last day before the break. The kids did a little performance and then we all had a wonderful feast! There were about 200 people there according to the staff, so all in all it went pretty well. Daddy was even able to make it! :)

Evening at Mike and Carrie's

We went to a good friend's house this weekend to help celebrate their son's birthday. We had a mini reunion with 6 guys from the class and nearly all of their spouses, hope you feel better soon Ali. We had a great time. Brought back some memories for sure.

Ring around the Rosie

Some really good friends are in town and we got together the other night for dinner. It was nice catching up with them. The kids had a great time playing together.

More photos from the weekend!

While my parents were in town we went walking and looked up along trail and saw this--

It is harmless, but they are still pretty good sized spiders that I don't want to come across on a bike ride. Neither does Kirt again :)

We also have proof that you don't have to go too far north to see some fall colors

I just like this one, the water was so calm in that spot that the reflection was wonderful

My Parents visit last weekend

We are very fortunate that we have moved so close to both of our parents. This past weekend my parents were able to make it up for an extended visit (with Tuesday being Veteran's day it was a little easier). We went to several area parks for walks and the kids had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa. For some reason we didn't get any photos of the grandparents during the trip, but we will see them again next month :)Jason was pretending to be Diego again and found these racoon tracks. Never saw the racoon, thank goodness.

Exploring one of the local State Parks

Sunday morning we decided to go to one of the local State Parks and walk around. Many of the state parks say that they have walking trails, but until very recently we haven't tried them(Strollers don't go to well in soft sand) the kids are too heavy to carry when they get tired. So off we went to Topsail Hill to walk the nature trail. Turns out a 2.5 mile trail through soft sand is pretty tiring, so needless to say we didn't finish and had to turn around before we were even halfway done. Still got to see some "nature" though. Who knew that within a few hundred yards of the Gulf of Mexico there is a freshwater lake!

We also were able to see lots of crab tracks and one crab. Kirt told Jason that we were like Diego since we found the animal that was making the tracks.
Just had to get a photo of this butterfly.

Next time we decide to "hike" this trail we will bring a few more supplies. But I think we will probably do it again before we leave here.

Halloween Activities

After a long day of fun at school, it was time for a short 2 hour break before the evening activities began. Of course, they didn't rest like I thought they would, so I had some doubts as to how long they would last. Luckily, they did fine. We started the evening at a neighbor's house for some pre Trick or Treat fun. They had some games set up for the kids and we all pitched in the food and drinks. A very nice way to start the night, we may do it again next year. Thanks again Julie!!

Then we were off to Trick Or Treat for about an hour. Jason's bag was so heavy that he ended up letting Daddy hold the loot, while he went to knock on the doors. This technique made him much faster between houses, he was Dash (from the Incredibles) after all.

After all this fun we headed home where we had a little Post Trick or Treat Party with some of the neighbors. All in all a fun night for everyone!!

School Day Halloween Fun

What a busy Halloween we had!!The day started out with a Kindergarten Halloween parade at 9:00. Emily was able to wear her costume to school!! The kids were so cute in their little costumes.

After the parade, the kids all gathered in the mulitpurpose room where they sang some Halloween songs that they have been working on. Then Jason and I went home to get our house ready for the after Trick Or Treat party.

At around 1:00 we returned to the school for the Halloween party in the classroom. The ladies that set this up are very creative and did a wonderful job. The kids were able to decorate a rice cake like a jackolantern, decorate a foam visor and make a spider with their hands. Lots of fun for all. They even let Jason participate in the spider activity.