Thanksgiving at the Cabin with Heidi!

Heidi, Max and Maggie joined us at the cabin for the rest of Thanksgiving weekend. We had a blast! There was just enough snow to go sledding. Charlotte was the first one to test out the sled track.

 The boys watched the girls sled for awhile before deciding to head out themselves. You can see Charlotte running up the hill with her sled out the window. The boys played really well together, especially partnering up for games of chess.

 Reed seemed to like the snow.

 On Saturday we had Amy and Michael and their kids over for dinner and night sledding. At Heidi's urging, Eben built this big fire which made hanging out by the sled track way more inviting.

Barclay Lake Black Friday Hike with Heidi and Joy

We are trying to keep a tradition of going for a hike on Black Friday - way better than going to the mall. This year we picked the kid-friendly Barclay Lake hike just north of Baring off Route 2. It was a pretty flat hike, four miles round trip. We met Joy and her kids: Neeva, Keely, Levi, and Cade and also Heidi with Max and Maggie. Charlotte is in the same kindergarten class as Keely, Levi and Cade.

 It was a cold day in the mountains. Reed - pre-hike, feeling good.

 Heidi and Max crossing crystal clear Barclay Creek.

 Unfortunately the hike was one of the hardest I have ever done due to the 90 trees down across the trail. The trees had fallen in a storm a week-and-a-half ago and we had no idea what we were in for, but didn't feel like turning around once we'd come so far. The kids handled it well, but it was really difficult for Eben to navigate the over and unders with Reed on his back in the carrier.

 But we finally made it to the lake and it was beautiful, covered in ice, and in the shadow of Baring Mountain.

 Joy and her kiddos hamming it up.

 We did it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is fun to find out from the kids what they know about Thanksgiving. Here are a couple of Edison's thoughts on the subject. Charlotte made a lot of Thanksgiving artwork to put up at home. She also learned what a cornucopia is and how the balloons work for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. So - we have quite the spectrum of knowledge so far.

 On Wednesday we had dad and his friend Marsha over for our Thanksgiving and had a lovely meal together.

 Happy kids on Thanksgiving morning. I gave thanks for Edison who made the kids breakfast so that Eben and I got to sleep in until 8:00!

 Playing with trains and waiting to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

 Kirstie hosted us all at her house for the Thanksgiving meal. It was a lovely day and we twisted Jason's arm to be our Christmas card photographer. What a great job!

 Oh - that face! So sneaky and full of mirth. He definitely has mastered pushing my buttons, but he can also be a complete sweetheart and cuddle bug.

Fall at the Cabin, Nana's Birthday Cake, and Evie's Birthday

We have been fortunate to have the time to make it out to cabin a lot in November. This weekend was another weekend that Eben needed to get some burning done to clean up the yard. These logs are the final remnants of the sixty trees that were down on the property from the windstorm that happened just before we bought it. The new growth is already quite impressive and it doesn't feel very open despite all the clearing. Edison is daddy's best fire helper.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, Reed and I walked to the playground and just had fun playing outside in the beautiful valley.

Eben with Daddy on Veteran's Day.

 Charlotte was the driving force behind Nana's birthday cake this year, though we all helped (even Nana). We learned some new techniques and it turned out to taste as great as it looked.

 

We also got to celebrate Evie turning two! And found out that Pete and Jennie will be having their third child in May!

 

What a ham!

 Ms. Cami and Ms. Helen's Toddler 2 Class.

NOVEMBER - Happy Birthday Daddy and Nana!

Today we got together with family to celebrate Eben and Nana's birthdays. We had not gotten together with family since the summer, so it was wonderful to catch up. Kirstie brought this cool dinosaur puzzle over and Charlotte couldn't wait to put it together.

 

She also found the costume box and started going wild. This monster one was the one Reed wore last year as a Yoda. It is supposed to be for a one-year-old!

 

 The ladies.

 

And the birthday boy and girl. Kathie made the BEST mocha chocolate cheese cake for dessert, plus yummy carrot cake muffins. Divine!