We had an early Thanksgiving lunch with Great Grandmother McKibben at The Oaks one Saturday. The children thought it was great to do something different and we hope that Grandmother enjoyed the visit despite some of the inevitable chaos! She smiled and laughed as always, loving on the children and introducing us to everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving Great Grandmother!

Such a Happy Boy

More shots of our happy boy, Caleb

With his "buddy" Papa Ron

"Play My Dolls!"

Colleen loves to play with her dolls. She will come to us during the day and say, "Mommy, play my dolls one minute," as she holds up her pointer finger to emphasize the reasonable amount of time she is requesting! So, we put clothes on them and fix their hair. And here she is with her treasures.

Pulling up to Standing

For about a week and a half now Caleb has been pulling up on everything in the house. We are amazed by his strength and so very amused by his expression each time we call his name or glance his direction. He loves attention and interaction, always rewarding his audience with a great big grin!

Harvest Fest 2010

This year for Harvest Fest we volunteered to make a Trunk of Treats with our van. We had to come up with a game to play and decorate the van accordingly. So, we decided to coordinate with the kids costumes. Jason was a brave knight, Colleen was the beautiful princess, and Caleb made for a jester that certainly brought many smiles to our faces. Kids at the the festival shot plastic arrows at the dragon and got plenty of candy whether they hit the target or not. It was a fun time for families, especially ours.

The highlight of the day was a preschool power wheels race. After the kids who brought their own raced, they offered to let others give it a shot. Jason jumped at the chance! Samuel says he drove like a pro and made it to the finish line for third place. He came running back to the van to show off his trophy. Way to go, Jason!

So close!

Caleb is so close to truly crawling on his hands and knees. The moment his arms are strong enough, he will be off. Seeing as he already army crawls over to the drawers for toys indicates that things may get crazy soon!

You might be a redneck if...

You might be a redneck if your children's favorite activities include:

Playing in a bucket

Riding in the trailer while Daddy cuts grass

Playing in a sandbox that is two old tires filled with sand!

Tallulah Gorge, Pitts Park, and Grandmama

We have enjoyed visits from Grandmama recently. She is great about encouraging us to get out, see new things and enjoy fun activities. We went to story time at the Library one morning to learn all about fire safety and explore fire trucks at the nearby fire station. Jason chose his first chapter book (Snow White) from the library so with each visit they gradually made it to the happy ending. We even made homemade tortillas for our fajitas one evening. This past weekend we visited Tallulah Gorge and had fun walking the trails to find each new overlook. Colleen and Grandmama looked for white arrows that marked our path and Colleen carried baby doll the whole way. We had a great time.

Grandmama and Colleen taking a break to check out one of the benches

Back on the trail

Mommy and Caleb trying to get a picture with Colleen

Exploring buddies

We also spent an afternoon at Pitts Park right next to Samuel's work. He met us for lunch and some fun skipping rocks in the river.

Colleen finds a stone

"Mama, watch me skip this rock!"

There it goes

Even Caleb dipped his toes in the cold water

...And 4 to Go!

When we asked Jason what he would like to do for his birthday this year he said a trip to see Uncle Joe, Aunt Abby, Uncle Bubba, and Aunt Jess would be great, so we took our birthday boy on the road. But before leaving, we celebrated with family here.

Same Birthday pose but how can we make him stop growing and changing?!

Blowing out the candles with some help from Ty

What a pal

"Okay, can we stop talking and open the presents?"

"Please!"

"Fine, one last picture."

A great tent from Papa Ron and Nonna

A magnetic puzzle map of the USA from the Warbingtons

We left on September 1st for the first half of Jason's Birthday Trip and arrived at Uncle Joe and Aunt Abby's house in Raleigh, NC at about 10:30 pm. The next day we visited the Raleigh Museum of Life and Science. It was a wonderful place to run, play, explore, and learn...just right for Jason. A late lunch at Uncle Joe's Chick-Fil-A and a cookie cake from Aunt Abby made for the perfect ending to the day. Jason was showered with such love and special attention by everyone and we cannot thank Uncle Joe and Abby enough. It was a great trip!

Jason and Lizzie seeing what different sounds each thing made

Colleen listening to the wind move over the pipes

The Birthday Boy

Aunt Abby and Josh checking out the drums

Even Caleb got a turn

Colleen hiding in the train car

Josh was content to take it all in from the stroller

Snack time...every one's favorite!

After a trip to the splash zone and kiddie pool the following day, it was off to VA on Saturday to see Uncle Bubba and Aunt Jess. The entire weekend was nothing but jumping off the dock to swim, riding in the boat, exploring the beach, and hanging out with family...PERFECT. Aunt Jess had a cake waiting for Jason and so the party continued! We couldn't have enjoyed ourselves more or been more proud of our 4 year old Jason. He is becoming a GREAT BOY, so full of potential, possibility, and power to do AWESOME things for the kingdom of God. My, how we love him! Happy Birthday Jason.

After seeing me carry Caleb in the Baby Bjorn, Shea had to have a turn. She carried him like this for what seemed like hours and he loved it!

Jason and Josiah...cousins and best friends

Samuel, Jon Langley, and a four wheeler...a recipe for trouble!

Our girl

On the boat headed to the beach

Shea and Colleen exploring the beach

A nap on the beach after a weekend full of fun