Bagpipes

A member family in our ward is part of a pipe and drum group. They needed a place to practice. Jason, as bishop, said they could use the cutural hall and asked if we could come and see. It was loud but very cool.

 They let the girls play on the drums between sets. 

Brother Frazier also let Jason try his bagpipes. Apparently Jason is a natural and one of the few that Brother Frazier had seen could activate all three drones on his first try. We had a great time watching the rehearsal and learning about pipes and drums. 

Setting up Christmas

We set up Christmas today. These bannisters were perfect for garland and bows. I love the way it all looks. It feels so festive now. Let the holiday season begin!

Cards from Friends

Paige got cards from Jack and Fiona today! They were so cute!! It really made Paige's day.

They had recieved her letter and decided to send back cards. Fiona also made a card for Eva, Darby and Brendan. What a sweetheart. We miss them.

Andersons Visit

The Andersons came for Thanksgiving dinner and stayed through Saturday. It was fun to have old friends visit. Our house was full of kids. They all got along rather well. We had a ton of fun. The girls particularly loved little Carter and Darby was often found following him around the entertain him. 

Brendan was excited to have a boy his age to spend time with as well (Parker). They came with us to the Dickens Festival. 

 The only one who didn't have fun was Stella. She was wound up and didn't seem to care much for Carter. We had to crate her a lot of the time. Bummer.

Dickens Holiday

We arrived at the Dickens Festival before the Andersons so we went right to the cookie decoaring booth. We used to do this every year. 

After that we looked at the gingerbread houses and voted on our favorite. They were very impressive this year. 

Next up, some hot cider from a local vendor. It was VERY cold so this hit the spot.

Then we wandered the booths and listened to the carolers. This really made it feel like Christmas. The Victorian era costumes and carols were wonderful. 

Our friends, the Thiriots, were having a violin concert in one of the halls. Like us they lived in Fayetteville but moved away and now are back. It was fun to see them.  We met up with the Andersons at their concert. 

We had some pictures taken with the "bobbies". 

All the naughty children. ;)

We found a gingerbread man!

Father Christmas brought small gifts for the children. 

There was a street magician with a rabbit. The kids loved it. Okay, so the adults did too.

There was also a juggler that tried to teach us how to balance a peacock feather on one finger. It's harder than it sounds. 

Of course we had to replicate the picture from a few years ago. Paige was almost three the last time they were "behind bars". 

Then it came time to light our candles to get ready for the candlelight procession through downtown.

Even little Carter got one. 

I love the symbolism fo shring your light. We were able to help light other people's candles to begin the procession. It's my favorite part of the festival. 

The kids sat down in a circle while we waited and each said something they were thankful for. It was their idea. So precious!!

Then the procession began. After many "huzzahs" and a few speeches, they lit the official Christmas tree and the fireworks started. This is such a fun tradition!!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving dinner came together very easily. The girls helped me with the rolls and mashed potatoes.

Jason is always in charge of the turkey as I don't really care for turkey much anyway. Looks pretty good, eh? 

The Anderson were late, so the food was a little cold, but it  was tasty nonetheless. We didn't even have that many leftovers. I don't have any pictures of the actual meal as we were enjoying ourselves with friends so much. The kids enjoyed playing and the adults stayed up way too late talking. Tomorrow we go to the Dickens Festival in downtown. Its one of Jason's favorite traditions!

Winning

Aunt Amanda taught us a card game called Trash many years ago. We love it and still play it frequently. It is kind of like War with a twist. A two gives you an extra turn. We play that the Joker defeats any card and gives you an extra turn. Tonight, Eva was the luckiest EVER. She had the best cards in her over-deck, and when she had to pull blindly from her under-deck, three of them were unstoppable too. 

This is how Brendan felt about her win.

Keeping in Touch

Right after Jack left, Paige decided she wanted to write him a letter. So she wrote it and we sent it to the new address so he could have some nice mail when he arrived. However, there were some issues with the house they were renting so they had to go to another rental. The mail got forwarded so he got it much later than intended.

That was okay because we set it up so Paige and Jack could Skype each other today. They were as goofy as ever. It was so cute to see Jack, Fiona and Paige talk like they weren't miles apart. I am grateful for modern technology.