The novelty of sitting in front of a warm fire was exciting all week!
playing "restaurant"--Harper was taking Ryder's order for dinner
I love the irony of sitting in a bathing suit in front of the fireplace.
I couldn't resist taking a picture of the temperature before we hopped in the hot tub!
I enjoyed having my hot coffee on the balcony several mornings while wrapped up in a blanket...ahh.
We were pleasantly surprised at how many colorful leaves were still on the trees. It was beautiful!
Andrew cooked a batch of gumbo that we ate off of for several days.
We spent Tuesday and Wednesday on our property, hiking, exploring, and just enjoying the fresh air. It was easier to see the terrain since so many trees have already lost their leaves, so it was like a brand new view!
That's my girl, playing Barbie while sitting in the woods.
when nature calls 😉
crouching by the fire
collecting and breaking up some sticks
Where's Waldo Andrew?
Andrew was in his element, wearing camouflage from head to toe. He was definitely hard to spot if he walked too far away!
Ready to hike! He was still wearing the safety glasses that Andrew had him put on while they were target-shooting.
I thought this hollowed out tree looked cool.
a view from what will be a perfect cabin spot on our land
An original land survey from the '60s marked a beginning point of our land by describing it as the spot where there was "an iron pipe and a forked dogwood." Ha! Andrew used GPS coordinates to find what is supposedly the same spot.
This is the same humongous tree that Andrew and Harper hugged the last time we were there. It's just off the side of what could be a future driveway to our cabin, but it is technically on the neighbor's property. They had several big trees taken down recently, and it was sad to see this one gone. I didn't sit and count the rings, but it had to be extremely old!
Harper helped me make Nana's sweet potato casserole recipe. It's just not Thanksgiving without it!
Our Thanksgiving dinner! We ordered it online ahead of time from a local grocery store deli, and it was delicious! All we had to do was slide things in the oven to heat them through--my kind of cooking with very little clean-up!
Harper enjoyed every last bite and was the last one to leave the table!
Harper's second birthday celebration! She picked out this cupcake for her Thanksgiving dessert, and Andrew and I let her open the presents from us.
~the view from our bedroom balcony~
Andrew opened the curtains one morning and said "wow!" There was a blanket of fog in the valley, and it looked like a river!
wearing a new outfit while reading a new book--both birthday presents
Our "designer dog" enjoying time in the cabin.
We spent several hours in downtown Blue Ridge on Friday, doing some shopping and people-watching. At the place we stopped for lunch, this inflatable snowmen actually shivered, and the kids thought it was pretty funny. :)
a yummy lunch spot
Her butter was finger lickin' good!
Andrew's lunch: a brat and German potato salad
I love the name of this brewery, located in Blue Ridge. Perfect for Andrew! 😜
Harper wanted nothing to do with having her picture taken, but Ryder was a good sport!
Ready to dig in to some funnel cakes!
Do you think Ryder enjoyed his funnel cake?!
Ryder wanted to take a picture with the camera, so these two goofballs made crazy faces.
We really enjoyed the hot tub at our rental cabin. It felt AMAZING to soak in when it was 30-40 degrees outside. Getting out was not quite as enjoyable--brrr!
Harper caught a couple of different ladybugs during the week with her bug kit. One of them she named Rose and kept for about a day before setting her free. This one on her thumb might have been the one after Rose. I can't keep track!
Ryder and Harper each picked out a good walking stick to keep as a souvenir, and Andrew spent quite a bit of time carving their names into them and making notches for their ages. I was very impressed!
exploring in the woods
Although we had the rental house until Sunday morning, our original plan was to leave on Saturday to avoid major traffic and have a day at home before going back to work and school. But as the end of the week approached, none of us were ready to leave! Andrew and the kids convinced me we should stay one more day in order to enjoy the Christmas parade and holiday lights on Saturday. I'm so glad we did because the kids LOVED the parade! They saw Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive on the train, and once the parade started they sat and waved at every car or float that passed. It was a great way to kick off the Christmas season!
waiting for the train to arrive
When they blasted the horn, the kids couldn't believe how loud it was. Their eyes were HUGE!
Why am I the only one smiling? Once again, Harper wanted nothing to do with having her picture taken and Ryder just wanted to drink his hot chocolate.
(I love the bite marks around the lip of her styrofoam cup).
They were laughing and running around until the parade began.
Harper, the "blur"!
Garcia is such a good sport in the car, whether Ryder is putting headphones on him...
...or using him as a pillow!
