Turkey/Tofurkey Time











Grammy does a good job of spoiling everyone over holidays and making sure we all have our heart's desire whether that be pie, champagne, or Tofurkey.... This Thanksgiving was no exception! We all did our part: Jenn Habel's fantastic mushroom casserole (a tradition I anticipate every year!), Emeril's roasted cauliflower, Mom's stuffing (also a yearly tradition, my corn pudding (courtesy of Bill Dawers), green beans, Kate's mashed potatoes, Johnny's smoked turkeys (and tofurkey for some!), and Barbara's famous pies. What a feast! Entertainment courtesy of the cousins of course....

Turkey Trot



Thanksgiving morning we were in Atlanta--we were without David though who was on call in Jesup--next year he'll be off all week.... It was the first time I made the trip with both girls solo--the secret is the Scholastic Books DVD with 100 high quality well-loved DVD versions of our favorite stories read by famous actors. The short duration and wide variety kept the yelling at bay for all of us! Thanks for the recommendation, Anne! We'd arrived in time on Tuesday to visit Addie and to hit the Center for Puppetry Arts for their production of Rudolph on Wednesday morning. Yet again, it was a spectacular production, the perfect length, and the girls were mesmerized. We hit Five Seasons after for their fantastic lunch--who knew Kit would be a fan of mussels! Thursday morning Barbara had us at the Gobble Jog in Marietta Square. Elsie sprinted the 1K in record time. I don't think it was a personal best for speedy Barb but a good time was had by the whole gang!

Post-Party/ Behind the Scenes

Bluffton House Party





While our HHI getaway is under construction, we have escaped a few times to visit the Belzers in Bluffton--our escape away from our escape.... Here is a few photos of girl fun.... Adult fun took place after girls were to bed and the camera was put away.... thankfully!

Disney Princesses On Ice







Ginger and I screwed up our courage and kept our wallets closed to tackle Disney Princesses on Ice with our girls yesterday. They were transfixed until intermission. After an infusion of popcorn, pretzels, and cotton candy as well as a fair share of begging for over-priced princess propaganda , Kit was less enchanted. While I may have lost all credibility, integrity, and sense of identity having attended such an event, our girls seemed to hold up admirably and were focused on ice skating and dinosaurs and soccer balls more than princessing afterwards.... so no harm, no foul, right?

TGIF

K Bear

Hump Day... Just another Wednesday

Negligence







So we have been terribly negligent recording our adventures photographically or textually lately. Actually, I should retract that--we do have fantastic family photos taken by our dear buddy Ashley Gaddy. We are going to save those for a year end post and holiday card--a good conclusion before we send this blogging year to print with Blog2Print...

All a Blur

I don't know if everyone else's lives rise to a frenzy like this every fall and spring.... but the life of an academic is such that the semester inspires a kind of predictable insanity... where the end of term looms along with life deadlines that yield a snowball, a landslide, a human phenomenon of unnatural proportions. So here we are...

Since Halloween, there have been trips to HHI to pack up the house for renovations, to Bluffton to visit the Belzers, and to Colorado for me for another conference (and adventure with Wendy!) We also hosted GranAnn and Pop Roy much to the grandgirls' delight--they were desperate to be spoiled by them! And in between, there was work and school and holiday planning... I work myself up so thoroughly in advance planning parties for the holiday and K's birthday, ordering cards and calendars, and listing and shopping for gifts--all so I can wonder what the rush was later next month!

All is well, but it is no surprise the girls are a little sniffly, scratchy, and run down this week. Elsie says she has a sore throat that "comes and goes." Wild Kit runs and hides under the dining room table so we can't blow her nose. Mom and Dad are tackling the prospect of a cold homeopathically and intensely. Keep your fingers crossed!