The Farmhouse Getaway

This is the farmhouse we stayed in for Thanksgiving.

It is located in Stanley, VA. In the Shenandoah Valley.

The house had three bedrooms, one bathroom, lots of space to roam outside, a hot tub, and a fire pit for making lots of smores. We had a great time and enjoyed the view of the mountains the entire time we were there!

Our last morning Caroline and Ryan were very hard to wake! They had been outside the entire Thanksgiving weekend! They were still asleep at 9:15 AM, our children usually wake up early! The trip was a huge success! We enjoyed spending time and playing with each other!

Riding around

We took the kids' Power Wheels to the farmhouse for them to ride. They had so much fun that the batteries were dead after just one day. They would go far out into the field. Yoshi would chase after them. Caroline and Ryan liked to ride together too!

Hot Tub Fun

What can I say, we all loved the hot tub!

Caroline loved it the most! She was in the hot tub one day for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening. We loved to watch hundreds of birds go over the house migrating for the winter and to see all the stars at night. Yoshi even hopped in once, to clean up from the mud he rolled around in. Caroline and Ryan were in the hot tub one morning and Steve had a fire going in the fire pit and would serve them roasted marshmallows while they soaked in the tub!

What a life!

One Dirty Dog

Yoshi enjoyed the farm! He loved being able to run and play in the field. He chased a cat up a post and rolled around in the mud. Yoshi slept good every night we were there!

This is the field Yoshi would run around in!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year! We did miss spending time with our families and we are looking forward to Christmas with them.

This Thanksgiving we went to a farm for Thanksgiving. All our food was heat and serve, even the turkey. I did make a carrot cake and cranberry chutney, that was it! We set the table as we would have at home. This was a stress free Thanksgiving, after eating we all relaxed outside.

A Honey Baked Ham Turkey. Heat for 2 hours and serve. It was yummy!

As you can tell, both kiddos were not into taking pictures, they were ready to eat!

Caroline is reading!

Tonight Caroline wanted to read a book to me, The Very Busy Spider. She really is catching on to words and sounding out letters and putting them together! She is even using her finger and pointing to each word to make sure she reads it. This is so exciting to me! I hope I never forget her excitement for reading and I hope she enjoys reading her entire life! This was a great way to end our day together!

Happy Birthday Steve!

Happy Birthday Steve!

We love you so much and hope your day was very special!

A Crying Dog

This is Caroline's painting from art class.

It is a picture of a crying dog. Caroline shares that the dog is crying because his friends would not play with him. The dogs were having a play date and they forgot to invite him. The dog was not happy.

Eskimo Kisses

It was a very cold day today! When taking the children to the buses after school we saw snow flurries! It only lasted a few minutes, but everyone was happy to see the white stuff! We all came home and wanted warm soup for dinner!

Ryan has been giving Eskimo kisses to Steve and I all the time and Caroline is his new victim! He loves to give Eskimo kisses, but is not gentle.

Enjoy watching our children love on one another!

Stay warm!

Ready to serve!

Dear Mr. President-elect,
I heard you were looking for a hypo-allergenic dog to take to the White House with you in January. I would like to offer my services to you. I love my family dearly, but have always wanted to serve my country. I believe the White House would be perfect for me. I am an immigrant from Japan, but unlike you I am not a mutt. I am a lovable dog, love to take walks, play with children, and I will keep the floors clean by eating food dropped on the floor. Please consider me for this position. I would like to visit my family on weekends and holidays.
Thank you,
Yoshi

Candy Party!

Yes, we had a candy party!

Steve and I are so tired of the candy from Halloween.

Our two children ask for it from the time they wake up until the time they go to bed. They have even taken several pieces without asking. So we decided to have a candy party tonight that lasted 30 minutes!

The party rules were: sort the candy, eat as much as you want, and when 30 minutes is up we throw the rest of the candy away. It worked like a charm! Caroline got her share of candy, she wasted little time, and even told with her entire class about our candy party today at school. After a few minutes Ryan was tired of eating candy and ready to play trains on the computer. The candy has now been taken away and we can start tomorrow without the sugar! Yeah! Candy is so so yummy, but it makes for grumpy, cranky, and whiny children. I think this will begin a tradition we have every Halloween night! Eat what you can during the party and the rest is history.

Try having a candy party of your very own today!

He He

Cast your Vote!

Steve and I went to the polls around 9 this morning. The lines were not long and when we got inside the gym our name really helped! The table was U through Z. The table did not have one person in line. We both casted our votes and were home a few minutes later! It took longer to walk from the house to the school then waiting in line and voting. We voted only for three things this year, President, senator, and congressman.

The excitement starts tonight when the polls start closing and results come in!

Caroline voted at school on Thursday during the mock election. She voted for Aqua Bama. She said he looked nice and likes to make Chili. We asked about McCain and she said he did not look as nice. Wow, I wish it was that simple!

Fall Leaves part 1

This is the entrance of our neighborhood and it is just gorgeous this time of year! Everyone seems to slow down to take in the beauty!

Caroline and I went to take some photos of the leaves!

Caroline is looking for the turtle.

We saw his head pop up and then he swam away.

Picture Perfect!

It is hard to believe it is November!

Steve already has the Christmas music playing in the house.

Fall Leaves part 2

I just had to share these photos! The leaves are beautiful at this time of year and we all love to stand on our deck and see God's beauty!

Enjoy!

October 31st!

Caroline and Ryan are ready for a night of Trick or Treating. Caroline is a fairy and Ryan is Thomas! Caroline made her bag at school and had to use it tonight! Steve took Caroline and Ryan trick or treating while I sat on the steps giving out the candy. I had several students come to my house. One student said she did not realize she lived so close to me and her Grandmother shared that now she can come by and ask questions whenever she needs to. I shared with them that I was just borrowing the house for the night to give out candy. I do not think they believed me!?! Caroline and Ryan came home about an hour later with lots of candy! They had a great time going door to door!