Catalina's B-day and Pre-Christmas Time

If you have not visited for awhile make sure to see the previous post. Right after Thanksgiving we got our tree. We elected to get a smaller tree do to our little one, Catalina, and that we will be leaving for Illinois on Christmas day.

Here is a photo just before we walked to the Christmas Parade 

at the beginning of the month.

Our baby turned one year old this month. In the morning Catalina opened presents with Griffin and Olive June.

Mama getting some one year old sugar.

She loves her new riding toy.

She also enjoyed some birthday cake.

Catalina with her friend Juniper who was born 

within a month of Cat's birthday.

Good ol' Bean. She is still a good sport with all of the kids.

The girls play on a colder day.

Catalina loves trying to climb up the side of our chair.

Funny drink face.

The other day we found some old 4th of July Sparklers. 

The kids had a great time playing with them.

Mesmerized.

 So much fun.

The next post will be in the new year. We hope you all have a great Holiday and the New Year finds you well.

Griffin's B-day and Thanksgiving

 It is still hard to believe that Griffin is now 7 years old. It is amazing how far he and we have come over that time. He got a Birthday Donut, instead of a cake, on his actual school day Birthday.

 He was very excited to get Angy Birds: Star Wars.

 He even let his sister help him open presents. What a nice brother.

For Griffin's Birthday Party we invited a bunch of his friends to class about snakes at the Athens Nature Center. All the kids had a great time learning about and touching snakes.

 Olive June at a shy snake moment.

Catalina had fun too.

 

 Griffin also enjoyed his actual Birthday Cake.

 For Thanksgiving this year we visited our friends, the Banyai's, at their home in Granite Falls, NC. It was so great to see them and catch-up a bit. We had a wonderful meal a few days together.

 Their girls loved hanging out with Catalina.

 Catalina riding a zebra.

 All the bigger kids together.

Back home Catalina loved getting a bath.

This is a pumpkin and flower that Olive June gifted to me.

Rubies and Halloween

We had a great October. The kids always look forward to Halloween but this year we had an even better treat. The Rubies, Matt, Lisa and Rocco, visited us for a couple days. It was so good to have all of them out. The kids really enjoyed being together.

We got our Thomas Trains out to entertain Rocco.

All the kids had fun.

 Rocco checking a toy out.

The weekend the Rubies visited was the weekend of Mollie's Birthday. For Mollie's Birthday we went to her favorite breakfast restaurant called "Big City Bread." They have great outdoor dining and chalk for drawing. The kids loved it.

 Auntie Lisa and Catalina at "Big City."

 Lisa, Mollie and Catalina.

Matt is a BBQ fan so we had to find a great place for him while he was out.

He enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich from the famous "Butt Hutt."

We also took the kids to our local park, down the street. 

Here are Griffin and Rocco climbing around.

They had a great time horsing around on the slide.

 During a Rocco nap Uncle and Auntie went with me and the kids to the "Monkey Tree." The kids got to show off their climbing skills.

A bath after a long busy day.

After Rubies left the kids anticipated Halloween. Here is Griffin and Olive June sitting outside, on a nice fall day, watching the neighborhood traffic.

 

Halloween came and we were ready. You can probably guess which

Jack-o-lantern is Griffin's and which is OJ's.

Just like last year, we went Trick-or-treating with our good friends, the Smith's. 

From left: Justice (Diego), Noah (Luigi),

Olive June (Cinderella) and Griffin (Batman).

Here I am (Daddy) with Catalina the bumble bee.

 Catalina playing with Batman.

 The Ladies. From left: Shanna Smith, Isa (teddy bear), Catalina and Mollie.

A Cub Scout, Corn-maze, and Greenville

Griffin started Cub Scouts this year. Luckily he had a couple friends in his den to keep him interested. He has already earned some belt loops and learned a lot. He looks very handsome and official in his uniform.

We, as a family, went to a Corn-maze. We wandered around in the maze and had a lot of fun.

 I was carrying Catalina in this photo.

 Mollie and OJ.

There were also some animals to pet at the Corn-maze.

We recently visited our friends, the Brannon's, in Greenville. It was so great to see them and get the kids together. Here are the bigger kids throwing bread to some ducks in downtown Greenville near the waterfall.

 More duck feeding; looks like pigeon tried

to get in on the action too.

There was also a small downtown fair that weekend.

Griffin got to ride a fair ride.

 The Brannon's. This was our first time meeting their

youngest, Nate.

 Rachel, Nate, Mollie and Catalina.

Catalina, once again, loved a swing.

 Meg and Catalina having fun.

Catalina and Nate swinging.

Griffin having fun on the big kid swing.

 The Billings'

Now we go back home. Here is crawling Catalina.

 Catalina loves her brother.

 Olive June is our little skater. She is steady

and confident without assistance.