An Afternoon with Aunt Cherry, Holiday Style

Today after church Aunt Cherry came to spend the day with us.  Her visits never disappoint as they are always filled with surprises, crafts, and end with a gourmet meal every single time!!  This time was even more exciting for the kids because they got not one, but two Christmas presents early.  Honestly it was more exciting for me because little did they know the real purpose of her visit was to hang the garland (or garlic as Preston calls it) on our staircase.

So after a quick lunch the fun began!  First up was opening gifts, of course!  The kids were SO excited to get such awesome gifts!  Preston got some jumbo pine cones and a kite that spans 6' wide.  Savannah got a message board for her new room along with super cute decorative knobs for her new dresser and desk that will arrive soon.  We then spent some time talking about Savannah's room . . . from deciding on a paint color to buying lamps at PBTeen we squeezed it all in.

After that the boys took to some much needed yard work while the girls worked inside.  I worked on putting lights on the tree while Savannah assisted Aunt Cherry with the garland.  When the work was done it was BEAUTIFUL!!  They then dug into their craft project for the afternoon.  Cherry taught the kids how to carefully cut, tape, and staple paper to make these amazing huge snowflakes.  They spent several hours working on this and were super excited with the end result.

After a quick trip to Target to look for another lamp for Savannah's room and pick up something at CVS, we ended the day with an amazing dinner!!  I swear this woman can cook!  She whipped up a roast that baked for hours leaving my house smelling wonderful, green beans that we loved, homemade mashed potatoes and rolls.  YUM!!!!

Once again a day with Aunt Cherry leaves us with full hearts and bellies!!!  So, so thankful for this time that she pours into our kids . .  making memories that will last a lifetime.

Full Tummies and Thankful Hearts

Today we were able to spend Thanksgiving at my brother's house with all of the Page family! Dave and I started the morning with the annual 8k Turkey Trot here in Charlotte and then had some down time at home before venturing to Mebane for a late lunch, early dinner.

There is nothing better than family time.  We laughed, ate WAY too much, and just enjoyed being together.  God is so good to allow us this time together.  There are many material things we are thankful for, but at the top of our list is sweet family and good health.  What a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Nonstop Fun at PSE

I knew going into this week that it was going to be crazy with a LOT of time spent at PSE!  The fun started with Preston's field trip on Monday morning to the Schiele Museum in Gastonia.  It was fun learning about the early settlers and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day weather wise.

Tuesday I spend the afternoon as Preston's teacher, while she was at planning day.  Normally I dread filling in for the teachers on this day, but I'm telling you Mrs. Safran has this class running like a perfectly oiled machine.  It was honestly a piece of cake to spend the afternoon in first grade with his class.

Wednesday I was back in first grade for my regular literacy volunteer hour and then Thursday I spent the entire morning volunteering in the office.  It's no wonder some teachers think I'm actually on the school payroll!  However, I'm super thankful to have this flexibility to be able to spend so much time at their school . . and that they love having me there!

Creeper Trail Adventure

The shuttle ride to the top of the mountain

We decided to take advantage of the Veteran's Day holiday and go on a family adventure.  I had heard great things about biking the Virginia Creeper Trail so Dave took a vacation day and we headed out early Friday morning. It was quite a drive from Charlotte, but we arrived well in advance of our noon shuttle reservation and had plenty of time to pick out bikes and eat our packed lunch.

After a very long shuttle ride we arrived in Whitetop.  

With our helmets on, we were ready to tackle the 17 mile adventure!

One stop along the way led us to a mountain of Christmas trees. The smell was amazing!

I have to say that it was pretty chilly on the trail.  The wind and shade made it seem much colder than it actually was, but no one really complained.  However, I think we stopped a lot less to take in the scenery than we would have if it had been warmer.  We did take this picture on one of the many bridges we crossed coming down the mountain.

We made it through with no flat tires or injuries so I call it a pretty successful adventure!  It was nice to get back into the car and warm up though!!

Since googlemaps had us passing right through Boone, I had to take the opportunity to show the kids where mommy lived (on and off campus) and to take a quick picture on the way home.  WOW has the campus and city changed!

They were both a bit exhausted :)

The drive home was uneventful and these two quickly passed out.  We decided to stop for dinner at the yummy Cracker Barrell and arrived home around 8:30pm. It was a super fun day and a great way to make some fabulous family memories . . . let's just say now the kids know what a skunk smells like AND know what a hitchhiker is. :)

Lazy & Crazy Tuesday

 Some post lunch fun at the Marion house

My kids are always fascinated with Ms. Kristin's cooking/decorating skills 

Today was a super unusual day in the Bachmann house!  Not only was it a mid-week day off from school (election day), but it was also filled with fun . . . and our share of laziness too.  It felt so wonderful to have a laid back, relaxing morning and to have no schedule at all for the entire day. We all stayed in our jammies until 11:00, when I changed to go for a run.  The kids were thrilled to be able to watch The Price is Right while I was out running and then were even more excited to go to their friend's house for a play date.  After I picked them up from the Marion's house, we headed to the dollar store to complete our Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes and then came home to get ready for dinner.  Of course we watched some after dinner election news and then it was off to bed.  If only more days were like this one!

Y Guides Cookout

As a fun Fall activity, the Bryant family hosted a cookout this afternoon at their new house.  They live on 4 acres of land so the girls (and their siblings) had a blast exploring the woods and playing together.  Again, the weather was perfect!!  We had delicious food and of course the kids enjoyed roasting jumbo marshmallows around the fire.  I have to say it was pretty relaxing to be able to sit and chat with friends while the kids just entertained themselves. :)

Soccer Finale 2016

And just like that we closed out another fun soccer season today! Preston ended up on a great little team that worked well together.  They finished the season 5-2-2 which is pretty awesome since most of them had never even played "real" soccer with goalies before.

After the game they had a little awards ceremony where Preston received his long awaited trophy.  The coaches are always so encouraging, but it was nice to hear them talk about how Preston wasn't just a focused, fast, talented player, but also how well rounded he was . . . not just in playing many different positions, but in being such a kind hearted team player too.

He was super proud of his hologram trophy!

While Preston was busy on the field, his sister and her side kick Anna Kate kept themselves busy building creations in the woods.  This is their final project. :)

This has been a wonderful season . . . with perfect weather, great coaches, and an overall winning record . . . Preston has learned a lot and enjoyed every minute of it!