Thanksgiving Fun with the Troutmans

We were so blessed to get to spend Thanksgiving with our best friends, the Troutman Family.
Lily & Sophia got along so well, and had lots of fun playing dress-up, Polly Pockets and collecting snails...you know girly stuff:) It was freezing and the trees are all dead, but that little Sage can make your heart melt when she offers you her tiny little hand while you're walking!

We had lots of fun in the park
Kids and adults alike!

We had a delicious feast, which really began in the morning with Lindsay's delicious palmiers, then she prepared a Havarti cheese appetizer and a Shrimp w/ Bacon appetizer...yum-O!

We were all a little stuffed before the Thanksgiving meal even began!

The night before Thanksgiving we got to go out, just the adults, for a fabulous evening with great conversation and good food

So Thankful for these friends! There are some friends that when they come into your life, change the course of your character for the better. These are those friends.

Visiting Friends

This was us then:

This is us now:

14 years later! My friend Michele has been in Tennessee, and we've had a fun week of visiting back and forth. She lives a glamorous life in Paris for 6 months of the year and Puerto Rico for the other half. Thankfully, her parents live a couple of hours from here, so when she visits we'll be able to get together. Her little boy Lorenzo is adorable, and had lots of fun with our bunch. We visited the Knoxville Zoo, and then headed to the Smoky Mountain National Forest and saw bears and ran some energy out.

This week Michele and Lorenzo paid us a visit, and we spent some time on the trail, riding our bikes. It was lots of fun, despite the downpour that caught us 10 minutes in! But soaking wet, we kept on riding! We even got to see a deer up close as we rode:

Maybe next time we can go to Paris for our adventures!

Country Dancin'

Not too long ago we went to a baptismal feast....basically a big country fellowship to celebrate a covenant child....and had soo much fun! Great food, and fellowship. The best part was the live Celtic music and Irish group dancing. Here's a video of Sophia and Toby trying it out....so funny!~(press pause on my music player to hear the Celtic music on the video)

Atlanta Fun

We just got back from Atlanta, where I got to attend the Southeast Homeschool Convention with our dear friends, the Letaw family. The kids had fun at the lake and the pool with the dads while the moms went for some conference fun. Charitable debates, and lots of fun!

Things that kept us busy in Tampa- SWIMMING!

We swam for our cousin Noah's Birthday party:

and for our friend Dylan's birthday party:

More things that kept us busy in Tampa

Skee Ball with the friendliest:

Video Games at Chuck E. Cheese:

Ice Cream at the Lodge with Lily, Asher, Summit and Sage:

Movies at the Lodge:

And deep philosophical conversations with Lily:

A Whole Lotta Love!

I gotta tell ya, this week has been great! Besides my horrible and VERY painful ear infection, I happened to receive 2 packages in the mail with YUMMY and EXCITING goodies! The first was a purse that my sis-in-law Liz made for me! I am in LOVE with this purse! It is the perfect shape, size and colors for me.....THANKS LIZ! I also received my fabric order from iwantfabric.com. My mind is swirling with creative ideas!

Last, but certainly not least, was my Love Swap package. Thanks Missy for hosting this, and thanks Poulsen Family for sending this! I received Lavender bath gel from Bath & Body Works, a Cooling Eye Mask, some CUTE mini note cards, a Princess crown which Sophia is ever so glad to model, CANDY...which didn't last long enough to take a pic of...., and a CD copy of Roald Dahl's audio collection. I am so pleased with this swap, especially that audio collection! I am a sucker for Fantastic Mr. Fox! Sure brightened up my miserably painful week! Thanks gals!

Friends and Fellowship

It's a blessed thing to have friends to share meals and laughs with! This Sunday we entertained the Warners and their 3 beautiful children. They have also moved to this area recently from the sunny state of CA! Nathaniel blogs too, a very fun read!