Novemberness

Thanksgiving was really nice. We have so much to be thankful for. This year we headed to Chico to my cousin Avery's house. I got to catch up with a bunch of aunts and uncles and cousins and the kids just took care of themselves and each other, basically.  This was the first year in a long time that there were really no babies! But with two on the way (my sister and I) next year is back to passing a babe around, leaving mid-conversation to nurse in the other room, packing a high chair...... It was so nice this year that our "big kids" played like I remember playing with my cousins when I was little. They just ran around exploring the newly landscape huge backyard the whole time, despite the cold.

 

When Selah would come in to get warm, she stayed mostly at this window arranging and rearranging the votive candles on the windowsill.

 Finn was totally enamored by my cousin's collection of dragon stuff throughout the house, starting with this knocker. Isn't it spooky? Finn is at that stage right now where he likes scary stuff.

Finn followed slightly-older cousin Jeremy around. They made a game with 8 year old Brit, called "Get Brit!". They just chased him around....simple game. I so remember making up silly games like that. Ah...childhood.

When she wasn't rearranging the candles inside, Selah just ran around insisting that 10 yr old cousin Elaina chase her back and forth across the lawn, down the path, under the railing, onto the deck, off the deck....repeat. I would peek in on them sometimes and saw Elaina constantly being on guard for what Selah shouldn't do....like enter the coi pond, or climb too high on a big rock. We should have paid her for all the babysitting she was doing out there.

Back at home, it was so nice having Nate home more often during Thanksgiving week. We didn't go on any long trips for a change. We were home-bodies. Nate built a fence! The kids and I gardened and we all just played and enjoyed the colder weather.

If you jump on the trampoline with socks on, this is what your hair will do.

 We did head out on a couple of outings while Nate had more time off. Our late afternoon Apple Hill journey started out as a bust, as places closed early, but we happened upon a cute little market that sold hot cocoa, apple pastries and hot cider, with an outdoor fire to sit by. The weather was yucky but the treats were soooo good and the fire was cozy.

This was the view from the market in Apple Hill.

And this was the view on the way home.

The other little journey we took last week was to the SNOW!

 Our favorite sledding place on the side of the road in Strawberry (cute little name for a mountain town) was too hard to get to this time because of the snow bank that the snow-plows made that day, but we continued up the hill until we came upon "Sled World" ...part of Sierra Ski Resort. It sort of sucked to pay $10 each to slide down a hill on our own sled, but Finn did have a great time. Selah and I played in the snow and in the little play houses they had there for the little ones.

 Mostly, Selah just ate snow. When she figured out she could eat the snow, it was all over. She wouldn't stop.

I am so glad the kids loved the snow. I hope we get up there a few more times this year.