We had a very eventful Thanksgiving!
We left Wednesday night at bedtime so that hopefully the girls would sleep the whole way (Kate did, but it took a while for Vivian to relax and fall asleep). We headed straight for Spring Hope to be at the Fernandezs.
Thursday was a big day...the big party for Aaron's side of the family. There were lots of uncles and cousins for Kate to meet. Vivian napped during lunch but was able to play a little when she got up. The younger cousins kept her very entertained! The lunch was the best we've had at a Fernandez Thanksgiving :)
We left early to skip over to Lucama for my dad's side of the family get-together at Granny's house. More great food of course! We were really late so we missed some people, and we didn't get to stay very long because both babies were getting tired, but it was fun to see everyone and for Vivian to play with her cousin Hannah. I think she was very confused to see Papa and Gramme there. Actually, I think she stayed confused pretty much the entire trip!
We went back to Mike and Peggy's so that we could hang out with them on Friday morning. It was good for the girls to have some one-on-one time with their Papi, Grandma, Uncle Ben, and Aunt Brooke.
Raleigh was our next stop...just in time for Vivian's nap. We relaxed a little that afternoon and then went out to the movies at North Hills. I love Raleigh!
Saturday Aaron and I went to the State/UNC game at Carter-Finley and left the babies behind. State has had a terrible team this year so we weren't expecting much, but they pulled it off and beat Carolina! It was a great game to watch.
Grandma hosted a big Thanksgiving dinner at her house that afternoon. We were late, but just in time to eat, eat, eat! And we saw dear family.
We were in the car at 7 pm on Saturday night to head back home! What a whirlwind. Vivian became a little overwhelmed during the trip, and none of us slept very well away from home, but she is recovering and we are catching up on our Zzzzs. All in all a fun, family-filled Thanksgiving in NC!



I am disappointed in my lack of photos. I will try to get some from other people that had cameras.

Aaron had a computer problem at work last week and didn't get home until 9:30 at night. He brought flowers :) Beautiful!

Aaron had some one-on-one time with Kate while Vivian napped after church yesterday.

Vivian went trick-or-treating with Uncle Joey and Aunt Sierra in their neighborhood on Halloween night. She was really late for bed but it didn't phase her because she had a blast! They got her a pumpkin costume and it turned out to be very cute on her. Lindsay's (Sierra's sister) boys Carter and Chase usually go with Joey and Sierra and this year they let Vivian join them.

Chase is Batman. Maybe he and Carter will let Vivian come again next year.

They had some toys at their house for her to play with (or could they be the dogs' toys?!)

The funny thing about this picture...who is the guy pushing Vivian in the stroller? :) We have no idea!

Papa and Gramme went along for the fun, too.

They said she was a little confused at first about someone putting candy in her bucket, but that she mostly got the concept of it by the time they were finished. She wouldn't let go of her bucket.

I already posted about this, but here's a video of Vivian reading to Kate. Notice how she pushes Kate's hand away in the beginning.

Lots of people have been asking about how we are adjusting to the new house. Jill asked me what the pros and cons are and I thought it was a good question with bullet-point answers, so here it is for anyone who's interested!:

Cons:
-It is difficult to get used to 4-story living. I feel like I go up and down the stairs all day. We have a basement where the laundry is; the main level with kitchen, dining room, living room; a level with the bedrooms and bathroom; and an attic that we use as a closet, playroom, and movie room. I try not to carry both girls up/down the stairs at the same time, so sometimes I take Kate first and have to leave Vivian at the gate, watching me. Thankfully I think she realizes that I am coming back to get her and she doesn't freak out.
-We have TWO trains that run around our property...one in the back and one out front. We can see both of them and can definitely hear them both. They run all night long. All of our neighbors say that we will get used to it and not hear it after a while...we are looking forward to that day.
-Not everything has a perfect place. Yet.
-There are bugs everywhere. Stink bugs and ladybugs.
-We know there are mice and snakes on the property. This is real country living out here! We are going to get some outside cats asap.
-I miss my brand-new kitchen in our old house.
-The radiators take up so much space and make for awkward furniture placement.

Pros:
-Wayne did an awesome job on all the bedrooms...they look new!
-I love the fireplaces. Aaron has built a couple of fires since we've been here and it's awesome. We have a fireplace in our bedroom.
-There is much more closet space. No more bins under our bed with all of Aaron's t-shirts and jeans in them.
-The land is gorgeous and the view is beautiful.
-Our neighbors are wonderful.
-We live very close to my parents, which is great when I need help with the girls or when Vivian is dying to see her Papa and Gramme.

It might not be as comfortable yet as our old house, but my husband and babies are here and that's all it takes to make it home.

I took Vivian to the local library to the Family Movie night on Tuesday. They were showing the movie Up. It started at 6, so I knew we would leave by 6:30 to come home for bath and bed, and I'm glad I didn't plan on seeing the whole movie because this chick only lasted for about 15 minutes. She was so squirmy! She wouldn't sit still. It makes me think twice about trying to go to Storytime after the holidays.
Before the movie started, she sucked down the entire CapriSun (it was her first) in less than 5 minutes.

I found some older pictures when uploading last night and I don't think I ever posted these. These are from 2 months ago I think. I love love this picture of Vivian, even if she does have some sort of food on her lip :)

We went to Allsports for wings one Sunday afternoon for an early dinner. Vivian really got into the wings.

Eating wings and watching football.

Forget those chicken tenders, I want to eat wings like my dad!

This was the same afternoon, hanging out in the nursery.

This was the first time I put Kate in the Bumbo seat...don't think she was quite ready :)

The first hunt on our new property was very fruitful. My neighbor, Spencer, and I killed three. Two does and a buck. It was a very exciting hunt because we watched these deer for a long time before we let the hammer down. Our other neighbors said it sounded like WWIII in the back yard. Vivian enjoyed playing with our bountiful harvest. Once she realized what the red stuff actually was, she smiled.

All the meat is in the freezer and Lisa is researching out the best deer recipes.

While I was kissing Vivian goodnight a couple of hours ago, Aaron got Kate to laugh at him! I was a little sad that I didn't hear her first giggle, but it makes me excited for tomorrow because I am going to try all day long to hear it myself.

Tonight Aaron did a gracious thing and took us out to dinner. We girls needed to get out of the house...the rain has kept us inside all week! We went to our usual hot spot...K&W Cafeteria :) We like it because we get our food quickly and also because they have lots of choices for Vivian. She stuffs her face every time we are there...it's amazing how much she can eat. One thing I forgot to add in her update post is that she's learning how to use a spoon and a plate, etc. It's going well so far...not too many messes. She usually can't get very much on the spoon at one time so it just takes a long time at meals.Look at those full cheeks! She puts more in before she finished swallowing the previous bite.

Dad helps move things along a little faster. Look how he multitasks with two babies!

This post is for family who are interested in seeing Stephen...recently he grew a beard! We all think it looks awesome on him.
He came into town this weekend and we went to dinner on Sunday evening with him and Mom and Dad.

On Saturday night we went to a bonfire at Chris and Crystal's home over near Vinton (sorry I didn't get a picture of the fire). It was fun to be social again! It was for our former Sunday School class, and even though we don't go to that class anymore because Aaron teaches the high school kids, they still invite us to their events. The food was great and the company even better. Vivian had a blast! There were some younger girls there who played with her almost the entire time. No one had to show her that she should put her hands on the steering wheel and move it around. She did it on her own...I guess she really watches me even when I don't think about it! Thanks to Mary Beth for playing with her.

Kate hung out inside for a while because it was a little chilly outside. Dennis, Shannon, Adam, and Lauren are keeping her company.

Mary Lynn and Shannon Maxey

Shannon helped with Kate so that I could eat. So did several other friends.

In fact, our church family has been sooo helpful in the last several weeks with our move. Playing with the girls, bringing dinner to us, etc. We are very thankful.

The girls went to bed pretty late that night but it was worth it. We enjoyed getting out and spending time with these dear friends.

Last night Uncle Joey brought Vivian an Elmo doll...what a fun surprise! It was awesome to see her face when she saw it. Joey mentioned that it's funny how her first word is Elmo when we don't even have cable TV. We have one DVD of Elmo...that's it. She has seen it at Gramme's house, too, though. We put him in the crib last night so she could sleep with him and this morning when she woke up I heard her saying "Elmo Elmo Elmo Elmo" over and over again.
Thanks Uncle Joey!

Dad's barn is finished! He was able to use it for the first time on October 27th. They started building in April. He is using it to bring batteries from the shop to check them. Since this picture was taken, a walkway has been put in from the house to the side of the barn. It's really impressive.