Christmas in Columbia

We had a ball. The kids went nuts. What else needs to be said?

Thanks Carole, Al, Lindsay, and Carlyn for being such great hosts!

Christmas Lights

Our house this Christmas season. (It's not really that bright, I just used a really long exposure since I was taking the picture at night). Cindy has big plans for new lights next year...

Train Video

From the NHVR (see below). The train goes about 20 minutes outbound, then it unhooks, bypasses the coaches, and hooks back on the other end to pull us back to the station. This is what it looks like.

More Trains!

We went back to the New Hope Valley Railroad for their Christmas Train again this year. Again, loads of fun! Jack and Lily had a ball, in spite of the cold. Jack and Lily were both a little hesitant about Santa, but really just a little bit. They quickly warmed up and shouted their toy requests!

We went with a big gang from our neighborhood, and Lily had a blast hanging out with her very favorite person in the world, Josh from next door. He's in the blue track suit.

Day Out with Thomas, Part V

Sleep occurred about 2 seconds after we got onto the Interstate.

Day Out with Thomas, Part IV

Day out with Thomas, part III

Day out with Thomas, part II

Day out with Thomas!

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Holy smoke. It is impossible to describe the pure unadulterated joy that was had by the little ones at the "Day Out with Thomas" event at the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC. For those who don't know, "Thomas the Tank Engine" is a favorite of the under 6 set, and they bring an actual, real, live coal-fired engine dressed up like Thomas to various locations. They also bring tons of other fun stuff for the kids, and the transportation museum is also really fun.

We started off the day lounging in our Thomas Engineer hats and blowing our Thomas Whistles (very dang loud). Soon there was a "No blowing the whistle in the house" rule in effect, although it was largely ignored. Then we made the 1.5 hour trip to Spencer. As soon as we got there, it was like meeting Elvis (before the fat), the Beatles, and the Pope all at once. Just pure excitement. They were about to pop. Cindy and I just couldn't help but laugh for about the first 30 minutes because they went berserk.

Eventually we got to ride in one of the coaches Thomas was pulling. That was the highlight. Then they had little tables of Thomas themed toys set up everywhere for the kids to play with. That seemed to be a big hit. Also the model trains got lots of attention. Of course, there were things to buy, and we did our part to support the economy, and the Thomas empire. It took approximately 3.2 miles for sleep to set in as we left the museum.

Dining Fun

So, I'm sitting at the table watching Lily have a defiant moment regarding her food. (We call it 'Refuse-a-lating'). I had flashbacks of sitting at the kitchen table growing up watching Carole Odom (nee Frank) have similar episodes. Really, the resemblance in form and function is striking! Just as I got back with my camera, I got one pic of her thrashing (1st pic above) and then she ate it! Then she liked it! Hey, Mikey!

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Mini-Block Party

It was hot as blue blazes this Sunday. Yep, that means it's time to get out the pool again! Popsicles, head first down the slide, belly flops, and lots of grass in the pool. Once again, the Enstone Court gang rocks!

Jane's and Bill's

Another great trip to the NC mountains to see Aunt Jane and Uncle Bill! Feeding the fish, feeding the birds, swimming in the lake (toe-touching, it was cold), and generally 'hanging out.' What could be better?