Camping in the snow, selecting the tree and other November happenings...

Sorry it has been so long. I have been caught up with the holiday spirit and haven't taken time to put down my thoughts. I will share a few pics along with comments on the month.

Here you see a tent in the snow. Why would the Anderson's be camping in the snow with 3 kids? Because Jeremy and I are gluttons for punishment! We were determined to take the kids camping in Shenandoah National Park over the Veteran's Day holiday and so off we drove to Virginia, freezing temps. be darned! I will say that the snow was a total surprise. Not even the park rangers predicted it. When we woke up at 7:30 am and Wolfe unzipped the tent and said, "It snowed!", Jeremy and I both went "What???!!!". We were able to salvage the day and still got to go on a great hike and Wolfe and B earned the Junior Ranger Patch, which was quite an accomplishment!
Here is how we stayed warm in the tent. That is Brantley peeking out from her sleeping bag!
Here are Wolfe and B diligently working in their Jr. Ranger books. A great activity for kids when they go to a National Park. A definite MUST do!Here is another try for a Christmas card picture. Still not good enough.... We did have a good time picking out our tree at Matasevik's.
Jeremy and Brooke at the National Zoo. We went to D.C. after the camping. We thawed out at the Schulz's( some of our dearest friends), ate good food, and saw some cool animals.

I have no pictures of Thanksgiving. We felt very loved by friends and spent 3 meals in a row with different ones. Thanks to all of you! We have decided not to travel at Thanksgiving, anymore, and we had such a relaxing weekend. We are so blessed to be healthy, loved, and redeemed.

Happy Halloween!!!

We had a great time trick-or-treating in the neighborhood and wanted to share some of the cute photos. Wolfe was a zombie of some sort, Brantley was a pink Power Ranger, and Brooke was a black kittycat. They had a lot of fun loading up on candy and the weather was perfect!

Could this be the Christmas card picture?
Pretrick-or-treating meal. It's a Jack-O-Lantern cheeseburger pie.

The first thing that Brooke said to everyone last night was, "I'm a kittycat!", as if it wasn't obvious.
Action shot!
Brooke and her buddy Little Red Riding Hood (aka Lucy) .

This song makes me smile!

I love this song and just wanted to share it with y'all. It puts a smile on my face everytime I hear it! Do ya think it's because I'm Southern??? ;-)

Fall Barn Party

We went to our annual sunday school barn party last weekend and the kids had a ball! Got lots of good pictures and just wanted to share a few.

At least 3 out of the 5 of us have a good smile. So hard to get everyone looking great. I'll never get a good picture for the Christmas Card!

There was a corn table and Brooke loved it! She especially liked climbing in and laying down...

Doesn't it look like they are standing in front of a painted backdrop? The sunset was gorgeous that night!!

Brantley and Brooke on the hayride. So much fun! Brooke had hay stuck to her hiney the whole night, though.

Our little ducky!

Annual October Gathering

My entire family comes to visit every October. It is a time of laughs, hugs, and catching up. We see each other as often as we can, but we hadn't all been together since June. It was really fun for the cousins to play and for the grown-ups to play scattergories, eat good food, and talk. The man in the center of the above photo is Jim, my mom's boyfriend. We all loved spending more time with him and gladly welcome him into the family. Brooke adores him and gave him lots of hugs and laptime.
These are my brothers, Russ and Bert, and my nephew, Peter. Chocolate World is always fun for the kids.
Apple picking again at Masonic Homes. Brooke and Betsy are in the stroller and behind them is me and my sister-in-law, Kelley.
Woody Woodpecker visited and brought gifts for all the kids. Any questions?

Brooke and Betsy in the tub. They splashed a ton!