Benton Falls

We went to Chilhowee about 30 miles from our house. It is a large mountain overlooking the Ocoee River. We drove up the mountain and hiked to the Falls. It was a 1.5 mile hike, so we ended up hiking 3 miles. This was a challange with the boys. Ethan walked the entire way, but Chris had to carry Tyler most of the way. The falls were beautiful. To our suprise when we got there, we ran into a couple of Michigan fans. We just can't get away!

This is the same area that had a bear attack on two little children two years ago. I was a little jumpy the entire time. I know that something was stalking us in the woods the entire time. I know, paranoid!

It was a great day!

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

I won tickets to see Sesame Street Live. We also got tickets to a meet & greet party before the show. The kids had such a good time. Tyler was so excited. I thought the entire show was propaganda. Cookie monster now says that cookies is an only sometimes food and instead he loves fresh fruits and vegetables. I am so glad that they made this change because Chris and my generation is so damaged by Cookie monster's obsession with cookies. (Sarcasm!)

It was sad for me to see, but Ethan was a little too old for the show. He is growing up and too cool for Sesame Street. I knew the time would come, I just didn't know it would be so soon. He did like the free pizza and drinks before the show. We had a good time, but I can definitly say that we would not pay to see it again. It was nice to have free seats.

Christmas Day...

We spent Christmas in Tennessee with our friend, Mr. Keith. We decided to not travel for Christmas. It was nice to have a relaxing time at home even though we missed our families. Ethan and Tyler both got gameboys this year. Tyler got the advanced gameboy and Ethan got the DS Lite. This was the first Christmas that the boys asked for big ticket items. I got a small taste of what we have to look forward to in the future (cell phones, cars, mp3s...). I got an mp3 player to work out with and Chris got the complete set of Star Trek DVD movies.

Painting Cookies (Thanks for the tradition, Julie...)

I invited my neice and nephew, Joy and Justin, over to paint cookies. It wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't paint cookies. This tradition started with Julie, my playgroup friend, in Ohio. The kids had so much fun!

The Douglass Bunch

We got to spend Thanksgiving Weekend in Zanesfield with my parents. It was a very quick weekend, but lots of fun. Jessica brought her new boyfriend, Brandon. He fit right in. Tyler teased him the whole weekend (Brandon started the fire...). The boys stayed at the cabin with grandma and grandpa and Chris and I got the treat of staying at the Zanesfield bed and breakfast. Good times...

It was a joy to have my brother Chris, Jenny, Justin, and Joy with us. We missed Aaron and his family. We took the kids down to Marmon Valley and rode horses. It was really cold! I don't miss Ohio weather at all! I love the south. We also spent time playing the Wii. So much fun!

Family Pictures

We hired a professional photographer to spend some time with us one afternoon. It was the best money we spent. They took over 200 pictures. Now I get to sort through them and find the best ones. I have a list, but it's too long. I will post just a few of the unique ones for you to enjoy.

Decorating the Tree

We put our tree up before we left for Thanksgiving. We knew we wouldn't have time when we returned. It was so much fun to see all the familiar decorations. The boys had a good time. Thank you Mr. Keith for helping us. You are a great friend! It was a good evening.

Leaves, Leaves, and more Leaves

We finally broke down and raked the leaves in our yard. This is the first house we have lived in with so many mature trees. We spent 3 hours just on the backyard. Chris would rake them into a pile and the boys and I would carry them on a sheet to the front yard. It was really hard to get the boys to stay out of the pile. We had to take pictures when we were finally done. Chris finished the front yard without our help. I think it went a little faster without the boys and me messing things up. We had so much fun!

Trick or Treat

We went with my brother and sister-in-law to her parents' house for trick or treating. They live in a very nice neighborhood and the kids got some great candy. The kids were so happy to spend the time together. We love cousin Justin and Joy. Thank you Rich and Fran for letting us come to your house for dinner.

Fall Days...

Our weather is finally starting to get cool. We painted pumpkins the other day and Tyler wore shorts outside. We start the mornings cool, but by the afternoon, you are in short sleeves. I love the south!

We went to the YMCA for the Halloween party on Friday night. The boys had a good time. They dressed up as Troy Bolton from High School Musical. Ethan asked me to straighten his hair for it. It took 20 minutes with a flat iron. He looked like a different kid. The kids had a lot of fun. I can't wait for Halloween!