Thanksgiving '11

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday spent with those we love most in the world! We are so thankful for our families and having them close by to celebrate holidays with. Once again, our parents provided a delicious feast for us! We really do appreciate all the hard work and money that goes into feeding our family. We truly feel blessed in so many ways!

Thankful!

We hope you all had a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday!

Dress Up Time!

I hit the jackpot at Target and got 90% off Halloween costumes. The girls have been having a BLAST with all their new dress up clothes and accessories (wigs, wands, hats, wings, and the list goes on!). Unfortunately for Sophie, nobody is exempt from the dress up extravaganza going on in our house. Thankfully, we have a very patient and lazy dog that chooses sleep over biting!

I especially like the pink Littmann stethoscope around Soph's neck! That's Dr. Sophie to you!

Our neighbor dog, Belle, was confused and curious when the girls had their wigs on!

Family Photos

Some family photos from our time in Gatlinburg!

The whole McDowell gang!

The McDowell grandchildren or the "Great Eight"!

McDowell Family Getaway

We had a long weekend with the McDowell family in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We rented a large cabin with an indoor pool, arcade, and theatre. It was a fun trip and we hope to make it an annual getaway!

Fun times with family!

Beggars Night

The girls had fun (of course) going out dressed up in their sunflower fairy costumes and begging for candy!

Cute sunflower fairies all ready to go!

"Trick-or-Treat!"

The last house we stopped at was at Grammy & Papa's!

All three of our girls were VERY interested in all the candy!

They were putting on a performance after bath time! Such a fun evening!

Jack-O-Lanterns

 We love the tradition of carving our pumpkins together! Such a fun family activity!!!

 The girls cleaning out the pumpkin guts!! 

 Daddy explaining the carving process and Claire listening intently!

 So sweet!

The finished Jack-O-Lanterns! Great job Ben!

Happy Halloween!

Leaves!

The girls are having a great time helping Daddy rake the leave and of course, the best part of raking is jumping into the big pile of leaves!

 Daddy's helpers!

Harvest Jamboree

We took the girls to the Harvest Jamboree at Possum Creek. They do a great job offering free activities to the community! 

 The girls got to pick out a pumpkin and decorate it!

 The girls on a tractor ride! The driver really got into it!

 Anna on the hayride!

Family pics always go so well! Ha!

Family Fall Fun!

My mom had her annual Halloween dinner over the weekend! The girls wanted to wear their bumble bee costumes since they wouldn't see my parents on trick-or-treat. We had a fun time hanging out with our family! 

All six grandgirls!

Aunt Kristen and the adorable Aggie!

Uncle Scott, Aunt Heather and the adorable Spencer! ;)

My Dad and Grandma McDowell!

Nothing better than a crisp fall night and a fire to roast marshmallows!

The Original McDowell Three (as I like to refer to ourselves!). If you could've seen what all went into getting this picture. I was crying because I was laughing so hard!! One thing about having brothers is you never lack for humorous situations!  

Creating Memories

I've said it before and I'll say it again... we wouldn't trade our time with Grandma McDowell for anything! She has added so much to our lives with her love and wisdom. She is a true prayer warrior and I covet her prayers for me and my family. I am so glad that my girls have her in their lives and that we're creating lifelong memories! That's what it's all about, isn't it?

Grandma is showing off one of the puzzles she helped to put together. Everyday she goes to the puzzle table to help with the puzzle and chat with some of the other residents. She said she feels like she can be an encouragement to others while doing an activity she enjoys!