Thankful.

Thanksgiving sneaks up on us every year, and then right behind it the looming shadow of the rest of the holiday season and travel and presents and the juggling of family and friends and Christmas cards and social obligations and late night amazon shopping. For that reason, we've kind of made it a custom to cut out for a quick just-us getaway before the madness hits, feasting on takeout and reveling in hot tubs and late season deer hunting. It's our own little Turkey Day tradition.

This year, Thanksgiving was more an ambush than a stealth attack, and we simply weren't ready. We had no plans. We worked late Wednesday.

Thank goodness for Sally. On Thanksgiving, Seth got up early to sit in a ground blind and the kids and I did a chilly and hilarious neighborhood Turkey Trot

followed by a quick cooking session (including the turkey fryer), naptime, and a blissful afternoon of Hilderbrand "friendsgiving" fabulousness.

(Complete with lawn darts, fire pits, gingerbread houses, and too much pie.)

Our West Point neighbors and BFFs are the gift that keeps on giving, and we are forever grateful.

Friday turned out to be a hunting day for overworked Seth too, which the kids and I did not begrudge and used to catch up with Steph, Jack, Mikey, and new baby Joel at Pullen Park in Raleigh.

It's been on our list for a long time, and is as terrific as advertised, complete with a train and a carousel.

Saturday we headed for the hills- literally- since I can't possibly let a 4-day weekend go without an adventure. We hauled all the way out to Asheville for a trip to the Winter Lights at the Arboretum, which turned out to be my absolute favorite Christmas thing we've ever done,

and not just because they had beer, wine, hot cocoa, and s'mores. Plus 3 acres of stupendous lights.

(But really, is there anything better?)

Except maybe the hotel pool, if you're 2 and 4?

We also finally made it to the Biltmore. Which deserves another trip, since ours was cut short by overdue naptime, but which is far more vast and grandiose than we had imagined.

The Christmas decorations were bonus,

although they did not prevent temper tantrums.

We took some great photos of the week on our (quick) Bucket List Trip, among these which were (only) one decent family shot,

one kind of awesome kid shot,

two which show just how great iPhone X portrait mode is (pardon Ford's unfortunate facial injury and the late afternoon snack bar haul Seth couldn't resist),

and one hilarious capture of a pantsless Ford, right out in front of the Biltmore, having peed his pants but also having refused to be changed. Just half naked on a park bench, because who needs dignity when you can throw a real fit? (Certainly not Handsome Ford.)

At the end of November, which also encompasses Seth's Alive Day (his 6th, which this year involved some devastating losses for his old team, so we're not feeling very celebratory but more reflective), we have much to be thankful for. We never forget that, and we endeavor to laugh more, hug harder, and- sure- raise one for those of us who are not so lucky. We hope you do the same.

Settling Into November.

Well, it's November with a vengeance, which means whyseriouslywhy new ground blinds and deer killing miscellany showing up on the doorstep every day, and Seth Nieman spending his very little free time staring at this view. 

(That is a decoy that also arrived from amazon, not a real deer. I have no idea how much it cost, but I deeply look forward to subsisting on ramen at this ripe old post-college age while everybody else is going to- inshallah- be stuck with venison for a long, long time.)

At any rate, the holidays are upon us so my days are a frenzy of school events I just heard about (get a load of this wildly disgusting "harvest meal" I drove an hour round trip to share)

and evenings overrun by kids I have to pick up after it's dark who clearly belong outside.

I miss summer already, and it's a bummer because I l-o-v-e the holidays. Daylight Savings Time, however, was clearly not conceived with working parents in mind, and it's the worst.

The weekend flew, but the best part was that the Dirtbag Ales Farmer's Market was still running due to unseasonably warm weather, and it's the best discovery ever. A groovy, low key celebration of everything local (including craft beers and live music), complete with toddler axe throwing,

way too much ice cream,

and pickup soccer games and wrestling matches and playgrounds and dog parks. (Plus, did I mention beer?) I'm already counting the days until warm weather and Sunday afternoons like these return...!

It was a low-key weekend at home that we probably needed to reset. It was also a reminder of all the things I appreciate about Fayetteville, my adopted home. Including random old bikers who let enthusiastic kids sit on their motorcycles on the side of the road

and friends who predate kids and are willing to, instead of painting the town these days, engage in the "worst kid toy ever" contest. This- beloved- pooping dog from Leslye is the current frontrunner. The kids love it. It is beyond terrible.

Still, my favorite photo of our Reasonably Chill Week is of storytime the other night. Ford now insists on wearing his homemade (with Grandma) superhero mask every night until bedtime, and it might be the cutest thing ever.

Of weddings and school pictures and tree stands and rainy days.

A week after Finley's birthday, Jojo still reigns supreme and Finley thinks that every package that arrives from amazon is for her. Imagine her surprise when she got a deer stand. 

(Side note, Seth already owns like 12 deer stands, why did another one arrive at my doorstep? Perhaps there was some mistake?)

Deer season also means school picture season (these are fuzzy proofs but, in our unbiased opinion, the most adorable thing ever even if both kids' expressions make them look like the undead in a Scandinavian horror film)

and, according to Sacred Walters Family Tradition, Christmas lights/ tree season. I was proud of my early November setup even if- as per usual- Sara beat me by a few hours.

Veterans' Day weekend was Barksdale-Fleming wedding weekend, which meant long-overdue dance parties and other shenanigans with Aunt Jackie,

THE most beautiful, fun, thoughtful wedding, which Jackie and I managed to not ruin,

and recovery days which included lots and lots of soccer (no kidding, Handsome Ford is a prodigy and I'm not sure how I feel about that),

playroom time,

and a rainy day, Dad-has-to-work-and-Aunt-Jackie-left pick-me-up trip to the dollar store

and the completely incredible Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh.

Unstructured play is always a funny underscoring of the differences between Finster and Handsome Ford. For example, when given a half hour to themselves, Ford scaled the top of a very dangerous pirate ship and then had a swordfight with a gang of eight year olds,

and Finley planted beautiful "flowers" and then held a whole "presentation" to explain her work.

(She also modeled park ranger hats and made artisan pizza.)

I just love that, all differences aside, they're still best buddies.

As evidenced by the fact that Ford "shared" his beloved fire truck driver's seat with his big sis. This is my favorite photo from the week, and my favorite way to wrap up any rainy long weekend. Happy Veterans' Day to everybody who has served, in any capacity. We are grateful.