Our 9 Year Old, a Skating Date, and Thankful Turkeys.

The tail end of October was, as always, the calm before the holiday storm. We survived the end of two sports seasons, and enjoyed a blissful week and a half without hectic evenings and tripping over sports gear in the hallway.

We got to trick or treat at the Department of Justice (the Attorney General himself handed out candy and could not have been nicer), 

and enjoyed our first year in which kids were big enough to run around with friends while we enjoyed a firepit and adult beverages in the driveway. Our neighborhood here has Halloween figured out.

In unbelievable news, our big girl turned 9. She celebrated, as requested, with Kate Spade, Starbucks, 

a girls' trip to Busch Gardens after Ford again chickened out on the roller coasters, and- per usual- a wedding-caliber cake and decorations scenario courtesy of Grandma.

Due to an unfortunate veterinary event, we actually beat Sara to get the first Walters tree up this year (and got in our annual viewing of White Christmas in 60 degree weather),

and I survived a Friday night at the Skate Zone and what was quite possibly Ford's first date.

The lucky lady, fortunately, plays baseball, wrestles with her brothers, and is a significantly better skater than Ford, so I didn't have much to worry about.

We celebrated Gretchen and Jim's beautiful wedding at Fort Belvoir (where Finley, unfortunately and expensively, discovered Beef Wellington),

and dragged Grandma and Grandpa on an epic 10k across the Bay Bridge (having made very poor wardrobe choices in light of the ridiculously breezy weather.)

The kids' weeklong Fall Break found us road tripping to Memphis

by way of North Carolina, where we took very few pictures but enjoyed Shabbat dinner, shenanigans, and this absurd Turkey Trot finish. (T3 and Ford were literally dead last, and crossed like extras in a Rocky movie, pumping their fists at the many, many preschoolers who had passed them on the course.) I am still laughing.

We discovered random holiday decor like this beautiful tree at a strip mall in Knoxville, and made a pilgrimage to Buc-ees. 

Per usual, we enjoyed the ducks

 and the luxury at the Peabody,

bought shots for a band we knew on Beale Street (which reciprocated with ice cream), and made a pilgrimage to Bass Pro at the Pyramid.

The Ana + Ata time was priceless, and worth the drive. Ata scraped BBQ sauce off of picky Ford's Memphis- style brisket and gave shooting lessons,

and we spent a funny monsoon-ing afternoon at the NSA Millington MWR playing foosball and table tennis.

Aunt Jackie's new house turned out to be a kid and dog paradise, and the Memphis Zoo was an unbelievable (if chilly) surprise.

Seriously, it had four red pandas and wrestling baby tigers (?!)

plus lemurs and this incredible crocodile.

We were so grateful for the time with our people.

The drive home was long but we lucked out on holiday traffic, and stopped at our favorite place (River Rock Climbing in Roanoke) to stretch our legs.

We arrived home to Grandma's Christmas decorations surprise (literal best thing ever),

and in time for Aunt Michelle's Thanksgiving Day turkey trot (having been bribed with donuts.)

And then proceeded to spend one of our very favorite holidays making thankful turkeys,

eating everything from gizzards to peanut butter pie (with gusto!), watching a ridiculous amount of football,

and gearing up for our traditional Black Friday activities involving zero retail establishments.

We have so much for which we are thankful, and we are enjoying our long (blessedly warm) weekend at home, reveling in sleeping in and board games and firepits. 

We hope the same for you and yours!