This Unfamiliar Road

As we are entering the Christmas season (and taking down all the fall decor), I have been glancing back at pictures from this fall.
We stayed very busy, and really enjoyed being outdoors!

Here are a few of my favorite memories from Fall 2016:

Peyton's school hosted a day in the pumpkin patch, along with a puppet show! I loved snapping some picture of my girls in the patch. Eliza fit right in with the class :)






We love going to the fair every fall! This year, things got really interesting as Eliza was old enough to ride most of the rides. Peyton was happy to show her the ropes.







I enjoyed co-hosting a beautiful baby shower for my best friend. Christa and her husband LOVE to travel, so this emerged as a theme! We had an "around-the world" dessert bar and I got to make a Guinness Chocolate cake with Baileys frosting (for Christa's Irish roots). I can't wait to meet this baby in January!



Of course, we played in the leaves. A lot.


Ben played hooky from work one day and we took a trip to the zoo!






We enjoyed spending some time with Banyan's litter of puppies. This was the "FIRST" litter and they were all so squishy and cute! Elize is definitely the dog-lover of our family.


Peyton had so much fun visiting Tee-Pee's at school, and participating in traditional music ceremonies. That week, we also enjoyed her Thanksgiving program.




We ended our fall season with TWO wonderful Thanksgiving dinners. We have so much to be thankful for.




Blessings to all in the upcoming holiday season!

Recently, Ben participated in his first BBQ competition! He has become more involved in competition grilling over the past year (yes, this is something you can compete in!) and has really grown to love it.

After months of preparation and practice, competition weekend finally arrived! It was very hectic, and I don't think any of us realized just how much was involved. Ben and his team spent days setting up, and pulled an all-nighter to be ready for a 9:00am turn in on Saturday.




 The team entered wings, ribs, chicken, pork, and sauce. Ben repeatedly said that for his very first competition, he would be thrilled to place in the top 10 of any category.
So imagine our surprise when his team won FIRST place for sauce!
Keep in mind that in this category, the team was competing against both backyard and professional grillers, including folks who have bottled sauces that are sold in stores!


 


I am so proud of my husband for working hard to prepare for competition. I think this win just fueled the fire (so to speak....) to prepare for the next one and figure out a way to bottle and sell that award-winning sauce!



Happy Grillin' :)

This year, we had plans to spend Thanksgiving at a cabin in the North Georgia mountains. However, on Tuesday morning, we realized there had been a booking error so our plans changed quickly!
We were determined to make the most of it, so the party was moved to my house where we had a fabulous sleepover (even though my parents & sisters live just 9 miles away...)!
It was tons of fun, and the slumber party allowed us to all relax without worrying about getting kids in bed or letting the dogs out. We stayed up way too late playing games, and enjoyed lounging around on Friday.

 





On Friday, we enjoyed sleeping in a bit, eating leftovers, and getting our Christmas season started! Oh, and lounging :)



No Thanksgiving post would be complete without some shots of the family snoozing...here are my faves!




Our day turned out to be perfect!
Christmas season has officially begun....lots of fun posts in the near future so check back soon!

It was so special to celebrate my first Mother's Day this year! I was just getting over an awful sinus infection/bad reaction to antibiotics, so it was nice to be in the land of the living again. 

Ben got up extra early and prepared a wonderful breakfast and I got to enjoy my first-ever Mother's Day breakfast in bed!

 
I enjoyed a relaxing morning, then we got ready to have 12:45 brunch with my parents!
The weather was sunny (finally!) and breezy and we enjoyed an outdoor brunch at Olde Blind Dog in Milton.



We enjoyed a small gift and card exchange. My Mom created the cutest 'artwork' with my sweet P as her helper, and gave it to me as a gift!


 Look at those cute piggies! Something I will always cherish :)