We just finished a bizarre Thanksgiving week which included 5 out of 6 of us getting sick, a family field trip to urgent care, and actually making it to Rock Hill, though Matt only joined us for about 18 hours. It's been a blur! Monday and Tuesday were especially crazy. Allie had been down with a cough (but not out- plenty of energy) and mentioned a few nights that she "almost threw up" and then she actually did a tiny bit Sunday in the middle of the night, so she ended up staying home Monday...and then Matt was sent home from work sick Monday and joined her. Then Gray and Julia had gone to school not feeling great and Julia ended up coming home early and vomiting, while Gray stayed all day but then came home and went to bed for a day and a half. By Tuesday, Joshua had also vomited in the night unbeknownst to me and I spent Tuesday at work trying to figure out who was home, what their symptoms were, and what to do about it. I ended up driving everyone to the curbside urgent care. Two hours later, some of them had a strep diagnosis and antibiotics and I was pretty convinced they had all had it. They were pretty convinced I had brought it home from work and given it to them without getting sick myself, which may be true. Matt was so terribly sick and so the kids and I headed to Rock Hill without him.
The older boys had so much fun together. They played the usual front yard football even in the dark and had some epic Rook games.
These two took some time to warm up, but eventually had fun playing together too. And I sure did enjoy getting some time with JJ (and Graham too), as I had gotten to be with the older cousins a lot when they were little and everyone wasn't so busy, but not the younger cousins.
The girls enjoyed a lot of girl talk and Julia got to watch a movie with Mimi and Abby later and shop with Carly, Abby, and a friend on Black Friday.
This toddler golf set surprisingly gave the boys hours of fun in the yard.
And somehow this toy horse became quite a thing with them too...even working it's way into the "name game" that we played after Thanksgiving lunch. They even went out to the store to get batteries for it, they were that obsessed.
Joshua was happy to get a chance to fish for a little bit, though the weather turned bad and it didn't last long.
We are home now and I'm feeling thankful that we got to see our "Florida relatives", that we made it through our strep epidemic, and that we have such wonderful, loving families on both sides.
Here is the rest of our fall in pictures:
Ag Day is BIG at Orange. It's like a town festival put on by the agriculture department.
On my fall break, I got to do a lot of thrift store shopping (including, not pictured- a birthday dinner night with my Bible Study friends, in which we went to 3 or 4 stores in Raleigh and then got Mexican). This photo was from a brunch with coworkers, which was followed by more thrift shopping.
8th grade night for Sawyer at OMS soccer.
Open mic night for some of our community group members.
Joshua decided to commit to Methodist!
Joshua and Matt went to State/Duke with Matt's family. Gray went to Young Life fall camp.
We went to putt putt for Joshua's birthday. 18 holes for his 18th!!
We followed that with trying to cheer on the Seahawks.
Gray actually bought this game for Joshua (we had seen an add and it was a running joke), so we played that for Joshua's bday too.
Another mile run for Allie. Thankfully Jeannie could stand in for us as the cheering section.
Mama and Daddy came to watch Julia cheer.
Joshua and I went to a lacrosse tournament near Charlotte and spent the weekend with Mimi and GG. Joshua got some golfing in with GG.
Nanny and Pa moved and we got their pool table. It's been a big hit in our garage.
We carved pumpkins with our community group.
Matt took Gray on some college visits- Lees McRae and App State.
We went to the zoo on a beautiful fall day off of school. Thanks to Aunt Kathy for the passes!
We watched State/Clemson on tv with the Moores.
Matt and I dressed up for a Halloween party.
We had a pretty low key Halloween. Dinner with the Moores, then maybe an hour of trick or treating, which was all Allie wanted. Jeannie, Allie, and I made our exit and let Hunter, Maddox, and Matt continue on with the Bakers for awhile. Joshua went to a volleyball game and Gray to basketball tryouts.
8th grade night for Julia
While Matt and Joshua were in Myrtle Beach and Gray working, I took the girls to watch Orange volleyball compete for the state 3A championship at Reynold's coliseum. They lost but it was so much fun and it felt like half of Hillsborough was there to support them.
I went to a 20's murder mystery party with kids' ministry volunteers. It was so much fun to see everyone all dressed up. I was a tabloid reporter, though Allie told me I looked like a zookeeper. She is really on a streak of "truth telling" and hasn't mastered being tactful. There were Chicago mafia accents, singers, a mime, blackmailing, and lots of secret affairs (mostly with our pastor, lol). Plus amazing food and a great way to get to know each other better. Loved it.
Last travel tournament for these buddies and they won!
Julia was asked to help serve and mingle at the Young Life banquet. She loves her Wyldlife leader.
Nanny and Pa's new house is so nice and Joshua likes to go over and fish.
Julia's last football game was the conference championship at the high school.
Poor Raven can't leave her itchy face alone.
Nanny's bday party in which Barnette did all the cooking. Fun to be with everyone and make memories in their new place.
Pizza and games with Bakers and Moores.
Beautiful weekend for the boys' school team to play in a memorial tournament. They had some great wins!
And that's been our fall. Christmas season, here we come!! I've started to try to plan our celebrations, but between lacrosse (rec and off season) for the boys, basketball cheer for Julia, tennis for Allie (she just started lessons and loves it), winter track for Gray (he chose this after not making basketball and is enjoying so far), Young Life twice a week, my Bible Study, community group, school concerts, and Matt's work schedule, December is already so packed! Hoping we still get some family moments together to focus on the gift of Jesus!
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