Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, and Shenanigans

Thanksgiving was really nice this year. We hosted for the very first time and it went really well. Grammy and Granddaddy came, but also Linda, Brady and much of their family. We enjoyed good company, good food, and nice weather. 

Christmastime is my favorite time of the year and this year's was amazing. We missed doing some of our usual activities like Lights Under Louisville. New activities happened though, including a neighborhood party at the Bohn's house. Also, after a couple of years of not gathering due to Covid-19, the Keeling family Christmas party was held again. 

Decorating the Christmas tree was fun, but also a total mess this year. Despite the adorable pictures, the decorating also included lots of bickering and ornament breaking. The tree did turn out to be very pretty and I loved it. 

Decorating the gingerbread house was lots of fun. As usual, I think more of the candy was eaten than was used for decorating.

We enjoyed decorating Christmas cookies. I have found a really good recipe for the cookie dough that works well for both baking, decorating, and that also tastes really good. Both the Petrosky and Arkema families came to decorate cookies. We had a great time and the cookies were cute and tasty.

The neighborhood Christmas party for the kids was lots of fun. Preston still enjoys the Christmas magic, so he was excited to get a visit from Santa.

Sir Christmas Pants returned and was full of shenanigans. 

Santa came and the boys received lots of exciting gifts. 

The boys woke up bright and early to open presents!

We went to Grammy and Granddaddy's house for lunch and to exchange presents. It was snowy and Caleb and Evan spent lots of time playing outside.

The temperatures during winter break were so low that the creek and pond froze! We had so much fun playing on the ice!

I can't forget waking up to a beaver in the basement bathroom! With the pond frozen, this destructive cutie was out on ice. When Carl couldn't scare him back down to the creek where he came from, he decided it was a good idea to capture him! He spent the night and then packed his bags to a place where he wouldn't be a bother to anyone. 

Cousin Christmas with the Amshoffs was fun and ended up with an unexpected sleepover!

We had fun together on New Year's Eve. We played games and ate lots of snacks. We also had dinner at Seasoned. 

The Congleton family visited in December and the bog boys created an awesome fort! 

Evan enjoyed fishing during the milder weather. We were quite impressed with this huge catfish that he  caught!

 

Fall Fun 2022

We have had wonderful fall filled with some of new events and activities, as well as some of our fall favorites. 

Carl and Evan enjoyed fishing, even though there were much cooler temperatures. 

I loved the beautiful leaves on the creek and around Putney Pond.

Carl and I enjoyed kayaking on a warmer than usual afternoon. The leaves were mostly gone from the trees, but I thought it was still lovely.

Evan worked hard to obtain his hunting license and to learn hunting skills. He was able to get his first doe this fall. He has become an omnivore and enjoys the deer meat that we had processed for him. We are grateful for Mr. Roth, who has been an amazing mentor and friend to Evan. 

We went to Gallrein Farm for pumpkin picking. We enjoyed the hay ride, as well as the petting zoo, gem mining, corn pit, giant bounce pillow, and slides. We arrived at the farm shortly after they opened this year, so there weren't long lines and we were able to do all the activities that we wanted to do.

Preston started drum lessons in September. His teacher invited us to come see him play, which Preston loved. We were able to be up close to the stage and Preston was mesmerized while watching Mr. Billy play. 

Preston has read every Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, as well as seen the movies. It is his favorite book series. He was so excited to go to a special event where he got to see the author, Jeff Kinney. He received a signed copy of the new book, as well as saw an amazing concert from the fictional band from the books. He was so happy!

Boo at the Zoo was lots of fun. Preston went as his favorite Stranger Things character, Steve Harrington. We loved creating his costume and I think he looked amazing! It was nice to have fun with our cousins.

After Boo at the Zoo, we went through the haunted car wash. It was full of suspense and was lots of fun!

We spent Halloween here in The Landings with all of our new friends. We created some super cool jack-o-lanterns, which went great with the rest of our spooky yard decorations. Grammy and Granddaddy came over for dinner and then Grammy passed out candy while we went trick or treating. I was SO happy that Evan joined us for the fun!

We took a trip to Great Wolf Lodge. In addition to all the water park attractions, we enjoyed Magi Quest, mini golf, the arcade, and lots of sweet treats. 

On a nice, sunny day, we went to the zoo. Preston loved the lorikeet experience, as well as the goats.

Carl and I enjoyed a wonderful date night at The Pine Room. I am so grateful for my amazing partner and friend.