Nicholas's birthday party

Nicholas' birthday party was a little delayed this year due to, you guessed it, softball, among other things. So the Saturday after Thanksgiving, he and several of his classmates gathered at Tataru's Gym in west Knoxville.

This is my favorite kind of birthday party because everyone (even the grownups) gets to run and jump and tumble the whole time. And then there's cake! What could be better?





Jumping into the pit was very popular.

Here's Nicholas.




And Megan.








And DAVID.

Look at Ramsey!










And Kirby. This went on all afternoon.








You could try climbing, or jumping, or balancing.












And, really, the rope swing. Who could resist?












Follow that with cake and presents and it makes for a pretty perfect afternoon!

Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 26th was Thanksgiving this year. Now everybody tends to eat too much on Thanksgiving. But since eating a meal at my mom's house on a random Tuesday resembles most peoples' Thanksgiving, well, the real Thanksgiving is a sight to behold.

Gratuitous cute kid pictures:













We started off with hors d'oeuvres, because there's no point going to the Thanksgiving table hungry, is there?









And then the real meal began.

Uncle David showed Riley the enormous turkey. She was suitably impressed.









The calm before the storm:









Bring on the food!


















Riley looks a little taken aback at the size of her plate!









And don't forget to save room for dessert :)

LuLu's Tea Room

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we ate lunch at LuLu's Tea Room in Powell. Megan, Nicholas, and I were accompanied by my mom, my sister Ann Marie, and of course, my niece Riley.

We drive past LuLu's very regularly on the way to Megan's softball practice so we have been wanting to try it out for a while. We were instantly impressed when we were escorted to the Cheetah table! How did they know?? Ok, purists may say that it is actually leopard print, but close enough :)




Riley was entertained by one of her favorite people in the world, Megan.









We had some good food, delicious tea, and good company. Even Nicholas had a good time!

Riley in Megan's winter coat and hat

Riley wanted to go out an play on this cold fall day, so we bundled her up in Megan's old coat and Nicholas' old hat. Doesn't she look adorable?

Riding lesson

David and Nicholas came to watch Megan and me have a riding lesson on this lovely November day.










Megan's regular mount is Tommy Tucker.










And this is Chico, my favorite horse in the world. He is only mine for an hour a week, but I love him!

Sweeping the roof

Why is it that a mundane task like sweeping, is so much more fun when you're 10 feet in the air?

Brendan and Krisden's Engagement Party

Congratulations Brendan and Krisden! We celebrated their engagement
Saturday, November 7 with a beautiful party planned by my sister, Ann Marie.









Luckily, she had plenty of free labor to get things set up:










And ultimately, everything turned out beautifully.



















I think everyone had a good time!