Family Pictures in Sapphire Valley

While in Sapphire Valley, we took pictures on the golf course. There were some strong wind gusts as you can see by the series of pictures of Anna Catherine.

Thanksgiving in the Mountains

November 24-28, 2008--- For Thanksgiving this year we decided to meet PaPa Gator and Lady in Sapphire Valley, North Carolina. It is a beautiful mountain area located in the southern part of the state. We left home around 5:30 a.m. so we could get to our condo for dinner. We stopped at Discovery Mills Mall in Atlanta to stretch our legs and get some lunch. While there, Anna Catherine climbed the rock wall in the Bass Pro Shop (which is a really cool store, by the way. I would never have thought to go in one but the kids LOVED it--an aquarium, huge taxidermy bears, cougars, and other wildlife, and Santa's workshop which was an area for the kids to play with toys). We also saw Santa. Jackson ran up to him and immediately told him he wanted a blue brontosaurus. Anna Catherine had no fears and asked for a Frosty the Snowman movie and a digital camera. Chloe was really skeptical about sitting with this strange man so Rick held her. Then the kids enjoyed a ride on the carousel. It was a nice two hour break from sitting in the van.

We went shopping in the Highlands. It is a neighboring town with a cute downtown area. The kids enjoyed the toy store best. Anna Catherine and Chloe focused on a marble game (looked like fun but too much of a choking hazard for me to deal with on a daily basis). Jackson found some dinosaurs which he used to "take over" the train table in a Godzilla sort of way.












Rick, Anna Catherine, and PaPa Gator went hiking. Such beautiful landscape.











The kids had fun playing on the playground. Then we went over to the man-made snow hill. Anna Catherine and Rick went tubing down the "mountain". Jackson wanted to tube but he didn't meat the height requirement. So, he and PaPa Gator played in the snow. Chloe wanted to play but she had no mittens. I wasn't expecting snow.

We had a peaceful, relaxing week filled with delicious food, much needed naps, and cut-throat games of Texas Hold'Em. It was good to see PaPa Gator and Lady again.

Fall Feast

November 21, 2008---Madison Avenue Elementary School had their kindergarten Fall Feast today. Anna Catherine's class has been preparing for this since we moved here. The kids have been practicing songs and dances and doing art projects to get ready for the big day. It had originally been scheduled as an outdoor event with a traditional Thanksgiving meal served picnic style with everyone eating on blankets on the ground. However, the high that day was only supposed to be 47 degrees so the program was moved indoors to the gym. Each child was allowed to have one guest attend so Rick went with Anna Catherine.

The fall feast was an all morning even, last almost four hours. The children dressed in Indian outfits and headdresses that they decorated themselves. Each student was given an Indian name. Anna Catherine was Princess Smiling Face. Each class had constructed their own tee pee and performed songs and dances in front of it. Then they rotated through activity centers around the gym. The activities included face painting, a pumpkin rolling contest, two separate art stations, and cookie decorating. Finally, everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving meal. Both Rick and Anna Catherine had a great time. I'm glad they could attend a school event together.

Thanksgiving Ski Trip

November 16-24---We went on a family ski trip to Pagosa Springs, Colorado for Thanksgiving. We had been planning it for almost a year. Rick, the kids, Nicole, and I were driving out and meeting Rick's brother, his girlfriend, Rick's dad, and his wife there. On Friday we packed up the van, picked up Nicole, and hit the road around 2 p.m. for our 23 hour road trip. That's right--we only stopped for food, restroom, and gas. Rick will tell you the trip was easy but Nicole will tell you a very different story. Rick was driving and listening to a book on tape with headphones, so he didn't hear Chloe crying for hours and hours--literally!! She didn't sleep more than one hour at a time the entire drive there. Anna Catherine and Jackson were awesome travelers!! They watched movies, read books, played games, played with toys, and slept the whole time. We stopped in Santa Fe, NM to eat breakfast at Denny's. I had packed our toothbrushes in my purse so we could do a little personal hygiene improvement in the restroom. Two women were in the restroom stalls while Anna Catherine and I were brushing our teeth. Anna Catherine looked at me and said, "Mommy, do we have to sleep in the van again tonight?" I responded, "No." I know those women thought we were homeless people cleaning up in the restroom. I'm sure that's how we looked after being in the van for 18 hours with very little sleep! We arrived in Pagosa Springs around noon on Saturday, checked into our timeshare condo, unpacked, showered, ate, and were couch potatoes the rest of the day. The rest of the Crawfords arrived late Saturday night so we met up Sunday to tour the town.

Pagosa Springs is a nice little town located across the Continental Divide near the Colorado-New Mexico border. It is set on a natural spring so a lot of the town smells of sulfur. We had lunch at a local Mexican restaurant where we met some nice hunters from Cajun Country...South Louisiana. Small world! There was no snow but luckily Wolf Creek was one of the only resorts making their own snow at the time so those who wanted to ski were able to take advantage of the one run they had open. We chose Pagosa Springs/Wolf Creek because they get the most snow in Colorado each year and typically have 5+feet of snow in mid-November. Blame it on global warming I guess. It was perfect for us though, since it was Anna Catherine and Nicole's first time to ski. They were awesome skiers!!! Anna Catherine didn't have poles and skied the last run alone. Quite a feat, I think, for a novice four-year-old. Nicole even mastered talking on her cell phone and texting while skiing. I'm so proud of my girls!!! The week was spent skiing two days, hiking one day, and shopping two days. One day we drove to Durango and walked around their downtown area. On the way there (and back) we passed Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn's house. Nicole had no idea who they were. I quickly got Rick's blackberry and searched for pictures of them on the Internet. I explained that they were Kate Hudson's parents and were once Hollywood stars. I loved Goldie Hawn in "Laugh-In", "Private Benjamin", "Wildcats", and "First Wives Club". Boy, do I feel old!!

We ate a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at a nice little restaurant in Pagosa Springs called The Dogwood Cafe. It is owned and operated by an Ole Miss graduate originally from Georgia. Small world once again! We met her and exchanged Hotty Toddy's rather than hello's. She and her husband cook delicious homemade Southern and Cajun food. She had Ole Miss and Oxford prints on the walls. It was fabulous! There was five inches of snow on the ground Friday morning when we woke up. Of course, since I was the first one awake, I ran around the condo like a kid waking everyone up to see the snow. Rick took Anna Catherine and Jackson out to play. His dad and Cliff joined them. They made a snowman, snow alligator, and snow tiger (in honor of the LSU-Arkansas game). There was also a snowball fight. We kept up with a disastrous Ole Miss loss to State via the Internet on Rick's blackberry and text messages from Brady. Then we watched the Tigers lose in a disappointing 3-OT upset.

Saturday morning we packed up the van and headed back to Mississippi. It was a long 25 hours home. It took longer due to ice/snow in Colorado and New Mexico and nonstop rain from Oklahoma City to Pontotoc. We had a great time visiting with Papa Gator, Lady, Cliff, and Amanda but were so happy to be home. Nicole and I told Rick we would do it again but would insist on spending the night midway rather than driving directly from point A to point B.