Thanksgiving 2010

It's been 5 days since Thanksgiving and I'm only now working up the energy to post about it! This year we hosted the Hepper side of the family here in Richmond because we just weren't sure if Paul's work schedule would allow for travelling. Luckily for us, the Heppers were willing to come here and Paul's work schedule ended up being very light.
When I think back on what we did during our time together, honestly, eating is what comes to the forefront of my mind! Starting with Wednesday, it was food galore in the Hepper household. And I never realized just how much work goes into making a holiday meal until this year. Luckily, I had Mrs. Hepper to help me make the Thanksgiving meal, otherwise we may have been going to the drive thru! Paul, Tate, and Mr. Hepper handled the frying of the turkey, but everything else was prepared from scratch in my kitchen. I would say the main meal turned out exceptionally well - everything tasted delicious and nothing went awry. Only Caroline seemed disgruntled with the holiday meal. She refused any of the delicious sides and turkey and ended up having a popsicle for dinner!
After Thursday, we spent the rest of our time together eating leftovers, watching football, doing crossword puzzles, reading, and shopping. We were also treated to two nice dinners out by Great Grandma Hepper and Mr. and Mrs. Hepper. Caroline thoroughly enjoyed the extra attention lavished on her during the holiday and Mommy enjoyed the extra napping time she got as a result!

Helping Grandma Hepper make the pies


I love it when people bring me gifts!


The Hepper ladies in their aprons


Out for a Thanksgiving drive.


Don't I look cute?


Our Thanksgiving table


Mr Turkey before he takes the "big dip"

Caroline's Favorite New Book Nook

Caroline has claimed a new favorite spot to read her books. Much to Isabel's dismay (just when she thought things couldn't get any worse), Caroline likes to climb into her "house", throw out the blanket, and settle in for a good read.

Holiday Stress is Creeping In...

Sorry for the delay in posts! Caroline and I were out of town last week and we've been spending the last several days catching up with laundry and errands, visiting with all the friends we missed seeing, and trying to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas! I love the holidays, but I hate the stress that comes along with them! Currently, I'm trying to get our Christmas cards ordered, so I've been taking lots of pictures of Caroline to try and find one that works. After much deliberation, I did settle on a card and the pictures to go along with it this morning. Now I can check that off my list...hooray!
Here are some of the pictures that didn't make the cut, but are too cute not to share. And don't worry, Caroline is wearing a different dress in her Christmas card pictures, so these ones won't spoil the real deal!

Zoo Atlanta

Caroline and I are vacationing in Atlanta this week, after spending the weekend with the Heppers in Savannah. Caroline has thoroughly enjoyed all the family time, especially since it means extra attention for her!

Today Caroline went with Mommy and Marmee to Zoo Atlanta (yes, I wrote that correctly...that's how it goes in the ATL). Caroline had a blast checking out all the amazing animals. Giraffes, flamingos, elephants, gorillas, monkeys, and meerkats were just some of the animals that caught her eye. Her catch phrase for the day was "whoa!" every time she saw a new animal. Mommy and Marmee were pretty impressed too. Many of the animals were soaking up the warm sun and taking siestas when we visited their habitats. The pandas were out cold as was the lion when we walked by. Mommy kept wishing she could take an afternoon nap stretched out in the sun!

Before we left the zoo we had to hit up the gift shop, of course. Caroline was very particular about the stuffed animal she wanted. She said "no" to a wide variety of creatures before finally nodding "yes" to an elephant! Before heading back home, we enjoyed a tasty lunch out at a restaurant overlooking the historic Oakland Cemetery. Marmee was delighted not only to be enjoying a delicious lunch, but to be doing to next to some great historical scenery :) Caroline was a gem throughout the entire outing and must have been excited too much by all the fun because boy did she fight taking her afternoon nap! Don't worry, Mommy finally settled the little monkey down for her snooze. :)

Cute meerkats


Caroline and Marmee visit with a goat in the petting zoo.


"My what big teeth you have, Mr. Goat!"


A giraffe and zebra


Caroline pointed out all the facial features on the gorilla.


Checking out the flamingos.


I enjoyed a delicious quesadilla after the zoo!

A Mining Disaster (Hepper style)

Recently, we bought Caroline this toy:



It's been a big hit with her, although she does require help from Mommy to put each block in its place.
The other night, however, Caroline found a whole new use for her toy: she discovered the coolest little hole that was just the right size for the blocks!



The problem was, that little hole was in our speaker box and once the blocks went down, they wouldn't come out. That night we caught her after two blocks went down the chute and after trying for ten minutes to shake them out, we wrote them off as a lost cause.

But Caroline wasn't about to forget about that neat little hole. This afternoon while I was in the kitchen fixing lunch, it got awfully quiet in the living room. I went in to find Caroline dropping the last of 12 blocks down the chute! Upon further inspection with a flashlight, I also saw that she had dropped a stuffed bunny into the hole for good measure. She seemed quite proud of her "accomplishment."

All of a sudden, I was reminded of the Chilean miners trapped at the bottom of a mine shaft for over 2 months. Of course, this wasn't quite as serious, but I knew I had to find a way to rescue the bunny and the blocks! After a few trial and error attempts, I finally found a method that worked: a bubble of packing tape stuck to the end of Paul's golf club. A NASA designed capsule, it was not, but it would do the trick. With the assistance of a flashlight, I was able to fish all 12 blocks and one stuffed bunny up the shaft and out of the hole.

The rescue team:


The recovered blocks:


Caroline clearly misunderstood the purpose of this rescue mission because she continued to try and drop things into the speaker box. Grr. Eventually, she seemed to understand that I was not pleased with her and went off to find more mischief...

Halloween!

Caroline's 2nd Halloween was a blast! We started the day by carving our pumpkins. Caroline was really eager to help, using a fork to help Mommy and Daddy "carve." The gooey guts of the pumpkins didn't bother her at all either. Caroline was happy as a clam stirring the seeds and pulp around a colander while Mommy and Daddy finished the carving jobs. Once we finished the pumpkins, we roasted our seeds for a tasty snack. Caroline loves roasted pumpkin seeds!
Mommy then spent most of the afternoon baking and cooking for our block party. This is a tradition of the 4800 block of Stuart Avenue and we were happy to join in! By 5pm, our street was full of people, food, and little ones running around in costumes. Caroline was part of the crew, dressed as a lady bug and loving every minute. As everyone knows, Caroline is quite the social butterfly, so this block party was her idea of a grand time! She got tons of rides in her wagon and car, ate about four pounds of chicken nuggets and chips and salsa, and even managed to sneak a piece or two of candy. When all the big kids went trick-or-treating, Caroline tagged along in her wagon for a little while, but we quickly learned she was too slow to keep up and so we headed back to our party. A few more snacks and a juice box later, and we were done for the night. As you might imagine, Caroline was pretty tired after her big soiree, so we hit the sack soon after. We had a great Halloween!

Helping Daddy with his pumpkin.


Stirring up pumpkin guts!


Ready for the party to begin!


Let's get this party started!


But first, I need a hug from Daddy.


Group pictures with the neighbors.




Off in my wagon to trick-or-treat!


I was a fantastic lady bug!

Halloween at Harris Williams

Today was full of Halloween fun for Caroline! First, she went to school sporting her pumpkin outfit/costume. While she was there (according to her teachers) she enjoyed a buggy ride around the school, a long play session with the classroom toys, a "spook-tacular" music class, and snack time.

After nap time, we headed downtown to go trick or treating at Daddy's office! For this outing, Caroline wore her ladybug costume. All of our practice paid off because Caroline happily wore all the parts of the costume for the entire time we were there. We probably should have practiced trick or treating though, because Caroline was completely befuddled by the strange people holding buckets full of candy in front of her! She was really bashful and hid more than once behind Mommy's legs. She eventually caught on though, as you'll see below. While at Daddy's office, we also enjoyed some tasty snacks and visited with our friends, Hailey and Caroline.

We're planning on laying low tomorrow so we're rested and ready to go for the Halloween weekend!!

Off to school in my pumpkin outfit!


Walking down the hallway at Daddy's office, getting ready to trick or treat!


Um, maybe I'm not so sure about this...



Maybe I'll take one...


...or two...or three...



Holly, Hailey, Caroline, and Mommy


Caroline and Hailey


We had a great time, but now Daddy has to get back to work!!