Family of FIVE!

Thanksgiving One: Fancy Gap!

 Bill and Barb, Popsy and Baba were so gracious to rent us a gorgeous and spacious cabin for Thanksgiving! It was located in Fancy Gap, VA which was only 2 hours away from us! Thank goodness too because Katie and Uncle Dave had the wonderful opportunity to sit in the back with the girls on the way there.

 The weather was a tad chilly but not too bad for us to play outside and enjoy the view of the Shenandoah Valley.

 We went on a short hike to see a waterfall and enjoy some time around a lake.  

 Aunt Jill, Uncle Mark and baby Lily came too. The girls were so sweet with Lily and we enjoyed the evenings as adults and played numerous games.  A specific game left us with sore cheeks from laughing.

 It was so fun to be all together as 'grown ups'! Ha. There was (of course) amazing food, coffee and conversation.

Catching up- Hallers meet Laine

 Its been a busy month and we haven't posted in a while. Sorry.  Here are the pics from when we went to visit the Eakers to meet their new baby Laine!  Raschelle, Ella and Ryan came too so we were ALL together. It was so fun.

 Here's our attempt at a family photo! Ha.

 Ashlyn was enthralled with the "Bebee" and loooved giving her lots of attention, kisses, soft touches and asking to hold her. Laine was adorable and compliant and let everybody love on her newborn softness.

There was a lot of playing outside and lots of crazy Grandpa activities such as the below car ride contraption.

We had a great time and it was nice to all be together before the crazy holiday season coming up.  And of course, it was so nice to be around a quiet, pleasant and cuddly newborn.  Sweet Laine.

Next up- Trip to Fancy Gap, Thanksgiving and more!

Hallerween

 Pirate Arrrghhhi and Dino Ashlyn for the Holy Ghost-wienie-roast at our Church. Jk, they don't call it that but it was a Fall Festival outreach. Fun for the girls to eat their first cotton candy and play on bounce houses.

Even Dan was able to have a turn at the bounce house! 

In between our church's halloween event and actual Halloween, we had two sweet sweet visitors: Aunt Jill and baby Lily. She is a at a sweet baby age and tried her best to catch all the action that Ari and Ashlyn gave her but we ended up wearing her out! Thankfully, no damage was done to their home during the hurricane so Lily was able to be home for her first halloween.

The night of Halloween was predicted to be a tad chilly. So we had to modify our costumes a tad to make sure the girls weren't cold.  Ashlyn doesn't love that Dino hat so I put a jersey and a hat on over her fleece jammies!  She's crying because I made her sit down and take a picture instead of letting her get into the stroller! Ha, sweet opinionated one...

Ari talked about being a pirate for two weeks but then fate struck against me and she would NOT stop talking about being a princess. So, we compromised and she was a pirate Saturday and a Princess Wednesday.  I found an inexpensive Rapunzel pajama dress that she wore with pride for two days and even during naps.  She was very proud... and I was too. She was sweet.

They figured it out rather quickly and were eager to knock on the doors for free candy. Ari kept forgetting to say "Trick or Treat" and when we would remind her, "Ari, what do you say?" She would answer "Please!" Such a practical girl. She didn't love some of the teenagers' scary costumes and was hesitant at some of the homes.  I feel the same way, no need to be scared.  We saw some friends and they had a really good time going together. She's already talking about what she wants to be next year.

Asheville in the Fall

Best time of year to go to Asheville. It is gorgeous with its changing colors and its breezy fall weather.  The leaves were gorgeous yellows, oranges and tinges of red. There were maybe two clouds in the sky the whole time... My favorite city.

We celebrated my birthday and despite our all ill feeling with colds, it was a good time. The girls were troopers in the car.

Ari kept asking where we were going and we told her Asheville. She thought for a second and said "and then Ari-ville?"  That thought process amazed us and made us laugh.  We ate at Tupelo Honey Cafe and it was still an hour and half wait when we left. That place is so dang delicious.

Pumpkin Patch

 Yep, its October... that means the 'thing' to do is go to the local pumpkin patch up the road. THis year, Dan went with us and we made it a full family day that ended with a picnic and cookies!

 This is a 'pick your own' patch with many fields of pumpkins.  The girls were eager and had a fun time running the aisles of the field.  They each picked a few and they're displayed on our porch until we carve them.

Our attempt at a family photo: a tad sunny and the girls not looking at the stranger... eh... whatever.

Dan took the girls to the 'hay maze' and they all three loved it. They climbed on top of the hay bales and jumped.  This was one of our favorite parts.

 Happy Fall Ya'll!! 

Sisters

14 months or something?... Poor second child

Oh Ashlyn, you are so cute. You're like 14.5 months now... practically 2 already both in size of clothing and in attitude :) I'm sorry we've neglected your milestones but the memories are certainly there. You've been walking and are learning to go down the stairs which still gives me heart failure.  

 You love your sippy cup. But only like this one with the straw. You drink all day.  You loooove your bunny.  You say "bbbaaaaaeeeyy" when you see it and you give it loving hugs when you get it.  Your curls! Oh man, Daddy (and mommy, but him especially) loves your curls.  They get all sweaty and are so sweet and bouncy. Might be our favorite part of your beautiful self.

You are very very funny. I love to watch you discover things and explore your findings. You waddle over to Ari to show her. You have a special sound for Ari's name but it sounds nothing like "Ari".  When I ask you to smile or show me your teeth, you make the above and below faces.  Seriously, adorable.  You make beginning words and though it sounds like gibberish, we love it. You are trying to communicate and its much better than the squawks you used to do.

You like to dance and that shoulder shimmy makes me smile regardless of the day I've had.  You have a lot of spunk and your fiesty spirit is very opinionated.  I love it. I have two strong leaders to mold and form into World Changers.  

We've been dealing with some serious issues with Ari's daytime disrespect and Ashlyn watches with a concerned face and is learning so much.  My favorite part of this is when she waddles over to Ari's corner (while she's being disciplined) and basically mocks my arm, voice and stance and grunts at Ari. I laugh because Ari gets very angry at her.  

Even though Ashlyn is walking around now, she still has just as many rolls. I love her little wrinkles and soft skin. I know this will change in the next year so I'm soaking it in as much as I can!

We love you dear Ashlyn and we're really enjoying watching you thrive and change.  

Sister love

Going in for the...

 Smooch

And then a big squeeze hug. 

Cousins visit!

Zac, Allie and Ella came to visit one weekend in August. It seems like a long time ago but we had a great time! They loved playing with one another and my sisters and I managed the chaos with laughter. Can't imagine having that many young children in the house... but people do!

 Bribery was involved to get these group pictures! They were adorable though. They all love one another; there was surprising very little fighting.  Lots of squeals and screams, but not very many tears.  I'm so looking forward to taking this same picture year after year with more and more kiddos!

 Even little baby Eaker #3 made her presence known. Aunt Bex is doing great growing her baby and earning her PhD at the same time.  Moms are the bomb multi-taskers.

Lots and lots of girls!  

A Quick Getaway

(Dan posting!)

For our 5 year anniversary, we headed to our favorite destination, Pisgah National Forest, which surrounds Asheville.  One of our favorite locations, Black Balsam Knob, is a mile hike to the top and feels like what I picture Ireland to be like: rocky and grassy:

The top of the hill (the one in the foreground) is where we camped.

Starting a fire with the damp wood in the wind was a challenge.  Luckily, some lighter fluid got the job done (ashamed to admit as an Eagle Scout!)  We had "pouch dinners" which is where you pour boiling water into a dehydrated food pouch.  I had chicken pad thai and Jenny had pepper steak and rice.  Not bad for packing light and being hungry!

It got chillier than we expected or were prepared for, but we had a great time.  The view was beautiful, with the aptly-named Blue Ridge Mountains all around us.

We were the only ones on the peak, and it felt like we were the only ones in the world - no other fires, lights or sounds.  Just the wind!  Here is our view the next morning...a (foggy/cloudy) sunrise right outside our tent.  Great view and feeling.

Happy 5th anniversary to us.  Thanks to Mitch and Shelley for watching the girls so we could go!