Thanksgiving In San Antonio, Texas With The Sharps, Dawsons and Meadows

Dinner At The Hotel - Waiting For The Riverwalk Christmas Parade To Start!

On The Train at the San Antonio Zoo

On The Riverwalk Dinner Cruise (Jane and Christopher not shown) Where were you guys hiding?Please send me a picture to post!

Eden (Three Years Old) At Our Hotel With Her Beautiful Smocked Turkey Dress

 

The Sharps, Meadows, and Dawsons all met this year in San Antonio, Texas for Thanksgiving. We all stayed on the lovely San Antonio River Walk. We had the most memorable, spectacular Thanksgiving meal this year at Boudros on the River Walk. When we arrived the Manager asked if we would like to have our dinner on one of the boats! How could the answer be anything but yes? The weather was perfect and all of the family were together. So as we ate our prime rib and turkey dinners as we cruised the Riverwalk with our own personal tour guide. What a special evening! Sometimes stepping away from the usual familiar things brings exciting new adventures and memories!

The day after Thanksgiving we had another wonderful meal at our hotel and watched the Christmas parade that takes place on the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk Christmas lights were all turned on and the boats in the parade were amazing. On Saturday we went to the S.A. Zoo where we just happened to be lucky enough to see an elephant put on a great show for the crowd. The elephant had the best time rolling around in the water and playing with a big log. We also went to the Tower of the Americas and Dick's Last Resort restaurant. They try really hard to provide silly, rude service...all in good fun.

We are Thankful this year that Eden got to spend time with her family that lives in Texas! Family is the most important thing that anyone could ever have in their lives!

Early Thanksgiving With The Family 2011

LeAnne, Uncle Johnny & Uncle Kenneth (The Cones)

Daddy & Eden In The Living Room

Eden with her jingle bells

Cady, Jamie, Aunt Cindy and Aunt Cindy's father Bob

Uncle Kenneth & Betty (Aunt Cindy's mother) with our wonderful food!

This year we are going to be flying to San Antonio, Texas for Thanksgiving with the Sharp side of the family. We decided to celebrate early with our family here in Raleigh! The Sunday before Thanksgiving, we celebrated. We ate dinner this year! Usually we eat at lunch time because the Cone side of the family loves to eat and can never wait until dinner! It actually worked out great and we had a wonderful time!

I has always loved being with my family as it brings warm childhood memories to me of my Mama cooking for us! Although the food was wonderful (we cooked it) Don doing all of the baking that included Mama Dips Pecan Pie, Chocolate Chess Pie and Pumpkin Bread, being with the family was the best part! Uncle Kenneth played with Eden in her bouncy house a very long time! Jamie and Cady who have grown up to be beautiful smart young ladies entertain Eden as well. She loved every bit of it and even told her teachers all about her day with family!

LeAnne: The only thing that would have made my Thanksgiving more special this year would have been to have my Mama present. I thought about her a lot this Thanksgiving and how much she would have loved Eden! I know that she would have picked out just the special little nick name for her!

She would have be so proud to show off all her cute little pictures to her friends at the beauty shop and goodness knows the sweet smocked dresses and baby dolls she would have ask me to pick out for her! Eden must have know that I was thinking about her because she ask me the day after our celebration where my Mama was. I sweetly told her that she was in Heaven and she said that she wanted to see her. I know that she will get to one day! So this Thanksgiving I am thankful to have had a wonderful Mama and thankful that I know how to pass her love on to Eden. We are off to celebrate again in Texas.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Christmas Parade, Scotty McCreery & Rockettes Radio City All In One Day!

Scotty McCreery - American Idol Winner 2011 - From Raleigh

Santa Claus - HO HO

Broughton High School


Daddy & Eden Watching The Parade Come Down The Street

The Nutcracker Float - Really Big!

Wow we are exhausted but what a fun day! It started with Don getting up at 7:00 am to set chairs out on the parade route. The parade started at 9:40. We then walk from our house (about 15 mins) straight to our chairs after stopping along the way for coffee and bagels.

This year the parade was really exciting for two reason's. First, now that Eden is three she knows who Santa is and the second our "own" Scotty McCreery the American Idol winner was the grand marshall! The parade was outstanding this year! It was 2 and 1/2 hours and included some pretty big inflatables, floats and marching bands. Our own Broughton High School will be in the Parade of Roses this year! Little old Raleigh is pretty popular!

After the parade was over we headed straight to the Durham Performing Arts Center to see the Rockettes Radio City Show. Now I know what everyone knows who has seen the show. It was amazing for both children and adults! I bet every little girl who attended the show is going to dream about growing up one day and becoming a Rockette!

Yo Gabba Gabba Live

Several days after Halloween, we took Eden to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live! This is a very popular show that comes on Nick Jr. The star of the show is D.J. Lance Rock and all of the characters. Eden really loves Fooha, and she dressed up like her at Halloween. It was really hard to tell who had the best time. The children or the silly parents who were singing "It's A Party In My Tummy" and "I love bugs"! What a fun time we all had at the show. Eden even said "my first show" as we left.

Pumpkin Patch and Halloween 2011

Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne (Mama & Daddy) & Kathy

Foofa From Yo Gabba Gabba!

Getting My face painted at Pumpkin Farm

Me & Daddy In The Pumpkin Patch

Precious!

Fall, our favorite time of the year has been great this year! We have spent time at the Pumpkin Patch, Farmers Market, Trick or Treating and attending a couple of Halloween parties in our neighborhood. We did our annual decorating, pumpkin carving and baking Halloween goodies. Daddy always takes the top of the pumpkin off and I get to clean the seeds out. I have been doing this since I was one and I am pretty good at it now! This year it started raining on Halloween. Well, I put my Foofah costume on anyway (with my rainboots) and went out with my Momma and Daddy to get my candy! We had a blast! My Mama and Daddy went to a Halloween party dressed as Ozzy and Sharon while I stayed at home with Ms. Johnnie! I think they looked pretty good!

October! It's North Carolina State Fair Time!

Ah! One of our favorite things to do in the fall along with Halloween is going to the NC State Fair. We never go once but usually twice and this year Eden went to the fair with her Uncle Kenneth, Aunt Cindy and her Cousins, Jamie and Cady. This is Eden's fourth visit to the fair! Yes she went when she was three months old! This year Eden loved playing the games! She was so good at winning the fish game that we now have five goldfish. She named them Twinkie, Oreo, Pickle, Hamburger and Donut. Wonder where she got those names from?

We just can't resist the temptations of the food, rides and animals. We always get a ham biscuit, hot dog, steak pita, Al's Frenchfries, roasted corn on the cobb and yes fried snickers and oreo's!

Yum Yum!

Well we will let the pictures speak for themselves!

September 2011 Biking The Creeper Trail In The Beautiful Virginia Mountains

On September 16 we headed to the Creeper Trail located on the North Carolina Virginia Boarder. The Creeper Trail is a old railroad track that is now a beautiful scenic bike and hiking trail. We went with our good friends Becky, Ron and their son Ian. Becky and I have worked together for many years. We stayed in a secluded mountain house that was surrounded by beautiful mountains, land and a beautiful old red barn. I had been looking for a old red barn to take some pictures of Eden and I can't believe it was there! As you can see we took many sweet pictures of Eden! We had a wonderful time! We rode the trail 17 miles down to the beautiful small town called Damascus. You can stop along the way and eat at a cafe. We built a camp fire outside our house and roasted hotdogs and marshmellows on sticks that Becky and Eden found! I can't think of any way better to spend your time then with good friends, family and breath taking mountain views!

Shhhh! Mama Celebrates A Big Birthday August 2011

Several days after Eden celebrated her 3rd birthday with a big birthday party bash, Mama has a big birthday! We will keep the number a secret! Daddy surprises mama by taking her to a local Mexican resturant where her family and several of her close friend's surprise her. The last picture is Mama and her younger brother Kenneth (My Uncle Kenneth). Most people say they can tell that they are related by the eyes. Daddy had a beautiful pink cake made for Mama. He also gave her some beautiful John Hardy chandelier earrings. I can't wait to get my hands on them some day! Ms. Johnnie kept me that night but we both had some cake when Mama and Daddy came home. Happy Birthday Mama!!

August 2011 Happy 3rd Birthday Eden Olivia!

Happy Birthday Eden!

Your Mama and Daddy cannot believe that you are turning three! Time is going so fast. It was just yesterday that you were turning one. This year we have decided to have your birthday at Maple View Farms. It is a dairy farm. You really love farm animals and we thought it would be perfect for your third birthday. We have invited a lot of your friends from the Jordan Center and some friends from the neighborhood as well. Guess what! 22 of your good friends have RSVP'd! Your Mama is very busy making your birthday invitation and planning your big day. You and your friends are going to go on a hayride through the dairy farm, milk "Maple" the cow and eat homemade ice cream from the farm. Your Mama and Daddy are hoping we get to milk the cow also!

Your mama and daddy gave you a "bouncy house" for your birthday and we set it up early in the morning so that you would see it first thing as you went downstairs the day of your birthday party! Your were so excited that you jumped with joy!

Eden you are so cute and sweet at three! You are also very smart! You can now recognize the letters in the alphabet. You are very strong willed and sometimes give your Mama and Daddy a fit! You are very clever and know how to get what you want! One night when we were eating dinner and you noticed that I had diet coke and that you had milk you quietly suggested that we do a swap! You said that I could have your milk and that you would take my diet coke and we could call it sharing! You were 2 1/2 when you came up with this idea. Guess what your Mama said yes! You looked at me like you could not believe that I bought you story. I thought it was so clever of you that I just had to go along with it! We cannot wait to celebrate many more wonderful birthday's with you. I wonder how we can top this birthday next year?

Mama & Poppy (you sometimes call your Daddy Poppy)

July 2011 Beach Trip To Emerald Isle

We spent a week in July at our condo in Emerald Isle this year. We had a very relaxing week at the beach basically doing nothing but playing! It was nice and sunny all week! We spent most of the time playing with Eden on the beach. Don and Eden spent a few hours making a sandcastle one day. Eden loves playing on the beach. She loves to dig in the sand and always asks Don to find her sandfleas and put them in a bucket of water so that she can play with them. She has her very own Barbie fishing pole and likes to fish with her Daddy on the beach! We took lots of pictures of her on the beach. We did take a day trip over to Beaufort and went on a boat ride around the intracoastal waterway. The Captain even let the children take turns driving the boat. Eden thought that was really cool. Her daddy was jealous because he wanted to drive the boat, too. We ate lots of seafood. Eden loves shrimp!