Asheville Christmas Parade

Adam discovered that the Asheville Christmas Parade was this weekend, so we dressed in some holiday cheer and went to watch the 90 + floats/performers that were scheduled. We told Kenly about the bands, the dancers, the animals, and all the other wonderful things a parade is made up of. We told her Santa would be there too.


We were toward the end of the parade route, so we had to wait a bit longer for the parade to start. Kenly wore a green shirt and her Christmas tree bow and her snowman bow.
Here she is grooving to some music.
Look at those pony tails fly.
Since she was super adorable, she scored a bunch of candy and goodies from everyone in the parade.
She scored so much candy that Adam suggested that she share some with the kids near us. Instead, she stood and looked pitiful so that she could try and get more candy. We called her off before it worked. We're still working on sharing.
Nothing says Christmas parade like kids on unicycles.
She received an American flag from an elf. She was thrilled.

As she was holding her flag, the wind kicked up. The flag started blowing and she was amazed. I love how excited and perplexed she looks in this picture.
Then she started looking for the wind.
When this dance troupe came by, Kenly tried to do everything they did. It's really fun to watch a two year old try and do high kicks.
When asked what her favorite part of the parade was, Kenly replied, "the llamas and the dancers."

Getting down with the dancing reindeer.
She enjoyed some loving from a dog who needs a home. The Asheville Humane Society is where we adopted our darling Chance. He turned 8 this weekend.
Enjoying some of the candy she received.
She tuckered out really quickly. At one point I saw a set of parents leaving with a child about Kenly's age. I turned to Adam and said, "Now that is a sacrilege. When you have a child, you can't leave before you see Santa."

Boy did I eat those words.
After failing to subdue a meltdown, we left at float number 55. Santa was float 90-something. There's always next year, right?

Trash or Treasure?

One man's trash is another man's treasure. Adam and I have been saving the lids to all sorts of containers for Kenly for the past few months. I got the idea from a few of the mommy blogs I read. These smart moms are using the lids to teach sizes and sorting. Who needs to buy sorting shapes when you have trash? It's free and it's green. We love to repurpose things around here.

One of her favorite games is putting the lids in a muffin tin. We tried sorting by color, but Kenly wants to march to her own drum right now.


I'm getting dinner cooked much faster now that I have lids to distract Kenly.

Kenly wants to blog a little this morning. Here's what she has to say...

ffvvvvvvvvvvvvvvt yyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaavrfruvWfhhhfhffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff
fffffffffhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff fa
aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Looking Glass Falls

On Saturday we took Kenly on an outdoor adventure. We all needed some fresh air, so we headed to Looking Class Fall for a quick peek at a waterfall. Then we headed to Pisgah National Forest for a quick hike before finishing the outing with some BBQ at Hawg Wild. The food was so good that I'm still drooling.

For the first time in Kenly's life, she asked to wear a hat. Since winter is on its way, I want to encourage this behavior. She kept the hat on during our entire adventure. If it fell off, she was distraught.
These two love each other madly.

I played with some editing techniques on this shot, and I was really pleased with the outcome.

Our four legged friend came with us, and he was super excited to be in the great outdoors.
While we were hiking, Kenly announced that she had to potty. We quickly removed her shoes, socks, pants, and undies so she could cop-a-squat on the side of the trail. She's already mastered the jungle squat and she's only two. The "full moon" rising above the leaves was an adorable sight. I have a picture, but I don't want her to kill me one day, so it will remain private.

I'm trying to show her a ladybug in the picture. Who knows why I'm wearing that expression. Adam fetched her a pail of river water after hiking. She wanted to get in the water at the waterfall, so this was a nice compromise.

Delirious About Fall

I took these pictures on Sunday. Adam was blowing leaves off the roof because rain was coming in for Monday and Tuesday, so Kenly and I decided to join him in the yard to do our share. We did rake and work, but we also took time to snap a few pictures. Nothing beats frolicking in the leaves on a crisp fall day. I posted my favorite yesterday because it deserved a post all its own.

Today Kenly and I had a date at Cracker Barrel for morning pancakes. We sat beside a raging fire. The trip was delightful. On the way home she told me her forehead and her ear hurt. She's been under the weather for about three weeks now, so I finally broke down and called ABC Peds. Dr. Mustoe saw her today and pronounced a double ear infections and possible sinusitis. We now have an antibiotic on our side, and hopefully she'll be good as new by Thanksgiving. Hopefully the little girl can get some sleep too.

Kenly really loves to rake. I think I need to invest in a kid sized rake so she can help us move the mounds of leaves in the yard.

This photo reminds me of last year's impromptu photo shoot in the leaves. It's hard to believe that my baby is now a girl.

I love, love, love this picture. I know it's a bit out of focus, but it captures the fun perfectly.


Gotta love the leaf hanging out of her mouth, right?




Where is Kenly Shae? I can't find her.
Oh...there she is.

I should have taught her to make leaf angels...after all, winter is coming and she needs the practice.
Thank you God for the blessing of leaves. I might complain about raking and cleaning up, but they are indeed blessings.

Worldess Wednesday--Melt My Heart

I could eat her with a spoon. I love her. Yes, I do. More than all the leaves in the yard. More than all the leaves in the world.

More of this deliciousness coming soon...

Catching the Spirit

We're catching the Christmas Spirit around here. This past weekend I started listening to Christmas music in the car. It can't hurt, right? Our church was a drop off destination for Operation Christmas Child boxes, so Kenly and I decided to go shopping for other boys and girls who might not have as many things. Kenly picked out everything that went in our two boxes. She's has impeccable taste. After all, who better to know what a two year old wants than a two year old. We filled the boxes to the brim...no hygiene products, but we did manage to fit in a pair of sock. We printed off a picture of Kenly and one of our family and signed the card.

Both of our boxes are going to girls in the 2-4 year old range. I wonder why?
Look at Kenly's beautiful signature. She says, "That spells K-E-N-L-Y."
At times Kenly wanted to keep the boxes and their content, but in the end she decided to give them to "boys and girls." I think that she'll understand the concept of giving to someone less fortunate a little better next year. The process was fun and painless. We'll be sure to do it again.

Check out the arm full of silly bandz in the last picture. Is she blessed or what?