Thanksgiving #1 and Family Photos

 We had a very special two day Thanksgiving celebration.  Thankfully everyone was well and we had beautiful weather.  The day before we had dinner with my side of the family. Aaron was gracious enough to take some family photos of us before we feasted at my parents house.

We had, also, snagged some photos with my phone.

There is a lot of coaching that goes into getting a decent picture where it is not some version of this....

Cousin photo...

Ezra quickly climbed a tree with some leaves to try to get the girls...

Then some got into throwing leaves themselves for some fun photos.

Then just some fun play....

The Russells are always great at nailing a good photo quickly!

I'm not sure why the closing your eyes is a thing but wanted to oblige.

Then it was time to feast! (I'm not sure what happened to my kid's table photo.)

The joint effort of beauty and deliciousness with the background of my grandma's china!

We carried on the tradition of our thankful rolls and taking turns to read them and guess who they belong too.

It is always so fun...

Beach usually takes a little nap while we are there.  My mom had the kids decorate the tree a bit and they, also, decorated Beach's hand.

It didn't phase him so they started adding more.

Until he woke up a bit confused. 

We had a good time playing some interactive games as a family....

that included a lot of laughter.

Such a special day filled with thanks and the joy of looking forward to tomorrow as well....

XC Season Round Up

One of the things that Zoe enjoys the most about school is Cross Country, her coach, and teammates. While the training began in the summer, the actually races started in August.

The first one was pretty muddy!
 

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The girls team is pretty small this year with mostly new runners.

Zoe was excited to be team captain again.

Many early Saturday mornings to watch our girl do what she enjoys!

Some XC courses are easier to see them run at different points.

Finishing strong!

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Another day, another race, this time after school on a very hot day...

Zoe's best buddy on the team runs a similar pace as her, so they enjoy running together and pushing each other.

She's cute even post race (and throwing up).

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Mean mugging me before another race...

Just kidding their silly!

Sprint to the finish!

Zoe was so excited to see her friend and former teammate that has already graduated had come to cheer her on.

She made a cute sign and everything!

Such a sweet blessing!

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Some of the team went to Aiken to check out the trail for the state meet that was soon to come.

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A beautiful night for a race....

Pacing with her buddy!

Finish line in sight!

After meet hang time, I found them on the playground.

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The team had a service project for Mission Lexington.

Sorting and packing...

and a little shopping afterward.

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Ezra had a great time when he was able to go to the meets.  He was the manager for the team and participated in their practices.  Since he was just in 6th grade, he could not run in the meets yet but was fully supported by the team.

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We held the final XC banquet at the cafe.  I snagged a photo with a couple of the coaches and Ezra.  So thankful for all their hard work!

Zoe ended up getting VIP for the girls team, which she was surprised about.

Zoe loved having these special girls on the team with her!

We took a few more pictures on the patio.

Lots of giggles

Reenacting the 6-7 and disgust over it that the year was full of everywhere it seemed.

Sweet girls and friendship that was such a blessing.

And that's a wrap.  Zoe would say XC was her favorite thing about school, including her coach and teammates, and she was sad for it to come to an end.  Ezra blended in well and it was a good fit for him, too.  They are both looking forward to joining in next year for continued fun and connection!