thanksgiving etc

well we had a great trip to chattanooga, the drive went well and the time there with family was great. the kids had a wonderful time being spoiled by everyone and playing with the cousins. we are grateful to the taylors for having the trampoline fixed- the kids had a great time bouncing.

here is esmé in a new hat from bea- who we only caught a quick hug from on their way out. the new hat is an instant hit!
chris and margo were fast friends again. you will note chris' cycling gear. chris, berkeley and brice did a ride everyday. i think they had a great time.

on thanksgiving day milla and poppy hosted a beautiful celebration. milla had set a great kids table, with herself at the head. it worked out really well.

all the cousins had a nice time together

the day after thanksgiving nell turned 5! we made a buttermilk chocolate cake with rainbow frosting- nell and margo helped coloring the icing and deciding the order of application at were chief bowl lickers.
more fun time with cousins
all of the memphis burbank boys
everyone loved holding esmé.
before we went to tennessee we took cupcakes in to nell's school here is a silly picture of nell icing the cupcakes.
nell with her crown at school. we also took apples as a part of the snack.
when we got home from tennessee we had to get our decorations up on the house. here is nell holding our wreath for the front door. i was happy with how they turned out, though nell thinks they are very dull.

sunday we took some photos for our christmas card, here is a cute one of the kids.

warm weather

today we had meghan over for a little tea party. her birthday was on saturday and we wanted to give her a little gift. we used the great tea set that st. columba's gave nell when we left. and a table cloth that granny gave me a long time ago.

on the way to school this morning esmé had a little nap with her dolly.
esmé is loving all of nell's antics. she loves being held by her and playing.
this morning after zaven went in for school, nell played around outside.
yesterday on the way home, nell found this BIG leaf. that is a really big leaf!
cute nell trying to get the lambs to come over to the fence for a visit.
another sleeping photo of esmé- i love all the dots in this photo.
today on the way home there were some girls running and she says to zaven in a teasing voice "those girls look cute to maaaarrry you" it is very funny.

we are having really mild weather, though i think it is going to change overnight and be a lot cooler. esmé has a bit of a cough and i have been going back and forth about taking her to the dr. so far i have not. i think it is the same cough nell had and it was just a cough, no fever. so i am playing it by ear.

i am trying to come up with fun christmas activities for each weekend in december. i am thinking, gingerbread houses, visiting santa, getting christmas tree may need one more.

can't wait to see everyone next week for thanksgiving.

good weekend

we had a very nice weekend. friday chris, nell, esmé and i went to the ymca for some excercise, then friday night we did our regular, plaza azteca and sweet frog. isabel came with us which was fun.

saturday we got up and decided to go for a walk/hike across the street behind bassett hall. someone had written us a note telling us about the trail and it was a beautiful day and a great trail. we had a great time.

here is a big smile from zaven on the trail.
nell is a ham even in the woods, she enjoyed running ahead.
it was a well marked trail, and a well loved one, with someone carving their initials into the tree.
i loved this leaf with just a touch of red on the leaf.
the crew and we were heading out.
it was a truly exceptional day.
and last but not least, here is esmé with the dolly.
church went well today. we had the annual meeting all went well. then it was football, grocery store and dinner at church with the college and high school church groups, it was fun.

fall in va

these photos are a little jumbled, but i am typing one handed and will jut tell you what we have been up to as it relates to each photo. this is esmé trying on the baptismal gown that i was baptized in, and was from 1870. she did not end up wearing this, but it was beautiful.

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we loved having ella and spencer here, the kids were thrilled to take a walk up to merchant square and get some lunch, it was a beautiful, but chilly day.
esmé's baptism was a great occasion, the service was beautiful. nell and zaven both sang in their choirs during the service and chris did the baptism. we were so glad that milla and poppy could be here with us too.
here is the epperson/wiberley crew. we surely missed larry even more acutely than usual.
when i see this photo, i think, that's a lot of kids! we sure are lucky!!
esmé's Godfather, chris ferguson, came from d.c. for the service, it was very special to have him there, ellen morris, the godmother, came down with a bug and could not make it.
the group that walked to lunch.
halloween. the kids and i drove back from woodward on halloween, skating into town, buying zaven's costume and rushing to meet friends for trick or treating. i will have to upload some pics of esme later. it was busy, but a success. the back up plan was to give each kid $5 to buy candy at CVS.
happy girl. she is wearing her hat inside b/c they did some work on the heating system and our heat was off for two days, it was a little chilly.
we are working on esmé being happy with people other than me. here she is happy with her daddy
we were all very sad to lose tips. we are so thankful for the time and memories we have of her. our trip this summer to visit her was great. when asking the kids what they knew about tips they said, "that she was generous" "thst she loved us very much" "she told funny stories and jokes" and then nell added "she was as quick as a squirrel" other than the last one, i thought those a great tribute and testament to ther great grandmother, and how cool that they knew her. we also love to do "old tom walker" a tips classic, as well as "sugar foot"
the next three pictures nell had me take at the ann taylor store, they totally crack me up. especially the neutral expression on her face in the third one.


poppy at the songbird with esmé.
we loved having lexie and quinn come to woodward to visit. quinn is so cute and sweet. lexie is a great mom and a wonderful friend.
zaven and esmé walking home from school on a beautiful fall day. nell was at home with the babysitter playing.
we have been having a nice fall and are looking forward to thanksgiving in chattanooga and celebrating with everyone. can't believe it is two weeks from today! then we head to mexic, have chris' installation on the 18th of decemceer and then it is christmas and our 15th anniversary (how can that be!!)! yipes. i have to try to get things done without getting too caught up to enjoy the time right now.

Fall is in the air

well some days more than others. Nell has been wanting to go to the beach. there is a little park in jamestown, we are the o nly people there this time of year. we have gone twice in the last week. thursday we even got on the ferry over to surry and back, nell enjoyed that.
when we were walking in the park nell said "i want to go on that tinker bell ride" and i said " i don't know what you mean"
nell said, "you said we could take a free tinker bell ride"
i said " nell, i said there was a free ferry....oh fairy, ferry!"
i had a very happy birthday. isabel gave me this funny card. the kids made great signs and chris gave me a cool bose radio so i can listen to npr in the morning upstairs.

mom and dad sent me these beautiful flowers.


last weekend we had a great time. the weather was so beautiful and we did a lot outside. there were a lot of colonial reenactors in town and had set up camp, the kids played on a hay pile for about two hours on saturday and sunday.

saturday we had a picnic on the lawn at william and mary

sunday, nell finally wore the green polka dot dress, it was so cute on her. hopefully she liked it and will wear it again.

sunday afternoon nell and zaven played some football.

one day it was a little chilly in the morning and nell wore her new grahamwood t shirt that berk and ginny sent.

esmé likes riding in her stroller

today we went to pumpkinville. it was a beautiful day.