Fall Festival & Fair

On Friday night I took the kids to their Fall Festival at school. They have a pumpkin decorating contest each year and it has been a lot of fun to design and create pumpkins. Grace has hers facing wrong in this picture, the orange spot is on the bottom and didn't show. She won 2nd place! Super fun.  Painting pumpkins seems so much easier and more fun then carving. I tried to convince the kids we didn't need to do any others. But really, I love Halloween and carving pumpkins is just part of the fun.

Friends at the Festival  Nora, Grace, Abby & Sophie  

A few weeks ago Luke asked me if he had ever been to a fair. Made me sad! I love the fair! Just not the lame Greensboro one that is really a trashy carnival with a few chickens and rabbits. I was determined this year to take the kids to the State Fair in Raleigh. Of course life got in the way a bit and we made it on the next to last day. It was packed. So, so, so many people. But it was a beautiful Fall day and we made the best of it and had a good time. 

 

 Noah is having some smile issues with his retainer. This is what he does when you ask him to smile on demand. I guess his mouth really does feel different.

 Sophie and Luke on a ride I would have loved as a kid.

 I couldn't pass up this photo opportunity. When Jason was a kids is family would call him the Hulk when he got mad. Just thought it was fun. And silly. And I am a Smith. Too bad no one ever makes this picture scenes with room for 10 faces.


 My kids sampling their first funnel cake. Sophie and Grace wouldn't even look up for the picture! We also had cotton candy. Well, Grace and Noah had a whole bag to themselves. Sophie and Luke discovered they take after me and don't like it. Fair food. Sophie asked me to explain what a corn dog was. The lines were way too long. I wished I could have just gone and gotten one for her. We were all pretty exhausted at that point in the day. I saw advertisments for things I had no idea of or even what they meant. Like Krispy Kreme hamburgers? Really? Donut hamburgers? They also had Krispy Kreme breakfast sandwiches. Something called Frito pie and lots of others I don't remember. Sophie was upset we passed by the deep fried oreos. Our neighbor made some once and shared them with us. I told her maybe we could make some for FHE sometime.

I love this picture of Sophie and Grace. The very best part of the day for me was hearing my kids laugh and have fun. Grace and Noah just giggle and laugh their whole way through rides. Luke and Sophie are more screamers. I had prepped the kids that they were going to be able to go on 2 rides each. Right when we got to the fair a man leaving walked up and asked if we could use the rest of his ride tickets. Another woman walked up while we were waiting in a ride line and gave us hers also. We ended up with triple the amount we bought and the kids got to go on lots of rides. I said a prayer of gratitude each time. It was so nice of both of them. I'm not sure why either of them chose us, but we were so appreciative and grateful. As a family we have been praying and working on serving each day. It was nice for me to have my kids experience what it felt like to receive someone's act of love and service.

Fairy Stone

 Grace informed me this rock was our bear protection, if needed.

 I am not sure why we always wait to camp until it is cold. Last weekend we went to Fairy Stone State Park and spent Friday night. It is about an hour north of us in Virginia. Now that the kids have grown up some, camping is lots of fun. Still a lot of work, but no crying babies involved.

We hadn't camped since the spring. Can you tell how excited the kids were? It was super fun to watch them play and explore. Noah kept asking his sibs, "Who wants to go do nature with me?" Silly kid. They made up some game where they were gathering pine needles to survive. Reminded me a lot of camping with my family as a kid and how we would play and play. Jason and I just sat by the fire and relaxed. It was nice.

 

Jason's new hobby of dutch oven cooking has drastically improved what we eat while camping. He kept us full of yummy food all weekend and we did tin foil dinners with the kids for the first time. I was surprised they all ate them. Of course, there wasn't much else but pine needles.

The next morning we went fishing. Didn't catch a thing. But it was a beautiful day and the kids all got lots of practice casting.

 On our way home, just 5 minutes after leaving the park we saw our friends, the Freemans. They were clearing brush from the drive accessing the land Dot grew up on. Her land is right outside of Basset, NC (the huge old Basset furniture plant stands empty and sad in the little town.) Dot is my Relief Society Pres. and in my book club.  She grew up in the rural south as the 2nd youngest of 11 children. Her father died when she was 3 and her mom supported and raised all of her family on this land. Dot's family has owned it since the 1850's.
 I have heard Dot talk about her early days so often, and their farm. It was delightful to see the actual place. The home burned many years ago (chuck full of antique furniture and keepsake heirlooms). Dot and Bill keep the grass/weeds cut, I learned this is called Bush Hogging here in the south. Bill has a 1940's tractor he keeps running to work out here. It really is a small bit of heaven. This big clear hollow surrounded by trees complete with small lake that Dot leaned to swim in. The tree to the left of Dot and Bill in their picture is over 100 years old. It sits right above a small freshwater spring that feeds the lake and used to provide water for the house.
There is something about ancient trees that touches me. Solid, solitary witnesses to the life all around them. I have learned so much from Dot. She freely shares stories about her family and growing up in the south. Knowing someone personally who lived during segregation and the civil rights movement has been fascinating. Dot was raised to love and respect all her neighbors. Not common in those days in the south. But her mom needed, accepted and gave help to all who offered. Color of skin was not an issue in their family.

Dot is the only member of her family, I think Bill is the only member in his also. (Dot calls her husband Sam. I always forget to ask why!) They are wonderful people. True pioneers that have helped to build a foundation for the gospel of Christ in NC. I am a recipient of the blessings of the time and sacrifice they have given the Lord over decades of service and love. Somehow actually being at Dot's childhood home was really special for me. She has deep roots. Mine are not as deep. They are long and strong though as they connect me to my loved ones.

Conference Drawings October 2012

 Pres. Thomas S. Monson by Noah   Oct. 2012

The prophet looks suspiciously like a ninja turtle to me here...Noah has shown an interest in drawing for the first time in his young life since beginning kindergarten. It makes me happy. And I am sure Pres. Monson has some serious skills that are just not common knowledge.

Pres. Monson by Grace  Oct. 2012

 I love that Grace included the microphone and pulpit from conference. When I remember Pres. Kimball as the prophet of my youth, in my mind I see him talking during general conference also. 

The background flowers are hydrangeas. Grace noticed exactly what they were during conference. I wonder if the people responsible for the amazing flowers are aware how grateful I am for them? They add to my experience at general conference. I see the beauty of this earth and feel the spirit. The flowers are always spectacular.

This would be a fun tradition to continue. Note to self: In April, have all 4 kids draw the prophet while watching conference. We may get another 10 to 15 minutes of quiet.

15

As of September 15th, Jason and I have been married for 15 years. With Mom and Dad here visiting, we took off for a long weekend to the coast. It was wonderful. I realized that most of our couples time is super fun, but not relaxing. This weekend was so rejuvenating. We stopped at the temple on our way out of town, stayed in a condo right on Carolina Beach. We had a deck facing the ocean and just sat and relaxed, read, took walks, toured old mansions and generally had a fabulous time. Having a smart phone definitely helps in finding yummy, affordable seafood too.

 View from our deck

 The Bellamy Plantation in Wilmington, NC. It is not really a plantation, but a big fancy house. Those wrought iron gates were so beautiful! The magnolia trees are original, planted in the 1870's when the house was built. I can not put into words how much I love old trees. We learned a lot about the Bellamy family and also their slaves. It was fascinating and heartbreaking. The house has marble thresholds at the doors. The ones used by slaves were worn down concave, the others showed no sign of use at all.

  We also toured an actual peanut plantation called Poplar Grove. It was less fancy, just as interesting.

Poplar Grove stayed in the family until the 1970's. It was full of original furnishings, linens, clothes and toys. These books and quilts were just so amazing to me.

 USS North Carolina, battle ship retired right after WWII

We have toured quite a few ships, yes I dearly love my husband. This is definitely the best one. Because the NC was retired right after the war (battleships became obsolete with the creation of carriers) it is just like it was in service in the 1940's. Plus there are tons of original stories, experiences and memories from actual sailors that made it more interesting for me.

The only picture of both of us. Silly, not flattering. But there we both are.

Thank you Mom and Dad for much more then watching our kids for a few days! This was taken earlier in the week at Mabrys Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway.