We thought we’d return from Delaware and ease into the fall which would include the milestone of Ansel starting kindergarten. Of course, nothing seems to slow down these days. In August, Ansel started kindergarten and Parker began second grade. It is nice having them at the same school. Both are in the Mandarin Immersion program at Meadow Glen Elementary. Parker’s class picked Chinese names. His teacher sent home a list of common names. Most of them were translations for things like love, hope, wise, smart, trustworthy… Parker went rogue and asked to be called ‘Fire Dragon’. So far, both Parker and Ansel have had good semesters and it’s hard to believe that this one is almost in the books.
For Labor Day weekend, we headed for the hills with our good friend’s the Alexander’s. We had a good time camping out at Smokey Mountain Meadows Campground in Bryson City. On Saturday, Parker and Jay kayaked the Tuckasegee River while the rest of the crew rented duckies for the trip. Parker was awesome on the river! The next day, we headed over to the Nantahala Outdoor Center where Kristie and Parker duckied the Nantahala River. They had a great time although Parker was quick to confirm what everybody knows about the Nantahala. The water is frigid!
After the trip, the whitewater bug bit us. Jay returned to NOC at the end of the month and came home with a raft in the back of his truck. We enjoyed floating down the Saluda River the rest of the fall.
During the prettiest weekend this fall, we attended Lauren and Wes’s wedding. The bride and groom and whole Davis family looked great, and it was a really fun day. It was so fun that the entire Cross family busted a move–(sorry Lauren–Parker comes by his moves honestly), and most of the Cross family indulged in some excesses in celebration of the big day (Ansel-Cookies and Parker-bacon.)
We were able to make it up to Roan Mountain at the end of October and had a good getaway. We made the 5 mile roundtrip hike up to Grassy Ridge from Carvers Gap and enjoyed spending the day relaxing at the top of the mountain.
The next weekend was Halloween. Parker has become a big Harry Potter fan. Jay has read the first three books to him and they are currently on the fourth. So for Halloween, Parker and Jay made a Harry Potter costume. Ansel has always been a big fan of the Wizard of Oz having both read the book and watched the movie multiple times. She made an adorable Dorothy!
For Thanksgiving, we headed to the Beach. We arrived in Conway Wednesday afternoon. We enjoyed hanging out with G-Daddy and Marfee and Catherine, Spanky, and Harper once they arrived. After dinner, we headed to our hotel so we could rest up for the next day. We woke up early so that Parker and Ansel could both run in the Grand Strand Turkey Trot. We were proud as both kids tackled the 5K race. After the run we had a few minutes to kill so we stopped off at Huntington Beach State Park for a few minutes. The kids enjoyed splashing in the ocean (despite the temperature being in the 50’s and windy). Afterwards, we met the rest of the family for Thanksgiving lunch. After lunch, it was back to G-Daddy’s where we roasted marshmallows down by the river and then ate dinner. Parker and Ansel had a great time playing with their cousins Harper, Grey, Brennan, and Alex. The next day we went for a swim at the hotel and then went out for breakfast with our friend Dave and got to meet his new son. Then we stopped by to say goodbye to G-Daddy and Marfee. We returned to Columbia and took it easy, enjoying the rest of the weekend and especially the Clemson victory.
At this point, we have settled into the hustle and bustle of the Holidays. Tune in next month to see if we survived!
