Charlotte Visit

Dad drove us up to Charlotte the day after Thanksgiving and we spent Friday/Saturday with Erin, Josh and Cameron and Mom and Glenn. 

So happy to be together!

This made me laugh - Cameron was looking in the bin for a toy, and got his whole little body down in the bin in order to look

After a wonderful dinner that Mom made, we had a joint early birthday celebration for Ella and Cameron.

Mom got a cake for Ella and donuts for Cameron...they were so excited!

After dessert we had a birthday / Christmas gift exchange for the kids

Saying goodnight - Ella holding Cameron!

Steve made a fire in Mom and Glenn's backyard and we toasted marshmallows

Having fun on Cameron's swingset on Saturday

Grampy measuring Cameron

Ella helped Cameron get his shoes on by mashing his feet into them while he pretended his was a little shark

We were sad for our trip to NC to come to an end but it was such a great trip and wonderful time with family. 

Early Christmas with Grandma and Grandad

 On the day after Thanksgiving, Ella got to have an early Christmas from Grandma and Grandad!

Listening to her iPod in her new headphones and jean jacket :)

Donna got out the camera to take some pictures and Ella became quite the little director. She was so funny and took many pictures of each of us, complete with lots of instructions!

Thanksgiving

 Donna and Dad had invited Mom, Glenn, Erin, Josh and Cameron so we were all together for Thanksgiving. Everyone had a wonderful time and it was such a great Thanksgiving. 

Ella wanted to keep the day organized so she worked hard on this Thanksgiving checklist with all of the different dishes that Grandma was cooking and all the different 'to-dos' for dinner.

Helping Grandma set the table

So excited for the fun to begin!

Adorable cousins

It was a beautiful day so we enjoyed some time outside. There was lots of playing...

wrestling...

...and swinging

Beautiful table before dinner

Dinner was delicious, it was the perfect Thanksgiving feast. After dinner we headed back outside for a ton of fun sliding down the hill in cardboard boxes (the closest thing to sledding that these two will enjoy!). They had such a blast going down the hill and it was so much fun to watch them. 

A bunch of videos from the hill sliding fun

Great pic of Ella with Grandma and Grandad at the end of the night

Discovery Place

We went to South Carolina to visit Dad and Donna for Thanksgiving this year. We flew in on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, Dad took us into Charlotte to go to Discovery Place.

 

Ella loved it and did everything she could - and her favorite things, she did many times :).

 

Her favorite station of the day was the bed of nails. You lay down on this bed and then the nails raise up and you are laying on them. She thought this was the coolest thing.

 

She was a little unsure at first so Dad went first

 

Doing it herself!

 

 

 

 

And she had lots of fun with the pulleys, tug-of-war, anything where she got to use her incredible strength

 

 

 

Windblown

 

The Air Chair

 

Grosseology (where she also got to make 'vulture vomit')

 

 Duct tape and foil creations



 

 

 

Playing the drums

 

Ella and Grandad

 

Baking with Grandma after we got home that night