October and November

Okay.... I know it's been a while. I'd like to say we'll get better about posting, but we can't make any promises. So let's see, what's happened since we last communicated?

We celebrated Dad's 30th birthday at our favorite Mexican restaurant. We were both pretty rambunctious and mom and dad have decided never to go out to eat again... without grandparents- that is.

We went to Great Wolf Lodge with our Durham cousins. We had a great time and hope to go back soon.

Granna, Grandad, and Cam came to visit and we went to the pumpkin patch. Granna followed my every whim and did whatever I wanted. We climbed the ladder and went down the big slide at least a couple dozen times.

Here we are looking at pumpkins that we're not going to buy. Sorry, but Wal-Mart is really the place to get the best pumpkins.

What a big guy!

We also celebrated Jamie's 1/2 birthday with this clever little number. Grandad and Granna really are creative aren't they? I mean, we got to eat half a cake before we even started the party!

James started eating solid foods and hasn't stopped since. Meals are pretty much his favorite part of the day.

We visited Grammy and Grandad's house to attend the blessing of two new cousins, Iain and Scott. Grammy took me for a walk in the woods.

I collected all the best acorns.

We also got to see our other new cousin, Lachlan.
Three generations of darn handsome men!

At first mom thought it would be impossible to get a good picture of the two of us together. One of us would smile and the other would look away.

Or one of us would try to escape.

But then this happened!
(This picture makes me feel like the most blessed woman in the world).

Attention Ralph: We've got your next cover boy!

Halloween at the Johnson's

Okay, this is so sweet... Caroline was under the impression that she needed to hold her arms out all night in order to be a bat. You can't really tell in the pictures, but the bat cape ties to her arms and she's right, it does look best with arms out!

James was a little fly caught in a web. Mommy was the web.

Daddy was a vampire. (Anyone who used to teach school with Mommy might recognize that cape as Little Red Riding Hood's hood, but tonight we had to be resourceful. (This is when a car full of costumes really comes in handy).

Caroline was told to make a scary bat face.

Frightening!

(Arms still out)

Post Halloween fun

To the bat cave!

Caroline's favorite Halloween moment

Okay, just one piece of candy before bed.

This lollipop took approximately 1 hour to finish. She savored every bite. Dad tried to to speed up the process by biting half the lollipop off, and he still hasn't been forgiven.
I made the mistake of "sharing" my lollipop with my dad. I try to be nice, and he bites off half of my hard earned treat (and they kept the rest of my candy). I still bring up this story to my grandmas and anyone else that will take pity on my plight.

Don't all bats wear tutus?

Daddy Daughter Date at Chick-Fil-A
The local Chick-Fil-A restaurants had a special Daddy Daughter night. It was very fancy. You had to make a reservation and you were served table-side. There was a piano player, a giant cow, and everyone got a beautiful flower to take home. Caroline's favorite part was the milkshake, but the piano player was a close second.

I asked Caroline to pick out a special fancy outfit to wear for Daddy. She picked out this "pretty pretty dress" and insisted on the hat. I wanted to go in and take pictures but I decided it wouldn't be a special date if I went too.

Alright, enough with the pictures.

Look who's finally enjoying himself... must have been a post-milkshake picture.

Outer Banks Marathon, Half Marathon, 8K and 5K

We went to the Outer Banks so we could all participate in one of the races. We stayed in The Big Kahuna because so many of our relatives came to run or cheer. Grammy, Grandad and Beth came on Friday. Cousin Ceilidh, Tom and their baby Lachlan came later that night. We were so excited to see Uncle Ian (1/2 marathon) and Aunt Emma (5K) too. Aunt Leesee totally "Ianed" us (surprised us) and showed up on Friday. She ran the last several miles of the half marathon with mom. Grandad, Graham, Susi and Muihrienne were there to cheer us on and take pictures. Cam got his PR in the 5K when he ran it with Aunt Leesee. Aunt Beth rocked the 5K with Emma and Granna took charge of the jogging stroller division in the 5K.


Uncle Graham was happy to entertain me.

Finally, someone younger than me to pick on!

Gotta love a good hat.

The best toy in the world... Grandad's clics.

Off to the races...

Granna and Aunt Beth are tag-teaming the stroller.

Alise is the total race-pacer. Running with Cam, she helped him take several minutes off of his 5K time.

The wind blowing through her hair... Emma sprints into the finish.

Oh, it was nothing...

Granna pushing through to the end.

A strong finish for Aunt Beth

To the victor go the spoils.

If it weren't for Aunt Leesee Mom would have had a really hard time. This picture was taken after mile 10 as they're running down the steepest "hill" (actually a bridge) on any race course mom had ever done.
Mom and Dad at the finish of the 1/2- both PR'd! Mom had been trying to beat her 13.1 time that she set eight years ago, when she was a mere 22 years old... she killed it by four minutes! Dad easily beat his time from 2003!
Uncle Ian did great... and he even mustered up the energy to race with Mom at the end of her race.
Aunt Leesee looking amazing after running the last several miles of Mom's race. Thanks Aunt Beth for all the cheering and support!
Monkey Cam and Aunt Leesee were so happy to see us.

The whole fam-damily.

Post-Race Ice Cream Making

Granna and I made some ice cream the night after the race. She let me eat chocolate chips by the handful.
This is my chef's uniform. We're not too worried about our sanitation grade.

Enjoying the fruits of our labor.