Thanksgiving Trip, Part 1

On a hike with Dad one day this fall, I pitched the idea of going to Boone around Thanksgiving to celebrate together and let the boys pick out our Christmas tree from a farm. Plans with extended family were on a Saturday earlier in November, so Thanksgiving day and the following weekend was free! Charlie had also been fascinated with Christmas trees, so I thought it would be something he and Henry would like. I thought it could be a sort of Barker/Byrd Family Thanksgiving Vacation, sort of like the National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, during which they made a trek to get their own tree (however, I was hoping we could avoid the run-in with the tractor trailer and whatnot...). Once we all decided the trip was a go, we got to work making homemade ornaments for the tree! One morning the boys and I made cinnamon ornaments, and then another evening we painted and glittered pinecones we had found.

Preschoolers and paint gets messy, so there were no shirts.

Hard at work

Look at our pretty ornaments!

On Thanksgiving morning Mom, Dad, Daniel, and the 4 of us Byrds drove out to Boone for a delicious lunch at Cracker Barrel.

The whole gang!

Dessert!

Eating the ice cream off the top before he picked up the pie and proceeded to eat it like a slice of pizza... this is his MO for all pie eating at this point in his life.

Leaving full and happy (and maybe a bit sleepy...)

At Blowing Rock that afternoon. The actual trail was closed, but we enjoyed the view nevertheless and got to take pictures in front of this pretty building. Jimmy is not in this picture because he was watching football at the hotel (he was very happy about this!).

Brothers! Love this sweet picture!

We really enjoyed the views driving out to Blowing Rock and then back to the hotel as well. I don't think I would ever get tired of looking at mountain views!

At the indoor pool that evening...I clearly forgot my suit.

What a fun action shot!

Hangin' around

After swimming it was time for the boys' bath and then bed. We had a giant king-size bed in our room, so we all slept in the same bed, ha! It took quite a while to calm the boys down enough to go to sleep!

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel, rocked a few minutes on the front porch, and then drove to downtown Blowing Rock. The boys loved playing at a park we had found the day before. We also went into some shops and got snacks at a candy store. It was such a dreamy place to visit!

Our precious group shot at the park!