Brunching with the Butlers

Amelia and I recently attended the Butler Family's wonderful holiday brunch. We had a grand time! Lee, unfortunately, was winging his way to Aspen for meetings, so he missed all the fun.

The Butler's new home is so lovely and is perfect for entertaining. Many of our Tuesday playgroup friends joined in the festivities. Amelia had a ball playing with them - McCoy has a great assortment of fun toys.

Karlye prepared a number of delicious dishes, including a sinful baked French toast for which I just got the recipe. Yum! I just might have to make it for Christmas morning.

It was time to go when Amelia's pony tail hit the unruly stage. Actually, it was just nap time and Amelia's bed was calling her name.

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Before we left, McCoy, ever the gentleman, gave Amelia a special Christmas treat. She was so excited to have a present.

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We're looking forward to next year's Butler Brunch - this year's was a delight!

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For a few more photos, click on the thumbnail below...

Butler's Holiday Brunch... the kids!

Chapel Hill Christmas Parade

A couple weekends ago, we were thoroughly entertained by the Chapel Hill Christmas Parade. Thanks to Tanya Freedman, who reminded us of the parade, we didn't miss out.

















We met the Freedman's at their house and walked up town to get a spot on the route. It was a beautiful day, although we were dressed for 25 degrees - the starting temp for the day. As the parade went on, we peeled off the layers.



Amelia and Shelby had a grand time! With all the candy thrown at us, the girls were a bit confused as to which holiday we were celebrating - Christmas or Halloween.

They cheered for the girl scouts, boy scouts, PTA thrift shop, local high school bands, and all sorts of other floats that came by. The highlight, of course, came at the end when Santa's float arrived. Squeals of "Santa, Santa, Santa!" filled the air.



All in all, it was a great way to start our Saturday. We've already reserved a spot for next year's parade!

Click the thumbnail below for more pictures of our parade adventure...

Chapel Hill Christmas Parade

Climbing out... nah, climbing in!

Whoever heard of a kid who wants to climb into their crib?! I went looking for Amelia the other morning and heard a little voice giggling from her room. I was greeted with the best "Hi Mama!" ever.

There she was, climbing up on her crib... trying to get in. It wasn't hard to figure out why - "banket, banket, banket!" She wanted her favorite blanket, the one hand-knit by Grandma Carolyn. She doesn't go too far without her banket.

Bears, lemurs, sheep... oh, my!

It was beautiful the other day, unseasonably warm for winter. We took full advantage of the great day and went to the Science museum - our new favorite place! Because it was so nice out, we hardly spent any time inside. Instead we explored the animals outside.
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Our first stop was the Black Bear exhibit, which Lee had never seen. It's familar terriority for Amelia who made growling noises as she lead the way. We try hard not to laugh as she tries to be ferocious..

After the bears, we visited the wolves, lemurs, and farm animals. Amelia is a big fan of the sheep - she thinks she can speak their language. Baaaa!

We ended our day at the bug and butterfly exhibit. The bugs give me the heebee-geebees... the strangest, biggest, creepiest collection of insects you've ever seen.

It's the stuff nightmares are made of!

The butterfly house is always a hit. We learned that each day at 300p they release the newly born butterflies. What a wonderful experience.

All the kids gather and get to "hold" a butterfly. Amelia gave it a tentative try and was pretty excited when a butterfly landed on her hand for a short visit.

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What a great way to spend our afternoon. We'll go back for sure!

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, hosted by Lee's Grandparents. The entire Brinson family - all 15 of us - gathered in Grantsboro, NC, to give thanks... and we had much for which to be thankful. Top of the list, Scott being home from the Middle East safe and sound. Even better, he's not going back anytime soon!
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We had a delicious meal at a local resturant we took over. Turkey and all the trimmings! Amelia had the best deal... eating off everyone's plate, including dessert. Not sure which she like best - pumpkin or pecan pie or the whipped cream.


After lunch, we bid adieu to everyone and caravaned down to South Carolina with Lee's Mom and Dad and Scott. On our way, we passed by Camp Lejeune Marine Base where my dad was stationed many years ago.
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You can't tell from this picture, but if we turned left at the light, we'd hit the main entrance for the base... it's the closest I've ever been to my actual start!

The rest of the weekend was spent having fun at the beach. If you can believe it, we didn't even take part in the annual Thanksgiving shopping sales. Instead, we enjoyed playing with GG, Granddad, and Uncle Scott. Sadly, we said goodbye to everyone Sunday morning and started for home. The ride to Chapel Hill was spent giving thanks for a wonderful life.

An evening with Amelia

Here's a little glimpse into our evening activities... it includes a little bit of dancing, a little bit of hammering...

Christmas has come early!

Grandma and Grandpa Kemp have donned their Santa hats early this year. A very special present arrived on our doorstep this morning and was greeted by an excited little girl. Amelia now has a big girl table and chairs!

She's already put it to good use as a first-class coloring table. I envision many tea parties, lunches/snacks/ dinners, puzzles, car races, and crafts being enjoyed on it.

Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!!

Handmade Winter Wonderland

A wonderful surprise arrived on our doorstep today from Grandma Carolyn! A beautiful handmade hat and scarf. Amelia is sure to be snuggy warm and super fashionable this winter. We'd like to place an order for Grandma to make more as soon as possible!

California Grandma knows how to stay warm. Must be due to all of her cold Boston winters!

Making the most of Fall

A few photos of Amelia from the past few weeks...

Heading out to a playdate with some new friends.
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Playing at the park with dad.
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Mom, I dressed myself... I'm ready to go!
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Having a snack and riding the train at the Durham Science Museum.
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Mom, check me out... I can climb up on the stool all by myself. Yikes!
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Shopping for leaves at the mall... and trying to look cool.
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Coloring at the football game... giving dad a well needed distraction from the field.

Ladybugs, Pumpkins, and Earl!

Halloween is quite the event in Chapel Hill. Some will say that it's because 70,000 costumed crazies descend upon Franklin St. for Halloween festivities. In our world, the big event was Amelia's first trick-or-treating experience. And what an experience it was!

The days leading up Halloween were spent testing out the costume. Amelia really got her money's worth. Exploring the neighborhood, the Busbee's carving party, Fearrington's pumpkin display, playing with Gus around the house - our little ladybug was warming up. Days of trying to teach her to say "trick-or-treat" we're unsuccessful. Not a "trick" or "treat" was uttered before, during, or after the holiday. We were more successful teaching the concept of the treat bag. Amelia carried her special bag from GG around the house for weeks leading up to the 31st. All kinds of treats were transported from her bedroom to the den - animals, trucks, balls, books - you name it, she carried it in her spider bag.



When the big day finally arrived, we were ready. We planned a complicated route around town, visiting good friends while trying to avoid the holiday traffic. First stop was at the Linkes. Dean, Leah, and Pirate Max greeted us with a giant bowl of treats that made Amelia's eye light up. She had never seen so many goodies. She'd choose a treat, look at it, and then put it back. This went on for several minutes. Leah was so patient and thankfully, we were early enough to beat the crowds. Amelia was suddenly distracted by Max’s pirate loot – the gleam of golden coins was too much to bear. She had have some! Max, ever the gentleman, put a few her in bag for save keeping.

Second stop on our treat tour was the Llewellyn's home. Anna met our little bug at the door with another big bowl of treats. Amelia couldn’t believe her good luck when Anna put the bowl on the ground for her to go through. Then came out another bowl. She had hit the jackpot!

It wasn’t long until “impaled lacrosse player,” otherwise known as Ellis Llewellyn - athlete extraordinaire, surprised us. What a costume! Not being scared, Amelia recognized a friendly face, grabed Ellis' hand and smiled. I had to remind her she was too young to date just yet.

We then made a quick visit to the Haase’s and got a real treat – a tour of their beautiful new home, while Amelia happily played with their sweet puppy, Kiwi.

Next up was the Freeman’s house. Keith invited us to go trick-or-treating with his family. We couldn’t turn down such a great offer! Amelia took one look at Shelby (3 yrs), a fellow ladybug, and was delighted. The two girls went house to house, giggling all the way, at times holding hands. They’d compare treats, share a flashlight, and bring smiles wherever they went.

From neighbor homes, to sorority houses, to the UNC President’s house, our ladybugs were the hit of the night. Following Shelby’s expert lead, Amelia eventually got the trick-or-treating process down pat. This wasn't the case at first. Amelia would see an open door as an invitation into the house…

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Ladybugs: Ring doorbell, wait patiently, and chime “trick-or-treat.”
Homeowner: Door opens, "Oh, look at the cute ladybugs! " Amelia: Sees open door, runs through it into home.
Lee: Runs into home to grab wayward ladybug.
Homeowner: "Here you go, cuties, have some candy."
Amelia: Happily takes candy and then promptly hands it back to homeowner with a big smile.
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Eventually, she got with the program - staying outside and filling her spider treat bag.



After about eight houses our little one was showing signs of sleepiness. We bid farewell to our sweet ladybug friend and headed for our last stop, the Willis homestead.

It's always tough to judge folks who dress up for Halloween. A wacky sense of humor? A desperate cry for attention? An opportunity to reveal one's true self? Well, if that's the case, I’m in big trouble! After weeks of growing my hair long, I shaved my beard into a handlebar mustache, put on my normal clothes, and became Earl Hickey. That's right, I dressed as the main character from the NBC comedy, "My Name is Earl." Unfortunately, I think I pulled it off a little too well.

I got quite a few strange looks at lunch with Amelia and Julianna earlier in the day. I'm sure the other folks at El Rodeo were like, "What's that loser doing with those cutie girls?!?" Anna was grateful to figure out I was only in costume and hadn’t lost my mind. Throughout our Halloween tour, I answered numerous questions about my list, brother Randy, and skateboarding. The best reaction though came from Lauren, who fell over laughing when she answered the door. It was all worth it! Oh yeah, did I mention I won our office costume contest?!

(After weeks of fielding questions such as “isn’t it a bit early for your annual winter beard” or “don’t you think your hair is getting a bit long,” my family will be happy to know that mustache was gone November 1st and a haircut is in the works.)

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My Halloween post wouldn’t be complete without mention of this year’s pumpkins. I’m quite pleased with how they turned out. A few preservation tips from fellow carver James Busbee, put them over the top - soak carved pumpkins in a Clorox bath and cover all cuts with Vaseline. My “art” lasted days longer thanks to James.

Sadly, before leaving for Las Vegas on Thursday, I trashed my pumpkin creations. After a few moments of silence, I started looking forward to Thanksgiving, knowing that soon after we give thanks Christmas would arrive. Now there’s a great holiday!

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Check out a couple more ladybug videos.

To see the rest of our Halloween photos click the thumbnail below...
(when you get to the album, click "sildeshow" for easy viewing)

A Ladybug's First Halloween