A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Got any ideas on the story here?
Merry Christmas from all of us Adams(es)!

Hello snow!

We're ready for ya!

Giving Thanks!

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

-PSALM 100

It was wonderful to be all together with the Adams clan this Thanksgiving. Mom and Dad Adams came up from South Carolina to spend the week. And we were especially thankful to have Nana healthy and back at home after her surgery.

Grandpa and Nana Adams brought a whole car-load of toys up for the kids. And we wondered why they didn't want to fly...

One of the toys Charlie was most excited about was a fire truck. Uncle Jon, who is a volunteer fireman, checked it out to make sure it was authentic. It was such a joy to hear the siren going off every five minutes for three days on end. Funny how grandparents always seem to prefer the noisy toys!

Amelia cuddling with Grandpa.

Charlie and Nana have tea parties so that Nana can rest. Charlie loves this little tradition since he gets special time with Nana and usually some treats too.

The kiddos in their snowflake jammies. I love the light blue on Charlie because it makes him look younger--my two babies.

Amelia is showing Great Nana how she feeds her baby. This baby (from Nana) is her new favorite. She screams, "Dolly!" whenever she sees it, holds her to her chest and pats her quite firmly on the back.


Charlie, Nana and Great Nana Koepp.

Charlie helping Uncle Dave open an early Christmas present.

Congratulations Jesse and Chris!

Introducing...Mr. and Mrs. Jesse and Christine Koepp!

A cute new couple joins the married world. It was such a beautiful wedding and we were so happy that we could be there to share it (and to see Aunt Christine get down at the reception!)

Bidding farewell to fall (little sigh)

Aunt Jan, ever the merry hostess, had bouquets of leaves scattered around our outdoor picnic area. It was a beautiful day for Hempelfest!

Charlie and Linc are getting to be buds, throwin' rocks, gettin' muddy, doin' boy stuff.

Manda, baby Malacai (7 mths) -- Me, baby Mia (1 yr) -- Jessica, tiny baby Tate (1 mth)

Welcoming the newest cousin,Tate Hempel, to the clan--yeah! Tate is the 8th boy born to the Bannister cousins in the past three years with Amelia remaining the only girl! Victoria, Rachel, Lyndsay, some help here?? he he.

Here's Moo in the fall jumper that I made her. I saw this little corduroy acorn fabric at JoAnn's and had to get it!

Buzz Lightyear and Charlie the Builder/miner? He insisted on the headlamp. Ok, we "cheaped" out on his halloween costume this year.

Buzz "crashing." This required the nearest willing adult to push all of his buttons until he became operational again.

Mad(ame) Butterfly. Amelia hated her costume with a passion. I forced it on her a couple times since her Grandma slaved at the sewing machine to make it for her. She could abide the wings, but the antennae hat was too much to bear.

Uncle Scott took pity on Moo and held her up in the air by her feet repeatedly until she was cheerful again (she loves this). Amelia designated Uncle Scott her new favorite and even had the gall to reach out to him while her mother was holding her. Now that's crossing the line!



I think Ryan may have felt similarly about his halloweenie costume.

A few more fall favorites...

There were tons of pumpkins laying out in the fields at Brown's Berry Patch. We sent Charlie forth to pick a pumpkin and he came back with this one--not even a pumpkin, a small gourd. We should have gone for it, they were only 50 cents!

Such a gift to be able to go apple picking with my 90 year old Gramps! He still drives hundreds of miles each season to deliver his son's apples all over the state. I'm glad this vitality runs in the family (although I suspect he may have more energy than I do!).

Charlie and Uncle Roger moving pallets together. Uncle Rog was so patient with Charlie, teaching him which levers to move and explaining how everything works. He's had a bit of practice with his 5 kiddos so he's definitely qualified!

The audio was the best part of this photo...Mia's moo-ing.

Love the horses in the background! My grandparents have a very picturesque view out their windows.