And Now They Are Six

The day after Thanksgiving we spent literally under 10 minutes to take some family photos of my sister’s family, to mark this wonderful moment in time when this beautiful family became a family of six. 
The handsome big brothers:

{drew, age 6}

{zane, age 8}

{jake, age 11}

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving down in Atlanta at my sister’s house along with my parents.  It was a big family gathering (at least to my small family it is) not just to celebrate Thanksgiving together but to also welcome our newest member, sweet little baby Ivy.  Yes, after 3 boys (now ages 11, 8, and 6) my sister and her husband had a baby girl in early November.  We were all so very excited to meet and hold Ivy—in fact that’s about all I took pictures of over Thanksgiving, everyone playing hot potato with Ivy. 

{ella definitely held ivy the most over the weekend. she was smitten.  ella even ordered one up from us, a baby sister that is.  in a moment of weakness i actually thought about it…yes, ivy is that sweet.}
 

Jack’s Fall Soccer Season

Jack had another great season of soccer this fall.  His soccer skills have really developed over the past year—he has great ball-handling skills which, coupled with his agility, means he can maneuver the ball down the field around opponents and now he can really get his foot on the ball for some strong, well-aimed shots.  Jack scored the most goals for his team each and every game.  And on defense—the boys get time on both offense and defense during each game—I call him the “gnat” because he is everywhere, so fast and so aggressive.  More than any of that, though—and I never thought I’d say this about Jack at this age—he was the most mature kid on his team and proved to be a leader among his peers.  His team was a nice group of boys, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hope he gets at least a few more players on his team next season who actually want to take the game a little more seriously, like Jack.  Yes, I just said that, without a hint of sarcasm—more serious like Jack.  What can I say, Jack is a true sportsman.  It’s a joy to watch him play.

Nonni & Papa Visit

The weekend before Thanksgiving my parents came up for a visit with us.  We had one nice day weather-wise until the temps dropped dramatically.  So, we took advantage of the nice weather while we had it and went on a little hike to Big Rock Park.  After wandering around the trails a bit and climbing the rocks, we headed back home to enjoy our new outdoor fireplace and some mulled wine.  The rest of their stay, we played some games, cooked (prep for Thanksgiving), and just hung out.  On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, my parents drove the kids and I down with them to my sister’s house to spend Thanksgiving (and meet our new little niece, Ivy).