Nov-Dec 2015

I have been a bad, bad blogger.  So here I am, retroactively recording what our family did in November and December of 2015... while I am sweating it out in August 2016. :)  Maybe I'll remember something!

ALMOST all the current Bender cousins... except Dawson who I think had wandered off. :)  And of course, Alex was still in China at this point. 

I wonder if there will ever be a time we go to Maryland and I DON'T get a picture of Abby carting around the kitties.

We did our normal trip to Maryland and then Ohio around Thanksgiving.  I evidently didn't take many pictures, but I did get this shot of Caleb the Pilot at the Buckeye Museum.

I got a "stomach bug" the last day in Ohio (I think it was actually the egg nog!), but I was feeling good enough when we got home to enjoy the last day of the Christmasville festival.  Mom and Dad (Grandma and Grandpa) got to South Carolina right around th same time we did.  (We came from Ohio, they were heading to Florida.) 

Horse rides at Christmasville.

"I luv Ben.  He is my favrite in the famlee."  

Jumping in the leaves

Playing basketball with neighbors.

Christmas party with our Classical Conversations homeschool group

More hanging out with neighbors

Christmas!!!!  Instead of doing a Christmas Eve service, we had a party at our house.  If I've ever wanted a bigger house, it was then.  It was packed!  The kids were so excited, and since the last people didn't leave until sometime around 11 PM, we ALMOST made it to Christmas day. 

Abby and her doll "Gabby" that she got for Christmas.  The boys worked on a Lego set much of the day.

 My birthday card.  Micah wrote "Love the food", and Caleb wrote "You are the second best Mom in the world."  (Ben clarified that he said Jesus is the best.)  He also wrote "33" (I turned 34.)

New Year's Eve party... lots of people worshipping at the Hamlin's house.