Let's Try This Again, Shall We?

I came to a rather freeing realization yesterday.  I was laying in bed, thinking about how I'd like to travel more.  I wasn't thinking this with any kind of bitterness that I don't get to travel much; I was just thinking about all the incredible places in the world and how I would love to see them all, be they the Himalayas or the Amazon Rainforest or the steppes of (former) Russia or whatever.
And then I realized:  compared with previous generations, I have already traveled enough for three lifetimes.  I've been to Mexico, England, Ireland, Canada, and any number of our united States from the West Coast to the East, from the extreme North to the sultry South.  As Johnny Cash so famously put it, I've been everywhere, man.
And so it is with extreme contentedness that I place before you just a few captured moments of the experiences of the past few months.  Life has been full, and although there are thousands more instances that I would like to (and may some day) share with you, these few should tide you over for a bit.  For those involved (or not), love to you and yours!

                         Here, Jack is simultaneously delighted and grossed out by pumpkin guts.

 Just plain happy to have his own.

I did the grunt work.

I don't know who enjoyed dressing up more.

From left to right:  Jack's Iron Man, Julia's beginner pumpkin, my Pac-Man Ghost, and Chelsea's Panic the Cat.

Julia adored the owl costume that Chelsea made for her.

The hood was pretty cute, too.

Owl: Check.  Dinosaur child:  Check.  Hot Pirate:  Check.

On Matt's porch prior to trick-or-treating.

This boy is FINALLY getting used to having his picture taken!

We got to visit Memommy in the fall, and these two matching birthday girls got together like old friends.

Julia refused to stay in one spot on Byron's lap.  He handled it pretty well. 

I'm afraid she seems to have inherited some of my seriousness.

Moments like these, amirite?

This is what Grandma calls her "Darla face."  Those who have seen Finding Nemo will understand.

Or maybe she was just excited about her first birthday!

NOMNOMNOMNOM

These girls actually shared a birthday party, since it was only two days apart!

Nice picture, huh?  Only took 13 tries.

Rocky and Diana hosted us!  Their home was like Munchkinland, and about as much fun!

We call this "wrangling the kids." 

He and Eve had a blast, too.  Baltimore Fehskens reunited!

He cared nothing at all for how cold it was.  This was the place to be.

Rocky is honestly better with baby girls than I am.  He was the preferred daddy on this trip.

We also got to go to a Christmas parade in Elizabethton!

Not to mention a nature park, with Unca Matt and Aunt Isabel.