What Happened to November?!

 Here I find myself, nearly a month after my last post, wondering how in the world November flew by so quickly.  We have now been back in NC almost three months, and in our new home for six weeks.  Life, as for most of us, has been hectic compounded with the extra activities and gatherings related to the holidays.  However, we are thankful for opportunities provided by this time of year to spend time with dearly missed family and friends - despite a cluttered house and mountainous to-do list!

Therefore, in an effort bring our small corner of the internet up to speed with the happenings in our family, I will post a re-cap since the last post.  I was contemplating whether to continue the blog now that we are back.  However, I think one of the greatest benefits to this blog is for it's use as our family journal, of sorts.  Already, there are posts that I look back at and think, "Wow, I totally forgot we did that."  So, I will be completely unoffended by any and all who choose to spend their blog reading time on more adventerous and witty writings.  However, for now, to the best of my ability, I will attempt to chronicle the many adventures of the Burgin family - although going forward they will most certainly include far less castles, mountain ranges and centuries old, cobble-stoned streets!

The Saturday before Halloween we went to a local church's fall festival that we previously attended for several years before moving.  The kids were SO excited to go back.

I thought this picture was too sweet not to share.  I love that our blossoming 8 year old daughter still loves dressing up in frilly, princess gowns, and loves spending time with her Dad even more!

We chowed down on every unheathly treat you can imagine including chili dogs, cotton candy, nachos and chocolate covered waffles on a stick!

As seen in the photo above, Drew was determined to be "bicycle guy"!  We had both a Superman and Clone Trooper comstume, but there was no changing his mind!

Unfotunately, the weather for Halloween night was a big disappointment with temps in the low 50's and lots of rain!  Jason strapped on his boots, grabbed the umbrellas and walked the kids around the neighborhood for well over an hour!  Talk about dedication.

Needless to say, the perseverance paid off as many families were dumping candy by the handful due to low numbers of trick-or-treaters, so these three hit the jack pot!

Then, with November, came leaves, lots and lots of leaves!  Our new house sits on a lot that is just under an acre.  It is beautifully filled with a generous supply of mature trees, which are now dropping their leaves by the thousands. 

Both Jenna and Ethan have been helpful in trying to clear the yard.  After spending at least 5 hours each weekend in November working in the yard, we realized we need to invest in some heavier duty equipment which will hopefully ease the workload next fall.

Along with the work, has also come plenty of time to jump and play in the mountain high leaf piles!

Within a span of three weeks, Ethan managed to lose three teeth, including his front two teeth.  I've told him he's already gotten his Christmas present as his two front teeth are now coming in!  He was not impressed with my humor.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, we took the whole family down to Concord where my Dad lives.  It's our family tradition to go to the Christmas Parade on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

 The morning of the parade, Jason took the kids out in the yard for more fun in the leaves.  The seven kids had a blast - our three plus my sister's four!

Drew and Hannah, my sister's 2 year old daughter, had a great time riding in the wheel barrow together.

Here are two thirds of the Nix Grandkids as they waited for the parade to start.  Jason, Grandpa and Jayne were kind enough to take the children to the parade while Dad, Jennifer and I ran in the 5K that starts 20 minutes before the parade and goes along the same route.  Once we completed the race, we were able to join the family at our typically spot on the hill. 

Finally, the floats started coming and the kids were anxiously keeping an eye out for any groups who were handing out candy!

I'm not exactly sure of the theme on this float, but I think it captivated every pre-schooler with Disney characters, Transformers, Barney, Pooh and even Chewbaca. 

The kids and I stayed at my Dad's through the week to help with Thanksgiving prep.  Jenna worked for hours on her hand made table decorations and place cards.  One of the cutest parts was when she came to show me the card for my sister and she had spelled her name "Jennafur".  What can I say, I'm raising a phonetic speller?!

I think Dad and I were cooking from about 7:30 AM until 2:30 PM.  It was great to be in the kitchen together and all the food turned out excellent.  Jen and the kids arrived around noon, and thankfully the weather was beautiful for them to play outside while we put on the finishing touches.

Finally, we ate...then we were finished in about 40 minutes!  That's always the way of it, nearly 7 hours in the kitchen and everyone's stuffed in half an hour.

We ended our time in Concord with one last event.  My dear husband is so kind to me that he will even indulge me in mid-night shopping at Concord Mills Outlet Mall the day after Thanksgiving.  For the last several years, other than when we were in Brussels, we would get the kids to bed at my Dad's and head out around 11:00 PM to fight the crowds as the stores open at mid-night.  Mostly we just drink a coffee and do Jason's annual shopping at the Banana Repulic Outlet, but it's pretty much a free date for us and after a couple of hours we can barely keep our eyes open so we hop back in the car to salvage a few hours sleep before our little 3 year old early riser starts calling our names!

 One last awesome part of the trip to my Dad's I almost forgot, was the nearly 8 combined hours I spent at IKEA searching for organizing bookshelves, boxes, racks etc to help get our new home in order.

Once home, the boys were both very helpful in putting things together.  We had five bookshelves and two desks to put together before Jason's family came on Sunday for the Burgin Thanksgiving celebration!

Jason and I managed to cook our third turkey with success and feel like we are getting the hang of it.  Everyone arrived around 4:00, the kids enjoyed some time in the tree house outside while the ladies put on the finishing touches for the food.  The two older girls sat at the bar...

the other seven grandkids crowded in around the kitchen table, and all eight adults made their way to the dining room.  It was a sweet time to be reunited with family after being away for the holidays last year. 

We even managed a family photo without any bribery or tears.  These kids are all growing quickly, and get along together so well.  I pray they will continue to develop these relationships for a lifetime. 

In some ways, it has been easy to jump back into our life here in NC and our Brussels adventure seems like only a dream.  However, I find myself reminiscing often of our Thanksgiving with friends in Brussels scouring stores for cranberry sauce and $5 canned pumpkin.  We are thankful for all the doors God has opened in our lives, and more importantly for the loving friends and family who have been with us every step of the way.