Hershey

Mmmmmm.....it smells so good....Chocolate World at Hershey....it was a gloomy day outside but beautiful inside....lots and lots of people joined us....it was rather crowded but we added to the crowd and were able to chat away as we went!

A shot of all of as we stood in the lines...

A shot of some of our family in the car behind us when they turned ....and then Santa!

Eli's first time on Santa's lap....he was SO excited.  He asked for a Lollipop!  That's pretty easy.

Devon told him he wanted a real motorcycle and a lollipop....I sense a theme here.

Rebecca wanted a lollipop too.

Joe has other ideas for gifts but enjoyed Santa too.

Here is our crew waiting in line but the house made of KitKat bars...they wanted to know if they could eat their way through.

We then rode through the the Hersehy light display ....holiday music and lots and lots of lights to be seen.

We headed back to the Danekers for yummy pizza with family...Darrell met us there.  He had been to a Flyers game with his sister, Suzy.

Thanksgiving

We travel to Delaware and Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving!  We arrived around 1am and were able to sleep in.  We then headed to a Cracker Barrell to eat dinner with family. It was wonderful to eat yummy food, relax, and focus on family.

We then headed to the Danekers.  The kids played games together, the adults caught up on the latest news and then we ate later in the day.  It was good to be together.

Surgery and Snow

Ben had eye surgery in November.    It was a wonderful experience...well at least as wonderful as it can get for surgery.  We headed up to David's house the night before and they pampered us with a warm meal and lots of wonderfully freshly baked desserts.  We traveled up with Kiara who kept me company while Ben was in surgery.

On his return two week check up....we had snow on we way up.  It sure was pretty.

Ben was eager to take lots of pictures.

When we met with the Doctor, she said his eye was perfect now....can't get better than perfection now, huh?  So thankful for a good experience and outcome!  

Chester Scarecrows

It is fall in New Hampshire....lots to do around here but this past Sunday, we jumped into the car and headed to a neighboring town to see a bit of fun.

In the small town of Chester, they have a scarecrow contest and it has become a big deal over the last few years.

Since there is a lot of history to be found I our state, there were lots of historical characters included ....this cannoneer from the civil war at the town center.

A young boy who is claimed to be the youngest to die in a war is buried here...he was a drummer for the army.

This picture is of a Revolutionary Soldier.

Here is a guy standing at one of the covered bridges.

And let's not forget Uncle Sam.

We saw many other scarecrows but it was so much fun to search for them throughout the town.  It ended up being a fun afternoon!

New Hampshire's Highway

We ventured out a few Saturday's to take  a peak on the Kangamungus highway in northern New Hampshire.  The leaves were a bit past peak but it doesn't matter because it was just as stunning.

There were many lookouts that we were able to get out and stretch our legs but it was crazy crowded....there were people of all nationalities enjoying our beautiful state.

Because of the drought....we were able to climb in the streambed of the river.  It was so slippery because the stones were worn smoothly by the river water.

The kids had an amazing time climbing over all of the rocks.

Ellie went along for the ride too.  She was constantly trying to figure out how to keep up with the kids on the slippery rocks.

They all gathered long enough to snap a photo and then they were off again looking for more to climb.

We did manage to snap a few other rock pictures ....they did not want to leave this spot.  It was amazingly beautiful and the climbing element just added to the excitement.

It was a beautiful day here with some of our sweet treasures!

Love this

Brothers loving each other and learning about Jesus...beautiful!

One Year!

I can't believe it has been one year!  One year since Ben and Eli met some of the Lowman gang!

This week we have been talking about then and now and the boys have shared their hearts....Eli said he loves belonging to a family....there have been many firsts too.  When they think something is quite odd, we just grab their hands and tell them, "Welcome to New Hampshire!"  We have laughed together, cried together, and been on many adventures together....together--the nicest place to be!

To celebrate this week....we did a usual short notice celebration when our plans changed because of some much needed rain.  We went with friends to an all you can eat Asian Buffet....and as usual, the boys had a competition with the all you can eat part....Ben won...no surprise there!  He ate 7 plates....and no that number is not a typo!   These boys can eat!

Above photo was a first shot together picture but I just had to add this recent photo at one of our family favorite things to do....and no....I didn't give anyone any real notice that the picture was coming....can't you tell?  That is the best part ....just living our lives...nothing staged but loving one another and enjoying the adventure of it all!

So glad these boys walked into our lives!