Four days together

We had a marvelous four days as a family for our Thanksgiving break!

It was great having Stace off four days in a row, with no big plans other than our day of feasting together.

On Friday we did a bit of Black Friday shopping - Stace got a router and table at Sears, I picked up the Shark steam mop I've been wanting from Kohl's.

On Saturday, we took a little family trip to - guess where - YES! You got it, the zoo!

It was Violet's first trip, though I'm not sure she got a lot out of it other than a day out.

If you look close, you can see a giraffe behind Stace and the girls in the second photo. And doesn't Cora look pretty in the third one?

The next photo shows Stace and the girls in the plastic bubbles in the prairie dog exhibit.

Because the weather's been cold, we were lucky enough to see the beautiful snow leopard out in the middle of the day.

After the party, we went to a birthday party for one of Cora's friends. When the girls had gone to bed, Stace and I watched the Russell Crowe version of Robin Hood.

On Sunday, we followed our usual routine of church and web-talking to Nan and Pop and Dean, Jen and Euan. While we were doing so, Cora brought in a beautiful hand-picked mini bouquet of flowers from the garden.

Stace and Cora also put up the Christmas lights Sunday - here you see them hanging big balls in the mock plum tree.

A Coraism from the day - Stace and Cora were working in the garage, and Stace questioned why there were so many leaves in the garage after Cora had supposedly been sweeping them.

"Because, Daddy, I didn't want them on the driveway!"