Creche Festival

Each holiday season, Mepkin Abbey in Monk's Corner hosts a Creche Festival (in case you didn't know, and I didn't, creche is synonymous with crib, and is another term used for nativity scene). Landon, Cora, Dad, Mom, and I headed out to Monk's Corner for this year's festival. The event boasts nearly 100 different depictions of the nativity from around the world. Afterwards, we joined Sandy and her daughter Caroline for a picnic by the river.

Sandy & her daughter, Caroline.

These trees fell during Hurricane Hugo. The monks took the fallen debris and made it into something amazing.

Landon's favorite creche: a turqoise blue creche, with all of the figures depicted as ghost-like. Our interpretation is that the large ghost-like figure overshadowing the entire scene is what other scenes depict as the baby Jesus.


Dad's favorite: a large scene made of hammered copper.

Mom's favorite: a scene carved into a wooden wall hanging of a shooting star. I think that her favorite part of this particular one was the depiction of the sheppard. He kind of looked like a coal miner, and he had a beard.

My favorite: a small wooden carved nativity, non-descript in every way except that the baby Jesus was being nursed by Mary rather than laying in the manger. I loved it.

Beautiful weather, perfect day. Cora was snoozing before we even made it to the main road.

Puttin the brakes on for the Cozy Coup

Jim and Mary Jane gave Cora an early Chirstmas present on Sunday morning before they left. The girls put the coupe together the night before. This following video is of Cora seeing her new pink Cozy Coupe for the first time. Her head rocking forward as she tries to stop her momentum cracks=up Carrie and I.

As for the Cozy Coupe, she loves it!!!

 

Little Gobbler

We spent this Thanksgiving in Kentucky, gearing-up for Aunt Bum's wedding. I managed to get not one picture of Matt & Summer's wedding. I have no record of the unique location. I have no record of the beautiful detail of the reception. I have no record of Bummer in her dress. I have no record of Cora's first trip down the aisle. I have no record of Cora's fashion. I have no record of Landon, Cora, and I all dressed-up. Oh well. At least I have record of Thanksgiving!

A few candids from the weekend.

Dad was happy to hand over the role of carving the turkey to Landon. Poor Mom & Landon, slaving in the kitchen all day!

The kids!

Mattie picked these boots up for Cora. Mattie is SO fashionable. Her mom Liss always took me to her house to fix my hair and makeup, and dress me in riduclous outfits, on holidays when I was little. I always did the same thing to Summer. I'm guessing 2 Thanksgivings from now, Cora will be camped out with Mattie serving her own term as a living doll.

Here, Bum wasn't really asleep on the couch cuddling this doll. Five minutes earlier, before Cora woke her up, she really was.

Yep, that's right. That is Uncle Hadee in the wagon with her.

Cora and I love getting the mail at our house. But the trip to get the mail at Mia & Poop's is a lot longer than the trip to our mailbox!

Cora turns down food?!?!?!?!

So Cora just spent her first day in the "next room up" which Carrie and I have called the "big kids room". Being the newest member of the "2's room" she is naturally the youngest in the class. Of course Carrie and I have already started comparing her to the older kids to, in any way, find a superior skill(s) that would thus confirm our suspicion that Cora is in fact a savant and well on her way to taking over the world. Although we didn't witness any significant advantages in the ten minutes we spent in the room, when dropping her off, I do believe that she picked something up from her older classmates.

Last night at dinner with Eric and Cora, I offered Cora some ice cream cake left over from Eric's birthday party. The response I got was one I'd never seen before. We found it quite funny! Although it scares the day lights out of me because this is evidence that she is absorbing everything. Carrie and I will be on our best behavior for the next twenty years or so. :)

I hope you enjoyed my first post. - Landon

Cora's first flight

With Mommy, to Aunt Bum's Bachelorette party in Kentucky (Cora stayed with Mom and Matt and crew in Cincy).

Waiting for our flight out of Charleston.

Waiting for our flight back to Charleston.

I would act surprised that I didn't get a pic in flight... but it was just me traveling with Cora.
It is not at all surprising that I was not able to get a picture. Cora was a handful.