Benscoter Family: November 2013

The weather was gorgeous for the first couple days in November so the kids and I spent a lot of time outside with our amazing neighbors (check out the photos of the Grove Park kiddos below). Joe was gone on a trip for the first few days of the month and unfortunately, he missed out on an outing to Laurita Winery on November 3rd. Sophia, Tyler and I met Joe's Aunt Karen there for a Food Truck and Fire Pit event. It was FREEZING outside but the food was delicious and the kids got to ride a pony! November 4th was another fun day because Tyler pulled himself up to a standing position! On November 5th Tyler stood all by himself! These two milestones came in quick succession so we assumed he would be walking before the holidays...Tyler had his own plans, though ;) Although he still has not started walking, his vocabulary started to burst this month, as he turned 16 months old on November 9th. He began saying words such as: Elmo, ball, uh-oh, woah, no, don't, door, hello, Mama, Dada, Papa, and began to sign "all done" and "please".

Candice, Danny, and Cameron Amat came to visit us for Veteran's day weekend....we had so much fun! We spent a day at the Amish Market in Columbus, NJ where we got delicious baked goods and did some other shopping. Sophia also saw a old man with a white beard and, since the holidays were rapidly approaching, she asked (while staring right at the man) "Mommy, is that Santa?". The old bearded man did not skip a beat and said, "Yes, I am Santa" as he pulled out a picture of Santa and Mrs. Claus from his red and green flannel shirt pocket. He continued by saying, "I am always watching, so make sure you are a good girl for your Mommy". Sophia was stunned and Candice, Danny, Joe and I got a good chuckle out of the interaction!

By November 11th Tyler was cruising all around the furniture. He really enjoyed being on his feet! On November 12th Joe left for a quick trip down to Atlanta. He had fun flying and was excited to spend a couple days at home with his parents. On November 16th we celebrated Jay Grimes' birthday! Johnny and Patrice had a huge Sesame Street themed 2nd birthday party complete with beautiful decor and Elmo-themed food. We all had a blast!

Nana and Papa came to visit us from November 22nd to November 26th. We had so much fun spending time with them and we even had a small party to celebrate Nana's and Sophia's birthdays. Grandma and Grandpa arrived late on November 26th to celebrate the week of Thanksgiving and Sophia's birthday. Thanksgiving was November 28th and it was a relatively quiet one. We had a wonderful feast at 4PM after the kids got up from their nap. We had plenty of left overs which were enjoyed for several days afterwards. On November 30th Joe and I took a day trip out to Philadelphia to purchase a TV stand for our bedroom. Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids for a few hours and we had fun on our date. Well, Joe doesn't really care for IKEA so I guess I should say that I had fun shopping while he politely tolerated it :) That evening was FABULOUS as our beloved Auburn Tigers beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl. What an exciting way to end the month!