Weekend in Vass

Rob had to go to California for work (and it included the weekend) so I took the kids to Vass.  It was the opening weekend for strawberry pickin' and Spring Fest in downtown Southern Pines so it was perfect timing!  We also brought Aunt Stephanie a load of baby things, including the changing table (hint, hint Carter) and Uncle Joe fixed us a nice dinner (he's the only one not pictured, sorry!)

The kids were pro pickers

And pro eaters (the owners said to eat all we could before the weigh in)

Mimi with her big girls!

Jude had to go to a friend's birthday party so we grabbed Papa and headed to Spring Fest.  There were lots of street vendors selling food, crafts, art, porch swings, carnival rides, everything!

Ice cream break in the shade

Carter thought this motorcycle was pretty cool and he is pretty cool so someone should surely take his photo with it. (He posed all on his own).

Family photo on the bench

On Sunday, the weather was cooler, but perfect for riding Bucky.  The kids took turns walking around the farm while Bucky tried to eat all the grass outside the fence.

That's a wrap on our weekend in Vass.

Easter at the Farm

For Easter this year, we headed down to Vass for Easter with the Gibsons.  First up was a easter egg hung with Jude and the neighbors.

Doing a little egg coloring.  If you have ever met Carter, you understand why his shirt is off.

Then it was time for a trip over to Aunt Stephanie's where Bucky was grazing for a ride.

First the kids had to brush him and get him ready for a saddle.

This was Carter's first time riding Bucky.  Previously he would brush Bucky, but never wanted to get on.  He was pretty excited about it all week that he was going to ride Bucky and did a good job.  He didn't stay on too long, but seeing the horses in our backyard more frequently started to warm him up to the idea.

Lighting some Chinese lanterns that night.

 Overnight, the Easter Bunny left some things on the front porch for the kids.  Luckily no dogs go into the chocolate.  Carter was pretty stoked about his Elmo.

 The kids also painted a birdhouse.  Carter's style was very hands on and abstract.

As expected, Avery's style was a bit more precise and in between the lines...

Bonus easter egg hunt.  We had to give Carter a 5 minute head start because Avery and Jude were way too fast for him.  Carter would just chase after them and not end up with anything.  On his own he was a pretty good hunter.

Counting up the bounty.  

 At the end of the weekend, we had 2 tired kids...

Thanksgiving at the Farm

We are finally unpacked from being on the road for the past two weekends so we have lots of pictures to post from Thanksgiving weekend in Vass.  It is a bit harder to get 5 minutes to blog because Carter went from barely crawling to "I can make it to the other side of the house and start a fire" in just a couple of weeks, so we can't take our eyes off of him.

First thing up on Thanksgiving morning is the "Blessing of the Hounds."  They have a big fox hunt in Moore county where all the horse people get all dressed up with their hounds and go run around the woods.  They get upset if you call them dogs, so don't.  Supposedly they are hunting foxes, but Laura didn't take any pictures of someone in fancy horse gear galloping back holding a dead fox by a tail, so I think it is all just a reason to go horse riding together.  Either way, Avery loves horses and dogs so she had a great time watching the show.

Avery amongst a throng of hounds and small children rocking her halloween costume shades.

 Meanwhile at the homestead, Carter was working on his crawling skills doing laps around the kitchen island.

 Of course Avery had to ride Bucky when they came back from the blessing of the hounds.

 Luckily the weather was awesome all weekend so everyone got to spend lots of time outside.

 Avery, Bucky, and Mimi working on their trotting skills.

 Mommy's little turkey!

 2 seconds later you can see how far he made it from the blanket.

 We had Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Stephanie's house which is just across a horse pasture from Mimi and Papa's.  They have a giant porch and Avery was blowing bubbles to entertain her brother before dinner.

 This is a great picture.  No more comments needed.

 The ladies waiting on me and Joe to make dinner...

 Avery and Jude jumping on the trampoline the day after.

 Me and carter out for a walk trying the backpack out.

Avery got to ride Bucky some more due to the nice weather.

 

Are we a horse family now?

 Carter even got in on the great Thanksgiving leftovers.

 The kids cuddling watching cartoons on Saturday morning.

Hanging at the Farm

After picking some berries, Carter took a nap and Avery headed straight to the barn.  It's been a while since she's been able to ride Bucky and she was excited.  She remembered where everything was and started brushing him first.

Avery said he had a dirty butt and we needed to brush it.

Avery waited on the mounting block while Stephanie finished tacking him up.  She hopped on as soon as he walked over.

Jude lead Avery around the farm.  They make a great team.

Happy girl!

Look at this cowgirl!

And of course, the day would not be complete without some time on the trampoline.  Glad this ol thing is still getting some use!