November was filled with lots of varied adventures. The weather is usually still nice but the days are fairly short. It feels like we cram a lot into the day. Coming off our October travel to New York, it felt like we were back on the road again in November. We took a quick trip to the beach and spent Thanksgiving with my parents in South Carolina.
This was the first year it didn't feel like we visited many farms in the area during the fall season. We visited one during our trip to New York and two in the Raleigh/Cary area. While the month of November was relatively nice, it seemed like we had colder weather during the weekends. On our farm trip, it was a bit damp. We all enjoyed ourselves, just with some warm layers and raincoats on.
Taking a family tractor ride at Phillips Farm in Cary
Hello Kitty face paint at the farm
Zoe displaying her arm painting
Since we usually have a 3-day weekend for Veteran's Day, we made plans to visit Myrtle Beach. While the sun was shining all weekend, the weekend temperatures were the coldest days of the month. I had found a hotel with an indoor water park. The area was enclosed, had heaters and the water was warm, but I thought you could still feel the cold air when you weren't directly under the heater or in the water. There were large water slides where the entrances were partially exposed to the outdoor air. I made one run and that was it for me. I spent most of my time with the girls in the smaller water features and we all enjoyed the outdoor heated pools and hot tubs. There were few people at the beach, which is how we like it. Even though we had to bundle up a bit, we still enjoyed playing in the sand.
Zoe enjoying Myrtle Beach
Rose enjoying Myrtle Beach
Towards the middle of the month we started engaging in holiday festivities. One of the local shopping plazas had a holiday train, Christmas music display on the movie theatre, and visits with Santa. We missed the vist with the big guy, but did ride the train, watch the light/music show, and sip some hot chocolate. With both girls entering into the ages where they understand and enjoy what's happening, it was a fun start to the holiday season.
Riding the holiday train in Morrisville, NC
I've probably mentioned some of the amazing features of the girls' school before. They are fed amazing meals daily, with a lunch prepared daily and two snacks. The menu rotates, but every holiday they have a traditional holiday meal. Their Thanksgiving lunch sounded just as good, if not better, than our own Thanksgiving day meal. Both girls let me help them dress up for their Thanksgiving Day meal day.
Rose and Zoe before school the day before Thanksgiving
Girls are ready for school in their Thanksgiving outfits
For Thanksgiving this year, we made the driving trip west to spend it with my parents in their new house near Greenville, South Carolina. Colin had a bachelor party to go to in New York and found a decent flight deal out of Atlanta, so we did a fair amount of driving that weekend. We basically drove 4-6 hours every other day for 5 days, from Raleigh to Greenville on Wednesday, roundtrip from Greenville to Atlanta on Friday, and back to Raleigh on Sunday. The drive back to Raleigh Sunday evening was the difficult one for me because it was just me, Darwin, and the girls. We picked Colin up at the Raleigh airport around midnight. I had to be careful not to drink too much so I wouldn't have to stop to use the bathroom! The girls slept most of the way, and the last hour of the trip was a struggle for me.
Our Thanksgiving was lovely, with amazing food and weather. The girls enjoyed playing at my parent's house and my mom's cooking is always so delicious.
Zoe enjoying my parent's yard
Rose loves running at my parent's house
To break up the driving to and from Atlanta, we decided to go to the Atlanta Zoo after dropping Colin off for his morning flight. We spent a few hours seeing the animals, having lunch, and playing on the playground. Both girls took a good afternoon nap during our drive back to my parent's house.
Zoe at the Atlanta Zoo.
Our day adventure to split up the driving to the Atlanta airport
Rose at the Atlanta Zoo
Rose and Zoe enjoying the playground before leaving the Atlanta Zoo
During our non-driving and non-holiday day, we explored the area where my parents live. Campbell's Covered Bridge is a tourist attraction as it is South Carolina's only remaining covered bridge. We got there before the crowds (ie- family and/or engagement photographers) took over, and decided to hike/walk around once the bridge filled with the photoshoots. We managed a few cute photos of our own, but my favorites were not of or near the covered bridge.
Rose and Zoe posing at Campbell's Covered Bridge
On Saturday afternoon, we helped my parents cut down their Christmas tree. It was a first for all of us and fun to find the perfect tree. Rose really enjoyed getting to decorate it once it was set up.
We found my parents the perfect Christmas tree at Christmas Hill Tree Farm
We drove up to New York for a long weekend to kick off the month of October and ended the month with lots of Halloween festivities.
Rose's selfie October 2017 at 3.5 years
Farm visit in upstate NY October 2017
Girls on the bus at the farm
Indoor playground fun in NY
Because we dove back on a weekday, we came upon a lot of traffic in DC. Normally, when we travel on Sundays we leave NY between 1-2 am and get around DC by 8am. This time, the traffic started around Baltimore and we were bumper to bumper by 7am. Instead of staying in the car, we decided to drive into the city for the morning and check out the National Mall. It was a warm October day and the girls alternated between the stroller and running around.
They passed out before we could get lunch, so we took food to go and got home in time for dinner.
Walking around the National Mall on a nice October day
Girls passed out in the stroller as we order Shake Shack to go
In October, the girls' school had their semi-annual picnic. We look forward to the potluck lunch where the classrooms display the children's projects. Rose had a huge portfolio of 6 months of work. They had done lessons on the body, planets, super heroes, and so much more. Zoe's projects were also displayed, but because she had transitioned to her new class that month, she didn't have as much to show.
Rose and Zoe showing Rose's display at school
In October, Rose finished out her soccer season. After her amazing debut the first week, she struggled a little bit with getting involved in the game. There was one team in particular that had a few boys who were pretty aggressive. Rose ran off the field crying in her second game and it took a few more games for her to get back in the action. She was wonderful at participating in the practice and did a good job running around during the games. She just wasn't that into pushing her way through to get the ball. The final game included a celebration at the end to recognize each child's participation and a potluck lunch.
Rose celebrating the end of the season with her team
The second half of October was all about Halloween. We painted pumpkins, carved pumpkins, attended some Halloween parties, read Halloween stories, and went trick or treating. The final weekend of the month I was lucky enough to be asked to present at a conference at the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte. Colin and the girls came with me and we all enjoyed the waterpark (as much as two parents can while somewhat tethered to two toddlers) during the evening of the first day. There was a trick-or-treating event at the lodge that evening, so the girls wore their costumes and got candy along a set of stations. While I presented at the conference, Colin took the girls back to the water park, and after we had lunch we went back for a little more fun. It was enjoyable, but we were all a bit limited in what we could do. I think we'd all have a little more fun in a few more years when we could ride the bigger slides together.
Painting mini pumpkins
Rose and Zoe's painted pumpkin creations
Arriving at the Great Wolf Lodge in October 2017
Rose in her peaock costume at Great Wolf Lodge
Zoe having her snack at the Great Wolf Lodge waterpark
Enjoying our stay at Great Wolf Lodge
Carving our 2017 pumpkins
Our creations L-R are Colin, Rose, Zoe, and Nicolle
Smiling for the camera after the Halloween walk at school
I have so many pictures and videos on my phone from the past few months that these updates are going to be my photo and video dumps.
On September 9, 2017 Miss Zoe turned 2. In regular Miller fashion, we celebrated on her birthday at the pool with cake, and then again a week later with her grandparents at the pool with cake again, and then a few weeks later in New York with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, with a cupcake. Zoe was a trooper celebrating her big day by going to Rose's soccer game and then mommy's soccer game. She seemed to enjoy herself at both games, and we celebrated by going out to lunch and having cake at the pool after naps.
Happy 2nd Birthday to Miss Zoe!
Rose and Zoe posing on Zoe's 2nd Birthday
Birthday cake at the pool on Zoe's actual birthday
Rose continued with her soccer league. The first week was here shining game of the season. Unfortunately, week 2 she played a team where aggressive boys knocked her down. She did an excellent job participating in the 30 minute practice before the games, but it took most of the season for her to get back to participating in the game. I don't think she scored any more goals, but she and Zoe both enjoyed our Saturday morning routine of going to Rose's soccer game. On a few occasions I would help out if there was only one coach, taking the players who were not in the game to the side to play sharks and minnows.
Arriving at Rose's soccer game
One of the weeks mommy helped coach
Team photo day
This year, September was fairly warm. We managed a beach trip when it didn't interfere with Rose's or my soccer games, enjoyed the Durham Museum, started our Sunday morning walks to the playground, and enjoyed every last little bit of the pool we could. After Labor Day, the pool was only open on weekends, and we made sure to go if the weather cooperated.
Zoe playing in the water at the Durham Museum
Rose climbing the rocks at the Durham Museum
It's difficult to capture videos now that Zoe has entered the age where she wants to hold the phones and becomes obsessed with technology. Rose went through a similar phase and seems to have outgrown it. If you don't know "Zoe-speak" at 20 seconds in, she says "Zoe broke it" referring to the ripped pages.
Our Sunday walks to the park are about a mile each way on a paved greenway and trail. We usually bring both backpack carriers, for the occasional times the girls want to be carried. Here's a snapshot of a typical walk with Zoe wanting to hold Darwin's leash.
Rose resting on a tree stump during our walk
Girls posing on our walk
Being silly for a photo
Our two year old swinging before going down the slide at the playground
August and September were also filled with birthday parties for Rose and Zoe's classmates. We enjoyed spending time with their friend's families, and the girls especially enjoyed Miss Olivia's 4th fairy birthday party. The girls got faces painted by a fairy at the party and enjoyed lots of indoor and outdoor toys while wearing their fairy dresses
Posing with the fairy face-painter
Zoe loved the bubble wand, which ended up all over her dress
Rose is loving her friend's 4th birthday party
You can expect more photo and video dumps for October - January with fall activities transitioning to holiday activities and lots of snow during the start of 2018!!
During the month of August, we continued with our weekend and weekday trips to the pool. There were a few weekends that were not unbearably hot and we spent a day at a park or museum. We also made it to a concert in the park that's adjacent to our neighborhood. The big event and travel for us in August was taking a long weekend to go see the eclipse of 2017 in Greenville, SC! Rose also started soccer in August. Rose turned 3.5 in August and Zoe approached her 2nd birthday. Both girls grew like weeds all summer and it's been fun to have them be more self-sufficient and be able to communicate.
Zoe's eating her favorite peanut butter crackers at the pool
Zoe smiles when she wants to.
She loves to see the camera herself.
Rose and Zoe are running in Bond Park.
One of the many concerts we have listened to at the ampitheatre in the park
Lunch time at Pullen Park in Raleigh,
after going on the carousel and train and before heading home.
The first of back-to-back birthday parties at an indoor playground.
To see the Eclipse in Greenville, we spent the weekend at my parent's place in the mountains of Western NC. On Saturday we made our way to a Renaissance Festival at a farm after going to a farmers' market. The girls enjoyed getting their face (Rose) and arm (Zoe) painted, seeing the costumes, and playing on the slides and in the creek. Rose also enjoyed feeding some goats. We spent the middle part of the day driving the Blue Ridge Parkway while the girls napped and ended our day with dinner and music in Asheville.
Rose's Hello Kitty face paint
Zoe getting her arm painted
On Sunday, we made our way to Charlotte (2 hours away) to get my brother at the airport. Instead of going straight back to the cabin after lunch, we decided to walk around a small museum, called Discovery Place Nature for a little bit. The exhibits were just right for the girls and it was nice to be in a small museum with the short amount of time we had before the girls would need a nap.
Spending a few hours at a museum in Charlotte where Zoe's a bug:
Monday was Eclipse day! I was really nervous about finding a place to go to see the eclipse, especially as we left Tryon for Greenville around mid-day. We had to pack everything (including Darwin) and it was a hot August Day. I was cranky with the heat and with the stress of packing what we needed to be accessible. Thankfully, we found a science/technology elementary school that was hosting a watching party through Facebook. We headed straight there and found some shade by 1p or so. In the hour or two before complete darkness, the girls enjoyed the splash pad, we ate some moon pies, we watched the moon change through our viewing glasses and through a shadow box, and we listened to some of the music from the DJ. I was most grateful for shade and bathrooms. Even just sitting in the shade I was sweating!
Rose was really into the Eclipse, which made it more exciting for us. She did a great job looking through her glasses - which were ridiculously hard to purchase before the event. I was grateful for a friend who got some in the week leading up to our trip. The elementary school staff were giving them out at the viewing party, but we would have waited in a long line in the heat to get them.
Rose and Zoe had learned about the eclipse at school, and Rose kept giving us updates on what she saw. Zoe was more interested in maintaining her schedule, which should have included lunch and a nap. She managed to stay engaged with all the excitement despite being a bit "hangry".
The full eclipse was pretty amazing. In the few minutes just before it turned to dusk, our surroundings looked "chalky" with a tinge of almost grey. The temperature was noticeably cooler for the few minutes of complete elipse and for some of the minutes before and after. During the total eclipse, the stars came out, we could see the ring around the moon, we could hear crickets, and it looked like dusk at 2:30pm. It was so cool and an experience I hope to never forget. As we left Greenville for Raleigh, we started making plans to visit upstate NY/Burlington for the 2024 eclipse!
Because we hadn't eaten a good lunch and we didn't really know where to go in Greenville, post-eclipse was a bit of a disaster. We waited too long to be seated at a restaurant and ultimately gave up after almost 45 minutes because the girls were getting too cranky. We knew it would take a long time to get home as well. We had enough snacks that held everyone over as we slowly made our way home, and the girls napped. The four-hour trip took about 6-7 hours with a stop for dinner near Charlotte. It was close to midnight before we arrived home. Thankfully, the girls slept for most of the ride after dinner.
Finding food and shade at an Elementary school Eclipse viewing party in Greenville, SC
Rose would check on the sun's progress often during the hour we watched
It was difficult to capture the eclipse in a camera. I didn't bother trying to get the ring.
A glimpse of the total eclipse from Greenville, SC on August 21, 2017
Because we traveled to see the Eclipse, Rose missed the first soccer game of her career. While soccer runs in our veins, an eclipse is a pretty rare and memorable event worth missing soccer to see. Rose made up for it by being an attentive participant in the practice and scoring two goals in her game that followed the practice session. That first game we attended was pretty chaotic. Kids were picking up the ball all the time and clearly didn't know what to do. We were proud of Rose's ability to pay attention and participate. There were a few games after that first one where the other team was aggressive and we struggled through those with Rose. I'll admit, it is challenging to tell your child not to take things from people or push or hit and then try to teach them to be aggressive in sports.
Rose's first soccer practice, held for 30 minutes before her first 30 minute game.
We missed the first week because of the Eclipse, so she had to wait for a shirt.
Rose scores a goal in her first soccer game
I finally captured some video footage of Zoe talking and singing. If she notices she's being recorded, she immediately runs to grab the camera. I'm surprised she let me take video of her singing. We did have a few outtakes before capturing this longer video. The teachers at Zoe's school say that her Spanish is very good. It's amazing to me that she can switch between English and Spanish so easily. I love getting to learn the songs she sings at school and I'm also glad that Rose is my translator. While I can speak and understand Spanish, understanding toddler Spanish without context is sometimes difficult. Rose often translates for us because she knows the songs, expressions, and/or words that Zoe has picked up at school.
Lots of singing at bedtime
Stay tuned for Miss Zoe's 2nd Birthday and more September updates!
