Quigleys in Texas.

Last week, we headed down to Ben's sister's place near Austin, Texas.  We had so much fun, hanging out and celebrating the holidays with the Quigleys. 

Getting ready to open presents.

Playing with our new toys.

Relaxing with the dogs...

Ashton and Landon loved climbing all over Uncle Ben.  They did their best to keep him from doing pushups.

... and succeeded.

It was like a fun ride!

They loved the foam swords we got them for Christmas.

We had such a fun time!  Thanks again Paula for hosting us!

Little Benny got a bike - Part Two!

So you know how Ben got a bike?  Well, here it is!

He looks so cute on his new bike, I just HAD to smooch him!

Ben gave Steff a ride and then gave her a quick lesson.

And Ashton got a ride...

And Grey got a lesson too!

I think everyone has enjoyed Ben's new bike!  Especially Ben!

vacation with my mama.

My mom and stepdad came to visit us last week.  We did lots of sightseeing in Charleston last weekend.  Pictures with actual people can be seen at megsandbens.  Here are a few of the pretties:

From the ferry to Ft Sumter.

Visiting Ft Sumter.

So there was this little spot at Ft Sumter that was so spooky!  To my left was a pitch-black... something.  Maybe a hallway?

To find out what was back there, I took a picture.  I was just sure a ghost would light up in the flash!  Luckily, this is what I got:

One of the beautiful churches in Charleston.  Isn't it funny how the spanish moss looks kinda blue?

A funny barkless tree.

I loved the trees in Charleston.  This one is a Palmetto, I think.

Another amazing church.  Don't the trees look so pretty against the blue sky?

Charleston is such a beautiful city!  It was so much fun to explore it a little with my mom, Mark and Ben.

Bryner Vacation!

This last week, my mom and step-dad came to visit us here in NC.  We really enjoyed their visit and got to do some sightseeing with them.  We went to Charleston over the weekend and saw Fort Sumter.  Here we are on the ferry:

Ft Sumter.

Pretty churches in Charleston.

We also spent some time in downtown Fayetteville (NC), looking at the cool old buildings.  And we visited the Airborne & Special Operations Museum, where I tried to stare down the wax soldiers.

It was such a great week and we were so grateful to get to spend time with my mom and Mark during the holidays.  : ) 

YOAFF!

As Air Force acronyms go, this one takes the cake.  YOAFF: Year of the Air Force Family.  Love it.  Rolls right off the tongue.  Last week was full of activities at Pope to celebrate.  We attended a kick-off party Monday, a fun walk on Tuesday, a free showing of Monsters vs Aliens on Wednesday, and a couple of talent shows at the end of the week.  Busy busy...  but a lot of fun!

These pictures came from the kick-off party on Monday.  I had to scan them in, so the originals look much better than this.  I'll be framing them for sure.

Happy YOAFF everyone!  Ha!

Halloween!

This year we got to spend Halloween with some fantastic friends.  Ben was excited to dress up 'goth' again.  He added a mohawk this year.  Here he is mid-transition.

At the Jacksons', we first carved pumpkins.

 

 

Ben and Cameron had a Monster Egg hunt before Trick or Treating.  Cameron won!

Our pumpkins turned out so well!  Ben's scary skelleton was extra tricky to carve, but he created a work of art!  My spooky tree was carved out of a small white pumpkin.  Different, but very good!

Tiffany, Sarah and I handed out candy while Ben, Douglas, Cameron, and Lillie went Trick or Treating.  Then we sipped cider and ended the evening with a game of Settlers of Catan.  We're so fortunate to have such fun friends here!

Lillie's Halloween.

Lillie played a lot of dress-up this year.  She was very excited to spend Halloween with us at a friend's house, so she insisted on wearing costumes. 

For funsies, we made her into a dalmation with black hair spray just before her bath.  Oh, and the ribbon around her neck... It was a medal Ben won at the Pope Olympics last month, but she loves it and wears it all the time.

We found doggie costumes on sale at Petsmart for $2, so we couldn't resist.  She started out as a firedog.

But the big Trick'r'Treat event called for something a little more extravagant.

Lillie had a fantastic Halloween this year.  She loved playing at the Jacksons' house and gracefully accepted the 'ooos' and 'ahhs' from her adoring fans on the Trick or Treating circuit with Ben, Douglas, and Cameron. 

Flamingo Cake.

Ben had a going-away party for a lady he works with today. She loves flamingos, so last night Ben and I made her a cake. Here's how it went, step-by-step.






Ben was so proud of his finished piece of art. Looks pretty sweet, huh?