Benita's Visit

My cousin Benita arrived on Thursday. She arrived and Scott left about 2 hours later to go to Phoenix for the weekend. Benita and I haven't seen each other for several years. We've been keeping in touch through our parents and Christmas letters. When we were younger, we would see each other at family gatherings and some of our most memorable times were out at a our ranch near Freer, TX. But she and I clicked right in and have been having a great time.

On Thursday night, we went to Tanglewood park where they have their annual Festival of Lights. A 4 mile trek takes you through a park full of holiday light displays. The displays were very nice. I don't know how much the kids could and could not see, but they enjoyed what they could see.

Anyway, the kids have kept cousin Benita busy. They love playing with her and Benita is a really good sport. Yesterday we went to the gym, so Benita and I could get a walk in. Then we went to Pilot Mountain. It was 32 degrees up there and pretty chilly. Ian didn't care. He was all over the rocks climbing up like a pro. Payton, on the other hand, didn't want to do anything but be carried. (I think she was tired.) So she and I hung out while Benita and Ian climbed to see the summit.

Today we went to a transportation museum in Spencer which is about 30 minutes from our house. They were having a Santa Train. We rode a passenger train and Santa stopped by for a visit and to hand out candy canes. I don't think Ian knew what to think about Santa, but he loved the train. He was starry-eyed the whole time. Payton was just beaming the whole time, too. She was extremely excited to see Santa. Then we walked around some of the exhibits. They have a huge roundhouse with retired engines and cabooses. We made some Christmas ornaments and then toured the Wheels, Wagons, and Wings exhibit. I really think the kids (and Benita and I) enjoyed the exhibits. The only drawback to the day was that we all got a little cold. It was in the 30s while we were walking around to get to the exhibits and the roundhouse. A quarter of a mile is a long way for two little ones to walk around in the cold.

We stopped for lunch at a diner in Spencer. There were lots of cars in the parking lot, so Benita and I had high expectations. It was OK for North Carolina BBQ (which is basically pulled pork with a vinegary sauce). The kids fell asleep on the way home :)