'Tis the season!

We've been having fun getting ready for the holidays this year. Because we are in a new house, all the little holiday preparations really help the place feel like home. I've been making cookies like crazy (8 kinds and counting...) and we've put up all kinds of decorations - a big Christmas tree, lots of lights, advent calendars, etc. The girls are both really into the advent calendars this year. Hayden is a pro at finding the right door to open - a good way to learn her numbers. And Eliza got to do her first chance to do an advent calendar this year!

Our wall o' advent calendars, right inside our front door.
Eliza got the stool and brought it over all by herself so she could check out the calendars.

We also have several nativity sets around that the girls play with. I like that Hayden is calling them "activity" sets this year. They do provide some activity!

Mother Nature has been helping us get in the holiday spirit too. Despite moving south to get away from cold weather, we've had TWO snowfalls this month! For the first one, it started on the way home from a visit with my grandma. That route home just happens to go by the Christmas tree farm, so we spontaneously decided to stop, in the snow, to pick out our Christmas tree. So festive to pick out a tree in the snow, and so unusual to be able to do so in North Carolina! I think we picked a good one.
Back at home, with the tree, the snow came down enough to stick on the grass and cars. The girls enjoyed checking out the snow a little later in the afternoon. Our new house looks pretty in the snow!

The second round of snow was more ice than snow, and got Hayden's school canceled. She missed her Christmas party! She didn't seem to mind too much, and again, the girls had fun exploring the wintry world. They liked making footprints on the pavement. Notice Eliza's boots. Ironically they were bought for Hayden for PA winters, but she refused to wear them. So Eliza gets to wear them in NC!!

We have also worn festive outfits, like these matching holiday jackets Grammy sent.

Now Christmas is almost here. The tree is up and decorated. The lights are up outside. (This was harder than you think since the outdoor outlet was dead. We had to get an electrician to come check it out. And then we had to adjust our light collection to a display for the new house!) I think we're ready! Merry Christmas!

Boat Trip!

As I mentioned in my last post, we went on a birthday boat cruise over Labor Day weekend when the whole family was in town. Now a 2 hour boat ride, with 7 adults and 4 children (including two 3 yr olds, and two not even 1), may seem like a recipe for disaster, but truly it was absolutely great. First of all we had AMAZING weather. North Carolina had THE hottest summer on record - set a record for number of days over 90 degrees - and yet the day we went was sunny with no humidity and a high in the low 80s. Just gorgeous.

Besides great weather, everyone was in a good mood and ready to enjoy themselves. It didn't hurt that Captain Don greeted us with cupcakes and we brought champagne. Everyone needs champagne and cupcakes for a morning boat ride!

One thing we had been worried about was the life jacket requirement for the kids. While they weren't super happy about putting them on, there were no tantrums or refusals. (This was mainly a concern for Hayden). And turns out, one of the benefits of life jackets was a built-in cheek pillow - good for naps and general cuteness.

Basically we just toured around Jordan Lake, checking things out. Captain Don pointed out some stuff, and answered questions if we asked, but generally we just enjoyed being out on the water. The head of the boat was a popular spot for Hayden and Jay.
There were occasional disputes about ownership of the space. Hayden was desperate to control as much real estate as possible.
Even Eliza liked looking out over the water. Can you see how her eyes are crinkling cuz she's smiling as she checks things out with Aunt Katie?


There wasn't much specific to do on the boat, we just enjoyed the sunshine, the scenery and each others' company. And tried on sunglasses.
There was kind of a lull in child activity as we got into the second hour. Eliza actually took a nap, and Hayden wanted some snuggle time in the shade.
Here's a closeup on Eliza's cheek pillows.

And then after the sleepy time, we just had spacey time, with sunglasses and windblown hats.

Just as the kids were really starting to get antsy, there was a new diversion - steering the boat! (You can even see the infamous Captain Don in the second picture.)

And then it was time to head back. Some of us could have stayed out all day, but others were ready to get back to land.

Captain Don was kind enough to take a full family photo of the happy sailors. It could have been a seafaring disaster but I think we all had fun.

After we disembarked, Captain Don headed back out for some solo sailing. Goodbye boat!

PS Hayden did ask if we could go again. And every time we drive over Jordan Lake, she asks if that's where we went on a boat ride.

Playing Catch Up - Labor Day

I still can't quite believe that I never got around to blogging about Labor Day weekend. It was a such a good weekend - that actually started the week before - filled with family, fun and parties! It all started because Mom had a big birthday this year, and Labor Day weekend was when our whole family was able to gather to celebrate. Then we were moving to NC around that same time, along with a good chunk of our possessions, and Lacey came up with her kids to spend the week while JT traveled. Needless to say it was a full house, but we all managed to survive - and even have a little fun. Here's a quick little photo recap of some of the highlights.

First of all, it was the first time that I got to meet my new niece, Charlotte. Though she couldn't really 'do' much yet, she was pretty popular. Eliza would check out Charlotte every time Charlotte hung out in the bouncer. (or maybe Eliza just wanted to reclaim the bouncer for herself - she had a blast climbing into and out of it when it was empty). And Aunt Katie loved meeting Charlotte (and Eliza) and even showed Charlotte how to text!
We threw a sort-of surprise party for mom and invited lots of friends. It was a sort-of because we planned it ahead of time, but did give her a couple days advance notice. I made special boston cream pie cupcakes for the party and we had plenty of good barbecue to share as well. I think we all enjoyed the party, especially the food.


Besides the party, we also got a special cake for Mom in honor of her birthday. It was delicious and so cute. There were stick figures of all her family members on it, plus the words: Live, Laugh, Love. Did I mention it was yummy?

In honor of Mom's birthday, we also arranged for a special BOAT RIDE on Jordan Lake. I'm hoping to do a blog just on the boat ride, so here's just a couple pics to give you an idea.

on the boat

off the boat

There was one other special birthday celebration that weekend as well - Sept 4th is Granma Jane's real birthday. So we all went down to Southern Pines to help her celebrate. The girls even got to wear special party dresses. I think Charlotte and Great Granma Jane really hit it off, since they picked matching outfits!

The rest of the time, there was a little less partying, but still lots of fun. Watching Hayden and Jay together was a blast. There were bike rides...
a trip to the Museum of Life and Science, complete with train ride...

Hayden introduced Jay to her special roll-on bath soap...

Poppop got lots of attention and hugs...

Including a double grandkid send off each morning as he headed to work...

Sand play in a sled (Grandma is so creative!)...

Orange food consumption...
And even snuggles with Daddy when he came back from his trip.

And of course, since it was a family reunion weekend, there were several family photo ops.

It was a busy weekend but lots of fun. All mom asked for was to have all of us together - and she sure got it ! Happy Birthday Mom/Grandma!