Monday, April 30, 2012

Welcome Nannie and PopPop!

We are so excited to announce that Mom and Dad have moved to Fort Mill, South Carolina-
about 20 minutes from our home!

In the past month, my parents have sold their house and mom has retired from her teaching job.
MJ and Bern now have a beautiful new home right on the golf course.  
 We could not be more thrilled to have them here.  
And the laughter and silliness has already begun!
Last Sunday we enjoyed breakfast on the upstairs patio.  So much fun!
 We feel so lucky and blessed to have them here.
Welcome to the south, Nannie and PopPop!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Goodbye Magnolia

 Yesterday, we said "goodbye" to our sweet Magnolia.  
Maggie was only six years old but went into liver failure and left us far too soon.

 Our sweet little girl looked just like ToTo, 
and we celebrated her first Halloween in her honor.
She was the welcoming committee to all who entered our home.  She wagged her little tail so hard that her entire body moved and we called it the Maggie Wiggle.  Her best welcomes came when she greeted all our boys and immediately kissed them and made them her own.
Maggie was known by all the neighbors.  We were always outside on walks with Mags and she knew everyone.  Magnolia "introduced" us to some of our best friends - when dogs meet so do owners!
 
Maggie and her friend, Luke loved to play, and smootch!
 While Maggie had a love for all the boys, she and Sully had a special bond.  She was always cuddling with Sullivan and he was always giving her treats.  (He also gave her lots of Thomas trains, but she was not too excited about those)
 Maggie was a cuddle-bug.  She loved curling up on the couch.  She cuddled with the boys, she cuddled with me and Gill in the evenings, she curled up and cuddled on the stairs when no one was home.
 Maggie's favorite toy was her orange dinosaur.  She got it when she was a baby, and it was the only toy that lasted!  Mags loved to destroy plush toys or anything with a squeaker.  
 On the night before Maggie left our family, she stole some spaghetti right out of my dinner bowl!  She and I slept together on the couch with our favorite blankie and watched "Twilight".  She and I were both Team Jacob (it's a werwolf thing).

In the morning, Gill and I took her to the doctor.  We told her how much we loved her.  
I held her tightly as she went to Heaven.

Magnolia brought smiles and love to our home every day of her life.  She was such a sweet little girl.  Our family will not be the same without our sweet Mag-pie.  We know she is in Heaven looking down upon us, and that gives us peace, knowing our puppy girl will always be in our hearts.

We miss you and love you, Magnolia.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Party-filled weekend

This weekend was FULL of Birthday Parties.

After TeeBall on Saturday, Patrick and Finnegan headed 
to Funky Town for a birthday party for a class mate.
 After dancing, hair paint, teddy bear stuffing and tattoos...
 The guys had big smiles and were rocking their awesome new looks!!
 On Sunday we were honored to join in 
Athena and Sebastian's First Birthday Celebration.
 Sebastian and Athena were adorable and 
we all were so delighted to watch them dive into their cake!
 We ended the weekend with a My Gym party for a neighborhood friend.
 Lots of smiles,
 lots of fun,
 and lots of birthday cake!!

Friday, April 13, 2012

500


500 "I love you's" a day, just doesn't seem to be enough
500 matchbox cars line our floor every evening
500 times a day I count my blessing for my happy family
500 boxes of goldfish and they are still hungry for more
500 scrapes and bruises have been iced, kissed, bandaged and healed.
500 bubble baths, and I still can't seem to keep the guys clean

500 blog posts - and many more to come!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Saturday was NOT a drag

We went on quite the family adventure on Saturday.  We drove into Virginia to meet our friends, the Spencers, at Brian's family farm.  The day was gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky.  Patrick and Finnegan immediately went exploring in the woods with Brian and Gill.  While Sully and Liliana tried to chase after them and then settled on planting a rock garden!
Everyone gathered for lunch, courtesy of Johanna and Granny Jo.  
After, we went down to visit the cows, see the river and climb on some tractors!
You'd think the day couldn't get any better, but you'd be wrong!  We all piled in the car and followed the Spencers to the DRAG RACES!  That's right, ear plugs and all, our boys got to see their first real drag races, up close and personal!
The cars went fast and were super loud - the guys LOVED IT!
Brian knew one of the families, and we all got to see the car and meet the driver.
Patrick and Finn gave the driver hi-fives before his next race, while Sullivan tried to convince LaLa she did not need to be one of those girls that models on the hoods of cars!
Finnegan was so excited, he could hardly stand it, 
as he watched his now favorite race car go to the starting line.
Go! Go! Go!
What a fantastic day!  
So grateful to Jo and Brian for including us - it was fantastic!