Saturday, December 27, 2014

Our New Home

Something has been in the works for a long time.  Months, years perhaps.  Our three growing boys kept growing and growing.  It seemed that our house kept shrinking and shrinking.  We held out as long as we could, we converted the garage, we built under the stairs, but we finally came to the conclusion that we just needed more space.  Our lovely 3 bedroom townhome no longer suited our family of five.

We began the hunt for a new home with some very specific criteria.  Mainly, we absolutely must stay in our school district, which was not an easy thing to find.  We were so grateful that our wonderful friend, Kara Cozier, helped us with our search.  She kept us in perspective, was kind and patient, and fought for us like no other!

In September we put our townhome on the market, after weeks of staging, packing and storing.  The boys were patient, helpful and easy going thru the painful process of preparing the house for sale.
 I won't go thru the long and tedious details of selling the townhome (and buyers backing out), but after 3 months, it was time to finally say "goodbye" to our first family home and "hello" to our future!!
On December 15, we closed on our new home.  It is everything we had asked for (and dreamed of).  Plenty of space for our family to grow, an office for my business, a large backyard (with a giant pecan tree) and it's located in a 2 culdesac neighborhood with tons of children the boys' ages.  There are continuously families outside and kids riding their bikes and scooters around the neighborhood.
 We are so excited for this new adventure for our family and our future!

Friday, December 26, 2014

Christmas 2014

This year, Christmas was just the 5 of us in our new home.  On Christmas Eve we got headed out for specialty pizza dinner before going to Mass.
After church, we all put on our Christmas Jammies and curled up to watch Charlie Brown Christmas and eat Christmas Cookies.   The boys set out Cookies and Milk for Santa before going to bed.
 and Santa Arrived!!
 We were awoken at 5:45am by our anxious little boys.  That's right, we were opening Christmas gifts in the dark!  Sully was so excited to give Daddy his present (he didn't think Gill would ever figure out it was a rake!)
 It was a whirlwind and oh so much fun! 
 The boys spent hours enjoying their gifts before heading outside to ride their new bikes around the neighborhood.
After Christmas Dinner, the boys had baths and put on their new jammies.
Then, we drove to see the Christmas Lights before heading to the Langevines for a Christmas Celebration.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Pre-Christmas Playdate

Today we had a playdate with the Poole Girls.
They came to our new home bearing Christmas and housewarming gifts for us all.   The boys were so excited to show the girls their rooms and the new house.
We went to the Rock Hill Children's Museum and the kids played hard for 2 hours.  The sweet friends got along so well and explored the museum together.
We finished our playdate with a trip to the French Pastry Shop and big hugs in the parking lot.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Christmas Bears

Today we took the train uptown with Melissa, Athena and Sebastian. 
They loved the ride and our first stop - The Ritz Carlton!
The pastry chefs created gingerbread reindeer and a gingerbread house that was incredible.
 Then, we went to Founders Hall to see the Bearstein Orchestra Christmas Show.
The kids loved the music, and the Christmas cookies!

Saturday, December 13, 2014

The Polar Express

This weekend Nannie and PopPop took us on a magical Christmas trip!
We took the boys out of school early, and when we got to Mom and Dad's, they had special treats for the boys - Santa Pajamas and a Polar Express book for each of them!
The boys watched the Polar Express movie with PopPop and then we all headed up to Bryson City.  We checked into the hotel, put on our Christmas Jammies and headed to the train station!
Golden tickets in hand, we set off to the North Pole!
The boys were jumping up and down, they were so excited.  They pressed their faces against the cold windows and squealed in delight when the lights of the North Pole were seen.
 During our trip to the North Pole, we were all given cups of hot chocolate and cookies
 At one point, everyone took out their books, while it was read aloud on the train.
Then, once we got to the light-up North Pole, a special visitor joined our train car!
Santa talked to each of the boys and talked about their Christmas wishes.
It was such a Magical Night!

Monday, December 8, 2014

Masterpiece Monday

Finnegan made this awesome clay turtle in sculpting class last week.  
Love this cute guy and Finny's creativity!

Saturday, December 6, 2014

In the Christmas Spirit!

Today really got me in the Christmas Spirit.
For the 5th year in a row, I ran the Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run in honor of Mallory.  This year's Mal's Pals team raised over $600 for the organization.
 It may have been cold and raining, but we finished with smiles!
 In the evening, we went out with The Coziers and The Weimers for dinner uptown followed by the Magic of Christmas Concert by the Charlotte Sympathy Orchestra. The halls echoed with gorgeous music and the sounds of Christmas!
Now, I am truly in the Christmas Spirit!

Friday, December 5, 2014

First Reconcilliation

Tonight Patrick and Finnegan received the Sacrament of First Reconciliation.
When we entered the Church, the boys lit candles in the glass votives we had made during the parent/child retreat.  They stood by the beautiful cross covered with hearts.  Each parent had written their child's name on a heart, so it was truly a symbol of all the children and the love we have for them.
It was a beautiful night.  While they were both a bit nervous, 
they did great and we were so proud of them.
 We sat next to the Poole Family, and got to celebrate 
Isabella's First Reconciliation as well, while Sully and Jenna entertained each other.
God Bless Patrick and Finnegan