Looking back at Christmas, and forward to the new year

Are you there blog? It's me, your writer!

Ok so I'm fully aware that I have fallen off of this whole blog wheel. But, Lord willing we have a lot of excited things slated for 2015, and I hope to jump back on the blog train to share them all. As our seasons change, I expect the taste of this blog will grow with us. Namely, one of the most exciting things I'm looking forward to in 2015 is starting Kindergarten with Evan-at home! The sail is set, adventures in HOMESCHOOLING await. If only capital letters could contain my excitement...can I get an exclamation point?! There you have it, one not so small change that will inevitably take over this blog should I be faithful to chronicle our journey-and I plan to. :-)

But before we jump into the new year, I just couldn't skip Christmas!

Without further adieu, I present the parade of Christmas 2014...

We celebrated this Christmas over several different family gatherings, and so it went on and on and on! Man, January has been a let down... :-) First we enjoyed time with Chris' family in Raleigh and then with us here in Wilson. It was a special treat to share some extended time with Grandma and Aunt Paige. We spent Christmas Eve in Raleigh with them opening presents, eating at Panera and outrunning power outages before a special church service.

On Christmas day it was just the four of us. It was the perfect cozy day, starting with cinnamon rolls and a Christmas story and ending with  a special happy birthday Jesus dinner and cake, followed by a nighttime pajama ride to check out Christmas lights.

 

My parents spent the week of Christmas in Florida this year, so we had our Christmas on New Years. As always we had a great time and are still enjoying our presents. I got a much needed new coat, which was absolutely perfect because, to top off our holiday celebrations, Chris' sweet aunt and uncle invited us up to Boone the following weekend for a wonderful mountain getaway.

Our Christmas on New Years in Goldsberry with Gigi and Poppy...

 

Yes, this is me hugging my new set of lamps-it's amazing how much you appreciate home decor as you get older! We hope to totally makeover our master bedroom this year, and Christmas brought us two big steps closer with a fabric headboard from Chris' mom and these beautiful lamps from Gigi.

Boone bound...

And while this is random, I couldn't help but sprinkle it in-Evan's preschool Christmas program was just too adorable not to post!

To Grandma's House we...went!

Last week the boys and I traveled to PA for our much anticipated trip to Grandma's house. Early Saturday morning we loaded snacks and sleepy babies and backed down our driveway for Bennett's longest roadtrip yet! Just 6 and a half hours later, we met Grandma and Grandpa Tim at the Pennsylvania state sign.

The boys loved every minute with Grandma! We ooed and awed at zebras and giraffes at the Philydelphia zoo, played big at the local Chucky Cheese, saw the sharks at the Adventure Aquarium and more! At home the boys enjoyed waking early(a toddler's version of sleeping in I'm convinced), playing outside with the ducks or at the park, and getting in as much snuggles in as possible.

I especially loved our time at the zoo. We couldn't have dreamt up a more beautiful day to go and the animals were stunning. The big cats were a bit stubborn but the giraffes, rhino and zebra's more than made up for it!

 This is Evan being a Bear. Boy does he make me giggle...

 Did you know turtles eat watermelon?!

 

Moving along, here are some more pictures from our trip. Our week went by unbelievably fast, and we're already counting down the days till our next Grandma fix. On our way home Evan came alive with stories from the zoo and the aquarium, and is still tickling my ears about sting rays and Mike the Mighty crocodile. :-)

While Evan was a wonderful traveler, Bennett turned out to be a bit of a handful. Thankfully this smile is worth every bit of car seat drama! Thanks again for everything Sharon, we love and miss you!

On the last day of July...

(Or, as it were, the first day of August)
What's July made of? Sunscreen, summer fun, playdates galore and oh, did I mention birthday cake?

Let's start our tour de July with Amanda's rockin' rad 80's party. No need to adjust your screen, that really is neon pink!

Next, we beat the heat with creative, inside playdates. Here are some out takes from our trip to the Rocky Mount science museum. Boy was it hot that day! I thank God daily for the modern miracle that is air conditioning.

And because I can't lug by camera alongside by diaper bag 24/7, here's what the IPhone caught...

 

Kid's summer movies, sandboxes and water tables

 

Porch and pool play, Piper's first cut a la mommy, and a little boys first watergun

The highlight of July was most definitely our weekend getaway to the beach to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary.

We stayed at a gorgeous hotel on the beach. While Evan was a sand shark, he preferred the pool water over the waves of the beach. He is a fish and surprised us both with his love of and boldness in the pool. I spy him in the left corner of this picture below, he was a big fan of jumping off the side!

A trip to Ripley's aquarium at Broadway on the Beach.

 

No doubt Bennett has a laid back beachy personality himself and was a trooper over our whirlwirnd weekend.

And last but not least, we closed out July with a visit from Grandma and lots of heaven sent vanilla buttercream...

but more on that later. :-)