Snow Day!

We received our second dose of snow today in North Carolina!  Unfortunately, the sleet came right behind the snow, so not much stuck on the ground.  Growing up in New Hampshire, I was only used to snow being cancelled if there were 7-8 inches on the ground and it was still snowing.  Last night, there were counties that cancelled school before the first flake even fell!  Here are some pictures from the first snowfall on December 9th.

Three Months & Counting

Baby Ben turned three months old this week.  We are amazed at how much he has grown since he entered our world.  At birth, he weighed 4 lbs 2 oz.  Now, we think he is creeping up on 11 lbs.  Ben is starting to smile, hold his head up for extended periods of time, and has even uttered a few "ooohhhs."  Enjoy these photos!

Order Established

My wonderful little boy, Brady, has had a passion for organization from a young age.  He has been lining up various objects since before he could walk.  It has become such a funny obsession, that I have begun photographing his endeavors for a special scrapbook.

We decorated the Christmas tree a few nights ago and gave Brady a few ornaments to hang on the tree.  Before we knew it, this happened:

I hope you enjoy these other shots!



Angel Tree

I had a great time tonight hanging out with some of the women in our church.  We met for dinner at a local Italian restaurant and then headed out to Target to shop for a Angel Tree Family.  The Angel Tree program supports needy families and provides children with Christmas gifts that they would normally not receive.

Gift giving is definitely my "love language," and I have been looking forward to this night.  We were lucky enough to be able to shop for the same family this year as last year.  There are nine children, and I was lucky enough to be able to shop for a two year old little boy.  It was as if I was getting to select gifts for Brady.


I feel fortunate to be able to share in this type of experience with such a great group of women.  The best part of the whole night, I came home to a clean house!  Garrett went to town making sure that the kitchen was clean, all the toys were put away, and the bedroom was even vacuumed.  What more could a girl want?

Christmas Card 2010

Crochet Scallop Green Christmas

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Our Hectic Life

I am ashamed that I have neglected writing for the last few weeks.  As a family, we have been running from here to there to everywhere, and unfortunately this has been pushed to the side.

Three days after mom returned home to New Hampshire, we packed up the car to visit family in Florida.  Our first night was spent in Ocala with Gary and Lisa.  From there, we headed over to Ormond Beach to visit my Nana and Grand.  This was the first time they were all getting to meet Baby Ben.  Garrett's mother, Dottie, was also able to visit with us in Ormond.  Two days later we were back in the car to return to Ocala for a few days before heading home to North Carolina.

Since then, we have been busy decorating for Christmas, celebrating the advent season, and completing a Jesse Tree study.  Despite the stress, it has been a wonderful few weeks.  More stories and pictures of our Florida adventure to come soon!

So Many Thanks

This week has been a blur of activity.  We celebrated an early Thanksgiving with Mom, Craig, and Rachel.  There were two full days of cooking and eating madness.  I cooked my first turkey, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  Here's a peak at our feast starting with Sunday brunch and moving to "Thanksgiving Dinner":

Sunday Brunch Table 

Homemade sticky rolls, pumpkin chocolate chip mini-breads, and cranberry orange scones.

"Eggs in a basket" - Hash brown baskets with an egg baked inside and covered with cheese.

Homemade strawberry jam, pesto cream cheese, and cinnamon butter.

Salad of arugula, pears, and parmesan cheese curls with dijon-lemon dressing.

Assorted fruit and cheese platter

My first turkey!

Maple glazed carrots, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, 

and roasted brussel sprouts with pecans.