Falling into Fall

November managed to come and go so quickly this year.  We had perfect fall weather this year and were able to enjoy the fireworks of color in the trees.  The kids love having a neighborhood where they can not only ride scooters and tractors to their hearts content, but also being able to go for walks and revisit (for the girls) places they remember.  We are lucky enough to live very close to a local library and it is a favorite destination for our family.  It's a perfect distance away to let us stretch our legs but not get too worn out there and back.

While we don't have a tree in our front yard, there are neighboring trees that gave us plenty of leaves to rake and jump in this month!  There is something about playing in leaves and crunching through them that brings the kid out in us all!

There are so many magical aspects to this season of life.  Christmas is now upon us and it is easy to get caught up in the kid's excitement for the season - both Santa and the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  We see the sparkle of all things magical in their eyes and find ourselves leaning back on schedules and being more relaxed this time of year. 

One of my favorite traditions is decorating the Christmas tree as a family.  Both Brian and I have ornaments from our childhoods to hang on the tree, and together we have gathered ornaments each year of our marriage.  It is a tradition we started with the kids; each year they get an ornament (and some are from loving family members and friends) of their own.  As we take them out of boxes, excited shouts of "this one is MINE!!" and "I remember going there!" float around us.  Our Christmas tree becomes more than holiday decor, it is a memory tree of our family - immediate and extended.

We are ready for the cold weather December brings and look forward to being pushed inside for more family time.  Hot cocoa, Christmas movies, bible stories, game nights, and holiday parties await.

Bella turns 5!

Our dear, sweet Bella turned 5 yesterday....amazing how quickly time passes and yet it seems like she's always been in our lives.  At school, they have a birthday celebration where you bring in a photo for every year your child has been alive and she walks around the class while the teacher fills in details of things you were doing that year.  It is one of my favorite ways to celebrate a birthday; a true celebration of your life.  I loved looking back at all of Bella's photos and choosing ones to tell her story.  It is a wondrous story!

Dear Bella,

You are so full of life and have the most infectious deep belly laugh I have ever heard.  You spread so much happiness in our lives; our family would never be the same without you.  You feel all emotions so fully; and wear you heart on your sleeve. 
It is amazing to see you grow and how much you change every year.  You are in your second year of pre-school and, while morning good bye's are hard; you love school.  You are quickly making new friends this year and still take every opportunity for a hug from Norah during the school day.  She is your best friend and I love the friendship you two share.  You are a great big sister to William and try so hard to lead by example for him.  He is getting big enough to play with you more and more and you welcome him with open arms.
You are learning to read and are so excited when you learn a new word!  You are also playing soccer on a team for the first time this year and are a rock star on the field!  Your legs may be short; but your spirit is huge and you give it your all on the field. 
We are so proud of you and of all that you do.  You are amazing and strong and such an inspiration to me to how we should live life each day - fully.
I love you my dear Bella; Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mommy

Life right now

Life is pretty amazing and full right now.  We are enjoying Autumn and the gradual changing of seasons.  We are spending time playing soccer, playing the violin, getting cozy and snuggling on the couches with the cool wind blowing in through the open windows.  We are welcoming this new season of weather along with this new season of life. 

Our Fairy Garden was brought back to life this fall...those magical fairies know where to find us!

Of course when you practice the violin, you need to wear your ballerina recital costume ;)

Love watching all three of them riding bikes/tractors

A morning spent dancing in the rain

A very happy boy with his Spiderman slippers

 Our other exciting new season of life is preparing for our fourth child!  Everything has been going really well so far in the pregnancy and the kids are all very excited for another brother or sister.  Today we found out we will be welcoming a baby girl into our family!  William and Bella are thrilled....they both wanted a baby sister.  Norah is a little more reserved and was hoping for a baby brother.  She was excited, just not as much as William and Bella.  (We think it's her systematic/mathematical approach...2 boys, 2 girls)

Pink balloon surprise!

 

 

 

 

A baby sister

As I said, life is pretty amazing right now.

Vacation Part II - a tad late

I've had a hard time feeling the writing bug lately, and this has delayed my posting about our wonderful second week of vacation this summer...inspiration strikes tonight!

We drove from Oak Island, NC to Fripp Island, SC on Saturday.  It was a perfect day for the drive and on the way we stopped in Charleston, SC.  Charleston is beautiful but was very crowded on a Saturday; so we drove to North Charleston where Boeing has a site. (hopeful home one day!)  We ate at a little bbq place and had delicious scones for dessert.  It was a great break in the drive; and after checking the map (ahem...Apple maps works best if you plug in the zip code along with the street name - you know, in case another island has the same address...ahem)  We thought  we only had 1-1/2 hours left to drive and about 1 hour in realized that I didn't type the right address - see missing zip code note above - and were en route to a different island...thankfully the kids were happy and I have a loving husband who laughed it off.  Eventually we came to our destination and were awed by the island.

Fripp Island is a small island that asks all residents and guests to drive golf carts around the island - a fantastic way to travel, especially with children! There were beach access points, swimming pools, deer who got incredibly close, and alligators - yes, alligators.

We stayed in a large home with my mom and dad and my sister and her family.  I don't know that the kids have ever been so excited for a week long sleepover as much as they were that week!  It made them so incredibly happy to be able to all be under one roof, eat meals together, play all day long together, play games at night, and stay up late.  It was a summer dream come true for them...and us!

We spent a lot of time at the beach and the pools, searching for sea shells and sitting in awe at nature's beauty.  There are a lot of beaches so it was great to see what each one had to offer - everything from a sandbar where you could walk very far out and appear to be walking on water (and see awesome sea life) to marshy beaches where you could hear the gentle music of the reeds play against the music of the sea.  It was beautiful.

This is the first time in a long time that my family has vacationed together and it was so relaxing and great. There was enough room to have a little space but enough closeness to feel the family bonds.

I feel so blessed to have so much love surround our family - from both sides of our families.  We have taken vacations alone as a family of five and with extended family.  We both agree that the vacations with extended families are more soothing for the soul and leave us with so many great memories.  We know to take time for our little family but are grateful for the alone time Brian and I get on vacation as well.  The kids get to spend quality time with grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and cousins and we get one-on-one time.  I know that we are lucky to have extended families who 1)like to vacation with us and 2)we like to vacation with; and for that we are so thankful.

This was our first vacation in a long time; and Williams first time to the beach.  It has left us with so many lasting memories that surpass the photos we were able to capture.  Thank you Grandma, Grandpa, Mimi, and Papa.  Thank you Haley, L, Kiley, Spencer, and Ashton...we can't wait for another vacation!

Summer Vacation - part 1: Oak Island, NC

Tonight I sit looking out our window at a beautiful full moon shining over the Atlantic Ocean.  Tonight is our last night staying in a beach house with Grandma and Grandpa and our family of five.  It has been an incredible vacation - relaxing, just the right amount of sun and shade, the beach and the ocean, great food, and most importantly; lots of quality family time.  For the first time in a long time; we unplugged all day long.

We stayed on Oak Island, NC and were lucky to be here during the loggerhead turtle nesting.  On Sunday night, while walking back to the beach at the end of the day; we were told the importance of filling in holes on the beach.  Mama loggerheads make the long journey up the beach and make their nests in the dune to keep their babies (usually 100 or more!) safe from high tide and vultures.  If there are large holes left from a fun day on the beach; mama could fall in and not make it on her journey.  Needless to say; after we filled our hole; we were urged by turtle protector Norah and turtle protector Bella to fill in any hole we could see...or walk to see.  For the next few nights we walked and brought shovels with us to help fill in the holes...no mama's would miss their purpose on our watch!

The kids got to see nature in another way this week too.  While shell searching, we could see mussels rapidly trying to dig back into the sand once they were exposed.  This fascinated them (and me) to no end and poor little mussels had to dig over and over again so we could watch.  It's amazing how fast they are and know instinctively where to go.

At the beginning of the week; we would mention high tide to the kids while we were on the beach at different times of the day.  The concept was lost on them as they have never seen high tide....so on Wednesday, we made it down to the beach in time for high tide.  It was like a new playground had opened to us!  Right in front of our house; the ocean makes a little stream that later becomes a rip tide going back into the ocean.  The stream wasn't too strong or deep and the kids were all able to play and splash until high tide receded.  The games and playtime lasted until the sun began to set and cold set in...wonderous

There is something wonderful about vacationing with extended family.  Having the extra time to spend with family means having more time to talk and relax...to play and laugh without going home at the end of the day.  We have been lucky enough to have a few vacations with family; and love that we have this chance.  It not only gives me and Brian a chance to have more quality time with our extended family; but it also gives the kids a great chance to connect with family.  The memories we made this week shine in my mind more because of this time with family.  Knowing the kids will remember these vacations and hopefully take similar journeys with us and their children makes me smile.