One more present from Santa!!!

Santa had one more present - he brought us 6 inches of snow the day after Christmas! We all had so much fun playing in the snow! First we got dressed up with warm clothes, snow pants, jackets, gloves, hats, boots - even a patriots scarf - boy were we warm! Then we stayed outside in the snow for 2 hours straight sledding and having snow ball fights! Mom had some hot (and warm) chocolate ready for us when we got home. It was a great day!

We can't wait for more snow!!! Even Andrew likes it!

I love the snow!!

Can we please go sledding?

One more snowball...

Christmas in Cary

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends! We had a wonderful first Christmas in our new house. It was amazing to share in the excitement and wonderment of our three small children as they prepared for Santa's arrival. Thank you Rachel, Jacob, and Andrew, a million times over, not only for allowing us to share in the pure joy and happiness that the Christmas season brings but also for reminding us what it's like to see it through a child's eyes.

Only 20 more days to wait......

Sorry about the blurry picture folks, they were just too excited!

Santa got our letter!!!

Why did you wake me up again??

"Born to be wiiillllldddd"

Oh, now I get it! This paper is great!

Great news, Jacob doesn't have to wear his bike helmet to play football anymore!

Go Pats!

Turkey Day

This Thanksgiving was extra special because we got to visit Grams and Papa in their new house on the Cape!! It's a great house with tons of room to run around and explore. It's was so nice of Grams and Papa to buy us grandchildren a new house! We also got to go to the Edaville Railroad and ride the train. Very cool except it got pretty cold so we took a picture with the giant Santa and then headed out for dinner. Thanks Papa, Grams, and Meg for having us up for a visit! Here are some favorite pics of the visit.

The Giant Santa was a Giant hit!

Me and Mommy


A classic that will be around for all time.....thanks Papa for offering Jacob a giant turkey leg....

Papa and Jacob

Aunt Meg and Me

Boy these floors are fast!

Brrrrr!!!

November Happenings

Still beautiful weather here in the Carolinas and we took advantage of it and went to the zoo a few weekends ago. As always Jacob,Andrew, and I had a great time. We actually went through the North America side this time instead of Africa....who knew there were so many cool animals right in our backyard....well not literally,I mean really, there aren't any Alligators in our backyard......I'm pretty sure.....need to check that. Anyway, here are some pics of our visit and one of Halloween, which by the way was really busy in our new neighborhood!!

Fall Festivities

Corn mazes, hayrides, and giant pumpkin jumpy things, the Fall here in North Carolina is one of our favorite times!....cool and crisp in the morning, 86 in the afternoon! The last few weekends, we have been outside enjoying the weather and fun that Fall brings. We had a great time at Gross Farms (it wasn't really "gross" so I don't know why they call it that). Our favorite was the giant pumpkin jump and the hayride. Then it was on to picking and carving our pumpkins. Always a fun time except it's been so hot here the last few days the pumpkins have taken on a more "greenish" hue and are looking a little well.....gross.

This picture pretty much says it all....the Diva, the Goofball, and the poor helpless babe.

Picking the perfect pumpkin


Andrew and his surfer hair


Ready for a busy day at the farm

Hangin' out on the train


Rachel's finished product


Jacob's finished product

A rare but priceless moment : )

Andrew's Big Day

My mom and dad FINALLY got around to giving me a very special gift this weekend. Don't know what took so long. It's not like they're all that busy right?!! We had a beautiful weekend kicked off by Rachel's Grandparent's Breakfast, and ending with my Christening. Thanks so much to all the family and friends that were there.

Grandparent's Breakfast

Friday was a special day at my school. I got to bring Gram, Papa, and Grammy to my school for breakfast and then show them around. I was so proud! They got to see where I eat lunch, my classroom, and even meet my teacher. Thank you so much Grams, Papa, and Grammy for coming all the way here to come with me to my school. It was very special.

Here I am in my cafeteria

Papa and I in my classroom


Grammy and I

Grams and I

This is where I sit in my classroom. Thanks for coming to Grandparent's Day!!

Dog Days of Summer

Hello everyone! We hope you all are enjoying your summer as much as we are. It's been hot but
Jacob, Andrew, and I don't mind. There are too many things to do outside to worry about the heat. Here are a few things we have been up to!


What a find! My mom found this pedal tractor on Craigslist. Can you believe someone was selling this for only $20?!! For Jacob, this toy is priceless. Oh, and it's not dangerous folks, Jacob just REALLY likes to wear his helmet for non-recreational things.


What are these big sticks with leaves in our yard? TREES! We're not used to having these things but in our new yard there are plenty. We have a great climbing one in our front yard. In fact, kids from all around the neighborhood stop by to climb on our tree!


Yes folks, my hair is finally coming back. No teeth yet, but at least I'm getting hair.


Here we are getting ready for bedtime. Mom thought it was pretty amazing that we were all looking at the camera at the same time!

Goodbye Efland, Hello Cary

Whew! Sorry for the delay. Moving with a 5 year old, 3 year old, and 5 month old was a bit crazy to say the least. Hasn't left me with much time to keep you updated! We are here now-- adjusting to life in Cary, NC and loving it. We're in a great location---minutes to Target, Kohls, Old Navy...all the important places. Besides the stores we have parks everywhere and miles of walking trails all around us. We couldn't have picked a better location. Rachel's school is only 5 minutes from here and there are tons of kids to get to know and play with in our neighborhood. Here is what we've been up to!

A Day in the Life of Rachel.....

Go Salem Salamanders! That's what I am now----a big kindergartner at Salem Elementary. The day came very quickly and I did it. I hopped on the bus and away I went. Mommy tried not to show it but I could tell she was sad and a bit nervous about me climbing onto a bus where I didn't know anyone. It's cool mom, Miss Linda the bus driver got me to school safely and as you know I'm having a great time.....except for the day I cried in music class because I didn't want to sing. School is great, we eat lunch in a cafeteria and have recess. I was a little concerned this morning because I hadn't learned to read yet but mommy assured me that they would teach me and it would take AT LEAST until next week : )


My first day


Waiting at the bus stop


My bus stop


Here we go....congratulations Rachel!



So brave!! Can you see me?

A day in the life of Jacob....

She's in school, she's in school!! Ok, in all fairness, I miss my sister a bunch but it is nice to get the run of the house for once. Mom and I have been busy exploring our new area. We've found lots of parks and walking trails. I love seeing Rachel get on the bus in the morning (because the bus is cool, not because she's leaving....honest). We have a lot to talk about when she gets home. She even told me about the boy on the bus making "foo foo" sounds with his armpit.....man I can't wait for school.

Ok, so maybe I'm a little too big for this thing...you were right mom

Swimming with Daddy at our neighborhood pool!

What is Jacob doing? Nothing, just sitting in Andrew's Bumbo seat.....with gardening gloves on....and his bike helmet