Waiting for Santa

Our youngest was determined to see Santa this year.  She made a palate between the fireplace and the tree so that Santa would have to either step over her or go around, which would surely wake her.

I'll have to admit that it made for an interesting evening.  Mommy kept checking on her to make sure she was warm and that she was sleeping soundly.

Well, Santa came on schedule and must have put pixie dust on her head to put her in a deep sleep, because she didn't hear a thing!  Santa went about his business stuffing stockings, eating the milk & cookies (on the fire place brick entrance), and setting out toys and gifts.








On Christmas morning, she couldn't believe he came and worked right in front of her eyes!  Next year, she plans to set up a motion-detection video recorder.  Her favorite gift was a stuffed frog sticking out of her stocking.  "Froggy" had to go to Mass with us that morning, and has been by her side ever since.

Caroling in the 1800s

Our little one was in her school Christmas play, and had the role of a caroler.

Here, the music teacher is giving instructions to the carolers prior to the show.  Our little one is the last one on the right in the white shawl and white bonnet.

















A close up of our girl and one of her best friends...

The sweet girls singing their hearts out during the show.  So cute!

Birthday at Grandma's

Our little one wanted to spend her birthday at Grandma's house, and it was her best birthday yet!  She couldn't wait to play with Grandma's toys.


















Her cousins surprised her to make the party even funner!

Grandma made sure the cake met all of the little one's VERY specific guidelines.... A Christmas scene with Santa and his reindeer flying at night with grass and snow on the ground.  Kuddos to the artist!

Group picture of the birthday girl and Mommy.

Grandma lighting the candles.....






















And afterwards, pinata fun!  Grandma filled the cupcake pinata with lots of candy!  Thanks, Grandma, for her best birthday yet!  :)

Black & White Fundraiser

Eric & I attended a black/white fundraising event last weekend and enjoyed dressing up.  Our youngest took the pictures, so this was the only one that wasn't blurry, showed all of our heads, and we weren't blinking.  It was a fun night, and I especially enjoyed the company!  He's still so handsome after 18 years!

Invited to speak

Our oldest was invited to speak at the Girl Scouts of SC semi-annual meeting of the board of directors and delegate conference several weeks ago.  She had to prepare 6 mini-speeches to bridge topics throughout the meeting, and helped to pass out annual awards at the end.  So proud!  :)

Renting, not flipping

The latest investment has turned to renting instead of flipping.  The best market for renting are smaller homes, so we look for a fixer upper (mostly cosmetic), and get a good price on the purchase.  Here's our latest before/after pics....

Before:

After....pressure washing, mowing, and landscape grooming can do wonders!

















Living room before....










After....added hard wood floor, new paint, etc.




















Master bedroom before...  Notice how the carpet below bubbles up.  It also had a pet urine and smoke stench.















After....new carpet, new paint, etc.

Guest bathroom before...The bathroom had water damage in the lower bottom left corner.
















And after....mold removed, repainted, new flooring, removed cabinetry, and lots of cleaning.

And the backyard before....

And now after....

Halloween Cutie

Our youngest couldn't wait for trick-or-treating!  She wanted to be a witch, so this is what we pulled together from her gymnastics outfit, a tutu, and a few extra accessories from the store.  The weather was unusually warm, so she stayed out much longer than I expected.  It was a long day for Mommy, but I enjoyed it.

Country Paintings

Mom came to visit, and each of us had some one-on-one time with her.  Eric got to show her some houses, the oldest took her to a cooking demonstration, our son enjoyed his favorite restaurant, and the youngest spent her day sick, unfortunately.  My time with Mom was painting at an art studio!

We each started with a blank canvas and a picture of what we were to paint.  The instructor did a fabulous job walking us through step-by-step of what to paint, how to mix the colors, and which brush and stroke to use.

The finished product was as unique as each student, but all could tell is somewhat resembled the original picture.  We shared lots of laughs, and compared each others flaws, but it was a fun evening!

Last Summer Swim

Our pool closed for the summer, and the McConnell family was proud to be the last homeowners to enjoy it for the season. It was a little cool, but still worth it for one last swim.

We played on the inflatables, picked up pennies, practiced our underwater handstands, and our swim strokes.










The guys had a contest for the running ball toss as we voted on best catch, biggest splash, and best form.





















The little one wanted to be tossed up in the air, so then we did that for a while.

 Eventually, it was time to go.  But before ending this post, here's a sweet pic of our photographer!

Boating @ the Lake

Some friends invited us to go boating last weekend, the last warm weekend of summer!  It was a gorgeous day, and perfect for being outdoors.

Our friends have a beautiful lake house and a beautiful boat, so we were really spoiled for a few hours.

The kids had a great time meeting new friends.  Each had a long ride on the inner tube, and plenty of snacks afterwards.

The kids are now begging to go back there again to play some time, and are bummed they just met at the end of summer.  The moms talked about getting the families together for years, so it's nice we finally did!

Reaching New Heights

My son is reaching new heights, and has achieved that important milestone of surpassing his mom.  I now have to look up to him.  I'm not sure how that happened so quickly, as just last month I was still beating him by a quarter of an inch!  Here are some pictures taken his first few days at school.

Friday Night Football

It's our first home game of the season, and our first ever televised game!  The stands were full, and all parking lots overflowed as the stadium had a record number in attendance.  It was the first time our new high school had all 4 grades represented.

All three of our kids were begging to go to the game.  The entire town must have been there.  Once Eric & I walked through the gates paying admission for the family, the kids took off.





After grabbing our seats, my first task was to find the little one and keep an eye on her. Whew!  She was with some little friends from school playing down front.

Next I wanted to find our oldest.  After 15 min of combing through the student section very discretely, finally found here in the back row cheering on the team.  Notice how I'm not making a scene by taking this picture.  That is very important in the world of teens.




Then for the elusive boy who never shows up unless he's hungry and needs money.  Found him far off in the distance with my zoom lens on (again, so he doesn't notice I'm taking a picture).


Whew, all kids accounted for, now I can sit back and watch the game.  Well actually, Eric watches the game.  I chat with other moms as we scour the stands and concessions every 15 min taking notice of the kids, and keeping an even closer eye on the little one.  It's time for fall!

Wine & Design

Mommy had a fun night out with some friends at a local art studio.  It was "Paint your pet day", but since we don't have a pet, I borrowed the neighbors.  The painting turned out much better than I expected, and was so much fun!

School Days

Summer was over WAY too quick, and the kids are back in school.  The girls got up excited and ready for the day, but our son needed a few more days of sleeping in.  Here's to another great year of learning, projects, homework, and of course, growing!