A baby in tights

Has to be about the cutest thing. I am loving the cold weather accessories for a baby girl. 

Crazy dress, take 2

Evan's turn. This was one of my favorite wacky outfits we've put together over the years. 

 Aaaand and photo bomb by Grant.

Crazy dress day

And Grant does it up right. He really got into his role. 

5 months

And still as sweet as can be!

Sometimes, the simplest things

Are just so hard!

First real food

It seemed to be time for Vivian to try cereal. I know I'm not ready for it, but perhaps she is.

Evan's creations

Evan is creative. He's always creating something new. And everything he creates has a purpose and a story. And usually, tape. Lots of tape. I can't remember the story behind this creation, but rest assured, there is one. 

Getting comfortable

Pip has had no problem making himself at home. 

Vivian's smile

Is ever-present... and stinkin adorable! She's about 4.5 months old now. She is perhaps the world's happiest baby. The most frequent thing people say about her, after "her eyes are beautiful!" is, "is she always this happy?"

Welcome to the family, Mr. Pip

We (I) couldn't bear the emptiness in our house and our hearts any longer. It's hard to have a dog -- a beloved member of your family -- for 9 years and then suddenly, nothing. I always knew that the next dog we would have would be a bigger dog and that we would adopt from the pound. I went to our local shelter, visited twice, and ended up coming home with our sweet boy Pip. Pip (formerly "Oscar"), was found in a parking lot with a collar, but no owner. He had been in the clink for about 6 weeks. When I visited the dogs, he was the only one who was not barking and not jumping. He had such a sweet personality. Best we can tell, he is a lab/husky mix. Since coming home, he has been amazing. He's sweet, great with the kids, fully house trained, and hardly ever barks. For those who knew Bullit, you understand how that must be strange for us. And the neatest part about Pip is how much the kids love him. They came with me to the shelter and so they feel like it's their dog. We're so happy he came into our lives. 

Nana comes to visit

And boy did we have fun! The boys loved having her here (and I LOVED having her help -- and company). The best part of her visit, according to Evan, was when she took them to pick out their own Christmas gift. Nana's visit allowed these weary parents of three kids to go out on New Year's Eve -- what a treat! And considering we came home to a wailing baby at 1 a.m., we owe her big!

Grant, full of personality

Grant is full of personality. The adjective "spritely" comes to mind. You can often find him doing funny little things around the house. Exhibits A & B, below. 

Christmas 2011

Our first Christmas as a family of five. Remote control cars, Baileys and homemade cinnamon rolls were among the hits for Christmas morning. 

Our dear friend Bullit

Earlier this week, Bullit went in for surgery to remove his left eye that no longer worked. He made it through surgery, but didn't make it through recovery. We woke up early on Wednesday morning to find out that he died during the night. We were surprised and so, so saddened. He had been our family dog since before the kids were born and before Jason & I were "The Terreris." He was going to be 10 years old in just a few months. Bullit was a regular, albeit sometimes cranky, fixture in our lives. He was comical, sweet, noisy, stinky, quirky, and grumpy. We just can't believe that he will no longer be asleep in his bed in our room at night or greeting us at the door or howling in the back yard. Bullit will be so missed.

Grandma Bonnie's girl

Vivian at almost 4 months wearing the special first outfit sent by Grandma Bonnie.

Mommy & Grant

Friends we've made

If there's one thing we've done during our stay in Peachtree City, it is create wonderful friends. There isn't a post big enough to share pictures of the many great friends we are lucky enough to know, so here are just a few.

The Christmas program

For the last two years since Evan began the preschool program, he has participated in the yearly Christmas program. But up until this year, he has only participated in the singing portion of the program. This year, however, he was in kindergarten, which meant that he got to take part in the Christmas story play. His role..... wait for it.... wait for it..... Puppeteer #3! I know, I know. We were just thrilled. He remembered all of his lines and performed like the natural born star that he is.

Grant, now that he is in 3-year-old preschool, also took part in the program as part of the choir. This is what Grant looked like:

We were so proud.

The things we do to our children

In the name of holidays... Homemade reindeer shirts, hats, candy striped leggings. You know, just another day around our house during the month of December!