Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder?

Did you miss us?  I took some time off of updating the blog for personal reasons.  After much inner debate and some soul-searching, I’ve decided to keep updating our friends and family, near and far, that want to know about our family.  Thank you for your patience and understanding as we went through this decision-making process.

So much has happened since our last update in April!  It’s hard to even figure out where to start, so the beginning seems like as good a place as any!

Our good friend, Katie, is on the Charlotte Roller Girls derby team.  She works hard, and practices every week.  We went to watch Katie in a bout in Charlotte in early May.  Stephen did great, even though it was loud, and Abi had a blast!  She got to participate in the half-time show with some of the Roller Girls, and is now hoping to start her own training so she can one day skate!  She bought a shirt to support the Roller Girls, and it’s hard to get her to change it.  Now, we just have to get her steady on some skates…

Abi joined in on the derby half-time show!

Go, Abi, Go!

Abi and I during a break at the Derby Bout

Our friend, Katie:  AKA Mustang Stella

This year was my first official Mother’s Day celebration!  I’m so lucky; I’m blessed with an amazing son, a wonderful step-daughter, and the best husband a girl could ask for.  For Mother’s Day, Shawn signed Stephen and I up for a swim class.  Each Saturday, we met at the YMCA and took a 30-minute class.  Stephen was a fish!  He loved getting in the pool, kicking his legs, splashing with his arms, and practicing climbing out of and jumping into the pool.  He wasn’t thrilled with going under, but he got used to it.

The day after Mother’s Day, Stephen started a new daycare.  He has done an amazing job of adjusting to a new babysitter, a new schedule, and new friends.  Ms. Vanessa, his new babysitter, is great, and Stephen comes home from daycare exhausted at the end of each day.  Ms. Vanessa used to apologize when Stephen would get dirty, but we’re so happy he’s having fun and playing with the “big kids”, we don’t mind the extra laundry!

Ready for our new daycare!

Abi turned 12 years old this year.  I cannot believe how much she has grown up since I first met her and Shawn.

Abi's Seventh Birthday

Abi's Twelth Birthday

See how much she's grown?

Those of you that know me know I’m a planner, so I had Abi start thinking about her theme early this year.  During a Skype session with her cousins, Lauren and Sarah, she decided to have a yellow and green party, which then morphed into a Lemon & Limes party.  We sent out Lemon party invitations, and planned a menu of yellow and green foods, including jell-o squares, and cake pops.  We had fun with family and friends during the day, and Abi had even more fun with a group of friends that evening.  She had some girls sleep over, and we took them Midnight Bowling.  They enjoyed junk food, late-night-glow-in-the-dark-bowling, a sing-off competition, and cupcake decorating.  The rest of us…well, we survived!

Abi's Dessert Table

Abi's friends wore funky socks to midnight bowling

Decorating Cupcakes

The day after Abi’s overnight, we headed to the NC Zoo.  We spent the day looking at all of the animals.  Abi enjoyed seeing the giraffes and zebra.  Stephen loved watching the chimps.  At one point, we sat in front of the “window” at the chimp enclosure, and one of them came right up to us, puffed out his chest, and starting playing with Stephen.  It was classic!

Abi with Gigi and Herbie at the zoo

Stephen, Grampy, and Nonna at the zoo

Stephen played with the chimps

Later that week, Abi played the clarinet in her Spring Concert.  We were able to listen to four different bands, including the East Iredell Middle School Honor’s Band.  At the end of the week, Abi was excited to announce that her band teacher had chosen her for next year’s Honor’s Band.  We’re so proud of her, and excited about more concerts next school year.

Clarinet in the band

So proud of Abi's performance!

In June, we celebrated Father’s Day.  Shawn is an amazing dad, and we wanted to spoil him a little!  Our family friends have a condo in Hilton Head, SC, and we ended up spending a weekend at the beach!  This was actually our first family vacation since Stephen has been born, and our first trip to the beach together ever!  Abi and Shawn woke up early to go look for Loggerhead Turtles, as they lay their eggs during the night, and the baby turtles attempt to crawl toward the ocean in the early morning.  They didn’t see any baby turtles, but enjoyed their time on the beach.  Abi was also able to kick back and be a kid while building sand castles and writing in the sand.  Stephen was a little sand crab!  He loved crawling in the sand, wading in the ocean, and chasing the crabs. 

Abi and Stephen are so lucky to have such a great dad!

Our first walk on the beach

Playing in the sand

Our sand crab

Happy Father's Day!

While we were there, we took Shawn to a nice dinner at SkullCreek Boathouse.  Shawn had a Surf and Turf dinner, Abi ate BBQ Jumbo Shrimp, and I had a Blue Cheese Burger.  Stephen couldn’t get enough of the fried pickles and sweet potato fries.  After dinner, we walked down the dock and watched the fishermen catch giant fish.  We hoped to see sharks, since they were throwing back some of the “fish guts”, but we only saw lots of birds.

Jumbo BBQ Shrimp

Surf -n- Turf

The following week, Mom, Dad, and Uncle Paul came down for a week-long visit.  They had originally planned to come and babysit Stephen, since his daycare was going to be closed. Since we switched daycares, though, they didn’t have to babysit, but they did anyway!  Stephen was spoiled with early birthday presents, including a swing from Nonna and Grampy; Uncle Paul and Grampy built the stand, too, so we didn’t have to wait for our tree to grow. 

Stephen loves his swing!

Walking with Nonna

Playing with his buddy, Uncle Paul

Grampy's putting him to sleep!

We were able to work and play during that week, in anticipation for visits from Uncle Adam, Auntie Shane, Madeline, Brooke, and Allie.  They all traveled down from Connecticut to celebrate Stephen’s first birthday!  We had a Dr. Seuss-themed party, and everyone had fun.  We had friends and family from near and far help us celebrate.  The food was Dr. Seuss-themed, with “Green Eggs and Ham-Burgers”, “Poodles with Noodles”, “Truffula Fruit”, “Silly Sammy Slick’s Soda”, “Schlopp with a Cherry on Top”, and “Thing 1 & Thing 2 Cupcakes”.  Our house had Seussical decorations throughout, and our favors for the adults were Terrariums, inspired by The Lorax.  The kids received a fish bowl of fish crackers, inspired by One Fish, Two Fish. 

Seussical decorations on the mantle

One Fish, Two Fish favors for the kids

Lorax favors for the adults

Silly Sammy Slick's Soda

Thing 1 & Thing 2 Cupcakes

We made a small smash cake for Stephen, though he wasn’t really interested.  We did get him to finally eat some frosting, which made for great photo opportunities!

Smash Cake!!

Little bit of frosting on your face!

We had a photo booth set up in the back yard, and I just love looking through the funny pictures!

I can’t believe Stephen turned one on July 1^st.  This year has flown by, and he’s turning into such a big boy.  Stephen can now walk with assistance, climb on anything, and point to show us what he wants.  I don’t think it will be long until he’s walking on his own, and I’m not quite sure I’m ready for that!

Abi has finished school, and is looking forward to a summer of fun and relaxing.  She will head up to Connecticut later this month for another session at Camp Sloper. 

We don’t have any official vacation plans this summer, other than heading to CT for a week in August.  While we’re there, Shawn will head to NYC for a New York Yankees game with the boys, and he and I will head back later in the week to celebrate our birthdays.  We’re also going to take Stephen to the Aquarium as part of his birthday present.  He loves to watch the fish at the zoo, so I think this will be a great experience for him!

Spring has Sprung!

Lots of new and exciting things have been happening in our house.  It just seems the days are going by faster and faster.

Stephen is nine months old! 

 He has so many new tricks now, though he hates doing them in front of the camera or on Skype.  Stephen has perfected the army crawl, and can get from the play room (formally my office) to the front door in about five seconds.  He is also able to pull himself into a sitting position while he’s laying down (which has made bedtime and naptime entertaining!) and pull himself from sitting to standing if he’s leaning on something, like the stairs or his bouncy seat. 

See why we locked ALL of the cabinets?

Needless to say, Shawn and I have spent quite a bit of time baby-proofing the house this month.  Our kitchen cabinets now have locks on them, the crib mattress has been lowered, and we’ve finally found a gate safe for the stairs.  Hopefully, that will be installed soon.  We still have a few things to do to make our house even safer, but we’re on track!

And why we have a baby gate?

The weather has been so beautiful here.  Early this month, we surprised Abi and Stephen with a family picnic in the park.  We just packed up our stuff, grabbed dinner on the way, and ate and played together.  Treats like that are always fun, and the kids had fun playing after we ate.  Stephen loves the swings!  Abi is such a great big sister; she took Stephen down the slide over and over again.  She really knows how to make him laugh.

He loves to swing!

Hey, Dad!  Why did you stop pushing me?

A rare slide by herself!

Honestly, I'm not sure who was having more fun!

We’ve been very busy this month.  At the beginning of the month, we attended “Fun Day at the Farm”, which was a fundraising event for our friend’s daughter.  Aaliyah is a two-and-a-half-year-old that has been diagnosed with medulloblastoma.  Earlier this month, Lawzyday Farms in Alexander County hosted a fun day fundraiser.  We took Stephen, along with Aunt Katie, Aunt Emily, and Braxton.  We met Aaliyah, her sister Lanie, and their mother Shannon (and LOTS of other family members!) at the farm.  We had a picnic lunch, and then took a hayride to an Easter Egg Hunt and petting farm.  Stephen loved watching the big kids run through the field to collect eggs, but he really enjoyed getting up close and personal with the animals!  We were able to pet baby donkeys, cows, pigs, goats, and ducks.  Braxton and Stephen got a little too excited with the ducks, though.  I really hope that poor duckling will be okay!

The Easter Bunny made a stop at our house, too.  The Easter Bunny likes to hide the baskets in our house; Stephen’s basket was hidden in his high chair, and Abi’s was hidden upstairs in a suitcase!  Both of the kids enjoyed their full baskets; Stephen found a new puzzle and some cereal puffs.  Abi found a peony bulb and gel pens.  Abi has already planted the bulb, and we have a sprout!  Hopefully we’ll see some beautiful peonies soon.  And, of course, we followed the tradition of pictures with the bunny! 

Stephen took a few minutes to try to figure this out.

Happy Easter!

During the week of Spring Break, Abi had the opportunity to volunteer with one of her teachers at Bark For Life, a Relay for Life event for dogs and their owners.  Abi worked the event, selling dog treats and snacks, and was able to enjoy some fun and dancing while she was there.  Stephen and I went to visit, and ended up winning a gift basket from Candles for a Cause.  Abi really enjoyed volunteering, and plans to participate in more fundraising and volunteer opportunities for Relay for Life through her school.

Leading the group in the Cupid Shuffle at Bark for Life

Abi has had a pretty exciting month, filled with new things.  Her new glasses look great on her!  She was also fitted for contact lenses for volleyball, though we’re still waiting for those to come in.  For now, she’ll play in her glasses.  She also came home one day to a new bed!  Shawn and I purchased Abi’s bed when we moved into our first apartment; it wasn’t the best bed, but it was what we were able to purchase at the time to make sure she had a complete room in our new home.  That bed was on its last leg, so we bought her a new one.  After sleeping on it for the first time, she woke up and said, “I didn’t realize how much I didn’t like my old bed…until now!  Can I stay in this bed forever?” 

Doesn't she look great in her new glasses?  She's so grown up!

Abi isn’t the only one to have new things this month.  Shawn and I had a fence installed around the back and side yards.  We’ve wanted to do this for some time, and the time was right!  We now have a six foot privacy fence on our property, and I love it!  We are planning to stain it later this year, but for now we’re enjoying the perks of a private yard, including letting the dog out without a leash!  We’re still planning to work on the landscaping this year, but that will have to wait until Fall, since the weather is getting too warm to start anything.

It was exciting watching the daily progress!

I have to brag:  Shawn and I have been SO proud of Abigail lately.  A few weeks ago, she brought home this semester’s report card.  Abi had improved all of her grades (in all of her classes!) and made A’s in every subject!  Shawn celebrated with her by taking her to see The Hunger Games at the local theater.  Then, last week, we went to her school to watch her induction ceremony.  Abi has the high honor of being inducted into the National Junior Beta Club.  She was nominated into the club by her teachers for her “noteworthy academic performance and outstanding attitude”!   Her school hosted the ceremony and reception, and we proudly sat in the bleachers cheering her on.  Abi was ecstatic to be able to wear something other than her school uniform, which was a perk for the inductees on that day.  She looked absolutely beautiful, and was quite proud of herself, as she should be!

Proud Papa!

Abi accepting her award from the vice principal.

Look at that smile!  We're SO proud of her!

It’s been a busy month for all of us, but we wouldn’t change it for the world!  Next month will probably be just as busy:  Stephen and I are starting swim lessons (another item checked off my list!), Abi has a volleyball game every weekend, and we’ve got a birthday party to plan!  (I can’t believe she’ll be 12 this year!)  Thanks for checking in with us!

New Beginnings

You may have noticed that I’ve changed the name of our blog.  This blog started out as a means to update our long-distance family on our progress throughout my pregnancy.  Since Stephen has been born, it has morphed into a means of keeping friends and family, both near and far, up-to-date on things that have been happening with the entire family.  Because of this, I have changed the name from “Snips and Snails” to “Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever After”.  I hope you continue to enjoy our updates!

It is said that March comes in like a lion, and out like a lamb.  After last month’s drama, my fingers were crossed that we would NOT have a lion of a month!  Luckily, we’ve had a wonderful, and healthy, month.  Stephen turned eight-months-old on March 1^st.  I know I say it every month, but I just can’t believe how much he has grown and how fast time has gone by.  My little man just knows he’s the boss of this house….can’t you tell?

I get so excited thinking about all of the milestones he has reached and the skills he is developing.  He has just about perfected his army crawl; he doesn’t get around on his hands and needs, but, in the blink of an eye, he can get from one end of the house to the other just by dragging himself with his arms.  He has also started giving hugs and kisses.  There is no feeling in the world as magical as his arms around my neck!  Stephen loves to eat his puff treats, and has even started biting them into smaller pieces.  He has six teeth now, too.  He’s such a big boy!

Early in March, Shawn, Stephen and I took a road trip to Columbia, SC, to the Riverbanks Zoo.  It was a beautiful spring-like day, and we had a great time.  Stephen liked watching the animals move; he kept laughing at the grizzly bear.  His absolute favorite, though, was the aquarium section of the zoo.  I honestly believe he could have sat there and watched the fish, sharks, and eels for hours.  On our way out, we bought him a little fish to remember our trip to the zoo.

      

Taking a break in the shade of the bamboo

Daddy and Stephen and Lion, Oh My!

Love fishies!

Cutest Leprechaun Ever!

Being an Irish family, we had to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year!  Abi and Stephen both wore green (no pinching for them!) and Abi even had a special breakfast!  She had a bowl of Lucky Charms, but a sneaky Leprechaun changed her milk!

Irish Breakfast

Earlier this school year, Abi had to choose an elective class to participate in.  She chose “Battle of the Books”.  During her time in Battle of the Books, she read nine books.  Last week, she participated in the county-wide Battle of the Books competition.  During the competition, teams were asked questions about each of the books read, including general information, such as author’s and main character’s names, and specific information, such as small yet important details of each book.  Shawn was able to take the day off of work to watch Abi’s team compete.  While they didn’t take home the trophy, Abi had a great time.  We were so proud of her!  (It was only a few years ago that Abi considered reading a form of torture; we’re so excited that she’s reading voluntarily!  One of the most exciting things is when she asks if she can read as soon as she’s finished with her chores!)  Abi has said that, next time, she plans to focus on paying closer attention to details, instead of rushing through books just to finish.  We have faith she’ll be able to help her team bring home a prize next year!

I don't know why this picture won't rotate!!  :(

Two days after Abi’s competition, we left for Connecticut.  When I was pregnant, my mother asked me to consider baptizing Stephen in her church.  Shawn and I agreed to think about it.  In December, we met with the pastor of Plantsville Congregational Church.  We thoroughly enjoyed our meeting with Rev. Koenig, and were honored that he was willing to baptize Stephen.  He spoke to us freely about our journeys in faith, and what we wanted for Stephen.  We scheduled Stephen’s baptism for the service on Sunday, March 25^th.

While we were home, Stephen had a few play dates with his friends.  We were able to get to Tad’s house for a little bit.  My hope is that these two boys can have a friendship as meaningful and strong as the one their mothers have.  Kate and I have been friends since the first grade.  While we had our ups and downs, (mainly during the dramatic pre-teen and teenage years!) I know that she is one of the best friends I’ll ever have!   While we visited, Tad shared his toys (Stephen loved the race cars!) and his snacks (Veggie Strips are now on my grocery list!).  We even planned a play date this summer; Kate and Tad will come to my parents’ house for home-made pizza, which was a Saturday night tradition when we were younger.  We’re really hoping our friend, Jean, and her son can join us, too!

Stephen also had a play date with his friend, Gavin.  This is another relationship that I hope has strong bonds.  Gavin’s father, Chris, and I were friends growing up.  Our fathers, though, have been best friends for a very long time.  While I hope that bond is strong, I hope they don’t get in as much trouble as their grandfathers when they’re together!

Our weekend in Connecticut was complete on Sunday.  Stephen was baptized just as Nonna asked.  I am a person that believes things happen for a reason.  Sometimes, we don’t know why; other times, everything makes perfect sense.  When the church service started on Sunday, Reverend Koenig announced that, along with Stephen’s baptism, the congregation would also be able to hear a concert.  A youth group performed at the beginning of the service.  Since we were guests of honor, we were able to sit in the front row.  As I watched the children set-up for the concert, I got teary-eyed as I realized that the violin player ended up standing directly in front of Stephen and I.  The concert was wonderful, and I felt so blessed to be reminded of special people that influenced my life.

The service was beautiful.  Reverend Koenig actually held a sermon that was similar to our discussion when we met with him last winter.  His description of baptism is beautiful, and I appreciate the knowledge that this is a new beginning for Stephen.

Stephen’s sponsors for the baptism were my brother, Adam, and my friend, Katie.  When Shawn and I were talking about people that we thought we would want to sponsor our son, they were the first ones that came to mind.  Speaking personally, Katie has been there for me during some very difficult times.  Somehow, she always knew just what to say, or even more importantly, when to say nothing and just sit with me.  During those times, she never backed away or grew overbearing.  Sometimes, it is difficult to find a balance in things, but she somehow did, and I appreciate that more than words can ever say.  When I asked Shawn why he chose Adam, he told me that he respected Adam’s responsibility and his way of looking at life.  In fact, he said, “I like the fact that he is very passionate about what he wants to do.  He is wonderful with kids, and I couldn’t ask for anyone better to be with my son.” 

We felt surrounded by love on Sunday.  We packed in the first few rows of the church, and even more people came to lunch after the service.  Stephen was able to see family that he hadn’t seen in awhile.  Shawn and I were humbled as we were reminded how much Stephen is loved.

We would like to thank everyone for their love and support this weekend.  Thank you to those of you that came to church, those of you that joined us for lunch, and those of you that couldn't join us but sent us well-wishes!  We appreciate it so much.