Home Sweet Home

We came back from Chicago on Friday and managed to sneak out before the snow was really a threat to our travel plans. Woohoo! We had a great trip. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we got to spend a good amount of time with our various family members (and even got the chance to see a couple friends too!). And I don't think we angered or offended anyone, which is always a challenge when we have so many schedules to try to manage, and so many demands on our time. Overall one of our better trips. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to see my cousins Donna and Barb. I had really hoped for some time with them, but between being busy with the family and my being extremely tired (not only because of my pregnancy, but Alex's fun sleep schedule had its impact), I never had the chance.
We were glad to have the weekend at home before Andy started his work week. In the past we always came back from trips on Saturday or Sunday and jumped right back into the routine on Monday, and I can now see the real benefit to having some time before getting back to reality. It was far more relaxing... the boys were happy to play with their Christmas presents that we had left behind for our trip, Andy and I had some time to unwind and get things done (like the eight loads of laundry I tackled) and we are more prepared heading into the week. Plus returning to the warm weather feels like a vacation even though this is home now. I'm sure that the novelty of the weather will wear off, but not yet. =) We were also quite excited to return home to a giant stack of Christmas cards from our friends and loved ones; they were wonderful! Its always nice to get the quick update from our far away friends, and now more and more of our friends fit into that category. We miss you!
We have our usual plans for New Years Eve... watch a movie and hope that I can stay awake until midnight. These plans started when I was pregnant with Devin, and have become our status quo since. Not terribly exciting, but I am sure that we will enjoy ourselves. I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!!

Chicago

We're in Chicago now visiting the families and the boys have been loving the snow. I think we've spent at least an hour or more each of the last few days throwing snow balls and making snow men. They love it! The have even managed to get grandma (my mom) and Deda (Andy's dad) out playing with them (and my mom hates the snow!). We began our trip staying with Andy's parents. We typically stay with them towards the end of a trip, since their house is like a quiet respite after the mayhem and craziness of my large family, but we decided to switch things up this time. The boys have enjoyed themselves, but after a couple days they were really ready to see their cousins. Luckily that came today with a gathering at my sister's house. We had a great time catching up with everyone and the kids had a blast (meaning that I rarely saw them during the four+ hours that we were there, since they were too busy running around). I love seeing them interact with their big cousins, and its really fun to see how grown-up my nieces and nephews are getting.

Unfortunately Alex is not sleeping well on the road yet. This morning he slept until five am, which has been his latest morning yet. I love Alex, but at 4:30am I really don't feel the need to share my love with him. I am hopeful that tomorrow morning will be better (especially after playing with the cousins), but in case not I had better sign off.
Sweet dreams!

santa claus arrives!

Since we travel for Christmas each year, Santa comes to our house early so that we can have Christmas at home before we leave (isn't it nice how accommodating Santa is? I was no small feat pulling that off merely a couple weeks after we moved, but Andy and I did it!). We woke yesterday morning to a house full of presents and the boys had a blast. I think Santa went overboard a bit this year. I'm not sure if that is because of the move (wanting to spoil the boys a bit after uprooting their worlds) or if its because we forgot about some of the gifts that were purchased before the move, but they definitely made out. We had a lazy day in our pajamas and a wonderful Christmas dinner. The only thing missing was the snow, but hopefully we will see plenty of that when we go to Chicago later this week.

Our friends in MA and our families in Chicago have been keeping us posted on the cold weather. I think that I can certainly settle into the Charlotte weather, as we haven't worn our winter coats yet since we arrived. In fact, the weather has been unseasonably warm, and I had to find the boys shorts so they could play outside last week in the eighty degree weather. The only downside that I have found to the weather is that I had to do some shopping, since most of the clothes that fit me at this stage of my pregnancy are wool, but its a cross that I willingly bear.

We have met a number of our neighbors and are starting to get friendly with the locals. The good weather has helped since everyone is out. I am a little surprised at how many people we've met with ties to Chicago. In fact, a woman that I used to lifeguard with at the University of Illinois lives a few streets over. We were at the neighborhood children's Christmas party and she was talking to my neighbor (both women are pregnant - I've never seen so many round bellies!!) and I was wracking my brain trying to think of why I knew her. I haven't seen her in at least fourteen years, so it was a surprise to both of us to meet again. Small world. I have met a lot of friendly people and am starting to develop some friendships that I think will be good ones. Our neighborhood has a gazillion kids, so the boys are in heaven. We have been riding bikes to the park or with the neighbor kids most afternoons, so we are starting to branch out some. We all miss our friends though. Every time we go for a bike ride Alex asks if we are going to ride to Loretta's house. That would be one long ride little man!!

southern living

Our friends in Massachusetts had a wonderful send-off for us (and our kids) before we left. At that time, my friend Sue suggested that I start a blog to keep our many far-away friends up to speed on our changing lives. While I laughed it off at the time (something about moving 850 miles away the week after Thanksgiving with two little kids while pregnant... a blog seemed tough to maintain), I found myself often thinking of what I would write in my blog (while unpacking boxes or playing with the boys). Clearly there is a huge difference between contemplation of blog-worthy items and the execution of creating the blog, but I have decided to give it my best shot.

So since we last saw you all:
I was sadder than I thought I'd be when we left our lovely home in MA the day before Thanksgiving and went to our vacation house in NH to spend the holiday with some friends. I guess it really hit me that we were leaving our lives and starting anew (something I didn't give thought to when dealing with movers and cleaning the house and taking care of the kids). We had a great Thanksgiving holiday with old and dear friends before we set off for the warmer climate of our new home. In just a few days we travelled across ten states, stayed at 4 different places, moved 18,000 pounds of belongings, and ate more take out than I ever imagined. The boys did great. Seriously. Andy and I were pretty surprised at how good they were through the trip. I think our plan of doing fun things in the morning and driving in the afternoon saved us. After all, they got to go to the aquarium in Baltimore with their Tetka (Aunt Nena), play with their friends Jack and Abbey in Raleigh, and swim at least once per day at the various hotel pools. Does it get any better than that?

Our move was as uneventful as we had hoped; the close went seamlessly, the movers were great, our belongings are all present and in good condition. In the almost three weeks (already!) that we have been in the house we have primed and painted Devin's room (before the move he insisted that the hot-pink room was not his, so we knew that was a change that needed to happen quickly), unpacked and settled all the common areas of the house, met our pediatrician (twice), joined the gym, met my obstetrician, spent hundreds at Target and Lowes and have started meeting new friends. The boys are settling into preschool and are really enjoying themselves. Devin's teachers say that he seems so comfortable there that he is no different than the kids that they have had since September. Alex loves everything about school; his teacher, the activities that they do, his friends (although my fears about him being a preschool bruiser weren't unfounded), and especially eating lunch at school. =) I am enjoying my two kid-free mornings each week, but have been extremely busy acting as Santa's helper and tackling house projects that are best completed without the help of little hands. Andy has been at his new job for two weeks now and is enjoying the new role (although he is still figuring out what that role is). Overall I would say that we are pretty happy here. I am sometimes overwhelmed at the amount of work that we have ahead of us in the house and I don't think I will move at Christmas time again if I can avoid it, but things are going well.
Love to all!