Another Year

This year, she's settling into life in Ohio.
 One year ago, she was digging the country life in Tennessee.
Two years ago, she was a crawling, swinging little girl.
Three years ago, she made her way into this world.

We've been on our own little roller coaster the last few years, but we're going with it. Alayna has been a trooper, quickly adapting to new places and new homes. She's a show-stealer these days, with her infectious laugh and her HAIR. Her hair actually needs its own blog post. It has a life of its own and turns heads wherever we go.
 
We celebrated her birthday a couple weeks ago in Michigan, and she was nothing but smiles.

You'll notice that all of the photos of Alayna are outside-that's because she LOVES to be outside! I can't keep her in the house!
 
 Alayna's favorite things are orange juice, playing with mommy's phone, eating other people's food and avoiding sleep AT ALL COSTS. Things she doesn't like? Being in the car, getting her face wet, and SLEEP. It's pretty hard to say no to this face, let me tell you...
It's been a crazy year, but I wouldn't trade it. This little girl makes me happy-from her giggles to her hair. She's a lover and a cuddler, and I find her irresistible.
 Happy 3rd Birthday, Alayna!

Her Sixth Year

It has been a year since I told you the story of how we welcomed our daughter, Emerson, into our family. I remember the tears I cried as I wrote that story, and I cried some fresh ones today, reading it again. You can check it out here. Emerson spent the majority of her sixth year living in Tennessee. I'd have to say this country living has agreed with her. Her very favorite place to be is downtown Nashville. She loves to hear REAL country singers in the honky-tonks and she walks the streets in hopes of catching a glimpse of her favorite singer, Taylor Swift. Of course, when we're in Nashville, we always have to grab an ice cream cone-it's the only place we can find hand-dipped Superman! Emerson makes friends wherever she goes. She might be a little shy at first, but it doesn't take her long to come out of her shell, whether it's at her brother's basketball games: Or playing outside with the neighbors: Or running around at the park: I had promised the kids that if Michigan got enough snow, we'd make a trip north to the cabin, and in early March, it happened! We drove the long drive to visit Nene and Papa and family at our cabin on Otsego Lake, and it was worth it-the kids had a blast! And then, just two weeks later, we headed south to Florida, to spend a week with Nana and Grandpa. The weather was fabulous, and again, the kids had a fabulous time! We've had a ton of visitors in the last month, and Emerson has had MULTIPLE birthday parties. I'm pretty sure she's okay with that, though. I've told you before about how smart Emerson is, but I'm going to say it again. She's SMART. Like, really smart. She's the best reader in her class and is a straight A student. In fact, even in her spare time she loves doing extra homework, and helping Owen finish HIS homework, much to his dismay. The school year is coming to a close, and soon a new chapter of our life will begin. Emerson is sad to say goodbye to her first grade friends, but is very excited about her future. I'm pretty excited for her, too. She's got BIG plans, you know. She can't quite decide if she wants to be an obstetrician or a country singer, but I'm sure whatever she chooses, she'll be the best there is. I love you, Emer-schlemer!

A Very Belated Christmas

We did Christmas a little bit differently this year. This year, WE were the out-of-towners. And in our typical style, we FILLED our days to the brim...

There were just a few things on our agenda before we left town:

We had to get our friends together here for one last hurrah before we all went our separate ways for the holidays.


Greyson had a pre-school Christmas performance, and I am SO happy to report that he sang-IN FRONT OF PEOPLE!


And of course, there was the messy but fun task of building the gingerbread house.


Then it was time to pack the bags and load all of the gifts and head north to see our family.

Day One of our visit to Michigan? A FIRST for our family:




I think it's safe to say that everyone enjoyed themselves. You can't go wrong with bowling and some of your favorite cousins in the mix.








Day Two was Christmas Eve, which we spent at The Pietras's house for some MAJOR food, gifts and family.



Day Three was Christmas Day, celebrated first with Christmas morning at Nana and Grandpa's house, then at my parents' house, followed by my Nanu's house, with even MORE food, gifts and family.













Day Four, the day after Christmas, you'd think we'd just relax, right? No way. MORE of our relatives came to town from Chicago and Dayton, and of COURSE there was MORE food, and MORE gifts and MORE family.







It was a whirlwind trip, and we were exhausted when it was over, but there's nothing like being home for the holidays.

Merry Christmas from Tennessee, y'all!