Christmas and New Years

We spent Christmas in Macon and G-Mama came down a few days early to hang out with us. The plan was for G-Mama, the kids, and me to head to Charlotte on the morning of the 26th; but, that awful stomach bug came through the house and each of us got sick! Even Mister, G-Mama's dog, and Sammy, our new dog, got sick! G-Mama and Savannah were able to travel on the 26th, but Vince and I stayed around until the 27th and drove to Charlotte then.
Back to Christmas in Macon...
Santa was very good to us all! Savannah was glad to see a flip camcorder from Santa and Vince loved his drum set that Santa left. He also brought a few Tervis tumblers for us all, lots of candy, and some Apple accessories for the ipads.

 Vince before church earlier in the month

 Our new Christmas tree in the new house

 The kids at the Bolingbroke parade

 Look at what Santa left!

 Vince and Savannah enjoying their new gifts

 He really was happy...

Savannah surrounded by LOTS of clothing boxes. As you can see from the clock,

it wasn't even 7am yet!

 The kids enjoying the afternoon at Boyce Road park in Charlotte

 G-Mama and Wilson reading a new book

 The kids and me at the North Carolina Zoo in Ashboro

 Savannah's fancy balloon hat she had made at First Night Charlotte

 Vince as a commentator at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on First Night Charlotte

 NASCAR's youngest jack-man

Yes, It's been awhile...

Since my last post...Jeff has just about completed his physical therapy! Yippee! At the beginning of November I fell off a horse and cracked two ribs and punctured a lung. Lucky for me I didn't have to spend the night in the hospital, but my Theta sisters took good care of me until I could get back to Macon.

 The paramedics and hospital folks in Destin, Florida are super nice. Pictured are two Theta sisters.

Then, there was Thanksgiving. We hosted Thanksgiving in Macon and our Florida cousins and North Carolina Leslies came to visit. Jeff and I weren't much help in the kitchen but everyone seemed to have a good time.

 Aunt Lin and Robert enjoying the nice weather in our backyard.

 Hal and Savannah with the umbrella. I mean parasol.

 G-Mama's grandkids

We took the kids on a short trip to Cherokee, North Carolina in December to ride the Polar Express. They had a great time on the train and especially enjoyed staying in the hotel and jumping from bed to bed.

 Jeff with the kids at Western Carolina, his alma mater.

 Santa visiting with the kids on the train

Halloween and Stuff

Since Jeff's recent knee surgery and re-hab, we have been a little frazzled! The kids enjoyed Trunk or Treating at some local churches and they got lots of good candy. Vince was originally going to be Batman and Savannah was going to be Batgirl, but he decided he didn't want to do it. He wanted to be a fire fighter...three year olds and their tantrums...

Jeff's knee with 34 staples

Jeff's knee after staple removal

Autumn is Here!

Well, we think autumn is here. We are having beautiful weather today with the highs in the low 70s and Jeff is excited that it will be in the 40s a few nights this upcoming week. Our new house has screens on all of the windows so he will be glad to sleep with the windows up!

The kids and I set off to Elliott Farms this morning to pick out a pumpkin for each of them. Vince only wanted a small one, but Savannah wanted a large one. Vince quickly picked his pumpkin out and went over to sit on all of the "Johnny Poppers", aka John Deere tractors, while Savannah tromped through the farm looking for the perfect big pumpkin.

Renovation Pictures

Here are some pictures that we have taken of the kitchen and bathroom. And a few of the kids, and the new puppy, Sammy.

Getting Settled In!

Our last post was about being "under contract", but we did close on September 1st and started a major renovation on September 3rd. Jeff and Andy, our Realtor friend, demolished the master bathroom while Jewell and I tried to get boxes unpacked in the upstairs. Sandra and Jeff (Nana and Grandaddy) were also here and Grandaddy changed out several light fixtures and accompanied Jeff on several trips to Lowe's. Nana kept the kids at the hotel which was a huge help while we were in the throws up painting the rooms.
As the renovation went on, we decided to do a few more things "while we were at it", which included tearing out the flooring, cabinet, wallpaper, etc in the half bath and re-doing it. In addition, we decided to go-ahead with the kitchen renovation, which included ripping out Formica countertops and replacing it with granite....but the cabinets would look dingy...so we repainted the cabinets and had interior hinges put on the doors and changed out the knobs. And the light fixtures, and the sink, and the faucet. And a new microwave that is built-in over the range, rather than taking up valuable counter space...
I have taken some pictures and will upload those soon.

Moving...

After 16 months of our house being on the market, we are "under contract!" It's been 16 months of having to keep the house within "one hour" of being clean (since Realtors were supposed to give 1 hour's notice before showing the house), lots of stress, and worry. We originally planned to rent a house for about a year and start building on the land we bought last year. BUT, after looking at some rental properties, we realized that rent was as much as a mortgage payment and we wouldn't have any tax benefits. Andy, our Realtor, told us about a house in Bolingbroke (just inside the Monroe County line and only 10 miles from where we live now) so we went to look at it. Jeff and I both saw lots of potential in the house, so we put an offer on it. Our closings are set for September 1st-so needless to say, we have been packing for the past few weeks. Jeff is "over" the clutter and chaos that the boxes bring; to top things off, we sold the sofa in his office so he has no place to retreat from it all!
The kids are adjusting pretty well and are looking forward to the new place. Savannah is excited that she was able to choose her new bedding and wall color.

Happy Birthday Great Granddaddy!

We were in North Carolina last weekend and were able to visit Great Granddaddy in Newton on his 88th birthday. Aunt Libby and Uncle Robert were also in town visiting him and the kids loved spending time with them.