My dad fully embraced his role as Grandpa during our Christmas visit to West Virginia. From the minute we arrived, Dad had an entire playtime schedule planned for the kids. He pulled out classic wooden toys from his childhood and was giddy with excitement as he shared them with Silas, Cooper, and Brynn. It was… Read More Playtime at Grandma and Grandpa’s
After five years since my last visit to the farm, a lot has changed. Now, all of my cousins are married with two kids each, and life with littles is busy (to put it mildly). My aunt and uncle have the most fully equipped grandparent pad. From their very own playground out back to a… Read More Eastern Shore Reunion
This is the farm on the eastern shore of Maryland where my mom grew up. In my mind, it will always be “Pop-pop’s Farm,” although my Pop-pop has been gone for over six years. I have many happy memories of this place. I remember the feel of the patches of velvety grass in the back… Read More My Happy Place
I didn’t realize it until I sat down to write this post, that we hadn’t been back to Indiana at Christmastime since we moved away to Arizona! Since my friend’s wedding was near my in-laws, it worked out beautifully that the kids could get some quality time with grandparents, aunts, and uncles while Stephen and… Read More Small Town. Big Hearts.
Any day feels like Christmas when you treat it like Christmas! We celebrated our family Christmas in Oregon on December 10th since we were planning a two week trip back east. We invited our new-found friends, Steve and Debbie over for breakfast and opening presents. I’m loving sharing Christmas with friends! Because of the early… Read More Our First Christmas in Oregon
Snow is unusual here in Portland. There’s typically about one day of snow a year here, so this week has been incredible! Monday morning, I was taking Coop to the doctor when it started snowing big, beautiful flakes. We started cheering right there in the car! Once we got back home, the roads were covered… Read More Snow for Christmas
Between two birthdays and Thanksgiving all in the same month, Novembers are busy with celebrations around here. Because we’ve settled into life here in Oregon, our family calendar was a lot fuller this past month. I volunteered in Silas’s classroom twice and hope to do it more. His teacher’s love for her students and love… Read More Around Here
At the last minute, we decided to go to meet our friends at Plumpers Pumpkin Patch last Saturday morning. The day was sunny, and perfect for a visit to the farm. Apparently, everyone else thought so too, as it was challenging to find parking. After just a little slippage in the mud, our Rendezvous was… Read More Plumpers Pumkin Patch
July 1st was Move In Day. We filled up on waffles and coffee for breakfast and then drove to the Charlais neighborhood to get the keys to our new home. Our woodland cottage is adorable! It sits on a cul-de-sac that backs up to a greenway with a bike trail, community garden, and playground within… Read More The Day We Moved to The Shire
That’s how I felt on Mother’s Day this year. And I’m thankful. The happiness of it caught me by surprise. While I always send my mom a Mother’s Day card, I especially enjoyed writing hers this year. I know she’s been a mom of little people, just like I am right now. I’m so thankful for… Read More Happy