Remembering...

I am spending today remembering the long and beautiful life of my grandfather. I received a call yesterday morning letting me know he had passed over night.

I miss and love him.

Here are a few photos of him with my kids; he got to meet all but Everleigh.

She and I are leaving for his funeral tomorrow.

Thinking of ...

My Granny Eva and Grandpa Lovett today. I am going to mail this photo to both of them.

Melt my heart...

It isn't often that I think another baby is as cute as my own kids... (I think we moms can all honestly say we think our children are the cutest...) But this baby, oh my goodness! She is just the definition of beautiful! With those pouty lips and big eyes, she is going to be something else as she gets older!!

10 Months...

How can this be? My little baby is already 10 months old!!!

She has started standing on her own unassisted (but of course only when there is not a camera on hand), crawling out of her walker and is just chatting up a storm! The child is still a camera ham, and love as much attention as she can get... I have no idea where she gets it... ;o)

Happy New Year!

With the new year comes new promise, new life, and new ... well, everything!

2011 was a good year for our family. All of our children are healthy; Our marriage is stronger than ever; Carl's company is doing really well; My photography skills are slowly growing... but more than anything, our family is happy. I really couldn't ask for more!

Happy New Year to all of you, and I hope that 2012 brings you as much happiness as 2011 has brought us!

May your year be blessed.

Happy Brithday Rory!

How is possible that my little baby is 8 years old already?!?! Happy Birthday to my very big boy!!!

Santa

We saw Santa today... TWICE! Here we are at the Mall where we saw him first... I think we might have to take out a second mortgage just to cover photos if the prices for these goes up any more!

Our Christmas Decoration for 2011

Years ago, when we first started having a tree together, I was particular about what went on it. All silver decorations, white lights, a dark red ribbon, and my angel (who is simple with a touch of dark red)... but each year we started being given decorations, more and more until I no longer have room for my silver balls, or any of those first decorations... But giving way to these ornaments has made our tree special, and unique... there really is something for everyone on it. There are 'First Christmas' ornaments, a family ornament for each year, and all kinds of milestone and special decorations. 

Here is the decoration that we have for this year.

Happy 9 months Baby...

Evie is already 9 months old and her first Christmas is approaching...

She melts my heart, and makes me realize every day how complete she has made our family, or rather how we weren't complete without her.

Christmas is approaching...

Our gifts are bought, most are wrapped, and the parade season is here!

We were in Weaverville over the weekend and the shops and streets are decorated for the Holiday.

Check out this cute little dog that was hanging out on the street this weekend:

Holiday Parade, part two!

Rory and Arden (and Cute Husband) were all in the holiday parade in Weaverville today. My handsome men were the hit of the parade! (Well, one of them anyhow!)

Thinking of My GrandPa...

Growing up, my grandpa was one of the coolest people I knew. He could make anything, out of anything, and whatever he made was filled with love. He was a coal miner in his younger days, even broke his back in the mines at one point... even so, he was strong as an ox.

I loved listening to his stories, and looking back, he may well have been one of the best story tellers I ever knew, and one of the funniest old men. He was always in good humor with us kids, even if we weren't the best fishing companions.

In the past years his body has started to fail him and recently he has been admitted to a nursing home, which I assume is for good this time... I really miss him and wish we lived closer. I wish that my children had gotten to know the man I knew.

The only "lawn decoration" we have is something that GrandPa made for me...

Twin love...

Just a few shots of the twins from my good friend R. Such sweet little loves!

Here are a couple of Evie today while I am at it...

Because he was left out yesterday...

Here is Arden... the goof ball.

Holiday Parade!

We went to the Asheville Holiday Parade for the first time this year, both Rory and Arden were invited to be in it!!!

I wasn't able to get a photo of Arden for the blog because he was on the wrong side of the street, but here are the other kids!

Have you ever...

Have you ever seen a baby this happy to be set down where she can eat all the sticks and dirt she wants??!! I swear she is would love to live on a diet of dried leaves and whatever else she finds on the floor if we would let her.

Duinkerken Homes...

One of my good friends and her husband own Duinkerken Homes here in the Asheville Area, and recently, they re-did an 100+ year old home in Montreat.

 From the way my friend told it, I was expecting a normal little house, nothing particularly special, and no real history behind the home... Brandon Duinkerken took me out to see this little house this week, and I was speechless! The amazing work, and restoration that was done, is just heart fluttering!

Brandon walked into this project after a less reputable remodler had come in and left the family without a finished project, and without the beauty that the home once held. The wood had been removed, things had been gutted and destroyed, and there was an amazing amount of work that needed to be done.

What Brandon was able to do was amazing! He dumpster dove through the thrown-out items, and was able to bring back some of these amazing parts into the home, and what he ended with was a beautiful home with a ton of love and history inside...

Brandon's little touches, things like making walls from old rescued wood from the home, using the 100 year old tub, leaving the beautiful floors intact and fixing them, and completely refinishing the outside of them home make this little house into something that is spectacular and beautiful. His ability to recognize and take parts of history and build them into the home is what makes him one of the best at what he does!