Sledding Fun

Every year for the last few years Matt has built a sledding hill off the back deck.  Our deck has about four steps down off the back side, and if he piles up the snow from the deck to the height of the railing it makes a nice sled track off the back.  If the conditions are right, you can make it all the way through the back yard to the woods.  It is the perfect size for the kids and it's nice that when someone is cold/hungry/thirsty/tired/cranky you are right at the back door to whisk them inside.  Teagan has already enjoyed lots of outside time this year and Declan loves it too.  The snow attire is a little more cumbersome for him, but he seems to like being outside.  Last weekend Teagan even invited a friend over to join in on the sledding action.

Ready to go

Not many smiles from little Bubba since he was so busy taking in the surroundings

Teagan taking a spin down the hill

Declan wasn't so sure at first...

but he warmed up real quick...

Love this shot - he was a happy guy

Teagan and Gavin

Fishers Island visit

12/26/12 - Uncle Mike lives on Fishers Island, NY and we took a trip to visit Mike and Grandma and Grandpa after Christmas.  Unfortunately I came down with a nasty stomach bug the evening we arrived, so our Christmas celebration the next morning wasn't my best moment. I didn't take a single photo or even remember what the kids got for gifts.  Luckily Friday I was feeling much better.  There isn't much to do on FI in the off season, but there is a little four-lane bowling alley and pizza joint at the community center.  Friday night we took the kids bowling.  It was their first time and they both had a blast.  Declan's little size 7 (he's a 6 but it was the smallest they had) bowling shoes were adorbs and Teagan was such a big girl carrying her ball and rolling it down.  They had bumpers and ramps for the kids which made it more fun for them.  

I took Declan home for bed and Teagan stayed and bowled another game with the boys and she enjoyed staying up a little late.  After we returned we celebrated Grandpa's birthday with cake and gifts.  The next morning it was on to CT for a visit with Great Grandparents and then to an extended family Christmas party.  Between FL, MI, and CT/NY the kids have travelled over 4500 miles in the last 2 weeks and needless to say we were glad to get home to our own beds with no travel plans in the near future.

Teagan excited to bowl for the first time

Declan enjoyed billiards and foos ball in addition to bowling

Itty bitty bowling shoes

He had SO much fun

High fives all around

pizza monster

Declan was into the high fives too!

Christmas 2012

Christmas was a busy but fun day for our family.  Teagan was up around 7:15 and Declan didnt wake until almost 8:00.  Mame came over before Teagan went downstairs and we photographed the ceremonial coming down the stairs moment.  Teagan was fairly cooperative, however Declan was a little cranky from his cold so he wasn't liking the sibling shots I was trying to take.  

Christmassss!

Pre-gift opening sibling photo FAIL

We opened stockings first and then gifts from Santa.  Teagan got what she requested - the movie Brave.  Declan got the B Toys Meowsic keyboard which was a big hit with both kids.  I expected Declan would be really into ripping paper and getting gifts this year but he wasn't.  Maybe it was his cold, or he was just having an off day, but we had to pretty much force him to participate.  At times he just ran into the other room to play by himself.  Eventually he came around, and some of the toys were big hits.  Teagan liked getting to open extra gifts on behalf of her brother.

Stockings are looking quite full

She must have been a good girl this year

Testing out all of the cool features

This flashlight from Mame is pretty cool

Fighting over the meowsic - it was a big hit

Teagan loved her dress up stuff, especially her high heel dress up shoes.  She also loved her Junie B. Jones books.  She had told me many times how Mr. Mike at school (from the school-age room) read their class Junie B Jones - "Mom, they're CHAPTER books.  They don't have a lot of pictures.  Junie B Jones is six and she's in Kindergarten, but I'm only four".  Needless to say she loved them and we've already ready 1.5 of the books from the four book boxed set.

Teagan in some of her dress up garb - bee fairy costume with rapunzel accessories

Junie B Jones - they're CHAPTER books

And the shoe collection starts already....

Declan got some trucks, a car race track, a flashlight, and a tool set that he loved.  I was spoiled and received some great things, one of which was a mother's necklace with the kids names and birthstones from Matt.  Love it!  It was handmade by Rachel VanNatten from her Etsy shop.  

Pretty packaging on my necklace

And the final product inside - I've barely taken it off in the last week

Racing cars

Elfa-Mame

For Round 2, Jenna, Chris and Max came over late morning and we had another round of gift opening. The kids enjoyed some more toys and we enjoyed more company of family.  Then we made Christmas dinner (ham, cheesy potatoes, etc) and Declan took a nap.  After dinner and clean up we quickly prepared for Round 3 with Grandpa C in the evening for gifts and dessert.  It was a busy and fun-filled day and we were all ready for a long winters nap by the end.

Aunt Jeen

Christmas Eve & Gingerbreads

On Christmas Eve morning, Teagan and Mame had a date to make a gingerbread house.  They did a house last year and they both had so much fun they decided to make it an annual event.  Sunday I engineered the house structure so it was ready to go on Christmas Eve morning.  Teagan had fun deciding where all of the candy types would go, and for every two pieces added to the house she added two to her mouth.

Teagan and her house in progress

Mame and Teagan

The final masterpiece

Later on Christmas Eve, Mame came over and we made one last batch of Christmas cookies - mostly big, green trees in honor of Great Grandma, and had a family dinner.  Before bed we prepared a plate of cookies and carrots for Santa and the reindeer and the kiddos were whisked off to bed.

Frosting cookies

Cookies for Santa

Great Grandma

On 12/12/12, very late in the evening, I received the devastating call that my Grandma had passed away.  My heart instantly broke and my Grandma will forever be missed.  

Let me rewind for a minute.

Several weeks before, we had planned a trip to go visit my Grandma in the Chicago area.  It had been about a year since we had visited and I was anxious to visit again - first and foremost to see her, but also to have her see the kids and catch up with other family in the area.  Last year we drove out, it was about a 12 hour trip which is not easy with a 5 month old and a 3.5 yr old.  But we had fun and were already thinking about the logistics of our next visit.  We got a great airfare deal so we pulled the trigger and were all set for a four day visit.  On Wednesday, the day before our trip, I got a call that my Grandma was in the hospital and we may have to cancel the trip.  I was so sad - I had been looking forward to this trip and I know she had as well.  Later in the day we concluded things were too up in the air with her condition for her to have visitors.  Matt and I were so disappointed, as was Teagan.  We figured we'd just reschedule after the first of the year.  We were trying to make lemonade out of the lemons we had been handed so we rerouted our plane tickets to Orlando and booked a hotel.  We both had vacation time we would lose if we didn't use it.  We repacked our bags (see last post) and were actually excited for a little R&R to ease the disappointment of the cancelled Chicago trip.  My last to-do before bed was to jump in the shower and it was just after I got out that I got the call from my mom.  

Grandma was the most wonderful woman you'd ever meet.  I have so many fond memories from my childhood of Christmas and summer trips to visit my Grandparents.  Twenty four hours later and I would have gotten to see her one last time.  I feel grateful that both Teagan and Declan had the chance to meet her, but saddened by the fact that we weren't able to squeeze in that one final visit.  I do find solace in the fact that Grandma was looking forward to our visit and if it made her final days happy that makes me happy.  There are constant reminders of her everywhere I go, and I want her memory to forever live on with myself and my children of the good times we shared and the amazing woman she was.

After we left for Orlando we were notified of the arrangements that had been made for my Grandma, so we changed our trip to come back Sunday instead of Monday.  We got in the car at the Buffalo airport around 5:30pm and instead of driving East to come home we drove West, through Canada, to Michigan.  The visitation and funeral were Monday and the military burial was Tuesday.  It was so great to see my extended family but the circumstances really stunk.  I know Grandma would have loved that everyone was together so I tried to think of that.  A lot of tears were shed and a lot of memories were relived.  Declan of course doesn't understand or even remember her, but Teagan does and she had a lot of questions.  I tried to answer them the best I could. There were times when I was crying and she'd rub my arm and look at me, into my eyes, wanting to make sure I was OK.  We drove home Tuesday afternoon after the beautiful military burial at the cemetery.  It was a long week for both the kids and us, and particularly emotionally draining for me.

I'd like to share a few photos from over the years.  We visited Grandma in Michigan in February, 2010 when Teagan was around 8 months old.  Again in September 2010 when Teagan was 2.5 and I was about 7 weeks pregnant with Declan.  I remember having the worst morning sickness and Grandma probably thought I was crazy for all of my random snacking.  We visited again in September 2011, after Grandma had moved to Chicago, when Teagan was 3.5 and Declan was 5 months.  I need to dig out my photos from the 2010 visit - with the 24 weeks of morning sickness I endured, I never got around to editing the photos from the trip and they are tucked away on an external drive somewhere, but I'd like to preserve the memories for myself and for Teagan.

Teagan (3.5), Great Grandma, and Declan (5m)

Left - Great Grandma and Declan (5m), Right - Great Grandma and Teagan (8m)

Four generations - Erin (25), Teagan (8m), Sue, Great Grandma

Rest in peace Grandma - you will be missed.  I know you and Grandpa are together again in heaven, I hope you enjoyed reuniting for your 67th wedding anniversary

K.E.N - 4/2/25 - 12/12/12

K.W.N - 1/6/25 - 12/26/10