Wilmington, N.C.

The year started off tough with my dad's stepfather, Grandad Charles passing away. We will definitely miss him and his sense of humor. He had been pretty lonely ever since my Grandma Jeanette passed away a couple years ago, so it brings me comfort to know that they are together again. I think the best thing about funerals is that it brings everyone together. My Dad, Deana, the girls and I flew up to Wilmington N.C. to be with the family and to attend the funeral. I love seeing all of my family in N.C. I wish we all lived closer together. My Uncle Richard, who lives in Missouri, happened to already be in town when my Grandad passed away, so we got to see him as well, so that was really special. My cousin Parker was so kind and generous to let Carol and her girls and me and my girls all stay at his house.

Uncle Mike, Uncle Richard, and my Dad (the brothers)

All bundled up for the cold weather.

Despite the COLD weather the kids loved playing outside at my Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathy's house.

These three are gonna be trouble together as they get older!

One of the best parts of our visit was that we got to visit with my dad's father, Grandaddy Buck. It meant so much to me that he was finally able to meet Anya and that Isabelle was able to see him again. Even though we don't get to see him much, you can just feel his overflowing love for all of us.

The girls were such great travelers.

Isabelle pulled her own suitcase the whole time and was so proud of it.

Fun with Cousins!

Caden and Masen came down from West Virginia for a visit. Isabelle and Anya loved playing with them. We got to spend a fun day at Disney.

Anya ADORES Mickey and Minnie.

Lovin' that ice cream!

Isabelle and Masen were so cute walking around together holding hands. Masen acts like her big brother. It is so cute.

Annual New Year's Day Family Bowling

Carol and Addison came and spent a week here while Chloe and Cassie went to a week long camp with my mom. We loved having them here. Of course we had to go to Disney with them too.

The Fairies are my very favorite thing at the Magic Kingdom. There is always a long wait, but it is so worth it. The fairies take so much time with each of the kids. They really make the kids feel so special.

We love having family come and visit. I just wish we all lived closer together so that we could see everyone all the time.

Isabelle's 3rd birthday

This is a much overdue post, but one I couldn't ignore. In November Isabelle turned 3! Her birthday celebration lasted almost a week. Isabelle has become very excited about birthdays. "Birthday season" usually starts in August when I have my birthday, as well as my dad and Charles' mom, then Charles is a few days after me, and with our large family, it is one after the other. So by the time we hit Isabelle's birthday, she is VERY ready to celebrate.

We started her birthday morning off with her new present... a bike. She was so excited! She had been asking for a bike for a while. She had a hard time at first pushing the pedals and steering, but with practice she is getting better. Isabelle is also big on puzzles, so she got puzzles galore for her birthday. They keep her busy and it's a good alternative to watching tv all the time. I'm amazed at how good she is at doing puzzles. She loves to have races with people, and she usually wins.

Isabelle's birthday wouldn't be complete without going to her favorite place, Disney. After playing on her new bike for a little bit we took off for the Magic Kingdom. Isabelle had a ball dancing with Donald and Mickey at the street party.

Charles was Isabelle's hero and went and waited in line for us to see Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. Isabelle was thrilled to finally meet them.

The Teacups are always a hit.

A couple days after her birthday we had a birthday party at the park with her friends. Isabelle wanted to do a Tinkerbell birthday party again, just like the year before. Lucky for me I still had all the decorations. While last year I felt adventurous and made a Tinkerbell cake with the help of a friend, this time I decided to go the easy way out and buy a Tinkerbell cake.

Anya sure loved the cake!

Addison and Anya were little troopers during the birthday party.

Isabelle loved every bit of her birthday. She still talks about it every day and makes mention of it in all her prayers. I love seeing her get so excited about things. She is growing up so fast and is such a delight to be around. She sure knows how to bring a smile to my face.