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Family/Travel

Quick Family Weekend

Over the weekend before last, I traveled with my aunt down to Charlotte. My Papa was throwing a party for friends who’ve been big supports to him while he & Ma were sick then her passing away. He’s had an awesome full recovery from his illnesses & was feeling ready to celebrate.

My immediate family, along with my aunts & my cousin Preston & his wife Krissie, came down to all be there too. Krissie’s also pregnant, so it was great to be able to compare pregnancies & catch up with them. They just found out they’re having a girl & we’re all really excited! Krissie was about 20 weeks & I was 16 weeks with the trips. We meant to take a good belly photo that night at the party but sadly forgot. Here’s the best one of us from that afternoon. Can y’all believe my Papa is going to be a great-grandfather to four babies by June!?

Papa's Party Saturday

I left my DSLR at home & we also forgot to get a big family photo. But I did remember to take a few photos of the party & decorations. The event was held at his retirement community clubhouse {they have the best food!}, & my mom & aunts did the flower decorations.

The next morning before most of us headed back {Preston & Krissie left early early Sunday}, we went to church together then stuffed ourselves at the clubhouse brunch. I grubbed on an omelet, grits, Belgium waffles, fruit & banana pudding before the babies told me I was more than out of room.

We grabbed the rest of the baby things we’d left at Papa’s after Christmas, made a quick trip to Jenny’s to pick up another swing {remember I said they’re already spoiled!}, & headed back to Raleigh. Our house is really starting to look like triplet central thanks to Jenny & her triplet hand-me-downs! Yay!

Categories
Family/Travel

Christmas 2011

If you remember, Christmas 2010 was not good for my family. My Ma, my Mom’s mother, passed away about 2am last Christmas morning. Christmas is & has always been a big deal for my family. Ma loved Christmas & her Santas so in a sense, it was fitting for her to hang on with us until Christmas day. So I went into this holiday season feeling bittersweet. The trips & their 2012 arrival was a great happiness for Jason & I as well as my whole family this Christmas & also managed to shift sadness to some joy.

I rode down Friday, Christmas eve eve to Charlotte with my aunt & uncle. Friday day we enjoyed a quick lunch, opened birthday gifts {my aunt, Mom & I all have late Nov/early Dec bdays}, ran last minute shopping errands & I snuck off to enjoy Pinkberry with my buddy Sara. Friday night we gathered around my grandfather for dinner at his clubhouse then opened gifts as a family. There were a few tears but more smiles.

Charlotte Christmas dinner
Christmas gift exchange

Mom, Dad & I traveled up I85 Christmas Eve to join my Dad’s parents & Jason at my parent’s house to continue our traditional Christmas celebration. Mom, Nana & I went to a packed house Christmas Eve church service where we sang by candlelight & were able to visit a little with old family friends.

We had a chill Christmas morning then my brother & new sister-in-law arrived with my “niece” Quinn while we were eating a pumpkin pancake bunch. We opened our stockings, then went upstairs to divide out gifts. Every year we swear we’re going to cut back. Mom & I kind of did this year but Nana & Beth have fun purchasing & wrapping up fun things & we were all once again spoiled! The trips are lucky ducks! Mom & Dad gave us all the loot we’d picked up from my triplet mom friend Jenny as well as some Pandora charms for me & tools for husband. Jason gave me a scentsy warmer & a gold & silver Pandora charm while I gave him a tool box organizer thing he wanted. Nana & Pawpaw gave us money as well as some clothes for us both. Beth & Steven went a little crazy with our buy buy baby registry & tiny baby things: the trips now have newborn-sized bear slippers, owl accessories, the frog bathtub pod, the newborn-to-toddler rocker {my bday gift} & a Baby Einstein entertainer.

While Beth & I napped & the guys watching the NBA games, Mom & Nana stepped up to make a delicious Christmas dinner complete with PW’s beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes, a lima bean casserole, pineapple casserole & a pumpkin soup to start. We switched things up & enjoyed an ice cream cake for dessert!

Even being 13 weeks pregnant didn’t stop me from joining Mom & Nana on our usual day-after-Christmas shopping trip. We got a later start but still found some deals at Crate & Barrel & Loft before enjoying a Cheesecake Factory lunch. We ventured to Target on our way back to their house where I picked up some containers for the baby clothes Jenny had gave us. I also got a phone call while we were out saying that the third crib had been lost from Walmart.com but we were able to make a quick stop on our way home to a Walmart off 95 & now we have all three cribs. I can only imagine the fun times Christmas 2012 will bring!

Hope you & your family had a wonderful Christmas holiday.

Categories
Everything Else

ABBA You Can Dance

I received an email from Clever Girls & Ubisoft a while ago announcing they were looking for UbiChamps {like me!} to try out their new ABBA You Can Dance game for Wii. They recommended the reviewer having a 70s theme party to celebrate at the beginning of December. Since I knew my 30th birthday would coincide with this idea, I jumped at the chance to try the game. Of course at the time, I didn’t know I was pregnant times three & would be pretty exhausted by mid-December.

But when the disco ball & game arrived, I got excited! I planned for a low-key dinner out with friends on my birthday then invited them back here for a Wii ABBA You Can Dance party. My sweet hubby set it all up the night before & later admitted he couldn’t help but try out the game for himself {& set a few high scores}.

I was planning to just sit out & watch {& take photo evidence} of my friends jamming to ABBA’s greatest hits, but I couldn’t resist.

My friends can dance!

The 18 years of dance classes in me couldn’t miss shaking it a little to Dancing Queen {the prom version} as well as a duet with Sarah.

Cheryl & Sarah breaking it down & then the babies & I took a spin.

We took a break for water & birthday cake before playing another couple of rounds.

My house might be messy & tree half decorated, but the disco ball & game made the party!

I was pleasantly surprised how well the game picked up on our moves while just holding the controller in our right hands. And I got so excited when I saw “PERFECT” or “GOLD MOVE” show up on the TV!

After telling my mom about the game, I’m planning to carry it with me up to their house for Christmas. I really can’t wait to see my family shaking it to ABBA too {we might have to organize a four then four challenge to see who gets the highest points}.

If you have a Wii {or maybe hoping Santa brings you one for Christmas}, keep this game in mind. The 26 ABBA hits vary in speed & you can have a great time no matter what dance level or skills you may have. I haven’t tried out the Karaoke setting yet but I know that would be hilarious! I was very blessed to have Ubisoft mail me ABBA You Can Dance for Wii, but you can purchase it online or at your local ToysRUs {a store I’ll soon be very familiar with I suspect!} or on Amazon too.

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

Categories
Photography

project 365

We’ve made it to week 49!

Day 337: Saturday I had a fun movie girls get together. The only photos I took were for my week ten post.

Day 338: Blueberry banana pancakes! It was Sunday breakfast.

Yum. Yum. Yum.

Day 339: Monday we had our first MFM doctor’s appointment. Since I forgot to upload the ultrasound photos to that post, here they are. Our triplets at 10w2d.

Head shots of A&B, attempt at a group photo, & baby A.

Day 340: Not sure what we did Tuesday. I didn’t take a photo.

Day 341: My favorite part of Wednesday was lunch with my pretty friend Poe & her new baby!

So happy to get in some fresh baked baby cuddles!

Day 342: After days of planning to purchase a Christmas tree not working out, we were excited to find this buddy at Lowes. Moekitty was a tree/tree skirt fan.

Oh Christmas tree! Oh Kitty Christmas tree!

Day 343: Friday I packed for my weekend trip, set up a few decorations on tables, & Jason was putting lights on the tree. Sadly only one of our three light sets worked. Poor bare tree. No photo taken. {update, brought home lights from Papas & we just finished decorating it tonight!}

Categories
Everything Else Food

Dessert with Friends

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There’s no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.

Is there anything better than dessert? Only one thing I can think of…sharing it with friends. December is the perfect month for me to do just that thanks to my birthday on the 11th & two short weeks later, Christmas & then New Years.

Luckily for me, my friends seem to like dessert as much as I do. As has been the case for the last couple of years, between now & Christmas I have a few Christmas cookie exchanges on the calendar as well as other lunches & dinners with friends.

Starting Saturday, I’ve got a busy week ahead of me. Christmas decorating & a little birthday celebrating with my aunt & grandfather. Hello Sunday buffett dessert table! Sunday night, a group of my college friends & I are going to dinner then coming back to my house for birthday cake & ice cream. Monday night, my husband & I along with another couple are going to dinner to celebrate my big day.

Wednesday day, I’m meeting a friend for lunch. And since our lunch meeting spot just came out with a new holiday flavored milkshake, you can bet the babies & I will be enjoying that for dessert while chatting with Marie.

Wednesday night is my first cookie exchange of the year. According to the evite, about 20 of my Chi O alum sisters are gathering to share three dozen cookies. While searching my blog for cookie ideas, I discovered I’d posted about this exchange two years ago & I’m planning to make the same white chocolate cranberry cookies. Hope everyone else is too busy catching up & having fun to remember I made these already! 

Saturday night, I’m dressing to the nines in my tacky Chistmas sweater best. Oh & I’ve got a few to choose from thanks to my overabundance of holiday spirit during day-after-Christmas shopping a couple years in a row. Fingers crossed that one of these jewels fits over the babies belly! I’m planning to double or triple the cookie reciple above Tuesday night & freeze half so Saturday I can easily make two more dozen cookies to share with some of my local online favorites. Clearly we had a great time with this party in 2008 & 2009! Yay for another yearly GTG! 

2008 Tacky Sweater Party! {photo from BA}

Husband & coworkers, get ready for cookies next weekend & Monday!

What’s your favorite part of sharing dessert with friends? The getting together with friends? The dessert? The leftover dessert you come home with? Honestly, I love it all!

Remember to check out Duncan Hines’ website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.