Grinch Night

 COVID ruined a lot of our holiday traditions.... we weren't able to see the Rolesville Christmas Parade. We weren't able to see Santa in person. We weren't able to do alot of our typical fun... so instead we created a new fun traditions. We hosted a Grinch Night for Blake and his best friends. 

We had the Jarrell Brothers over for play time and the Grinch Movie - they also had a visit from the actual Grinch - ahem, Joyner. Haha. And don't forget all the sugar. The boys had a blast and Joyner and I survived the chaos. I think we will have to try it again next year! 

Christmas Lights & Doughnuts

 Even though we are in the year of COVID, we still continued the tradition that we started last year - Christmas lights and Duck Doughnuts with Blake and Lilli. Due to COVID (sigh) we had to switch out Christmas lights up a little bit, but we still saw a great light show. Most light shows this year were all drive thru - with extremely long wait times! We actually had to wait about 2-3 hours, but it was worth the wait! And at least we had doughnuts! 

Oh Christmas Tree

 Blake and I went to pick out our tree from Booger Mountain - where we always get our tree. We also invited GG to come with us to pick our tree. We love these traditions. :) 

This year we got to decorate our tree in the new house. We really loved showing Joyner all of our favorite ornaments and the stories behind them. He loved sharing his, too. We also got to relax and drink hot chocolate after decorating. I just LOVE sitting in front of the tree during December. It is just so magical. 

We also get to have two trees in our new house. The tree upstairs is a little more fun for our bonus room. :) The fun just gets better and better this year. 

Rudy is Back

 It is that time of year again.... and RUDY IS BACK! Rudy, our elf, is one of our favorite parts of December. Traditionally, Rudy comes to our house and spends the month with us - doing all kinds of tricks and giving all kinds of treats. :) Blake loves searching every morning to see what Rudy has been up to. Here are a few of our favorites this week... 

Oh yeah, we made sure to write Rudy to tell him about our new address. Thank goodness he found us  - he just got a little tangled in the lights on the way in. Haha. 

We can't wait to see him again next year! 

Extra Thankful

 Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for in 2020... and being healthy is at the top of our list! 

This year, Blake is spending Thanksgiving with his dad - they had family travel in from Utah, so Blake got to enjoy time with the Larsen family. He hardly ever gets to see them, so I am happy that they can share this holiday together. 

Joyner and I went to his parents house at the beach for the day. We were able to share in their traditional holiday meal. I sure did miss my family on this holiday, but I sure did enjoy the wonderful meal with Joyner's family. Joyner also surprised me by walking on the beach with me after our meal. It was so nice to walk (preggers problems these days) and also have a great view! 

There is just so much to be grateful for this year... we purchased a house, merged a family, got married, and also have a little one on the way. What an action packed year...right in the middle of a world wide pandemic. It has been chaotic. It has been hard. Some parts have been ugly. But it has also been a lot of good. 

18-20 Week Baby Bump Update

 We are SO excited about today because it is our special Anatomy Ultrasound for baby girl, Kinsley! This ultrasound and appointment is extra special because this is the first and probably only one that Joyner will get to attend. Thanks to COVID, they are really limiting visitors to our appointments - but thankfully he is allowed to be at this one! 

It was a chilly morning and Kinsley knew it - she was tucked in a ball sleeping during the whole ultrasound. The tech was able to check most of her organs and anatomy information while she was sleeping, but eventually they needed her to move. We tried to move her around and get her to wake up, but it seems like she is extra stubborn about her sleep, just like her daddy! 

The ultrasound tech actually made me get up and do squats and work out a little in the room to try to get her to move. I even had to do this bridge movement with my hips in order to get her to rotate just a smidge. Thankfully she was able to move a tiny bit and we were able to see everything that we needed to see. 

I was a little nervous about not feeling her move yet - especially after she didn't move much in the ultrasound. But they informed me that my placenta is on the front, which means there is like a little pillow between baby girl and my stomach. That pillow is cushioning the moves a little so that I can't feel her very much yet. The doctor reassured me that I will feel her very soon! :)

It was so comforting to see her sweet little face. Life is so busy right now, so it is sometimes hard to realize that she is there and coming soon! She is SO loved by our little family. Blake keeps asking when she will be here. When we showed him the pictures of her today, he said "She looks like a real baby now, so she will be here soon right?!". He can't wait to meet his little sister! Joyner and I are excited and naturally a little bit nervous- but we already love her so much. 

School Days

 Blake has been in 3rd grade since August, but only on the virtual level. However, today was his first day actually IN school! Wake County has decided to start rotating students back into the school buildings, while also conquering COVID cases. I think we all feel a little nervous about phasing back into reality, but it also feels somewhat nice to get back to normal. Blake is really excited to actually SEE his teacher and his classmates. He has only seen them on the computer so far, so this will be really fun for him. 

He is also excited because this is a new school for him since we have moved - Richland Creek Elementary. This will be the first time he is stepping into this school. I am so proud of him and his courage! We are also super grateful that a member of our "family best friends" - Ashleigh teaches at Blakes school. She will be keeping a good eye on him and they are already enjoying their first day together! So happy to know their are smiles under those masks!