Little Wesly and his sister, Abby came over to play with Emma today!

                                                

Wesley's my little Buddy. When Emma and Abby are playing, he just does his own thing. He often just hangs out with me. I said, "Wesley, Are you Captain America?" He said, "Naw, I'm Wunda Woman!"

The kids had a tea party in their "dress up" clothes. It was sunny, but chilly today. When Wesley came out in the Wonder Woman costume, his dad said, "Really???". Hey, I was upstairs cleaning out Ellie's closet when they went through the dress up chest, it was all him:)

Sunday Gathering...

Our kids have been friends since they came home from China... We're just missing Alison and Annie, the Grimm's kids. What a special relationship they all share. 

House hunting Trip to Raleigh, NC

For the girls' winter break we decided to check out Raleigh and get a feel for the area where we will soon be moving. On the way there, it began to snow. The flakes were big and beautiful. The girls were thrilled! We met with our agent and she took us around to see houses all day, every day. The girls were real troopers! I was very thankful for technology on this trip... the girls played with their kindle fire, their d.s.'s, and listened to their ipods. We used my GPS to find our way around, and Keith played on his new iphone that work gave him. Actually, I say "played", but he is still trying to figure the darn thing out. I enjoyed a break from cooking and the girls, as usual, were psyched about staying in a hotel.

We got to stop by Matt and Lindsey's in Rockhill, SC on the way. I can't believe I didn't get pictures. Their house is so amazing. They bought a hundred year old historic home in the heart of town and are in the process of gutting it. Matt has already redone one room and it looks spectacular! There is a fireplace in almost every room in the house, huge columns out front, and a balcony. It looks like something out of a fairy tale. Lindsey grew up in Rockhill and used to drive by and wonder who lived in that big beautiful house. She never dreamed that she would one day own it.

When we got to Raleigh, we were in for a rude awakening. The market has taken a turn and houses are going quickly. People are already raising their prices 20 grand. I guess I need to take the advice that I give my kids... "Ya get what ya get and ya don't pitch a fit!"

The Un-sleepover

Emma and Abby aren't quiet ready for a full night sleep-over, so they asked if they could have an UN-sleepover. They said it was where you play and eat dinner at a friend's house, then you get your pajama's on and brush your teeth, but when it's time to go to sleep, you go home. They are pretty clever girls!

Can you tell which ones are the real China Dolls???

My sister, Jeannie covered her ottoman!

My sister Jeannie and I went to a tent sale a few years ago and found 2 chairs with a few broken legs. They were so cute and full of character, definitely worth saving. Those are the best finds because you can get them way down on the price and then easily repair them. Then we found an old fireplace mantle at a second hand shop. It was originally intended for her bedroom, but it worked even better in her keeping room. She used some cushions, originally intended for her deck furniture, to cushion her chairs and then found some beautiful material and made some pillows and valences and covered an old ottoman. I just love her keeping room. It's so full of charm!!!

Emma went to the Decades Dance at school tonight!

Ellie got glasses!

I took Ellie to the eye doctor the other day because she's been having trouble seeing the board. They said she definitely needs glasses. Unfortunately, we are between insurances because Keith recently switched jobs. The cheapest glasses were $150.00 at the eye doctor, so we decided to order them online. We just gave them the prescription and measurements and chose a style and color and they sent them in the mail for only $12.00. Ellie is amazed at how clear everything is. At first, she was just going to wear them to see the board, but she sees so much better with them that I think she'll be wearing them all the time. She looks pretty cute with them, don't ya think?