catching up

I realized I haven't posted in awhile, so here's just a brief update...I'm enjoying my new job, the girls are growing everyday, Lilly's vocabulary is taking off, and we're gearing up for the holidays.  Here are some pictures to catch up.

being silly after preschool

fried turkey leg at Thanksgiving

don't know if it's the angle of this photo or what, but I think Maggie looks like such a big girl here

the girls being silly

Lilly loves to "tackle" Maggie and roll on top of her

our Christmas tree

my lights outside

late October events

October 26th was Lilly's 2nd birthday, and we celebrated that weekend with a little lunchtime get-together.  Will made Lilly a Cookie Monster cookie cake, which was a big hit.

the cookie was also a hit with Eli and Jacob

opening presents with Grandmama

This year, Maggie wanted to be a princess for Halloween.  And because Lilly adores Maggie and wants to do everything Maggie does, she also wanted to be a princess.  They both had a great time trick-or-treating, and even though it was Lilly's first time, she acted like an old pro.  She even lasted longer than Maggie did (after about an hour, Maggie was asking to go back home...Lilly probably would have kept on going)! 

on our way out the door

going to see our neighbors, Sam and Ganey

it was pretty cold so we were all bundled up

our friends, the Joneses, (here are Susan, Ariana, & Jamie), met up with us for a little bit

the aftermath...notice the melted peanut butter cup in Lilly's left hand

fall!

Sorry about the lack of posts lately...I am still adjusting to my new life as a working mom.  Even though I'm only working 20 hours a week, it is still a big change for me.  I had gotten used to having my mornings to run errands and do chores while the girls were in preschool, but now things have to get done in the evenings or after the girls go to bed.  I don't know how full-time working moms do it!   Anyways, here are some pictures of some of our recent activities.

the girls LOVE jumping in leaves

last week we took the girls to the NC State Fair...we had to make a stop at "Hogway Speedway" for the pig races!

it wasn't just for pigs, though...pygmy goats and ducks also had a chance to race (motivated by cheese doodles)

enjoying a funnel cake

Lilly's favorite thing, the bunny barn

giant pumpkins!

giant watermelons (yes, that watermelon is 180 lbs!)

there is a guy here in Raleigh that makes "monsters" out of construction barrels...this one is Mrs. Barrel Monster (this guy actually got arrested after he made his first Barrel Monster a few years ago, but he has since gained so much attention that folks are now commissioning him to build Monsters...you can Google "Raleigh Barrel Monster" to see more)

we also made a stop to see Big Smokey

Maggie's first haircut

Believe it or not, Maggie has never had a haircut!  But the ends of her hair were starting to get a little ratty-looking, so we decided it was time for a trim.  Maggie was resistant at first ("I want long hair like Rapunzel!"), but after a little bribe with ice cream (and the promise that we would only trim the ends), she happily let Daddy cut it.  I don't have any "before / after" shots, but it really doesn't look that much different...just a bit neater and only about an inch or two shorter.

Daddy, the hairstylist...is there anything this man can't do??

 

kitchen remodel

We are finally done with our kitchen remodel!  We began this project nearly 4 months ago, but since the work was primarily done in the evenings and on the weekends, it has taken awhile to complete.  Will has done ALL of the work himself = design, demo, drywall, flooring, cabinetry (he built the cabinets from scratch), installation of the butcher block countertops & glass tile backsplash, and everything else (with a little help from me here and there).  Here are some before and after photos, including some photos of the way the kitchen looked when we moved into the house in 2006.

kitchen in 2006 (looking into dining room) right after we bought the house...dark and dreary!

shortly after moving in, we painted the cabinets and cut an opening in the wall between the kitchen and living room

our new kitchen...opened up completely to the living room & old dining room

original kitchen in 2006

the way the kitchen looked (looking into living room) right before starting this remodel in May

new kitchen (& fancy new gas stove!) looking into living room

new kitchen, looking into what used to be the dining room

original wall between living room and kitchen

hole we cut in the wall when we moved in

new kitchen, looking from living room

original breakfast nook in 2006

we really only used the nook for storage over the years

Will extended the wall in the nook, so now it actually fits a table

old dining room, right when we started demo

"dining room" now...tons of storage instead

many of the cabinets have slide-out drawers

floor to ceiling pantry

more slide-out storage

original sink in 2006

sink area right before starting demo

new sink cabinet

another view of new kitchen

another view...looking towards breakfast nook

so much counter space!!

glass mosaic tile backsplash