not home yet...: January 2013

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Birthday Buddies

Carter was born on his Mimi's birthday, January 2nd. He loves to be able to celebrate together while we are still in PA for the holidays. Of course their is Japanese hibachi involved- yum!

For the day of his actual birthday, we had just gotten back home to NC from our 2 week trip.

We were so blessed that Annmarie decided to invite us over and even cooked a birthday dinner! Thank you so much AM! We are so very loved!

Happy 9th Birthday Carter!!

PA Snow Day!

The day after Carter and I returned to PA, we had a heavy snow perfect for playing, snowballs, and sledding!

The week of Christmas, our dear friend Vinny, was sent home from the hospital on hospice. His cancer had relapsed for the fourth time and the tumors were spreading down his spine. They did not expect he would live longer than a week. We sat down with Carter to explain what was happening with his dear friend. He was devastated and told us he really needed to see him again. Vinny was asking for Carter, too, and we knew we had to go. We decided Carter and I would fly home to NC for a day so they could spend time together.

We were able to attend the party held for him at The Loop. Carter loves to help out in any way he can...

It meant so much to him to be able to see Vinny and talk to him in person again. He just needed to know in his heart that he was okay.

They had some sweet moments catching up on legos and talking about their most recent playdates. The bond these two have is such a sweet and pure thing, They share all the same loves for lego, star wars, picking on their sisters, cake, games, pranks, swimming, and other boy fun. Despite unimaginable circumstances, they continue to be little boys.

Leaving NC was one of the hardest things for us. A piece of our hearts will always stay with you Vinny. You are such a powerful part of our lives and we are so much better for it.

This has been a really hard Christmas in our family- filled with goodbyes.

Goodbye Chloe

Chloe has been my sweet companion for the past 16 years. She was a gift from the family I nannied for at the time. She was the most gentle and sweet cat. She loved kids and company and spent every evening curled up on my lap or by my side. We always took her with us when we visited PA. She loved being at my parents house with us. The day after Christmas, sweet Chloe died. We knew she was old and hadn't been eating much, but were not expecting this to happen. Many tears were shed as we said our goodbyes. The kids were very sad that we had to bury her in my parents backyard and not back at home. We are still getting used to not having her around the house with us everyday. We'll miss you sweet, Chloe.

Kramlich Family Christmas

We decided to let the kids make gingerbread houses this year while all the food was being prepared.

It was definitely a hit.

Alex and Kyle, our chefs extraordinaire. They did all the cooking and the food was amazing!!

Nicole and Echo did a fabulous job with all the desserts. It was so good, you had to taste one of everything!

The great-grands (minus James, Liz, and Liam)...

It fits Grandpa, too!

Merry Christmas!

The view out the window on Christmas morning was breathtaking. It was so peaceful to the spirit to see such pure and serene beauty.

We started the morning reading the Christmas story together...

The kids decided Mammy should open her presents first. They were all so sweet to think of ways to make her happy as she mourned losing her husband.

The kids gifts all centered around one theme... legos.

We spent hours that day gathered around the table building.

I have to say I think the adults loved it just as much as the kids...

That night we gathered with our extended family for some more Christmas fun.

The id cousins had lots of fun and laughs playing Just Dance...

(okay, the big kids, too!)

We are so blessed to be able to spend the holidays with so many family members. It sounds crazy to some people, but we can't imagine it any other way. There is nothing sweeter than having four generations of parents, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, and more under one roof. We cherish the moments and the faces around the room. The chance to connect, laugh, and wrap our arms around each other may not be frequent, but we realize it is a precious and priceless blessing.