Another Bryson moment...

So, Bryson and I are in the car this week on the way to Noah's new part time daycare/preschool when I look over and there is a Michelen tire truck at a service station. It looks like it "lives" there all the time, so when Bryson mentions it, I assume he has seen it before driving with Doug through this part of town. Bryson says, "Look Mommy it's the mummy truck" (referring to the photo on the truck of the big Michelen tire man!) Then he says.... "yeah, it takes away all the bad mummies!"

Our winter wonderland weekend

What a fun time our family had skiing last weekend. It was strange to leave Friday and the weather here was relatively mild, then drive only 2 or so hours and there was so much snow covering the ground! The boys thought it was the coolest ever!
We drove Friday morning to Gommy's house in Greensboro to leave Noah with her. We felt like Noah would have much more fun at Gommy's playing than being strapped in the Baby Bjorn all day while the older boys were skiing! (Noah told us that he did enjoy staying with Gommy!) So, although we missed him so much, we knew it was the better thing to do.
Friday afternoon we headed straight to the slopes at Appalachian Ski Mountain. The boys had so much fun last year at Massanutten Resort in Virginia and we were so looking forward to a repeat of that! And they had a blast! We could not have asked for better weather Friday in Boone. Perfect! And, once the boys got the "hang of it" again, skiing was great. Bryson fell a few times, but got right back up and continued on. Cameron wanted to snowboard again this year, but we just ran out of time. It was a long day and by dusk, we were ready to crash!





After skiing we had a short drive up the very curvy mountain roads to the Inn at Crestwood, our home away from home for the weekend. This Inn was splendid! Just what we were looking for in the mountains. The Crestwood Inn is nestled at the top of a mountian in Boone and makes you fell as if you are miles away from civilization. We were lucky to book a suite with a seperate living room area and fireplace and fantastic mountain views! The boys just thought this was the best place ever! While the boys were in the whirlpool tub (relaxing after their ski day!), Doug went out and got pizzas for dinner. What could be better than curling up in front of the fire with incredible mountain views out your window, having pizza, and playing board games with your children!



The next morning we headed to the town of Beech Mountain! Although I am a true beach girl, I could easily fall in love with Beech Mountain. It is the cutest little "ski lodge town." We found the favorite "locals spot" where you can enjoy sledding all day long! Just bring your own sled and enjoy a giant family sledding area! And right across the street was another "more intense" sledding area for kids 12 and under. Cameron enjoyed this about 807 times! Just behind these areas is the ski lodge and the actual ski resort. GREAT place for families!



Ski Beech has several ski slopes from beginner to advanced, a real outdoor ice skating rink (the boys favorite spot!), several little eating places, a great "old fashioned" ski lodge feeling, and a huge outdoor fire pit. Very cozy!



I have to say, there is a series of photos like these of the boys on the outdoor ice skating rink and they are some of my favorites! It is not often that I see the older boys like this.... holding hands and skating together!



Cameron took this photo of me and Doug as we were leaving Ski Beech. We are at the fire pit area warming up! He, again, did a great job with his camera skills!

We are already planning our next ski weekend! Probably back to the NC mountains again!

Something to share.... well actually three things!

Three teeth! That's right, Noah officially has three teeth - not an even four - just three! That fourth one up top just will not pop through. I waited a little to post a photo because I just knew that Noah's fourth upper tooth would come through and I thought I would get a photo of them all. But, it is slowly coming through. The lowers started just before Christmas, but we did not actually see them until about 2 weeks ago and it was like we went to bed and woke up the next morning and he had all three! It's just so funny to see that little "gummy" grin now be a toothy smile! Too cute! And Noah, just like the other two boys, is late getting his first teeth - 10 months. So, I'll keep you posted on when tooth #4 decides to finally show up!

A very special delivery

I think I mentioned in a post back on October 20, 2009, that my very special cousin, April, was expecting a baby girl this March. Well, this little baby girl decided that she did not want to wait until March to join her family. She decided that she was ready to come out - NOW! April's water broke last Wednesday and although the doctors tried really hard to make her wait a while longer, Baby Emery was not going to do it. So, she arrived 8 weeks early to meet her mom and dad! Everything went as well as could be expected and baby Emery Jameson Feickert made her debut Friday, January 15, 2010. Although she is a tiny little thing, weighing only 3 pounds, 3 ounces, she is a cute little thing and breathing on her own! Mom is also doing great, but is looking forward to her little bundle of joy coming home in the next few weeks.

Welcome to the world Baby Emery! Your cousins, Cameron, Bryson, and Noah cannot wait to play with you!

A little more insight into the world of Bryson...

So, we are driving to the mountains this weekend to take the boys skiing (our postponed Christmas vacation trip), when Bryson suddenly asks "Mommy, what do bears eat?" Before I had a chance to answer, Cameron spoke up and said, without expression, "humans." I quickly corrected this thought before our four year old assumed that all bears eat people! And then I explained that often bears eat fish from the river, like trout or salmon. The boys both said "ohhhhh..." Then, after a brief pause, Bryson said "oh yeah, and porridge. Bears eat porridge too, Mommy!!!"

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday to my Daddy!!! I love you!

Check out this blog!

So, as so many of you know, I am just obsessed with this whole "blogger world" out there! It amazes me how many different people and businesses have blogs and the wealth of info you can get from them! I love it! However, it interrupts my sleep sometimes!
Anyway, you really need to check out this blog I stumbled upon last night. Her style is right up my alley. And her kitchen reno is my ultimate fav kitchen in the world!! EXACTLY what I want in my dream house! Whenever that happens! Her name is Janell and she is a designer and she is insanely talented! She has an amazing eye for putting things together! You also need to check out her jewelry line. She is offering a giveaway right now where if you enter a comment on the blog you enter for a chance to win a $50 gift cert from the jewelry line! Good luck and enjoy!

Our New Year's Day trip to Charlotte

Last year right after the Christmas holidays, Doug and I took the boys skiing in Virginia. They had a blast! We decided it would be our new "family tradition" to try to go snow skiing every year a few days after Christmas as a family.
So, we planned our trip this year for about one week after Christmas. As Doug and I were looking up places to go we stumbled upon the fact that Sugar Mountain has a new 10,000 square foot outdoor ice skating rink. Bryson LOVED this idea - skiing and ice skating! So, we started making plans... and then checked the weather for Banner Elk, NC last weekend. The HIGH was 28 degrees! The HIGH! Needless, to say, all the skiing locations were about the same - freezing! So, we have postponed our ski trip until later this month with the hopes that the weather might at least get back up to around 40 degrees for a high!
But, as many of you moms know, once you have promised children something and then you have to change it, it might not always go so well. Doug and I felt like we needed to do something fun since we postponed skiing. We bought tickets to Discovery Place in Charlotte and the IMax theatre. The movie currently showing is "Under the Sea." That was right up Cameron's alley! And so, we were off to Charlotte for the day New Year's Day!
Discovery Place was great for the kids and the IMax movie was incredible. After a few hours there we headed outside for a little "sightseeing" and then walked to a restaurant/brewery for and early dinner in uptown Charlotte. I have to say this "sightseeing" and walking to dinner part was the highlight of my day! Cameron walked with me and he was so into the buildings and the "city" feeling of Charlotte. Even though I have been there before, many times, it was like I was seeing it again for the first time through HIS eyes. Amazing! He could not stop staring at the buildings and the skyline. I handed him my camera and let him "go at it" photographing the architecture in Charlotte. His photos are captivating to me considering they were taken by an 8 year old. It made me truly want to take him to New York, or DC, or even Charleston to check out all the architecture waiting to be discovered. These are his photos.





I have to also include this one little side story.... when we were leaving Discovery Place, I noticed that there was this long glass wall as you walked out. Of course, to me it was the perfect place for a few photos because you were actually street level when looking out the glass wall and you could see all the buildings in the background. The wall had this ledge you could also sit on. So, we put Noah up there to let him look out the windows. All of the sudden, I saw this homeless man walking up to the window where Cameron and Noah were at this point. He appeared worn and tattered riding his ornately decorated bicycle with what was probably all of his belongings attached to the back. He saw Noah and just headed straight for him at the window. His smile could have lit up all of uptown Charlotte and beyond. It radiated as he looked at Noah. Noah was pushing his chubby little hands at the glass, so the homeless man did the same. Then the man took off his thread barren glove so he could have his skin against the glass too and they were touching hands. I have no idea why this touched me in such a way, but I started crying (as I am now!) just watching what was happening. It was as if this man was just longing for human interaction and the touch from a chubby little baby's hand, even through a glass wall, was just enough for him. I wondered where he had spent New year's Eve and where he would be spending the rest of his New Year Eves. He just appeared so sweet and so longing for human warmth.
I just had to share that because it really touched me. Of course, Doug laughed at me and could not understand. I guess you just had to really look in his eyes to see what I was seeing.

Happy New Year!

Another year has come and gone, can you believe it???! Am I the only one that feels like the year 2000 was just yesterday? I must be getting old!
I have to say that I am guilty of making personal New Year's Resolutions that I end up not fulfilling by the end of the year. So, like many others, I am not going to set unrealistic goals this year. I think I actually only have two resolutions I would like to make AND keep for 2010. The first is that I will try to actually enjoy Christmas in 2010. Every year I say this and every year it ends up the same - stressed and busy beyond belief and then feeling like the whole thing just flies by. I am vowing to take a step back and remember my children and family next Christmas season. So, to all of my friends and family out there, this could be the year that I actually donate to your favorite charity in lieu of any gifts! Hope that ends up being ok!
So, that leads to my second resolution... to be a better mom and spend more time, QUALITY time with my children. I have not felt as if I have done that lately. I know that having three kids and working a full time job makes life very busy, but I feel some days like I am "falling behind" in my motherly duties! I'll let you know how I am feeling about both of these at then end of 2010!
So, we will say good bye to 2009 and hello to 2010 now. But, for our family, what a special year 2009 was. The addition of Baby Noah to our family made things feel so complete! 2009 had many special memories for all of us.... here's just a few








Happy New Year from our family to yours!!!!!

A special New Year's Eve visitor

So, I got a phone call from a very dear college friend, Lee Anne, the day before New Year's Eve. She said she and her family would be traveling close to Hillsborough and wanted to drop by for a visit. I was so excited because I have not see her since Noah was born! Here's a photo from our visit on New Year's Eve. Unfortunately she and her family did not stay and attend our neighborhood New Year's party. Jai, her husband, just did not want to take me up on my offer to stay the night at our house since they had not been home in a week and still had a long drive back to Columbia, South Carolina! But at least we got a visit in and got to catch up on some of life's stories! Our children have been playing together since birth and Cameron and Jenna are exactly 6 months apart and are just the best of little friends! I just love that!
Cameron and Jenna in the summer of 2006. Aren't they just the cutest!?!

We miss you Couture family! Thanks for the visit! Can't wait for our annual Beach trip this summer!!!