Some Family Fun: August to Present

I have been a poor photo sharer the past several months. Please enjoy a selection photos from summer to present of Garrett and fam. Early New's Years resolution keeping in touch with loved ones better and to share more pics of my cute family :) !

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(this link works!)

Brendan's Visit!

Brendan came home for two weeks at the end of March! We did a lot of unwinding and catching up. Garrett was thrilled to have Dad back. They hit it off right away. We spent time with friends, and made it out of the city for a short hike. The break flew bye. We were sad to see Brendan go. He safely returned to Iraq to finish out his tour. Brendan sends everyone his love and best wishes.

Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas! We had a lovely Christmas, starting bright and early-- close to 6 AM.

We spent Christmas Eve with our friends Monica and Iker and some of their family, for a holiday feast. Garrett loved having the attention of two Grandma types-- Monica's mom and Iker's mom were both in town from NC and Turkey. I made sweet potatoes and we all watched a holiday movie.

My friend Casey spent the night, helping me wrap Garrett's presents. Garrett woke up early and happy. It took him a few minutes to realize the presents under the tree, but when he did, his face lit up. He exclaimed, "Presents!". He had a blast unwrapping all his gifts. Garrett would say, "Uhh" and "Wow".

Afterwards, my friend Gilana stopped by to play and chill. Later my father-in-law, Peter and his girlfriend, Dolores stopped by for dinner. Casey and I made a delicious holiday feast--if I do say so myself.

It was a great Christmas! I will post video from Christmas morning very soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Garrett and I enjoyed Thanksgiving with the Melvilles (my sister, Michelle; my bro-in-law, Aaron; Garrett's cousins, Kent and Evelyn and Oliver), at their lovely home in Saint Johnsbury, VT. Garrett had a great time playing with his cousins and all their toys.

We made a delicious meal together--even with the chaos of four kiddos running in and out of the kitchen; Aaron took them to the park for a while to give Michelle and I a little peace in the kitchen.

Aaron and Michelle's friend, China and her two sisters and two beautiful neices, Dana and Natalie, joined us. There's nothing like good food and good company.

Happy Halloween!

We had a very eventful and fun Halloween weekend. Garrett was an adorable Dragon. He was excited about his costume and made his fair share of monster noises. On Friday we did a little trick-or-treating at some local businesses. Garrett enjoyed seeing the sights; though it was a little overwhelming. Afterwards, he played with two of his best girlfriends, Jemma and CiCi. They are super cute together and like to give each other lovies.

Saturday, we attended a Halloween party at one of our neighbors and new friends patio. Garrett had a blast :). They're were big boys for Garrett to run around with and pretty little ladies to play with-- he's often surrounded by pretty ladies. We played fun games like pin the wart on the witch. I helped make spooky cupcakes and jello cups with gummy body parts-- they were a huge hit. The party was a lot fun, and thoroughly wore out both Garrett and Mommy.