The Pieces of our Christmas

As always there are pieces missing because I am not always great about remembering the camera. So not pictured are our wonderful Christmas celebration with Nana and Grandpa (hoping Grandpa will share his photos!!), a full family picture all dressed up for Christmas Eve, pictures of our great night out looking at Christmas lights in St. Louis and pictures of the girls delivering cookies to our new neighbors.  But here are the pieces of our Christmas that I did capture.

Our Tree

 Christmas cookie making. Sam was actually a big help this year!

Hanging with the cousins.

 A snowflake project that became great decorations for Grandma's door.

 Eve eve with LOTS of extended family!

 Christmas morning. Santa did not disappoint! Doll wardrobe for Sam and a shopping cart for Avery.

 Then Christmas morning with the cousins, Pawpaw and Grandma.

 Pawpaw got a guitar!

We are settling back at home with all the new toys. We had a busy and fun holiday season! Hope you all did too. And be on the look out for our "Christmas Card" coming to your house sometime in January!!

some fun recent photos

settled?

People keep asking if we are settled yet or settled into the new house yet. But honestly...I am not sure how to answer that. I love our new house. Our stuff is mostly unpacked. A few of my things are hung on walls and the girls are having a great time rediscovering their toys. The neighborhood seems filled with young kids and young families. But is all that what it takes to feel settled? When all of your things are in order and unpacked have you created a home?

I just don't think so. I think I need friends. A church. Friends for my kids. And a community that I know my way around. It's all that stuff that fills my heart with love and makes a new place feel like home. We had that in Stevens Point and more quickly than I ever expected we had all of that in Waunakee. I know I will find it again in Peoria but it takes time.

So, I guess to answer the question "are we settled in yet?" I would say "I am working on it and probably will be for quite some time".


If you are totally lost with what I am talking about (since I have not been on here since September!) let me fill you in a bit!

July - Chris took a new job in Peoria, IL
August - Chris left WI and during the week lived out of his parents house commuting to work an hour each way to Peoria, IL. The girls and I stayed in WI to sell our home.
September - Girls went to school, Chris worked and our house didn't sell.
October - Girls went to school, Chris worked and our house didn't sell.
November - Girls went to school, Chris worked, OUR HOUSE SOLD, we became homeless, found a new home and took a vacation to Cabo.
December - We moved into our new home in Dunlap, IL.

Now you are all caught up! Enough for today but I have decided to be back at this space a bit more regularly. So hopefully I will have recent photos and updates coming soon.

first day of school

Sam started 4K (which is four year old kindergarten) today and Avery started preschool today! Both girls are in school!!! Woohoo!

Sam will be in school everyday in the mornings and Avery will go two mornings a week. I will have six hours a week with no kids! That is amazing.

Anyway, wanted to show off the girls this morning.

First day of school breakfast. 

 Avery did not want to open her eyes.

 And my choice in spot to take the photo was not so great because of the shadows, bummer. 

 Outside their school, ready to go!

My girls are at school right now and hopefully doing great! Can't wait to hear all the stories about their first day.

her new hair

Both girls were suppose to get haircuts today but Avery squirmed a bit too much and was not so happy. So I gave up on cutting that much of her hair. But she doesn't really have that much hair, so oh well.

Sam on the other hand has A LOT of hair and has wanted it cut short for a long time. Today she got her wish! And was super excited to show it off for the camera.

And now she can't wait for school to start and show off her new look to all her friends! 

we miss you daddy

Just a few photos from our day to show Chris what the girls are up to! 

Happy Tuesday! 

some old pics and updates about me

Catching up on posting some photos here...yay its been quite a few months since I stopped by. But lots of changes are happening in our life and I want to start blogging personal stuff again and not so much the environmental education stuff that I have been blogging over at Greening Sam and Avery. 

Sam getting her cast off  at the beginning of August! 

Tonight is my first night with no Chris. He took a job in IL and has moved down there already. The girls and I are staying up in WI to take care of the house and keep their lives as stable as we can for now. Not sure how long we are going to do the long distance thing with Chris. He is living during the week with his parents and driving each day about an hour (each way) to get to work. Then on the weekend either he will come up here or we will go down there. 

 I am NOT excited about being apart. And neither are the girls. It took quite a while to calm them both down today when he left and they have asked lots of questions tonight about where he is, why he is gone and when he is coming home. They are just so little and are not understanding the big changes that are going to be happening soon.

(Super dark cause I had to hold Sam's hand and keep her calm, so I must have messed something up in the settings. But this is the only shot I have of her getting the cast cut off. Tilt your screen around to see the image!)

 Of course I will miss Chris while he is gone during the week and not having help in the evenings will suck for sure, but I think the hardest part is going to be trying to explain all of this to the girls. Even though we have completely explained the whole situation to Sam she still asks everyday some random question about the move, the new house, the new town, etc. And she makes statements about her future at her school and with friends here that make me think she still doesn't really get that we are leaving. I feel like they forget that we are leaving and then when I have to remind them, we relive the pain and sadness they feel all over again each time. And now they are missing their dad on top of that.

Avery was shocked and speechless when she watched the saw take the cast off of Sam's arm!

 Poor Sam was left with a horrible rash and a few larger open sores caused by her waterproof cast. 

 A happy Sam was very ready to throw that cast away! I even tried to convince her to keep it but she refused. 

It is only the first night of no Chris but I am already feeling the frustration. It is what we have to do right now and I know we will survive and get past it soon enough...but it doesn't mean I have to like it!