Goodbye, Greenville!

 

Last week was momentous for us.  Mark finished his final days of work at GE and received this beautiful framed print of downtown Greenville, signed by his co-workers.  It was a wonderful way to commemorate his career here, and to remember a place that we have called home for the last six years.  We've been saying good bye to many of our friends and wrapping up loose ends in preparation to move after Christmas.   

 

We visited Main Street for the last time as a family, which tugged at my heartstrings.  Almost every landmark there holds a special memory for us, and we reminisced over the many, many occasions that we have enjoyed our beautiful downtown area:

Luke posing with one of the statues on Main Street.

 

Of course Leah brought Clayton downtown, too!

Leah's car buddies.

 

We also went to a Greenville Road Warriors Hockey game, and had a blast!  Both of our kids were enthusiastic fans, cheering loudly, "Go ROAD WORRIERS!"  It was too cute to correct...

 

 

 

It is always amazing how the Zamboni is one of the biggest draws of the game.  All of the little boys lined up at the end of each period to ooh and ahh at this machine.  What fun we've had attending all of the minor league sports and family friendly activities in Greenville!

 

Leah and I volunteered in Luke's kindergarten class two days last week, to help the children make gingerbread men and decorate gingerbread houses:

  We've enjoyed participating in all of the holiday units so far this year, and Peanut really does think that she's a part of the class, too.  She even went to lunch and recess with the big kids while Mommy photocopied and helped the teachers last week.  In between the Christmas-themed activities, the kids completed their morning classwork, and Leah cracked us all up when she grabbed a worksheet and got right to it, practicing her "handwriting":

 

We're certainly going to miss Luke's teachers and his wonderful school!

 Leah and her best friend, Colette, had a playdate at the zoo last week.  We adore the Greenville Zoo, and have spent numerous days at this attraction with family and friends.  Colette and Leah are such cute little buddies, who took Kindermusik class together and share a standing weekly Ladies' Lunch date with their mommies afterward.  It was fitting to share our last zoo trip with such special friends:

 

We've also had a fun time playing with our neighbors this past week.  Braden was Leah's age when we moved into our house, and we have had lots of adventures with his family.  We have great neighbors in Greenville who have watched our children grow and we've loved our neighborhood pool and playground during our time here:

 

We've also had some quiet time at home, reading to Clayton and creating winter-themed crafts and snacks.  As a stay-at-home mom of young children, I have spent more hours in our Greenville house over the past six years than many people spend in their homes over decades.  I know every inch of this house, and have watched it transform from what seemed like such a large, empty space for a married couple to a home that fits our family perfectly.  We've lovingly tended gardens, chosen paint colors, taken pride in completing home improvement projects, and have filled our space with toys, laughter, and love:   

 

 

Last weekend, we attended the birthday party of one of Luke's friends who is turning six.  These 4 kiddos made up our original playgroup and we have been celebrating birthdays together from their very first year.  How I treasure these mamas and the bond we formed during our first years of parenthood together in Greenville!

Too big for our laps now!

 

Halloween 2010.

 

In the beginning...

 We are blessed to have dear friends who we consider our family here in Greenville.  We've shared countless meals with them, celebrated holidays together, and have supported each other through many stages of our lives.  The Bertrands lived in Roanoke when we did, and we were lucky enough to move to SC around the same time as them.  Through their family, I joined my Book Club, selected a preschool for our children, found doctors, and built friendships that we will treasure forever.  Luke and Leah look up to William and Emma so much, and we know that we will see them again soon: 

Greenville will always hold a special place in our hearts.  It's the city where our children were born, and where they spent their early childhood years.  Luke and Leah's birth certificates will forever remind them of their beginnings in South Carolina, and Greenville is the town where Mark and I have lived longer than anywhere else besides our childhood homes.  We built a strong foundation here, and shared a full, rich season of our lives where we formed lifelong, lasting friendships.  We created our family here, and Greenville has been a wonderful place for us to live and grow.  As we say goodbye to Greenville this week, we look back with wonder at a city that exceeded our wildest expectations, and with love at a town that we are proud to have called home.       

 

Kids for Sale!

(If you buy the kids, we'll throw in the house for free!)

 

Just kidding: We are not selling Thing 1 and Thing 2, but we have exciting news:

 

We are moving!

 

Beginning in January, we will be relocating to Greensboro, NC.  This is apparently quite confusing to some people who interchange North and South Carolina, and GREEN-ville sounds similar to GREENS-boro.  If anyone has any ideas for a creative Christmas card/moving announcement that makes this clearer, let me know!  

 

The short version of a very long story is that very soon, we will be beginning a brand new adventure.  After 11+ years with GE, Mark is leaving the company and starting a new role with Gilbarco, which is based in Greensboro.  He will be the Director of Financial Planning and Analysis for the North American Division, and we are very proud of him.  Our new town is within 30 minutes of our alma mater, and we are looking forward to going to Wake Forest often for sports events and activities. We are also thrilled to be moving closer to our family! 

 

Right now, we are immersed in what seems like millions of moving logistics, and plan to be in Greensboro by the beginning of January for Luke to start school there after Christmas break.  This move is challenging my organizational skills, as there are many, many details and steps of this process.  However, we are very excited to start this new chapter of our lives, and look forward to all of the adventures to come.  More updates to follow soon!  

Christmas Time!

We got our Christmas tree last weekend, and are proud to introduce you to "Carolina".  Luke wanted a tree that was 20 feet tall, but we convinced him that a tree in the 9-10 foot section would fit in our house better.  The children were great helpers as we picked out and decorated our tree, and subscribed to the "cluster" theory of placing ornaments on it.  The more in one spot, the better!

Both kids enjoyed placing their special ornaments on the tree from each past year, and of course Luke wanted to wear his Santa hat for most of the activity:

Luke's new ornament this year is perfect for our superhero-obsessed little boy and carries over his 5th birthday theme, while Leah's captures our sweet little Peanut's nickname:

 

 

Winnie supervised the tree decorating process, and was thrilled that I hadn't yet unpacked her holiday attire to dress her up like Santa, a reindeer, or an elf:

The last, special ornament to be placed was the star on top of the tree, and both children had the opportunity to sit on Daddy's shoulders for this:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at our house! 

Williamsburg Visit

 

Our November trip to Williamsburg to visit Bean and Poppy was full of fun adventures and excursions.  We went to a new playground near their house and Leah loved swinging, climbing, and going down the big kid slides:

 

 

One neat feature at the playground was a zip line for children.  Although Luke was hesitant at first, once he tried the zip line for the first time, he was hooked!  He stood in line over and over again, and quickly became a pro:

 

When Peanut saw her big brother zip past her, she insisted on taking a turn, too!  It was quite a sight to watch our little Leah confidently master the zip line and take several rides:

 

 

One of the most special parts of our visit to Williamsburg was the passing down of Clayton Milton.  Clayton is Mark's beloved Cabbage Patch doll from childhood.  When Bean read our blog post which detailed Leah's and my daytrip to the Cabbage Patch Kids hospital in GA, she rescued Clayton from a long hibernation, and introduced him to Leah.  Leah has not let go of him since.  Clayton comes with us everywhere, and is her new best buddy.  I think it's absolutely darling to watch Leah form such a strong attachment to Clayton, who was so cherished by her Daddy: 

 

 

Mark and I went to North Carolina overnight, and Bean and Poppy planned lots of fun activities for L&L in our absence.  They visited Jamestown on a very chilly day, and toured the colonial settlement: 

Luke in a hollowed-out canoe at Jamestown.

Boarding one of the ships.

 

All boy!

On Tuesday, we visited the Bounce House, which is a great indoor area for the kids to play, jump, and run.  Both kids love Bean and Poppy's "jumping place": 

The children also made their own candles at the Yankee Candle Outlet,

had lots of fun playing with toys at their grandparents' house,

 

and even snuck in some miniature golfing, despite the cold weather:

Along with rides on the city bus, a trip to the Jelly Bean store, and a visit to see Christmas decorations at a nearby museum, these kiddos had tons of fun during our time Williamsburg, and we can't wait to return next month to celebrate the holidays with our family! 

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

We kicked off the holiday season this weekend with a visit to Roper Mountain Holiday lights, where we see Santa Claus each year.  Luke thought he spied the jolly red guy first, but it turned out to be Leah posing in disguise:

 

When we did greet Santa Claus, both kids climbed right into his lap (what a long way we've come from those "screaming with Santa" pictures!) and informed him what was on their Christmas wish lists.  Leah would like a "Big Book of Boo Boos"(part of the Doc Mc Stuffins clinic),  and Luke wants a racetrack for remote control cars.  Santa assured the kids that he'd put his elves right to work, and as we walked away, he called out to the kids, "No Fighting!".  Mommy appreciated this, and has used it to her advantage numerous times in the past few days with the gentle reminder that "Santa is watching..."

 

 

We tucked in our children that night and when I went to check on Luke a few hours later, I found this.  My heart swelled at the adorable sight and I imagined all of the sweet Christmas dreams that my five-year old was dreaming:

 

 

And here's the best part:  Luke hasn't taken off that Santa hat since.  He wore it ALL weekend, and it elicited many smiles from people who saw him.  "Santa" went to the movies:

We saw Disney's "Frozen" and it was quite cute and appropriate for our winter-themed weekend!

He completed a Kid's Clinic at Home Depot:

Who knew Santa also went shoe shopping?



 

He enjoyed some down time with his Leapster:

 

 Of course, Santa must eat dinner, too!

Santa tinkered with tools:



 

And he even hung out in his pjs, with his favorite pet:

 

We convinced Luke to take off the hat for bath time each night and to go to school yesterday, but it went right back on afterward.  It certainly is a fun, festive way to begin the Christmas season with our own adorable Santa Claus!