Easter 2014

I'm determined to catch up with my blog posts one of these days! We had such a busy April, but I wanted to make sure to post some pictures of our Easter celebrations. I think Camille set a new record of Easter Egg Hunts this year with 4! She had a school egg hunt on the grounds of the Capital building and an indoor hunt at Mimi's house. Meredith College brought back its popular egg hunt too. While she loved going, she did not appreciate my friend dressing up as the Easter Bunny. Can you tell she is not amused?

We also had our annual egg hunt with church. This year was extra special since we got to bring Jack and Luke along! 

We can't forget Easter Sunday! Though it was a bit chilly again, we had a great celebration in Sanford! Notice anything different from the egg hunt to Easter Sunday? Our little Millie got glasses! She is such a great sport about wearing them and if you look closely..... they are purple and pink which matches most of her outfits quite well ;)

March Celebrations

I wish I could have thought of a cooler title for this post.... but I came across some random pictures from the month of March that were worth sharing, though they don't really relate to each other.

First, we got to make our last visit to Norfolk in March :) We are excited that it was our last visit, because that means we are getting closer to when The Kohlers move down to Raleigh this summer! We made the trip to celebrate Jack's 3rd birthday. He had a Fireman Sam birthday and the weather couldn't have been better. We had such a great time celebrating with his family and friends.

Also in March was St Patrick's Day..... This year was the first year we've been able to make it to the parade in downtown Raleigh. It was a bit chilly, but Camille had a great time with Mary and Victoria. They collected a few necklaces during the celebration which made for some extra happy girls.

Built to Amaze: Circus 2014

The circus came to town in February and we didn't want to miss the Built to Amaze tour. This was Camille's 3rd visit to the circus and I think this year was her most favorite. Perhaps it was because two of her best girlfriends went with her.

Since we had so much fun last year, we definitely made time to do the pre-show so that we could be up close with all the clowns and entertainment. Camille and Mary were more interested in the tattoos than the clowns, but we got a few posed pictures out of them. Megan and I enjoyed playing dress up since the girls didn't think the clown style was very becoming.

During the show the kids were very attentive. Their favorite part seemed to be the poodles. Camille is still talking about the little doggy that danced around to "Go Shorty, It's Your Birthday." She found that to be quite hilarious! Maybe next year we can get away with just taking her to a dog show?!

Snowpocalypse 2014

Ok, ok... so we didn't experience the Snowpocalypse of 2014 as hard as our friends up north.... but us southerners had some testing times too! We got several snow falls and LOTS of bitter cold days. It's not fun waking up in NC to a high of 19! We loved the first big snow fall that was about 5 inches- that is a big deal for down south!! After the first big snow, we were quickly over the snow and over winter. Too bad the groundhog said otherwise.

Raleigh did experience what replaced "Gridlock" several years ago.... and was named Snowmageddon. Nick got to experience a very long ride home that day, even after leaving work at the sign of the first snowflake.

Camille enjoyed her many delays and days off school, though we were all very welcome to get back in a normal routine after some time. On a selfish note, I've been so ready for my travel not to be affected by weather delays, cancellations, and reroutes!

As negative as all this may sound, we did get to enjoy some fun in the snow too. Camille loved sledding.... the going downhill part, not so much the pulling it back up. Though I think her favorite part was eating the snow. We warned her of what snow was dirty, etc but she didn't seem to mind her parents too much on that subject. She did make some great snow angels. We did make an attempt at a snowman.... the snow was so icy that it was tough to form, so we aimed for a melted snowman look instead.

Our weekend getaway to Grover/Kings Mountain

For Christmas, I had given Nick a weekend getaway in Grover, NC. Where you ask? You would have no reason to know it. Grover is a very small town toward the western part of the state, right near the SC border near Kings Mountain/Shelby/Gastonia. Nick and I have always enjoyed visiting small towns that we have never been to before, so Grover seemed like a good fit. Also, I had been hearing about a well known bed and breakfast in the area. Bed and breakfast inns are another favorite of ours! Who doesn't love waking up to a huge, 4 course breakfast?!

We headed out January 25th weekend. Camille stayed back with Mimi, MawMaw, and PawPaw. We were ready to have a mountain adventure, we just weren't ready for the very cold temperatures! Brrr!

As we headed to Grover, we made a stop at a recommended vineyard: Baker Buffalo Creek. It was technically in Lawndale, which certainly felt like the middle of nowhere. We had a great time tasting some of the local wines and hearing the story of the vineyard. The vineyard has some amazing views and lots of history, so there was a lot to hear about! Some of their barns have even been part of the Hillshire Farms commercials. They say their property gets scouted a lot for tv shows and commercials!

The bed and breakfast is one of the only things worth mentioning in Grover :) No offense to Grover of course, but its teeny tiny! The Inn of the Patriots was a great place though! The owners, Marti & Stormy, both worked in the White House as Chefs, as well as Camp David. Therefore, they have a ton of presidential history and knowledge. Nick and I enjoyed hearing Marti's crazy stories and impersonations of the presidents. Not only were the rooms spacious and relaxing, the breakfast was AMAZING! The food kept coming each morning and it was mouth watering!! They also did a great job catering to our wheat free needs.

Since we did so much eating at breakfast, we knew we had to do a lot of hiking to make up for it. We started at Kings Mountain. Did I mention how cold it was outside?! That was motivation to hike faster. Kings Mountain was full of history and we enjoyed getting to know a little more about the area.

Since there isn't much in the way of Grover and Kings Mountain, we also headed toward Gastonia for some more exploring. We found a great cafe in town.... Sprouts..... very delish! We also discovered Crowder State Park! What a view!! We didn't know what to expect when we started our hike, but were thrilled with the end result- we could see the entire town down below. (and yes, Nick did enjoy climbing some trees- can you spot him?)

Apologies on my mismatched clothing- I'm telling you- I was not prepared for the cold!

After all of our hiking, we wanted to have a nice dinner out. We were pointed to the nearby town of Shelby to a place called Ni Fin Bistro. It was soooo good. It was such a quaint restaurant with huge windows looking out onto the downtown streets of Shelby. The food was amazing!

So all in all it was a wonderful weekend getaway, though we were certainly happy to get home to our little monkey!

Christmas 2013

I'm determined to catch up on my blog posts one of these days! Until then, I'll post as I remember/have time for.

Our Christmas was absolutely wonderful! We got to celebrate with each of our families, as well as have some time to relax as a family of 3.

The DesVergers gathering in Sanford was oddly warm so we spent most of the time outside! I also loved that our families decided to give collectively to a charity this year instead of doing the secret santa gifts. We all have so much "stuff" that it was nice to make a donation to MD Anderson. Here is a sweet pic of 4 generations of DesVergers!

The Cox family Christmas was at the lake this year. Here is Camille showing off her new ballerina outfit and doll from her MawMaw and PawPaw. 

The McNeill Christmas got everyone under one roof for the weekend :) We even all got to go to church together, though we discovered the family has grown so much that we can't fit on one pew anymore.

Back to Raleighwood..... We were very fortunate to get to light the advent wreath for the Christmas Eve service at our church this year. It was so special to get to participate in the service from the other side :)

Our Christmas Day was so nice. We had a great time just relaxing in our pj's all day. Camille got her first guitar and has loved being able to play music with her Daddy. 

Looking back, 2013 was such a wonderful year, though it did have a lot of tough times, but it reminds how how special and supportive our family and friends are! Hoping 2014 brings lots of joy and continued blessings.

'Tis the Season

What a busy holiday season we had! Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Nick, Camille, and I sure did have our plates full- literally and figuratively!

We had some wonderful family gatherings filled with lots of good food..... not to mention Camille always loves the extra cousin time!

Camille started a new school.... her old school that we loved closed, but God opened a door for us with the Child Development Center at our church, Edenton Street. Camille is in the Bears class with Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Linda and is having a good time making new friends and going on her first of many field trips.

We also got to attend to attend some NCSU home football games as a family. Usually its just me and Nick, but it's always fun when Camille joins us. She sure knows how to make a miserable game/season FUN!

Camille got to attend a Christmas Tea with the President of Meredith College and other older alums. She also got to see the Holiday Musical performance put on by the Music Department, though she feel asleep half way through!

Camille got to ride her first real horse..... not a pony..... a big horse! It was at her buddy Bryton's birthday party. While it was chilly outside, the kids had a blast!

Camille got to learn all about kidney stones and their effects :( She even got to visit Mommy in the hospital during her kidney stone drama. She loved that I had a TV in my room and kept asking me all about my IV and if it hurt when it was in my arm. Though we had a rough 2-3 weeks dealing with that, I'm glad its all behind us!!!

Camille and Mommy had lots of special bonding time in December since her school and Mommy's work had a holiday shutdown. We did lots of park visits, baking, movie watching and shopping :) So much fun!! And that was all before Christmas!