Nana's Visit

Last week, my mom came to Naples to visit us and see what this place is all about. We had a fantastic time with her. The kids enjoyed having their Nana to sleep over and play, and I got to spend some quality time with her while the kids were in school. We are looking forward to another visit from her AND Papa soon!

A Week in Review...Here in Naples

Well, we made it. After a whirlwind of a holiday season, packing, loading, saying goodbye, and wrangling children and pets, we arrived in Naples. It's been crazy but we have decided that this is the place for us.

We started off the arrival with Lee Lee and Bill who were able to assist us with the kids while Robert and I shuttled all of our baggage to Naples. It was a really nice visit and I think Lee may return soon to see more of what Naples has to offer! After their visit, we got to spend time with KK and Ryan on the boat. Harrison and Brooks both got a shot at Captain and Harrison tried to visualize exactly where the plank had to be. The next day, Brooks, Harrison and I made a trip to the zoo and the following day, we ventured to the Botanical Gardens with Jane.

Today was the first day of school for both kids at United Methodist and their teachers said they did great. Harrison jumped right into karate as soon as we got here and we have met several new friends already. This has been a busy and exciting time for us. We are very much missing our friends, family, and school but are excited for future visits. There is a lot more to explore here and we are looking forward to getting settled in our new spot. Visitors welcome!

 

Christmas Eve & Christmas

We had another awesome Christmas this year. Christmas Eve was spent with Nana, Papa, Ma, Pa and Ralph, Carter, Leigh, and baby James. Brooks and Harrison got to partake in the Children's service at church. Brooks went as an angel fairy and Harrison went as a shepherd. I'll use the term shepherd loosely because I am not detail oriented when it comes to costumes so basically, we put Harrison in a woman's blouse with a belt and called him a shepherd. He looked fantastic. Until we started to take pictures afterwards. Harrison has been displaying some really interesting faces when we ask him to say cheese for the camera. Instead of a sweet, innocent smile, he tends to resemble more of a serial killer (see pictures below). After the service, we headed over to Nana and Papa's for dinner and to discuss the possibility of Santa making a delivery later in the evening. There was talk that he was somewhere in the area. On our way home, Robert and I took the kids to check out some lights but most importantly, to see if we could spot Rudolf's nose in the sky.

And can you believe it? The next morning Santa's gift giving adventure was evident. Apparently, he had too heavy of a load and decided to ditch all the remaining toys in his bag at our house. That's right, Santa went a little nutso this year. So after a morning of presents, we packed into the car and headed to Nana and Papa's for even more Christmas. It was a wonderful afternoon with lots of family and laughter...everything you could ask for in a great Christmas!