Getting Settled in the Gooch

We moved!  We were very lucky to have great weather and amazing helpers in Grandma and Grandpa helping us get moved and all settled in.  I didn't take many pictures of the whole event but we are loving the extra space and getting acclimated to our new town!

The new place!

Mommy's new toys!

Charlie loves his walk-in closet (it is about the size of his old room).  He calls it his train.  Here he is meticulously tearing every page out of a huge coloring book.

Daddy got a new toy!

Grandpa likes it too

And Marley gave it a try!

Trying out the kitchen making waffles w/ Daddy

Waffle-making is serious business

Marl is the happiest here with her doggie door and new yard!

Chihuly

Before heading out of the museum district we went on one last trip to the Art Museum to see the awesome Chihuly exhibit.  It was small but really cool with lots of colorful glass.

Hot Chocolate

Grandma introduced Charlie to something new today...

Cool mustache

Big Brother Class

Charlie has been so well-behaved, loving and chatty/thoughtful lately... he is so ready and excited to be a big brother.  The timing could not be better.  We signed him up for a class at the hospital about what to expect when the baby comes.  It was really sweet.  He was so attentive the whole time while the nurse talked and was very wide-eyed when it was his turn to pick out a pretend baby and then later when we got to see real babies behind the glass up in the nursery.  He even got to practice holding, swaddling and putting a diaper on his pretend baby.  I got a little teary watching him hold it.   Would blame that on pregnancy hormones but it was really just the sweetest thing to see how seriously he was taking the exercise.  We tell him all the time but it is really true... he is going to be the BEST big brother :)

Very interested in readying his coloring book they gave him on the ride home :)

FINALLY some snow!

Pre-Charlie, we had multiple multi-foot snows.  Now that he would really dig that, we never get any snow.  Today we got a little.  Not enough to cancel work so I didn't get to enjoy it all day but I at least got to play a little in the morning with Charlie.  He was thrilled because he doesn't know how much better more snow would be :)  Fingers crossed we'll get more soon!

Efa came out to play too!

Our snowman!

Efa's sled from Kosovo

And more Christmas!

When Grandma and Grandpa Grover came back after New Year's we got to do it again!  Just what we needed... more toys!

A "hand-me-down"

Even Marley has had too much Christmas

Christmas 2012!

This year was our first Christmas in Richmond!  And our last at our current house!  After all the anticipation of Santa's visit, we had a great day.  And an exhausting one too!  Cooking my first Christmas dinner sure made me appreciate all the work my parents have done over the years :)  The Lanes stayed with us in the morning for presents and then headed back to North Carolina.  Friends Jamie and Annie came over for dinner and a fun evening.

Excited to see Santa arrived!

Santa's big gift was a dollhouse fire/police station

Ripping open his stocking

Serving Grandma's famous Eggnog French Toast

"Helping" Marley with her stocking too

Marley loved her new toys as if she hasn't had one in years (that may be true)

New alphabet mat

Who can spell his name?

Munching on her new bone

Fun building set

Ripping into another one

Race car track from Papa and Nana

A School Bus like Daddy's!

James' first turkey

Jamie and Annie came over for Christmas dinner. 

As always, Marley is hanging with the meat

My version of Grandpa's famous pie

Our feast!

Charlie finally took his jammies off for dinner.  But left the slippers on :)

The only thing he ate of everything I cooked... microwaved peas :(

Ready to dig in!

We build the Lego hospital after dinner