Abe's 3rd Pirate Birthday!

I was shocked when Van turned 7-- but its equally shocking for me to fathom that our 'baby' Abe is 3!!

I kind of refuse to believe it. 

Abe is our most high strung child.  He can tackle you in fury and/or in love within the same 5 minutes. He is simultaneously frustrating and endearing. The learning curve for his personality has been a little more steep than it was with Jeanie or Van but I am praying the older he gets these strong personality traits will be for the better. 

In the car the other evening, we all took turns talking about our favorite things about Abe. Van said he loves the way Abe smells right when he first wakes up (which I totally understand) although this made me laugh-- Evans loves Abe's hugs...Jeanie loves Abe's snuggles...and I love Abe's "really fast" kisses.  

Indeed he smothers us all with so much love and we all dig it.  He was potty trained in about 2 days but I'm convinced its just because he wanted to impress Van and Jeanie. When he wants to tell us something that we don't feel like talking about, he says "But you're not hearing me. You're not hearing me at all." And we immediately crumble and listen. He tries to hold Van's big guitars and has learned most of the words to "Maneater" (because that's Van's favorite song at the moment).  He plays veterinarian, puppy, and horses with Jeanie. He's frighteningly coordinated and loves to climb/jump on everything. Abe loves all things cars, trains, and Tar Heels. (He wears a jersey every day). He cannot wait to finally get to play some sports on a real team and is officially a lefty just like his mama...

Abe's just got a sneaky little mischievousness about him and it seems to be working out okay ;-)

I don't know if I am becoming a laid back beach bum or if I'm just too exhausted to care as much, but this year we decided to keep things simple for Abe's birthday. Time with just the 5 of us seems so rare and he loves when big brother and sister play with him, so we decided to check out Pirate Voyage for an interactive dinner night in Myrtle Beach to celebrate. We all enjoyed it so I'd say it was a win-win situation. And we were able to enjoy a boat ride, balloons, and cupcakes with our cute neighbors. 

Happy Birthday Abe!! You're still my baby!!

Van's 7th Battleship Birthday!

WOW. Seven years old? Seriously-- how did this happen?!?

Every single day gets better and better. Blog posts are becoming more important to keep up with  because one of our new favorite traditions is reading through past birthdays (which were admittedly more thoughtful and planned) and the kids and I enjoy seeing just how much they have changed over the years.

Van had his first sleepover party last weekend with a few of his soccer buds and they spent the entire evening jamming out to Hall & Oates, Eric Clapton...putting together his giant First Order Transporter lego set... playing light sabers...eating an entire pizza...watching Ice Age...and that pretty much sums up his favorite things at the moment. He has really gotten into soccer this year and plays so hard! He has made the cutest and sweetest friends here and I love that he's found a good crew to play with.

Listening to Van's prayers is a neat way to see what is on his mind and what he really cares about, which are the sweetest and kindest thoughts. He recently moved to St. Mark Catholic school which incorporates prayer into the classroom.  I used to have mixed feelings about mixing church and school, but its a good fit for Van. He has enjoyed learning more about religion and between Sunday school and cub scout meetings I'd have to say I am pretty proud of the confident and thoughtful little guy he is turning out to be. Watching him experience and adapt to all of these new circumstances has literally made me feel like my heart is permanently outside of my body-- wanting to be so many places at the same time so that I can always be with him and helping and guiding him. I know the older he gets, the more this is going to sting.

Ever since we moved to Wilmington, Van has been intrigued by the battleship. He loved touring it over the summer and when he found out he could have his birthday there, it was a done deal. Since then we have checked out battleship books from the library and watched countless YouTube videos about the history of the battleship. Happy 7 years sweet Van!! I love you!!

Goodbye Raleigh, Hello Wilmington!

With the kids back in school...and nearly six months later... we are finally in a routine and I am starting to reflect about our transition from Raleigh to Wilmington.

In March, we moved out of our cozy little ranch home in North Hills to a quirky cape cod near Wrightsville Beach in Wilmington in order for Evans to pursue a new work opportunity. I say quirky but I adore the character (in all of its 1998 glory). The house's cozy little guest cottage, kid-friendly swimming pool, and massive screened in porch immediately caught our eye and we thought either: 

a) There is something extremely wrong with this house. 

-or- 

b) It could be fun and a really sweet place to raise our family.

We took a leap of faith on the house (its also on a busy road and relatively unfamiliar territory). Home sweet home…

This is a photo of our new house from the listing. We had to cut down the Magnolia (it was growing against the side of the house--there was no way to salvage) and we added rocking chairs to the front porch. We aim to paint the exterior a rustic white, add black shutters and gas lanterns. To the left of the house towards the back is the guest cottage and there is a garage on the left too, which has been a blessing for all our bikes and outdoor gear).

The one room I have actually finished decorating 

Front porch goodness...you can see Bradley Creek from our porch. Its a divine morning view!

I don't know how else to explain how the transition, other than every stroke of blind faith panned out for the best. 

We had been so sad about losing our sweet neighbors in Raleigh, but gained two sets of the sweetest neighbors in our new home. The pool took a little learning curve, but once we got the hang of cleaning and maintenance (mostly Evans's undertaking) it turned out to be quite a fun feature this spring and summer. 

Rope swing, overhead pool sprinklers, and an outdoor shower

The guest cottage was in full swing most of the summer and we loved having so many awesome friends and family visit (come back again soon!!) Our screened in porch (while mostly empty) has turned out to be a great outdoor playroom for the kids. 

Snags and fam visit! Guest cottage behind us.

A few weeks after we moved in, our sweet neighbors asked us if we would be interested in moving our boat to a boat dock "down the road"... When we inquired further--we discovered exactly how close we are to the Intracoastal waterway... a huge surprise (and dream come true for Evans!) Docking our boat in walking distance to our house has given us so much more freedom and flexibility to be out on the water just about any time/any day. (Before I get too carried away, I feel like its important to reiterate exactly how much stress and strain it took to get to this point! It certainly didn't happen overnight and there were many late- night discussions, pro-con lists, excruciating house hunting, number crunching, and we still have lots of work to do with the house!) But the actual move went as well as it could go and so far we have been enjoying the outcome.

Boat basin at the end of the street

sunset cruises and evening beach picnics 

We had been apprehensive for Van to change schools so near the end of his kindergarten year (and I cried quite a bit over leaving sweet Brooks Elementary school). It turns out we ended up knowing his new kindergarten teacher because I had been surfing with her two years ago. (Talk about a small world!...Considering I have only surfed once in my life!) Not only did he love his class, but he met a new friend who lived in walking distance from our house (our neighborhood has biking trails along the waterway... I know, I know...I'm pinching myself). Van has joined a soccer team full of good/sweet little buddies and started his first grade year. He is still practicing guitar, watches lots of football, and loves legos. He is a great big brother and throughout the move has been a kind, goofy, loving and generous spirit.

First day of first grade!! 

Jeanie and Abe are a little too young to understand the move. 

Their excitement with having company come stay in the guest "college" (cottage), combined with the pool, the boat, and the beach has totally blurred their memory of life in Raleigh.  When we ride by our old house, its a familiar but distant and confusing thing for them to see. The older they get, the more I am getting nostalgic for their baby years and have printed out lots of photos to make sure they remember where they were born and talk with them about life in Raleigh.

4th of July fireworks downtown Wilmington

Jeanie has started dance class and Pre-K at our church (which we have loved becoming more familiar with-- such a welcoming community!!)

First day of Pre-K

Abe was recently potty trained (no more diapers!!) and started 3 Year Old preschool with Jeanie. He will play tee-ball in the spring but for now he is still tagging along with me to brother and sister's activities. 

Growing way too fast!!

Evans and I have really enjoyed adapting to such a warm, welcoming, and active town. Its fun to live in a smaller city, everything seems a little closer together and easier to find (thank goodness-- although we have gotten turned around quite a few times!!) 

Blackberry picking

Sophie has gotten much friskier down here...must be all that swimming...

All the stress and decision making was definitely worth it...although I am ready to park it for a long long time and excited about getting more settled every day.