What Season is it Again?

Things here have been crazy!  One day we are outside enjoying the warm winter weather and the next day we are trying to stay warm inside by the fire.    Last weekend was the first time it actually looked like winter outside.  We had an ice storm come through and it made everything look like it was dusted with snow however it wasn't snow, it was all ice.  A solid sheet of ice covered our back yard.  Yawkey, our dog, had a really hard time walking around on it in the morning.   Then today it was 72 outside and I went outside and found Yawkey laying in the sun soaking up the heat.  Here is a little look at the two extremes we have seen this week.

It is strange needing your winter and summer clothes within the same week.   I am still trying to get use to the warm in January, but now after the ice storm I will gladly take 70 over raining ice.

A New Routine

I like to keep a clean house, but I am not the best at cleaning so my friend found this monthly cleaning chart which we decided to try.  I love it!    I thought I was good at cleaning but working with this chart has shown me that there were a lot of things in the house that I never really though about cleaning.  Some examples are, cleaning window blinds, cleaning my dishwasher, and wipping down my kitchen cabinets 

I have been working with this new cleaning schedule over the last month and I have to say that each week the cleaning gets easier and easier ('cause things are staying more clean keeping up with them).  Each day after breakfast I start in on one or two chores and Neal is always happy to help.  This makes cleaning even more fun, 'cause who doesn't like a helper right?

We'll see how this new routine goes as the year continues but I hope to keep up with it.  The biggest difference I have noticed is in cleaning my bathrooms.  I used to HATE cleaning the bathroom and always dreaded the task.  This new cleaning schedule has you cleaning the bathroom each week and keeping up on it each week has made the cleaning not so bad and I sure do love having a clean bathroom each week.  

Now my house isn't spotless, I do have a toddler, and there are days that I don't have time to get my chores done but overall the accountability of having a list of what I need to get done has been great.  Now off to my chores for today....laundry and mopping here I come.

A Trip to Savannah

The day after ChristmasTyler had to go one a trip for work, so instead of just staying at home my parents (who were visiting), Neal and I all decided to take a fun little trip down to Savannah, GA.

The drive wasn't bad, a little over 5 hours, and we had a fun time singing songs, visiting and listening to Radio Lab podcasts on the way.  Neal spent the whole car ride watching movies and playing games on the iPad which is one of his favorite things to do, so it made the car ride go rather quickly.

The Town of Savannah is so cute.  We stayed in a hotel right near Old Down Town and could walk everywhere.  We enjoyed some really good coffee in the mornings from one of the oldest coffee shops in Savannah.

We filled our days with a few tours of the city and some walks down on the River Walk.  One of our tours was taken on a trolley car, which Neal loved.  It was fun to ride the trolley around and you could get on and off whenever you wanted which was a great type of tour to take with a toddler.  It allowed us to walk around and take some breaks from just sitting in place.

Neal did great being out all day (for 3 days in a row) and when he got to tired he just found a way to sleep, no matter if he was in the stoller or someones arms.

Some of my favorite things we saw were all the old brick houses, a beautiful church, and all the stores along the River Front.  There were the best carmel apples at "Savannah Candy Kitchen".  

I loved the town of Savannah and would love to go there again sometime.  We spent most of our time in Old Down Town and along the river so the next time I would love to go down to the beaches and spend some time there.

Next time we visit we will definitely be going with my sister (Anna) and her husband Matt since Savannah is their favorite city and we'll have to make sure Tyler isn't traveling so he can join us as well.  It was a great mini vacation with family and fun way to spend the week while Tyler was away.

The Rest of Christmas

Our Christmas was wonderful this year.  Our new home here in NC was filled with lights, laughter, good food and family.   Having family here with us for the Holiday was really what made it a wonderful time.

We celebrated a few days early due to some work schedules of our family.  I will let the pictures tell most of the story of our first Christmas in NC...

(Neal Opening up presents...with his new backpack on) 

(Tyler & Neal's matching Transformer PJ's)

(Eating Christmas Breakfast "Cowboy Sandwiches" with Papa)

(Neal's Grandma and Aunt Ani helping get dinner ready)

(Uncle Matt helping cut the Turducken) 

(First Family Christmas Dinner at our house)

(Neal and Uncle Erik playing with his new rubberband guns and army men)

After the morning presents opening, and a delicious dinner we all had a great time relaxing, drinking coffee, eating Cheesecake and playing lots of games.  It was a great first Christmas and we hope to have many more here in NC filled with family and friends.