New Year!

I love New Years: turning the page, taking what I've learned, leaving behind what I don't need, recommitting to the person I am when at my best.

In 2012, I intend to:

Articulate gratitude
Run
Eat clean
Play
Read
Breathe
Be patient

Breakfast with Santa

We enjoyed our 2nd Annual Breakfast with Santa this morning at the beautiful Carolina Inn this morning. Such a magical tradition!

As soon as Santa walked in Fiona looked at me and said, "Mama, let's go see him!" Of course when it was her turn to sit on Santa's lap, she feel to the floor kicking and crying - but quickly recovered, walked right up to him, and said, "I want peas and carrots !". Our wonderful girl DOES love her veggies. I hope I never forget how much fun Fiona is at this age!

A few pictures from the morning, complete with classic kid-picking-nose shot:

First Haircut!

A Tea Party I Can Get Behind

We enjoyed a little Sunday morning tea in our PJs - although Fiona was equally excited about the box the tea set arrived in thanks to long time family friend Marilyn.

Fall Fun

October remains my favorite month and we've been loving every second of North Carolina's beautiful fall. The last two weekends have been filled with corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and jack o lanterns!

Recent pics from our fall adventures are below (and represent my first attempt at posting directly from my phone! Here's hoping technology helps me post more often!):

Moving!

This lovely 1929 bungalow could be yours!

New job this summer, new house this fall?  That's right, we're moving!  Or at least trying to.  

After 5 wonderful years, we're selling our beloved 1929 bungalow in downtown Durham:  3 beds, 1 bath, hardwood floors throughout, lots of original fixtures, classic front porch, back deck perfect for entertaining, walking distance to all that is cool about Durham!  Pictures and details are available HERE.  Thanks for spreading the word to folks you know who might be interested.

But, not to worry:  We're not moving far.  We're under contract for a home just a few blocks away that we can imagine spending the rest of our lives in....if we can sell the bungalow in the next 6 weeks!

The Schryer Family Farm is for sale too!

Equally exciting:  My parents are also selling their Asheville farm so that they can move closer to us -- or more accurately, their favorite granddaughter!  If you know someone looking to make the move to the Western North Carolina mountains, this is the perfect house: mountain views, completely renovated, acreage, 2 barns, pool, organic garden plot, heaven.  Learn more at:

http://www.century21.com/property/106-turkey-creek-road-leicester-nc-28748-C2136888183 

Fiona's 2nd Birthday

Blowing out her candles during her birthday dinner at home

Our amazing girl turned 2 years old at the end of July.  This time last year, I was overwhelmed with a sense of awe, and frankly relief, that we'd made it through that first transformative year.  This year, my central emotion was one of deep, deep gratitude.  I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be this little person's mother and have her in my life.   Yes, parenthood remains (and I suspect always will be) the hardest thing I've ever done, but it also is the the most joy-filled, most fun, most amazing.  Again, I'm reminded of just how true all of the cliches are:  The days ARE long, but the years ARE so short. I hope that Fiona will always have the curiosity, playfulness, persistence, adoration, intuition, - and sense of rhythm! - that she does now.

To celebrate her birthday, we continued last year's tradition of opening her present from us on the morning of her actual birthday and then celebrating as a family with a special birthday breakfast at her favorite restaurant.  

A blurry phone picture capturing Fi's first look at the new kitchen we gave her for her birthday.   In putting that sucker together, we joined the long line of well-intentioned parents who have stayed  up too late arguing, while attempting to assemble a kid's toy that promised to be easy.  Really, REALLY glad she REALLY liked this thing.

The Saturday following her birthday, we hosted a wonderfully low-key party - Fiona's Birthday Brunch at the Bungalow for family and her two best friends from preschool.  In honor of Fiona's deep obsession with Curious George, brunch had a monkey theme.  Everyone went bananas - and had a lot of fun!