Hearts and Homes

Whew! We made it through the busy, crazy holiday season!

We packed it full of the most important things: Time spent with friends and family. 

First, we celebrated Jared turning 11 on the 15th. We had a party at Sky Zone with his buddies from school. At home, he requested a chocolate ice cream cake. We were all happy to meet that request!

We also went with our friend Jamie and her son Asher to Akron Zoo's Wild Lights. That boy makes our faces sore because we smile so big the whole time we're with him. He was so excited to see Santa there, right up until we tried to get a picture of him with Santa. It is a crazy thing, what we expect kids to be excited about. All year long it's, "Don't talk to strangers!" and then once a year, "Here, sit on this oddly dressed, scary looking old man!" Ha!

We were so thankful and blessed to have both Mike's and my parents at church for Christmas Eve. I don't know if that has ever happened before!

And Christmas morning is a little quieter but maybe more fun now that the kids are older. It really is incredible to watch them grow up and become their own people.

But we still love stockings on Christmas morning! 

Chaos is the norm on Christmas. And that is one happy puppy having her whole family home! 

We woke up the day after Christmas to find Sydney sick with a fever. Which stinks in its own right, but we were also planning to leave for North Carolina that morning. I called the doctor as soon as they opened and they were able to fit us in. We packed in a hurry and headed to the doctor, planning to leave from there. Yes, we're crazy people. She didn't have the flu or strep, so the doctor recommended some over the counter remedies and sent us on our way. Thankfully, she was able to sleep most of the trip down.

We arrived to a very chilly North Carolina. Mind you, still a good bit warmer and less snowy (none) than Ohio, but still cold. And they were prepared! Any Northerner recognizes the brine lines on the road! This was something we didn't expect but were happy to see.

We spent 2 solid days house hunting. It was very helpful and while I'd say we made some progress, we still don't have a home in North Carolina. But it was really good. And completely, totally exhausting. 

The camper held up and kept us warm despite below freezing temperatures. We were mostly happy the sun was shining. That will make you feel warmer no matter what.

We came back December 30th. When we left, the temperatures were trying to crawl their way to 50 degrees, but as is always the case, the further north we went the colder it got. And snowier. And we were beginning to regret leaving North Carolina...

Until we pulled in the driveway. Home. It was good to see.

But, we've also left a big part of our hearts in North Carolina. It gets harder and harder to leave there every time. It sure is a weird feeling to have your heart belong in two places. But instead of being torn, it feels like home is that much bigger.