“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains..”

The most surprising thing about North Carolina so far is all the rain! When Adam and I visited in June we were told the state was in a drought. Well since arriving, we have seen so much rain - and not the drizzly stuff either - I'm talking tropical storms. I can't say that I really mind, it is very lush and beautiful here. Every one's yards are exactly what you would imagine in the South: Large, green, azaleas, ferns big front porches with wooden rocking chairs. I just love it.

Chapel Hill is a great town. Lots of restaurants, a cute downtown (similar to Chico - with less bars) and always something to do. Of course the college offers a ton of great sporting events and in neighboring Durham we can cheer on the Bulls.

North Carolina

Well, we made it. We are official Tar Heels in the great state of North Carolina! We arrived on August 8th and thankfully all the planning really paid off. Thirty minutes before Jack and I landed, Adam and John (the best best friend in the world) rolled into town. The next morning we closed on our house without a hitch and within an hour of getting our keys, the moving truck was parked in front of the house. John and Adam worked like dogs (not like our dog, of course) and had everything in its place by dinner. By days end, Adam and I swore to have only one more big move in our lifetime.

Our Chico

We have had a pretty busy Summer so far and it's only June! We have been taking in as much "Chico" as we possibly can as we will be heading back East this August. Yes folks, Adam is a member of the Class of 2012 UNC School of Dentistry!!! We could not be more excited for this new adventure. I am so proud of all the hard work it has taken Adam to get to this point. He is so honored that such a prestigious school with a proud history (March Madness, anyone?) asked him to join the long list of great alumni.

A few weeks ago we spent our first overnight (4 nights actually) without the little guy. It proved to be pretty difficult for both of us (however, long overdue). Adam and I spent a whirlwind 4 days visiting the campus in Chapel Hill and 22 (yes, 22!) homes worthy enough to call our first house. We decided on a townhouse (the first we viewed, of course) and put in an offer earlier this week. And to really ice the cake, I get to keep my fabulous job! You've got to love modern technology! I will remotely work for the same company 3000 miles away.

For now, we are working on arrangements for the big move and spending time with family and friends. We will miss our Chico and all here...friends, farmer's market, Bidwell Park, downtown, Broadway Heights...the list could go on forever.

Spring Fling

Boy's best friend

It took some courting, but Jack finally won Carl over, (or could it be that Jack = yummy bits of food from the highchair?)

birthday boy

We did a little monkeying around for Jacks's 1st birthday!

Heirlooms

I've mentioned before my love for tradition. Jack is such a lucky boy to have so much family to love and learn from. He will not only have wonderful stories and tales to hear and retell, he will also have special heirlooms. This rocking chair was his grandpa's birthday gift on his First Birthday years ago. It was loved by his daddy when he was a boy and is now a special place for Jack.

A year at a glance

1 Year Old
11 Months

10 Months
9 Months
8 Months
7 Months
6 Months

5 Months
4 Months
3 Months
2 Months
1 Month/Day 1

Simple joys

In the past year I must have said, "I Love being a mom!" a million times... but being a dad doesn't look half bad either.

Say Cheese!

After delaying Jack's first "photoshoot" for 10 months, (sleeping all the time, baby acne, not sitting up alone, scratch, bruise and so forth) we finally did it...and not a day too soon. Jack woke this morning with a terrible cough and runny nose! We are so pleased with how the pictures turned out. Jack LOVES the camera (and the feeling is mutual if I don't say so myself).

Baby Steps

A few months ago my brother (a veteran father of a beautiful 4 year old) told me that once Jack rolls over ( a task he accomplished during the summer) every other "milestone" will happen very quickly. While it seemed to take forever for him to go from back to belly; Les was sure right...here we are, already on the verge of walking! He did take three true steps before we could grab the camera in time to capture the video above.

Christmas

As I said before, holidays are so much better with Jack. Christmas Eve was spent with Granny and Papa and they said it was the best holiday they had in years. It was pretty special for us too. Adam and I decided that it was important to have holiday time with just us, so Christmas morning is reserved for celebrating at home. Adam made breakfast while Jack posed with his favorite gift, Goodnight Gorilla. Later that morning, we headed to my parent's for more gifts(my Dad is a sucker for playing Santa) and a HUGE feast (my mom is sucker for holiday cooking). It was pure chaos, and pure joy.

Happy holidays...and birthday

This is my favorite time of the year! I love the hustle and bustle of downtown, crowded stores, busy airports, family gatherings and annual events. While the old traditions warm my heart, the new ones add excitement for the future of my own family. For the first time ever, we spent Thanksgiving in Oregon with Adam's dad, stepmon and his stepsister and her family. It was a wonderful trip. Bend is a pleasant town and the trip was very relaxing. We celebrated both the Thanksgiving holiday and Christmas (due to weather we are not sure if Clem and Robin will make it to Chico) and found time to do a little shopping. Upon return to Chico, we celebrated my birthday (the last year of my 20's...yikes!) Adam gave me a beautiful nativity scene sculpted by a Mexican artist and thanks to Granny and Papa we had a long over-due date night. As our tradition gos, the weekend following my birthday we bought and decorated our tree.

We began yet another new tradition this year: a holiday play with my parents, sibs and all the kids followed by dinner and much too long at the Tree Lot to get the best looking tree for the big house. This year's play was A Christmas Story and no one gets me in the holiday spirit quite like Ralphie! Adam and I have attended both company parties and are now looking forward to the big day. All the shopping is done and just one last gift to wrap....I sure hope Jack likes big empty boxes!

Tis the season for travel

Jack took his first plane trip this week. Our destination was North Carolina where Adam interviewed for dental school. We originally decided not to tag-along, then thought Adam might like the moral support. Plus, who can resist the opportunity to see the south-east during Autumn. This last minute decision caused Jack and I to have a separate flight than daddy, a task I was not looking forward to. Again, there was no need for worry. The photo above was taken after 13 hours of travel! We had a great trip. Chapel Hill reminded us of Chico and the UNC campus was so beautiful. We've been back for two days and tomorrow we're off to Oregon to spend Thanksgiving with Adam's dad. Happy Holidays (and travels)!

Happy Halloween

Jack was unsure what to think of the monkey suit we put him in for Halloween, but boy did he look adorable! Carl dressed as a dog with CRAZY eyes! No Trick-or Treating for either of the boys this year...we all know where they candy would have ended up and I'm still working on the baby weight!

Tuckered out

Ain't it great to be a baby!

Baby Carl

While I was pregnant I had many people ask what was going to happen with Carl once the baby arrived. Adam and I didn't really think too much about it since we were both certain that Carl would be just fine with sharing our attention. As many of you know, we complain an awful lot about our beloved dog. We realize he is crazy and can understand the concerns of others. But as predicted by us, Carl has been ecstatic with being an older brother. He does have his moments where he would like to be the baby, but it is obviously something that you just have to laugh at.

Three years ago...

October 09, 2004

Happy Harvest

The annual Raftery/Stephens trip to Books Family Farm. I must admit, events like this are so much more fun and special with the little guy! We found three perfect pumpkins, ate delicious snowcones and we were sneezed on by a ewe. It was a great day!

Here we go...

Crawling??! I thought we had a bit longer before the joy of mobility! Jack has somewhere to go and he wants to get there fast! A quick trip to IKEA and we are ready for his next adventure. Outlets are blocked, drawers and cupboards are locked and Jack is all over the place...and so very proud of himself.