Magnolia Claire is 1!

Maggie's first birthday was a long anticipated occasion for our family.   When she was born unexpectedly five weeks early and then seemed to spend forever in the NICU, we just hoped and prayed to reach this milestone.  As Maggie grew and thrived through her first year, we looked at this occasion with hope and joy.  So many "risks" lessen when babies reach their first year.  Of course, we knew the one year mark for Maggie would also put us closer to some pending medical and surgical experiences, but we celebrated this day as a true reward at the end of a long and emotional journey.  I guess the journey started over six years ago when we had hoped to be celebrating her sister's first birthday.  I know that Maggie has had a very special guardian angel watching over her throughout her first year of life and that she will continue to do so for all of her life.  We love both of our baby girls with all of our hearts and will enjoy all of one's milestones while remembering and honoring the other one.   For Maggie's special day, I really just kept things simple.  Our families could not join us because it was so close to when we had just returned from our family vacation after Christmas.  Maggie celebrated the day with her mom, dad, and big brothers, and she felt very loved.  I made her birthday shirt and tutu and her homemade strawberry cake.  I wanted the cake to be soft and easy for her to manage without any teeth and with her mild cleft palate.  Evan gives my strawberry cake an almost perfect score, and I think Maggie agreed. 

First, we had to do a first birthday photo session in her little birthday outfit.

Yes, she did want to eat her tutu! 

Maggie is ready for her first taste of cake.  

Yes, we went shirtless for the cake eating.  So much easier to clean up.  After years of doing birthday parties for my kids, I finally discovered something amazing.  I have spent so much money on getting balloons filled at the store with helium only for them to deflate in just hours.  I blew these balloons up with just my breathe and tied them together, and they lasted over a month!  I loved having some colorful balloons to keep up for the whole month in celebration of Maggie.  

I love my beautiful baby girl! 

Her brothers adore her! 

Right here was the proof that she is her big brother Evan's real twin.  As soon as she saw her cake, she had to have it.  We could barely blow out the candle before she grabbed it.  

I had to pull the cake back to keep her from burning her fingers.  

Evan was my best cake eating baby as he dived right in with no hesitation.  Now, Maggie gave him some competition.  She couldn't pick up her larger cake, but she improvised nicely.  

She just put her face into the cake and started gnawing.  It was so cute! 

She was not giving up on her cake. 

Big brothers liked watching her make a mess. 

The brothers also enjoyed the cupcakes.  I think Mattox stole 3 while we were watching Maggie. 

She definitely ate a decent amount before we took it away. 

A cute pink mess! 

The birthday party attendees had fun. 

Presents!  Maggie was interested in her bag. 

Maggie got a new friend.  Her brothers have the boy version of this dog so she got the girl version.  It talks to her and lights up. 

She also got a classic popper toy to encourage her to start walking. 

I love this sweet little princess! 

Big brother Evan really loves her too. 

But I am pretty sure she is on her way to being a daddy's girl! 

Our Mountain Christmas

I guess it has kind of always been a dream of mine to spend Christmas in the mountains.  In my dream, I pictured snuggling up by a warm fire while snow falls outside, and we drink hot cocoa in the glow of a Christmas tree.  While our little trip may not have allowed for all of my fantasies to come true, we really did enjoy our little mountain getaway.  We got to share this trip with some very dear friends who began as "online blog friends" and turned into real life friends.  So many of my most special friendships these days have started this way, and I am so very thankful for the amazing blogging community.  I think Mrs. Kiki and I found one another on a link-up because she lives in the Charlotte area where we used to live.  Sadly, we didn't meet online until we had left that area, but she and her husband travel frequently and first met us when they were passing through our current town on the way home from Florida.  I know our family is a little big, loud, and crazy for these two sweet people, but I have been praying with them for years now as they have sought to grow their family.  Kiki writes about her amazing childhood and travels as she has lived in some amazing places in the world.  Now, we are witnessing the miracle of their fertility journey as she nears her due date for her little boy to join the world.  We are all so very excited!  Like myself, Kiki knows how to appreciate the big and small miracles, and she knows the importance of making and preserving memories.  We are definitely kindred souls in those ways.  I most looked forward to some special time getting to know her and her husband better, and my sweet husband did allow me some time to get away with these precious friends.  We enjoyed a little antiquing, shopping therapy, and sitting and talking in a little coffee shop.  I will definitely cherish the memories we made together on this little trip, and I hope we will have many future opportunities to make memories together as we move back a little closer to them.

While these pictures do not adequately show the beautiful mountain views because our trip was blessed with rainy and cloudy weather, we were very pleased with the beautiful setting of our cabin.  It sat very high on the edge of a mountain which was more visible in the winter without the leaves on the trees.  The road to the cabin would have been pretty treacherous in snowy weather so we were actually thankful the roads were clear.  It did start snowing a little on our last day. 

Miss Maggie did not love the sunshine in her eyes, but we did have some beautiful sunrises to watch from the back porch. 

I tried to capture some pictures of the cabin before the kids took over.  There was a large loft area upstairs with two bedrooms and a bathroom for our family.  Mrs. Kiki and her husband had a lovely private master suite downstairs.  I loved the huge windows that always let in the beautiful light and mountain views.   I chose this cabin for us to share because the spaces seemed perfect for a group our size and the location was central to some of the best sights the NC mountains has to offer. 

This was a very early sunrise I captured through our bedroom window. 

Our large crew headed out to eat lunch at a local NC barbecue restaurant.  We had really been missing NC! My dad, Papa, and Eddie's mother, Grandma, joined us on this trip to spend Christmas with the kids.  

We all enjoyed this little BBQ joint.  

After lunch, we decided to take advantage of the decent weather to hit the trails to Linville Falls.  It was a nice little hike that was easy for the kids.  

Along the walk, Evan played nature photographer.  There was one little creek we had to jump across. 

We actually walked to the upper part of the falls so the boys enjoyed looking down into the roaring water as it rushed through a little rock cave before plunging down over the larger falls.   It is kind of a "behind the scenes" view as you don't see the larger falls from this vantage point.  

There is a smaller falls here before it takes the bigger plunge. 

Mattox and Grayson stopped to play in a little mountain stream, and they enjoyed seeing the waterfall. 

We did get some family pictures with the smaller falls. 

I love the sound of rushing water.  I really should live by a mountain river.  Maybe one day.  

I love the different looks of the trees in winter. 

The big boys and Daddy hiked up to the lookout to see the full falls and take a picture of it.  Way to take one for the team, Dad! 

They do have a good time with Dad. 

Oh, this kid!  What a personality!  He loves making funny faces in pictures but can show the most beautiful smiles too.  He loved his ice cream sundae that night at the cabin.   Thanks, Mrs. Kiki and Mr. Corey! 

Ice Cream Sundae treats for everyone. 

All of the boys loved it! 

The next day, we decided to leave earlier for a trip to Linville Caverns.  It was raining, but I felt this would be a decent "indoor" activity.  We stayed in the little town of Seven Devils between Boone and Blowing Rock.  We passed Grandfather Mountain State Park on the way.  Eddie had not been able to go with us on our 2015 trip so he was most excited to see the caverns. 

I tried to lighten these shots because they were very dark on the camera.  I was trying to capture everyone before going into the caves.  

Inside, we sneaked some selfies.  We weren't supposed to use the flash.  Oops! 

I had to have a picture of Daddy and the kids and Miss Maggie on her first visit. 

These boys are just so awesome. 

More pictures I had to lighten up, but I wanted this one of Daddy and Grayson.  I think Evan is in it too, but he is harder to see. 

These caves are more colorful than you would expect with different shades of limestone and granite.  I love the emerald green rocks. 

I also love the drip stones where water continues to flow and shape the stones.  

There are lots of little "rooms" off the path. 

The photo on the right is always the most popular one in the cave.  It can look like different things to different people.  I see a green ghost. 

We left the caves with a little rock candy treat. 

The next day, we enjoyed exploring the beautiful and historic old town of Blowing Rock.  I really wanted to visit the actual "Blowing Rock" but we just didn't have the time or appropriate weather this trip.

If you are interested, here is a little blurb about its history:  Did you know “North Carolina’s Oldest Travel Attraction” is hiding right among other, more well-known attractions? Maybe you do, because you’ve visited here before. You might have visited without even truly knowing the mystical history behind the place Ripley’s Believe It Or Not deemed “The only place in the world where snow falls upside down.”  Source. 

The town of Blowing Rock has its own share of charms, and after lunch, we walked the streets and browsed in the shops full of treasures old and new. 

I loved the historical significance of this little yellow house turned shop. 

We took time to get some pictures together on our walk.  Eddie and the kids were playing in the park nearby. 

Later, Mrs. Kiki and Mr. Corey took me, my dad, and Evan to visit the original Mast General Store.  While these stores have become a chain now all over the NC mountains, I loved the historical appeal of this one.  It really felt like we stepped back in time to simpler days. 

I loved this shot of Kiki and Corey on the porch swing. 

My dad, son, and I really enjoyed the experience.  Evan and I enjoyed our glass bottle beverages and a game of checkers by the wood burning furnace. 

My dad had a comfortable seat nearby. 

The treasures to purchase were many with lots of local jams, jellies, and sauces and old fashioned candies. 

The front of the store with its simple Christmas decor was lovely.  We also stopped at the annex to the main store for some sweet treats. 

I loved the history of these old hardwood plank floors.  Kiki enjoyed a little shopping.  She always finds the best treasures. 

I read this book to Evan for fun, but I thought it was applicable to Mr. Corey.   Later, Kiki captured this picture of Corey and I working on this large puzzle.  

Kiki and I did attempt to help a little.

He did complete most of this one because he obviously has the most patience. I thought it reminded me a little of Kiki's old childhood photos of herself and her sister.  

On our last night, we enjoyed a little Christmas fun and let the kids open their presents from Nana and Papa and Mr. Corey and Mrs. Kiki.  

Presents! 

I am sad we didn't have a chance to play Brody's new game together.  He got the kids' version of Apples to Apples. 

We did give Papa and Grandma their presents too, but I think they mostly enjoyed being with the kids. 

Kiki received some gifts for herself and her little one on the way. 

Miss Maggie enjoyed a little princess book and doll from her Aunt Naomi, and a very sweet little dress from Miss Kiki. 

The boys got some new remote control cars from Mrs. Kiki and Mr. Cory. 

I think this was a wonderful way to end the year 2019!