Seasons of Love

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Happy New Year!

HAPPY 2011!

1-1-11 began with birthday wishes for Jack! Happy 28th!

We were in Waynesboro to ring in the New Year. We started celebrating early (cutting Jack's cake on 12/31/2010 so SG could join in). After playing games and sharing memories, we watched the ball drop on TV and hit the hay! New Year's Day, we opened Jack's birthday gifts, went for a nature walk at a nearby dog park, then visited with family and friends at Carolynn and John's New Year's Day Open House! It was a great start to the new year!

This was sweet Sarah Grace last January (2010) about 10 months...

...and this is SG this January (2011) about 21 months!

Sarah Grace is now 21 months old...and in just a few short months, she'll be 2!

She is such a blessing in our lives...she challenges us at times but she makes parenting all worthwhile when we snuggle and say our prayers at night! Sarah Grace...thinks walking backwards is so funny...says her prayers each night (folds her hands at mealtime during the blessing), sings nursery rhymes & ABC's, is talking up a storm (what a chatter box), can be a great helper, definitely has her own opinions and thoughts!

Celebrating Christi's 28th birthday on January 7, 2011!

SG helped blow out the candle and even helped eat some of the cupcake!

Daisy had surgery mid-January to try and fix her subluxating patella (kneecap). She did great during the surgery. Sarah Grace was so gentle when we brought Daisy home...she even fed her piece by piece! We hope Daisy recuperates well! :)

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Thanksgiving/Christmas 2010...and everywhere in between!

Whew...where has the time gone? The holidays this year were an especially busy time for The Coiner Family. We're a little behind on our blog...so here is a quick summary of our 2010 holidays! Once again, we enjoyed watching Thanksgiving and Christmas memories unfold in the sweet innocent eyes of Sarah Grace...

November Memories:

Bunco, Dave Matthew's Concert in Charlottesville, playdate with Layla in Windsor, leaf raking, Daddy's tie, bathtime mohawk, and other silly moments!

Sarah Grace's Preschool Thanksgiving Feast - November 23, 2010

Thanksgiving 2010 - November 25, 2010.
We are so thankful for our family and friends! Thanksgiving Day was such a beautiful day...we enjoyed spending the day visiting and eating yummy foods!

Jack and Christi's ROAD TRIP! 12/3/2010~12/9/2010

1st stop (after picking up Betsey (and baby boy ) and Brandon in Chattanooga) was Jack's BBQ in Nashville! Then we headed over to the Country Music Hall of Fame where we saw a statue of Elvis, his limo, and piano...and Jack tried on a shirt! haha. We stayed at the Grand Ole Opry (Christi got us upgraded to a room with a view of the conservatory - it was a massive resort with millions of Christmas lights). Then we ventured over to the Grand Ole Opry House where we saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes! It was a great show...loved the costumes, props, and dancing/singing!

After Nashville, we went back to Chattanooga with B & B and stayed for a few days with them! On our way home, we stopped in Atlanta for a few nights to visit with lots of our cousins! Our newest cousin, Everett, is taking his first bath in the tub!

We had a wonderful trip to see new sights...all the while, Sarah Grace and Daisy were in great hands! Sarah Grace got to play checkers at Cracker Barrel, read books with Opa, build a snowman with Oma, jump at Rosie's birthday party (ate a cupcake, too!), learn how to sit-n-spin with Aunt Carrie, and even saw a puppet show at the library with Mimi. We're pretty sure she had a great time without Mom and Dad!

December Memories:
December was a fun month for us all! Sarah Grace really had a fun time helping decorate our home for Christmas, playing with friends, painting her body, eating yummy foods at her preschool party, seeing Santa at preschool, visiting with Aunt Lee & Uncle Scott, socializing at a few Christmas parties, learning about the Elf on the Shelf, playing in some snow, and making people smile!

Merry Christmas 2010!

Christmas Eve/Christmas Day ~ Our home in Greenville, NC
Since Jack worked 24 on/off for the Christmas holiday, we (+Mimi and Uncle Shelton) started celebrating on Christmas Eve. We opened a few gifts then headed off to church for the Christmas Eve service. Christmas morning, Jack was off to work early! Once SG woke up, the rest of us ventured downstairs to see if Santa came. Sarah Grace was so excited to see what Santa brought her! A new kitchen, baby doll stroller, clothes, doctor kit, art supplies, and so much more! After presents, we all went to visit Dr. Dad at the hospital. We took him (and his co-workers) lunch and his stocking...we all ate lunch together then SG helped Jack look through his stocking. Later that night, Aunt Carrie and Josh drove in from Raleigh. We exchanged gifts and had some fun!

Christmas (at our house) with JoePa & KK - December 26, 2010
When we woke up the day after Christmas, snow has covered the ground overnight! We were all so excited! JoePa and KK came over for brunch and gifts! Then we all had fun playing in the snow!

*At some point, all the boys went hunting...leaving just the girls! What fun!

12/28/2010 - A visit from Aunt Peggy, Cousin Karyn, and friends Mandi and Amber! We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Parker's then treated ourselves to cupcakes! Cousin Karyn took some really neat pictures of Sarah Grace. What a great day we had with family and friends!

The next day, Christi, Mimi, and Sarah Grace headed to Virginia to meet up with Jack at Oma & Opa's house! On the way...we stopped to see Tracy!

12/29/2010 (-1/2/2011) ~ Christmas in Waynesboro, VA
We had a great time sharing Christmas at Oma & Opa's new house in Waynesboro! Mom-mom and Pop-pop were there, too! We opened gifts, played outside, dined on a yummy dinner at the country club, played fun games, and got lots of rest!

Happy Early 28th Birthday Jack...
we decided to cut the cake before his actual birthday so SG could join in on the fun! (12/31/2010)

Sarah Grace tasting Dad's birthday cake right before bedtime...that's what vacations are all about, right?!?

Early New Year's Eve dance party with Pop-pop and Opa before bed...whew...what a year it's been!

This 2010 holiday season was a lot of fun.
Spending time with family and friends, being thankful for all our blessings, and celebrating the birth of Jesus are what the holidays are all about!
Check out our next blog post coming soon to see what's going on in 2011...Happy New Year!

Monday, November 15, 2010

It's Fall Y'all!

A few pictures of Sarah Grace playing on the playground at her preschool!

September 2010

Sarah Grace is really enjoying preschool-it is proving to be a worthwhile experience for us all :) She loves her teachers (and we can tell because she talks about them all the time and she gives them "love" when she leaves school each day.) We can tell that the teachers love her, too. She brings home cute little artwork projects and they even have a daily "report card" that lets us know what she did each day! SO cute! SG plays well with her classmates and doesn't seem to mind sharing (so far)...there are 4 boys and 4 girls in her class and she knows each of their names!

Meeting a new friend, Brody, at the park.

Narley's 4th birthday party!

Our church, St. James United Methodist, was in the newspaper for our UMW Circle's mission project called Back Pack Pals. We pack bookbags each week to send home to needy children each weekend. They are filled with easy-to-eat foods (like poptarts, jello, pudding, cereal, etc.) I am so proud to be a part of this wonderful community mission.

Moments with Daddy...

Happy 18 months Sarah Grace ~ September 30, 2010! We can't believe a whole year and a half has already gone bye. She continues to amaze and awe us...her sweet smile, comfy cuddles, funny laugh, smart sounding words/phrases, strong personality, creative expressions, daredevil moves...

SG is practicing saying the blessing and her prayers each day (she says "AMEN!" when we are done)...she uses so many words and is even saying little sentences (already so verbal...uh oh!)...she likes to clean up her toys and her "mess" (yay!)...she's one tough cookie (she's had a few tumbles lately but if she falls she brushes herself off and keeps on moving)...she's very outgoing and fearless most of the time, but there are times when she's a Mommy or Daddy's girl and tends to be a little shy...she's so inquisitive-she asks "what's that/this" and we can tell her little brain is just learning everything about her little world...

Thank you God for our sweetest little Sarah Grace!

...And then we always have a moment like this every now and then...who doesn't?

The firetruck came to Sarah Grace's school to visit. They brought all the kids little plastic fire hats...SG likes to wear her hat all over the house!

October 9, 2010 - Wrightsville Beach, NC...a walk on the beach turned into a little swim! We went to explore the beach with Daisy in October along with Uncle Shelton, Hillary, and Chris. Then we all went to enjoy a yummy lunch at Flaming Amy's :)

Jump ahead a few years...she had so much fun trying out all the cars at Toys R Us!

Enjoying the good life...playing in the sandbox one morning and then eating a little afternoon snack while watching Mickey Mouse on TV (It's our guilty pleasure!) !

Vacation...October 15-24, 2010

(Waynesboro, Roanoke, Blacksburg, Delaware, Maryland...everywhere in between)

Virginia Tech Football Game ~ October 16, 2010 (we had great seats to watch the HOKIES beat Wake... it was such a beautiful day and a great game!)

10/16/2010 Sarah Grace stayed with Opa and Oma while Mommy and Daddy went to the VT football game :) They went on a wagon ride and walked around the gold course.

Pumpkin Patch - Waynesboro, VA ~ Sunday, October 17, 2010

October 18, 2010 - Playing at the Waynesboro Park...

and with toys at Oma and Opa's new house...

and helping Opa sucks up leaves in the yard.

10-18-2010 WWII planes

After a great time in Virginia, we drove to Fenwick Island, Delaware/Ocean City, Maryland to visit Mom-mom and Pop-pop for a few days...here are some pictures from our visit.

Sarah Grace helped Jack write down his thoughts for his best man speech for Ethan's wedding.

Ocean City Beach, MD ~ October 21, 2010

Ocean City Boardwalk Arcade/Playplace where SG got to play lots of games and even won some cool prizes! She was in awe of the whole scene.

We left Delaware for Annapolis, MD on Friday morning...

Friday, October 22, 2010 ~ Karen and Ethan's Rehearsal/Rehearsal Dinner

Saturday, October 23, 2010 ~ Karen and Ethan's Wedding/Reception

We all had a great time dancing...SG literally danced herself to sleep (in Mommy's arms) but woke right back up because she wasn't finished dancing...she wanted to stay awake to blow bubbles at Ethan and Karen as they departed for their honeymoon!

Sunday, October 24 we strolled around Annapolis before getting back in the car and heading back to NC.

Sunday, October 24, 2010 ~ Shelton Family Reunion

We stopped in Robersonville, NC to make an appearance at the reunion. We ate some yummy BBQ with all the fixins...SG got to meet and play with some cousins...and pet horses!