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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Christmas 2014: McGuire Family Photos

A big thank you to Erica for taking our family pictures again. We love her relaxed yet professional approach when taking family photos. You can find and "Like" her on Facebook under:  

This year's Annual McGuire Christmas Card included our family photos and I couldn't be happier with how it came out. 

Here they are! 













I took this last one...

Hope everyone is having a very happy holiday season so far. We are in the middle of the move into the new house! 

Today: First Day in! House gets cleaned
Wednesday: Bedroom floors get installed
Thursday: Crown moulding gets installed
Friday: Interior gets painted
Saturday: Cleaning again
Sunday: Unpacking & Organizing 

Busy week!  

(We just forwarded our mail so I can't wait to see the holiday cards that are waiting for us over there! Thank you to the families that have already sent us their holiday cards! I love and keep each and every single one of them. I am putting them into a huge album to see how the families grow and change every year. Thank you, Patty, for telling me to do that 4 years ago... I have and so happy I did! 
I'll post the 2014 McGuire Christmas card later.)   

Happy Tuesday, everyone! 

XO
Christina 

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Our Last Sunday

Mark and I seem to be getting a bit emotional about moving out of our first home as a family
(okay, it is mostly just me but he keeps mentioning it so I think he is too...) 

Tonight is our last Sunday evening in our condo before we get the keys to our new home on Tuesday. Sundays are pretty uneventful around here but we like it that way. Mark and I spend a lot of time on our back porch preparing for the upcoming week, talking about goals/plans, and catching up on each other. We moved into this condo when I was about 7 months pregnant with Ava. We had a little time before she arrived and tried our best to make this a home before she arrived. 
Now, at about 6 pregnant with Elle, we are packing up again to move into our more permanent home. Even though we only rented this condo, it still felt very much like our own. We brought our first born here to live and learned how to become parents here. 
(I am starting to cry typing this right now... darn pregnancy hormones!!!) 



I rocked Ava to sleep more times than I can count in her room. 

I cried tears of exhaustion in our room after those first couple of weeks after giving birth to Ava.

I cheered Ava on as I witnessed her first crawl in her room and her first steps in our master bedroom. 

I learned how to prepare healthy meals for my family in this kitchen. 

I started my schooling to become a health coach here. Studying and learning about my passion has been so rewarding. 

 I have watched Mark stay up working late at night on the back porch table or in our bed...quickly advancing at work from Manager to Market Director to Vice President. 

This was home for the last two years. Although not a long time, it feels like we have accomplished so much in this home.

I am grateful for the time we spent here. It was safe, peaceful, and comfortable. 

Tonight, Ava asked us to go outside and see the moon with her. As she did, Mark was reminding me that this is one of last nights here and went and grabbed the camera. 
(I guess he is getting sentimental too.) 

He took these two candid photos of us just as we were heading back inside tonight. 

I can't believe that I am chasing this toddler back inside when it feels like we were just bringing her to this home for the very first time...on a Sunday.



As we close up this chapter of our lives here, we will soon be opening up a new one in our new home. We will welcome Ava's little sister, Elle Westcott, in March and make new memories there  with new neighbors, friends, and family. 

I'm off to go put Ava to bed (in her crib) which will soon change as well. Ava will be getting a new bedroom set with double twin beds very soon as Elle will be getting her crib in the new nursery. 
<Sniff> 

Happy Sunday. 

Goodnight, 
Christina