Chevrons and Airplanes

 Tis the season for baby showers!  I put together a baby boy quilt using some airplane blocks I had made way back in Oklahoma.  They finally had a good use!

A Baby Girl Finish

 Stella wanted to be in the pic with the quilt...

Half Birthday

Little Man had his half birthday over the break, so when we got back he requested an Oreo Poke cake and gave half of it went to his bestie Evan.

Saying Goodbye

 We were so busy that it really didn't hit me that I was saying goodbye to my childhood home until we were backing out of the driveway to head home.  I hadn't emotionally processed it at all.  We stopped in Palmyra, so that Little Man could go to the temple with his cousins.  It's where it all began for Joel and I.  We were married there 16 years ago.

While the older kids were in the temple, I took the younger 3 to the Sacred Grove and the Hill Cumorah.  It's my place if that makes sense.  I walked along the paths and let my kiddos run ahead while I had a good cry.  I finally had time to process what felt like yet another loss this year.  I'm not sure when I'll be back to New York now that my mom has sold the house.

I love what they've done with the Hill Cumorah.  They've seeded it to let it go naturally to a forest again.  There are a couple of walking paths that we took to the top of the hill.  We took the path down the back from the Moroni statue.  It's lovely.  

We said goodbye to New York and drove back to Kansas.  We're hoping this is our last road trip for a while.

The Move

Our main reason for heading to New York was to help my mom move.  It was really cold, Joel hurt his back, but we made it- the truck is completely packed!

The kids were extremely helpful!

 

Packing 30 years worth of things is no small task.  Everyone was exhausted, but it's done.  To celebrate we went to The Lights on the Lake afterward.  

Thanksgiving/Anniversary/Turkey Trot

Joel claims the love is dead, because I signed him up for a 5K on our anniversary.  I've got mug shots to prove it!  Hahaha- I'm just trying to mix things up for our 16th.  

Little Man and E ran it together.  We're pretty sure the boys PRed.  Little Lady and Mel walked it together, laughing and giggling the entire time.  I love their sweet relationship. 

BB and Little Guy took off with Grandma and finished before us.

Everyone's getting so grown up.  We had one last Thanksgiving at my childhood home.  

We finished off the evening with a Stuetz classic: Charleston Heston's Treasure Island.

Temple #83

 We stopped by the Montreal Temple.  It's our 83rd temple.  I loved the maple leaf details on the stone.  

Montreal was such a fun city.  We loved all of the French.  People were very gracious with my non-existent French (I merely asked everyone if they spoke English in French and that's all the French I had to offer - most could speak English, but a few simply had someone on standby that could help).  I loved seeing the signs in French and listening to conversations around us.

Montreal

We took a mini-24 hour trip to Montreal.  It was our last chance to get up there so easily.  It's only a 4 hour drive from Syracuse.  We got up early and drove straight to Parc du Mont-Royal.  It's a lovely walk up to the viewpoint of the city.  There was snow, but it wasn't anywhere near as cold as we expected, so that was really nice.

Afterward we headed to a French bakery for lunch...and of course, we couldn't leave without a pastry. Yum! 

We spent the afternoon on an Old City walking tour.  It was absolutely fascinating.  We loved it!

The old banks are as elaborate as European churches. 

One of the highlights was the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, the first Marian pilgrimage site of Montreal, founded by Marguerite-Bourgeoys in 1655.  I love the ships hanging from the ceiling.

We didn't get a chance to tour the cathedral, but we heard it's amazing inside.  We ate at a crepery for dinner, and enjoyed the main square at night.  Montreal is such a lovely city!