On December 31, we hit the road for metro Detroit to welcome 2012 with Stuart and Erin in their new house. They closed and moved in right before Christmas, and Stu spent the week after Christmas painting all of the bedrooms and one of the bathrooms, and a lot of their new furniture arrived just before we did! They were very sweet to host us in the midst of all their settling in. I immediately fell in love with their house--it was built in the 1920s, so it has tons of character and charm, and the previous owners spent a bunch of time and money updating the kitchen and bathrooms, refinishing the floors, wiring the house for sound, and insulating the three car garage. So it's in fantastic condition, and it already feels home-y even before they have art on the walls.
We went out to lunch at a really yummy BBQ place in Royal Oak, and then Erin and I went to Homegoods while the boys went back home with the kids. Erin and I had a blast wandering through the store, and we each found a deal. We got home to find Stu putting Nathan down for a nap and Todd rocking Natalie to sleep. Nathan absolutely adores Stu and Erin, and I so appreciate how involved and helpful they are with him.
Nay went to bed easily (thank goodness; he's been fighting bedtime a bit lately), and we feasted on a sampler platter from a nearby Lebanese restaurant and the variety of Short's beer with which Stuart had so generously stocked the fridge. Around 10:00, Erin's parents, grandma, aunt and uncle came by to ring in the new year. It was great to catch up with them, the Trussell/Chirillo clan is always up for a good time! At midnight Natalie, who had been sleeping in different people's arms all night, woke up and couldn't have been more thrilled to find herself in the middle of a party! She was passing out smiles left and right, but she was especially enthralled with Erin's dad, Mark. Every time Natalie looked at him, she would give him the biggest grin possible and squeal with delight--it was so cute!!
The next morning we relaxed and ate bagels while Nathan played, and Todd and Stuart installed a new light fixture in the living room. Nay was really upset when it was time to leave, as were we, but it was Sunday and we had to get home. I didn't take very many photos this trip--I'm trying to figure out the balance between capturing memories on camera and actually enjoying the time while it's happening.
Nathan and James the cat checking each other out. Nathan loves cats. James isn't so sure about toddlers.
Hanging out in the cozy tv nook in the living room. Natalie was fighting sleep. Sleep won.
Once Nathan went to bed, James was free to relax, an activity at which he excels.
1 comment:
That cat is really cute, and I don't usually find cats very appealing.
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