Merry Christmas!

Ben and I spent Christmas in Atlanta this year with my crazy family. As you can see in the picture below, this year's Christmas Eve celebration at Aunt Donna and Uncle Greg's house included home made pinatas. Hilarious. First of all, every one (or at least every couple) was supposed to bring a pinata. Ben and I couldn't agree on what to make so ended up doing one each. As much as this pains me to admit, Ben's pinata was REALLY good. He made a replica of Atticus and it was purr-fect. Hee hee. When he first suggested the idea I thought "no way!" I wanted no part of what I was certain would become a paper mache disaster. But, he proved me wrong. And my "simple" idea of making a globe turned out to be much harder than I anticipated. But all the pinatas were fun for the kids to smash and looks didn't seem to matter to them as long as candy was falling down from the ceiling. Amazingly, no one got whacked in the privates or on the noggin. We had a few close calls, but no real candidates for "America's Funniest Home Videos."

Cae attempts to break Alison and Brian's Christmas tree star.

Alison and I received a very special surprise from Santa Christmas morning. As most of you know, Nanny hails from London and quite a few of her British traits have been embraced by Alison and me. We had both mentioned in passing (probably before we were even pregnant!) that we thought the traditional British prams were super cool. Alison and I were carted around in a traditional pram (thanks to Nanny) and Nanny even had Silver Cross prams (the Rolls Royce of strollers, if you will) for Mom and Uncle Greg. Mom and Dad tracked down (apparently they are hard to find these days) a boutique that special ordered these prams months ago for us. Mom was distraught because she didn't think they were going to arrive in time for Christmas, but lo and behold, they were delivered late Christmas Eve. Poor Dad spent the morning hastily trying to figure out how to put them together (not one, but two) so that Alison and I could be surprised when we did gifts. I think Dad was having flashbacks of all those years of trying to put togethers bikes, scooters, etc. in the middle of the night so that Santa could take all the credit. Anyways, we LOVE the prams! Ben and Brian didn't get nearly as excited as the mommies-to-be, but they did appreciate the "fine engineering" of the pram. That is a direct quote from Brian, by the way!

For all our pregnant friends.....the prams are made by Inglesina. Here is the link: http://www.inglesina.us/us/products/section.php?sectionid=22

Cute pet pictures

Maddux and Atticus have decided on a new favorite spot in the house. They used to always nap together on our bed, but now they have discovered that the back of the loveseat in the family room has a much better vantage point for bird watching out the window and closer proximity to their food and water bowls. I think Atticus was a little peeved last week when Mom, Dad and Spark-e (that's how her name was spelled when Mom and Dad adopted her--don't ask me why) came to visit and Spark-e immediately took over Atty's place! Animals are so funny. I just don't know what on earth Ben and I would do to amuse ourselves without our fur-babies.
**Please note that the back of the couch is now permanently sagging.**

Christmas Party

Once again Ben and I hosted a neighborhood Christmas party at our house. This year's event took place December 6th and, thankfully, was significantly calmer than last year's soiree. I'm thinking that the husbands (including my own) had been warned by the wives that this party could not go on until 3 AM--what with the hostess being preggers and NOT ABLE TO DRINK! We had a great time. Ben and I really love our neighbors and neighborhood. Brian and Alison and Mom and Dad came up from ATL to help us out. Thank you for all the cleaning up, Mom!
I was really bad about taking pictures....I snapped a few beforehand and as the first guests arrived....and then I completely dropped the ball until Chris and Franklin left the driveway zooming off on a little moped. Too hilarious!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Ben and I got to spend an entire week with his whole family and a few other Grand Haven families (the Webers and the Clickners) in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. What a fabulous trip! We stayed at the Tides Hotel, which was amazing. Actually, we were in the Residences at the Tides, which are condos. How nice that all the Slagels were able to stay in one condo. Ben and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with everyone, but hanging out with our 14 month old nephew was especially fun. I can't wait for own little one to make his or her appearance. Here is the link to the Tides: http://www.tideszihuatanejo.com/. If anyone is planning a trip to Mexico, I suggest you stay there! It was heaven on earth.

Fun hotel bar with swings instead of barstools.

My boy, Brady Quinn!

Although I faithfully watch my Irish every weekend and support them in every way I can, I have to admit that these last two seasons have been hard on me. I am way too emotional when it comes to Notre Dame football. At last I have something to smile about concerning ND--or at least a very special Notre Dame alum and former quarterback. That's right, folks--I'm talking about the one and only Brady Quinn. Brady was a great leader for the Irish and an all around asset to the university.....plus, he's REALLY easy on the eyes. Lately Brady has been receiving oodles of positive press for finally starting as QB for the Cleveland Browns. Apparently moving him to the starting position is something the coaches should have considered weeks (or even months ago), but at least they've seen the light and Brady was able to lead his not-so-great team to an exciting victory over the Buffalo Bills last night. His Monday night debut was almost flawless! Now, if the Cleveland defense could figure out how to make some tackles, the Browns will be a force to be reckoned with. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be a Cleveland Browns fan, but I started following the team last year when Brady was drafted by them. I went to nfl.com this morning to see about buying some Brown's Quinn infant gear, but everything is sold out! I should have known. Brady Quinn is about to become the next golden boy of the NFL. Why was I looking for infant gear? I guess I can now reveal that I am 10 and 1/2 weeks pregnant. Alison is almost 20 weeks, so our babies will be born about two months apart. I thought it would be cute to get the cousins matching Quinn jerseys, but no luck.
Anyways, for your viewing pleasure, here are some pics of Mr. Quinn. I go back as far as his days with the Irish and some shots for magazine shoots. And of course an image of him in his current role: starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns and hometown hottie.

Long time, no blog

Sorry for the lapse in blogging.....my computer had that stupid youtube virus (warning: do NOT open an email claiming to be a youtube video, even if it's from someone you know!) and I was internet-less for the past two weeks. Yikes! I am completely internet dependent.....I read foxnews.com and people.com every day.....I check the weather......I email with friends.....look up phone numbers.....shop. I felt like I was in a prison! Fortunately, I had some fun distractions while my computer was out of commission. My in-laws came into town for four days and we had a blast.....going out for nice dinners, boating, shopping, playing cards and just hanging out. The weather was gorgeous while they were in Greenville, which had to be a nice change for them since Michigan's weather is pretty gross this time of year. Ben and I were actually in Charlevoix for two nights this weekend for a wedding and it was raining and snowing the entire time we were there. Yuck! But Charlevoix is a pretty cool town.
Here is a picture of Ben and me and his parents and Maddux on our boat two weekends ago. The leaves are gorgeous!

New Cabinets

After nearly two months of waiting, my glass front cabinets are finally done! I love them. It's amazing how much brighter the kitchen looks by having the "wall of brown" broken up with my white china peeking through.

Brian is 40!

My brother-in-law, Brian, turns the big 4-0 today. Happy Birthday, Brian! In honor of this monumental event, Alison threw Brian a surprise party at La Paz in Vinings Saturday night. We had a great time. The food was delicious!
Me, Meri and Tara

Dad and Ben

Brian's "Old Fart" costume

Emily and Joey

Beau and Kriya

Tara, Alison and me

Fall Weekends are the best!

Ben and I are really on a roll lately.....we continue to have excellent weekends with friends! This past Friday we picked up pizza at Mellow Mushroom and enjoyed it at the home of Ashley and Will Ragsdale. Ashley and Will lived in the same condo development downtown Greenville as Ben and me we quickly became fast friends. We have so much in common! Ashley and I are both the proud owners of Maltese fur-babies (Maddux and Ritzy are boyfriend/girlfriend), we're both named Ashley, we are both transplants to Greenville due to our hubbies and we're both in the Junior League. Ashley was actually my sponsor during my provisional year. AND, I am a twin and Ashley has twins! Duke and Smith Jackson were just a few months old when I first met them and now they are rambunctious two and a half year old little boys. Adorable! However, I am sad to report that I now am horrible at telling them apart. As a twin myself, this disappoints me greatly. Anyways, we had a fun evening at the Ragsdale house. The boys were very entertaining and Maddux and Ritzy seemed to have a fun "date." In the spirit of the spooky Halloween season, we all managed to get caught up in the movie "The Ring," which was on television. Oh my goodness.....that flick is seriously disturbing!

Saturday morning Christy and Stuart Everett came up from Atlanta to attend the Clemson/GA Tech football game in Clemson. They were kind enough to get tickets for us, too. The game was great....an exciting match which was finally won by Tech. We had a good time tailgating and I have to say that we were all very impressed by the Clemson fans. What a nice bunch of people! Everyone was so friendly and helpful even though Christy's car was decked out with Yellow Jacket garb and we were wearing black and yellow instead of orange and purple. The last time I was in a similar situation was last fall when I attended the Notre Dame/Michigan game in Ann Arbor. Nightmare. Let's just say that the Wolverine fans could learn a thing or two from the Tiger fans.

Ritzy got all dressed up for the occasion!
Not sure which twin this is, but I was so honored that Ashley had them both dressed in the Notre Dame tee shirts I had given them for their birthdays.
Cool pajamas!

Fabulous Weekend

While Ben went to Athens for the UGA/Tenn game this weekend, I headed down to Atlanta for the ultimate girls' weekend! My friend, Christy, is due to have her baby boy in mid-December so she was feted with a wonderful shower at Indian Hills Country Club on Saturday. Making the day extra special was that Carrie Fox Berwick flew all the way to Atlanta from Denver for the occasion. Seeing Carrie is such a treat as she is super busy in CO with her two little boys. I hadn't seen her since my wedding! Saturday evening I dined at SoHo and had a drink at Meehans in Vinings with Carrie, Lindsay, Alison and Paige. We had a great evening. I wish I could see these girls more often! Sunday was spent brunching at J. Christopher's with Alison, Jenny, Sarah and Elizabeth. Like an idiot I forgot to snap a picture. The food and the company were spectacular. Girls, we really need to make it a point to do that more often. I miss you! Sunday evening Mom cooked up a big dinner for the family and James and Debbie. It was the perfect weekend.....I even managed to squeeze in a little shopping.

The guest of honor with Carrie and Lindsay
Carrie Berwick, Lindsay Rinehart, Alison Stephens, me and Paige Hester at Meehans

Friday night Ben and I finally made the trek to Spartanburg to see Laura and Will Ringo's house. They are renovoating a 100 year old home downtown....and they're doing it themselves! Ben and I were so impressed with their progress.....and their pets. Will and Laura have a super cute puppy named Collins (he's a mix of boxer and beagle and probably several other breeds....Jack Russell, perhaps) and a cat named Miller who is a clone of Atticus! The resemblance is uncanny. The even behave the same way (fiesty). After touring the house and playing with the fur-babies we headed to dinner with Kim and Hamp Kinnemore. Fun night!

Collins and Miller sittin' prettyLaura and Will Ringo in their new/old kitchen

Make Your Own Pizza Party

Ben and I invited neighbors Joe and Dana over to our place Monday night for some Monday Night Football and a pizza party. Joe and Dana are quite the pizza makers and agreed to teach Ben and me their skills. I was in charge of salad and dessert while Dana was in charge of all the fixings for the dough, sauce and toppings. The pizzas were delicious! Nevermind the fact that the dough was supposed to chill for twelve hours (oops!), the pizza was incredible. Ben and I fought over the leftovers. Definitely a fun dinner idea with friends!
Joe rolling out the dough while Dana offers support
Who knew Joe was so talented?
Dana made fancy breadsticks with our leftover dough
I love any opportunity to wear my pink apron
YUM!

A Note From Maddux (our dog)

Hi everyone! Today was a monumental day in the Slagel household--Mommy and Daddy took me on my first boat ride! Boating and wakeboarding are such a big part of their lives and I am finally able to share in their enjoyment. Usually I am left behind for hours on end during summer weekends while my parents have fun at the lake. But not today! Daddy only needed to take the boat on a quick test drive to check out a leak that had been repaired, so Mommy decided that we should make it a family outing. I'll admit that I was a little scared at first but I quickly took to it like a fish to water, no pun intended. Thankfully, my parents took lots of pictures to document the event, which I have included below. What a blast! It's like riding in a car with all the windows down.....and no roof! I hope to see you all soon!
Love,
Maddux
Heading down the dock......
So far, so good (we're still in the slip at this point)
Whee!
Helping Daddy dock in the slip
Going home!

More redecorating still!

Last week my newly covered furniture was delivered and my mom and I painted the living room a greenish/tan color. I also bought a rug and some curtain rods from Pottery Barn. Ben and I finally got around to hanging the curtains last night so here are some pics of the completed family room! All I have left to do is get a valance made for my kitchen and to get my bar stools reupholstered. I think my new family room is sunny and cheerful! Or at least I hope so!