It All Started with a Little Skittle...

This year we went to Dallas for Thanksgiving and I am happy to report it is probably the best Thanksgiving(s) I've had in a really long time!  Our first Thanksgiving was on Wednesday at Uncle Kenneth and Aunt Donna's house.  We found out exciting news about some of Michael's family members, we got to catch up with relatives we rarely see, and Gabby showed her true personality to everyone rather than becoming overwhelmed like she usually does. Since Michael and I took a few vacation days we were lucky enough to have an opportunity to take Gabby and Emma to do something fun to celebrate Emma's birthday.  We decided to take them to a bouncy house place. Their favorite was a huge slide that they would take turns sliding down.  The girls had a blast and the coolest part is, now every time Gabby sees a picture of Emma she points and says, "Emma." Our visit with the family was wonderful! Traveling with Gabby would have been perfect since we left at night and she ...

On November 9th a momentous occasion occurred for the McIlroy family.  We officially became homeowners yet again! We bought a foreclosed home that needed hardly any work (new exterior locks, paint and two light fixtures). Michael and I painted and cleaned the house with help from my parents (thanks a million!) from the day we bought it until that Saturday when Michael, my dad and two amazing friends helped move all of our stuff in!  Surprisingly we moved in smoothly, but it is taking us a lot longer to unpack than I expected, because we moved from a 5 bedroom house to a 3 bedroom house.  We love that we live in a one story rather than a two story house and we are excited that Gabby will go to a good school now.  Our main concern with moving was Gabby's reaction because it took her a long time to settle in at my parents' house, but to our pleasant surprise Gabby instantly knew it was home!  She has slept through the night since the second day and she has been v...