Christmastime at Home

I was lucky enough to take a really long break at home in Maryland this year for Christmas. I got to see almost everyone I had been missing, albeit for not nearly long enough. Thanks to everyone for making time to see me!

 

First up was a Christmas Eve rondevous with the Devines to meet Kelli's baby, Gregory. I, of course, did not remember to get a pic of him before he went to sleep, but here is his mama and I:

Christmas day with all the Bourne cousins:

Christmas day with the fam:

Christmas day with Grandpa and Grandma:

Then, I was able to drive up to NJ to see Christine, Ben, Abby, the Noodle, and all the Furgiones! Here is Abby, Teeners and I having fun with my new iPhone camera:

 Favorite niece!

 

 My Noodle!

Extra bonus: Kait was in AC with her fam so we went over to have some lunch with her, Chris, and Camden (due March, yay!):

All of us ladies in Atlantic City after lunch:

After NJ, I was able to make a trip into the city to see my fave lifeguards, but I haven't seen any pics from Miss Grace, so I'll have to add to this post soon! So happy to see everyone for the holidays, miss you all already!

A Puffy Quilt for Abby!

One of the many goodies I brought with me when I visited South Jersey was a baby puffy quilt for Abby! This one took me forever to pick out the fabric. There were so many directions to go! I thought maybe it should be cowgirl themed since her Aunt Jaclyn lives in Texas, or maybe space themed because her mama worked at NASA, or maybe something zoo themed since I love the zoo and I couldn’t wait to go with Abby (check!). I ended up finding a brand new fabric with maps, and anchors, and narwhals that I fell in love with. I figured since she’s going to be such a fancy world traveler (thanks to her daddy in the Navy), it would be incredibly suitable. And, it was pink and navy colored which was perfect for this princess! Check out the end product:

I’ve heard that Abby likes her blanket and has been getting some good tummy time on it. Keep up the hard work, lady!

Love you,
Aunt

Meeting Abigail

So, as you may know, Christine had her baby. Now, obviously I had to meet her asap so I planned a trip at the end of September (Christine was due in the beginning of September) just in case she came late- I didn't want to miss her! Turns out she came a month early so I was really chomping at the bit by the time this trip came around. It was definitely worth the wait, Abigail is even cuter in person! The first day of my visit we headed down to the Cape May Zoo for a little animal site-seeing. They have a pretty nice set-up for a small town. I took a ton of pictures, but here are the highlights:

Cavy:

 Love birds:

 Snow Leopard Cubs:

 Twinsies:

 First Outing with Abby!

We did some tooling around South Jersey, took the Noodle for a walk, and of course had me some chicken cheese steaks from Sugarhill Subs. We even convinced Mary to play a game of pinochle with us and Pop-Pop. The next morning we went to a small cafe that was serving some amazing breakfast choices. I got eggs Benedict with crab meat on top and Christine ordered pumpkin pancakes that I also tried. Such deliciousness! That night, Christine's uncle had a comped room at the new casino in Atlantic City, the Revel. It was very schmancy! I really liked the look of this new casino, especially the atrium in the center of the lobby with fire pits for cool nights. We had dinner and then played the slots for a bit. I lost $13 and Christine won about $100. It was a short trip, but I'm glad I got to see a (somewhat) newborn Abby!

Me with Abigail:

 Christine and I at Revel:

 Hangin with the Noodle:

 Miss my other boy:

Thanks for having me Furgione/Kroll fam, it was a perfect visit! Can't wait until I get to see you all again!!