a visit from friends...

We hosted the Dube' family for a couple of days and had a blast! George and Greg were roommates at KingsPoint and this was the first we reunited and introduced Cora to them. They live in Virginia and have family here in CT, so we were lucky to have them for 2 nights!

group shot in our living room (Lindsay, Will, Kaitlyn, George, Karen, Greg, Cora, Meg)

best buddies

Cora's first attempt at "bowling"

She made a better cheerleader!

Greg was the superstar of the day, bowling 5 strikes in a row!

An improptu horse ride at our local dairy farm (about 1 mile from home) -- we enjoyed fresh ice cream and chocolate milk (and got their delivery schedule as they do home deliveries!)

NOT thrilled with the calfs!

Lindsay and Kaitlyn trekking through our snowy backyard (still covered in snow despite a couple of 60 degree days)

Cora wishing she could join them...

a concert in the playroom

Greg caught up in a doll party with the girls

LONGGGG overdue!

Just in case anyone checks our blog anymore (and big apologies to those of you), we have been overwhelmed with the moving in process here. We just got internet service and cable (in time for the Superbowl yesterday), so we are eager to share what's up with the Madea's.....

We moved into our house on Meg's birthday (January 30th) just in time for a whopping snowstorm. As you can see in the pictures, we chose to rent out in the country for the land alone... after living on a tropical island, then a very congested Newport, followed by an even more congested Japan, we craved privacy and SPACE! The house we chose to rent was the first one we saw and we just fell in love with the layout and and location and thought the dogs would thrive here as well. Our home is in Lisbon, which is about 20 miles north of Groton (where Greg works) and is a pretty charming little town. We are surrounded by farms and vineyards and are close to the highway and access to the stores and work.

Meg's folks arrived just before the winter storm to deliver Finn and Bonny and have been here helping unpack and settle (it's QUITE a chore). Each day more boxes get emptied and places are found for the many treasures we accrued overseas.

Here's a few pictures of our place (promise to post more of the interior once we clear those boxes!) and our surroundings......

264 Ross Hill Road

Lisbon, CT 06351

Cora poses in Sofu's "stormy kromer" hat

Cora's job was putting the magnets on the fridge

Bonny walking on snow in backyard (once it iced...)

our first fire (we have 2 working fireplaces!)

Cora and Greg shoveling front walkway

Cora and Sofu playing Legos (he's a great babysitter!)

Some perspective on the depth of the snow here...

Big Red and a Snowstorm!

We've got Big Red back in our possession after 2 lonely years of it being in storage. Greg's so happy to have her back and she's running great. Cora seems to LOVE sitting up so high and keeps saying "wow" when we ask how she likes it!

Otherwise, this is our official "house hunting" week, which has hit a bit of a roadblock with the big snow we received. So far, we've seen 6 houses inside and out and we have 2 more to view. We're happy with our options and are eager to get our household goods and "set up home."

The snow is beautiful and we're trapped in the Navy Lodge today as the city is basically shut down. In fact, Cora's still in her PJ's and loving it! Greg went out to shovel around Red once the snow seemed to stop and he took some pictures to show the accumulation. It's blistery cold and very windy here, supposedly a Nor'easter, though it doesn't seem nearly as bad as the ones I remember when I lived in Boston. Regardless, we're staying in today to prevent losing the space Greg worked so hard at digging out AND to avoid the crazy drivers on the road, though we're confident Big Red would handle just fine :)

checking in...

Cora trying to salute but is TOO tired!

We're HERE!

That's in Groton, CT. Sorry we haven't posted in awhile, a LOT has been going on. We finished up a grand visit with the Michigan family and flew to northern New Jersey to spend some time with the Madea family. We got to meet cousin Caitlin for the first time and toast in 2011! Thankfully, we arrived AFTER the blizzard, so we were able to enjoy the white stuff without hurting our backs shoveling (sorry, folks!)

Cora seemed to remember Nana and Duke and GG and Aunt Eleanor. We're so excited to be living in the same time zone so she can see a lot more of everyone!

We took a bunch of pictures (including some professional ones) and will share a few of them here:

the Statile family reunion

meeting Libby

Cora and Caitlin figuring out a new toy

Caitlin leads Duke as Cora enjoys her horsey ride

Cora's first "Judicke's" donut

the 3 cousins playing (Joey is 13 months and on the left)

Sadly Cora decided to play "Stalin" for the entire photo shoot...

the BEST shot of the day (Cora was in meltdown mode, clearly...)

... we miss our doggies a lot -- They are staying with Gma and Gpa in Michigan while we househunt, we are so grateful for this "special kenneling" and hope they are behaving! Our search for homes has begun, it's a daunting task but it's the first time we've been able to do it together, which is nice. Super happy we have GPS in our rental car so we can merely insert addresses and be guided to the next stop! Stay tuned for more details.....

Merry Christmas to all!

The jetlag is slowly leaving and we're beginning to feel a bit human. Our Christmas was wonderful and pretty laid-back, thankfully! We enjoyed a seafood Christmas Eve dinner followed by candlelight church service where Cora behaved very well (until the candles were actually lit), she loved the music most! Christmas morning, we opened presents and enjoyed the company of great-grandma Callihan. We had a yummy meal and talked to lots of family on the phone and Skype.

family shot on Christmas Eve

Finn and Bonny guarding the tree. Alas, eventually they fell asleep and Santa got through (Finn is rather depressed, but we told him better luck next time).

Cora helped hand out gifts on Christmas morning

Cora getting loving from her favorite Bonny

Cora's matching doll set to her own stroller!

Cora showing off her new dollhouse to Great Grandma

Cora showing off her chugging skills with Eggnog

Eggnog mustache

yummy, yummy, yummy it's SO good in my tummy