Perfectly Uncle Pete!

My kids count down the days until Christmas for many reasons...celebrating Jesus tops the list...and of course there are the presents, parties, cookies & more...but one of the most special reasons is because it is usually the one time of year that they get to spend time with my brother, their beloved Uncle Pete! As Jack will tell you, "All of our family lives here in the Charlotte area, except for Uncle Pete, who lives in Chicago!" So in the weeks & months leading up to Christmas-time, I am frequently answering questions like, "When are we going to see Uncle Pete again?" or "When can we go to Chicago to see Uncle Pete? Can we go this afternoon?" This year as his highly anticipated visit was drawing near, I was asked on a daily, sometimes hourly basis..."How many more days 'til Uncle Pete gets here? Is it tomorrow or the day after? How many days before Christmas is he coming? How long is he staying? Can he spend the night with us?...and on & on!
So, finally, a few days before Christmas, the oh-so-happy day arrived, and so did Uncle Pete! He stayed in NC for a full 10 days & we got to visit with him several times. He even got to spend the night at our house twice, much to the delight of 4 happy kiddoes! (Pete had to balance the quiet at our parents' house with the crazy here!) There were many games & stories & a whole lot of hide & seek & everyone's favorite...Uncle Pete chasing everyone around the house!

Here is a look back at some of our special moments with Uncle Pete!

 Reading a Christmas story with two very happy girls!

Zoe wanted in on the love, too!

Zoe lived with Pete for a while in Chicago when we first moved here, so they share a special bond. 

 Drew was just a little baby on Pete's previous visits, but he warmed up to Uncle Pete right away!

Pete's birthday is just a few days after Christmas. To celebrate, we met him & my parents at a restaurant in Waxhaw. After dinner we walked around just a bit to look at the lights & the pretty store windows, but it was COLD! The only photo I took the whole time is the one above & I took it with my phone in the dark, so it's a little blurry! 

After dinner, Pete came back to our house to spend the night. 

All of the kids & Pete in front of the Christmas tree on Pete's birthday!

And everyone is actually smiling, Happy Birthday Uncle Pete!

The next morning Pete cooked everyone a nice breakfast & then we ALL headed up to IKEA for a little shopping! Drew doesn't easily fall asleep in the car, but I guess it helps when you have a hand to hold!

Pete took this picture of Drew on his phone.

 Pete was also able to spend more time with us again on New Year's Day.

 More story reading!

 Sophie would read with Pete all day long!

Sadly, it was time for Pete to return to Chicago all too quickly...

 Everyone enjoyed a wonderful visit with him!

 We love you LOTS Uncle Pete & hope you will visit again soon!

 Seriously, don't wait until Christmas again...a whole year is TOO long to wait!

 See you soon little buddy!

 Sophie had to give Pete a few extra hugs before he left! I think she misses him the most!

We all miss you & we all love you, and we all hope to see you again very soon! 

With all this snow we are getting in NC, you might as well just move back...it's hardly different from Chicago! ;-) ;-)