In January of 2013, a promise was made to the kids: At Christmas of 2013, we would get a family dog. Facing daily pressure, I held firm to the Christmas timetable … until July, when Bandit arrived.

A Michigan rescue who came to us via Rachel’s Mom (Nani) and Aunt Jo, Bandit is a one-year-old Bichon/Havanese.

Though his attempts to sleep with Pat and Rachel, and to eat at the kitchen table were thwarted, he has settled in after a series of compromises. He accepts his role as Vivian’s personal mannequin (within reason), and we accept his penchant for relocating dirty socks. He tolerates dry kibble, and we look the other way when one of Vivian’s colored pencils gets eaten. He makes do with three walks per day, and we make sure none of those walks happen at night (he put his foot down). He agrees to keep quiet, and we agree to tolerate his barking when it’s absolutely necessary … like for the doorbell, knocks at the door, other dogs walking by, the washing machine, ice maker, garbage disposal, animal shows on TV, electric toothbrushes, the mail man, wind gusts, sneezes …

His goal is to score a bed with a personal fleece in every room of the house. Only two rooms to go! It’s only been a month, but he eats good, sleeps good, loves to play (twice a day, 10 minutes per session, thanks), and comes when he’s called … unless he’d rather not.

Which is to say he’s a perfect fit here.

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Rachel’s dad, a casino veteran who was born in Detroit and spent most of his life there, picked up and moved south to work at a casino in Cherokee, NC, in February. The change in scenery couldn’t be more drastic, but he says the slower pace in the mountains is a welcome change. All the recent rain? Not so much.

The upside includes a management position at a thriving casino and regular visits with our crew, who he would previously only see during our visits to Michigan. His new place in Waynesville, with a gorgeous view, provides us another excuse to get on I-40 west and drive toward the mountains.

And we also get the occasional family cooking secret. We have yet to introduce him to sweet tea, Carolina Q, or good southern biscuits, but there is time.

Welcome to the south, Old Man.

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For Christmas in 2012 we continued our tradition of driving to the mountains for our tree. Reeves Ridge, the choose-and-cut farm where we get our tree in Sparta, NC, is a hit with the kids because of its fire pit, marshmellow roasting and free-flowing hot chocolate. We are such fans of the fire pit, we built a similar version in our yard.

We also changed the lighting in our tree this year, offering Santa a beacon should he have trouble finding Mooresville in a blizzard. Though we vowed to step up our game with the outdoor holiday decorations, we remain in the planning phase.

For the holiday, we traveled to Atlanta to visit the Sutherland clan. Each year since moving to NC from Michigan in 1998, we have spent time with family during the holidays, the tradition we cherish most.

Alert: Vintage tree farm pics of the kids.

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One of our favorite days in 2012 was a trip with Nani to the mountains in Asheville to see the Biltmore Estate all decked out for the holidays. Rachel and I had seen the estate in the fall of 2004, but not at night, and not like this.

It’s an impressive place any time of year, and the magnitude of the project is difficult to grasp given the era it was built (1889-95), and where it was built (deep, deep in the mountains).

As a bonus, Rachel and I tasted a new favorite wine (the Biltmore house red) giving us an excuse to make the two-hour trek more often.

Should you visit our fine state, the Biltmore (250 rooms, 178,000-plus square feet, jaw-dropping stonework and architecture) is worth a day. It’s ostentatious, but amazing all the same.

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While 2012 has been a busy and fun year for us, the highlight so far is a fantastic trip to Disney in October. Thanks to some awesome planning and execution by the grandparents, the entire Sutherland clan invaded Florida for a long weekend.

The year of hype leading up to the trip created Christmas-level expectations, and Disney delivered. We arrived to plush accommodations, ate like a royal family, and saw the sites.

Nate conquered the Tower of Terror and Vivian took her first legit roller-coaster ride, showing no signs of fear (aside from some claw marks in Dad’s left arm that are almost healed).

We swam, met several Disney characters, and ate one dinner sitting on a curb as we staked out sweet seats for the Main Street Electrical Parade. We took in the Fantasia light show, stayed out late, took a boat ride or two, and saw fireworks. And we learned you could spend your entire trip in the Magic Kingdom and still feel like you missed some good stuff.

The trip was the perfect length: Long enough to leave everyone played out and exhausted, and short enough to make us realize we need to go back. Til then …

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So picking apples is a different experience in North Carolina than in Michigan, because in NC, if you’re serious about getting the best apples, you probably need to go in August. For Rachel and I, who are used to visiting orchards in sweatshirt weather, packing sunblock and water bottles for the orchard trip is an adjustment.

That said, Skytop is our favorite orchard option here, well worth the 90-minute drive into the mountains. And because we’re not apple snobs, we don’t mind going in mid-September, even if the pickings are slimmer.

Skytop offers the usual stuff … donuts, cider, hot chocolate, pumpkins, jams, jellies, baked goods and every kind of apple you can imagine. It also offers fantastic scenery, bringing out Rachel’s inner photographer.

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After some waffling, Rachel and I took the kids to their first real concert in September. It was also an informal introduction to tailgating. I’m calling it a rousing success even though it was a country band, and on a school night no less.

We rolled with Bojangles chicken and biscuits, cold beverages, my custom-made Detroit Lions cornhole set (hat tip to Steve Sutherland), and a football. The weather was perfect, and the Zac Brown Band put on a respectable show.

I think Nathan enjoyed everything about the concert experience except the music, but it’s a great memory all the same.

Update: A few months later, Vivian and the rowdy Lucas girls were treated to a Taylor Swift concert by the moms. Nathan and I were, regretfully, unable to attend.

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Rachel and I pulled off our most ambitious vacation in June of 2012 with a little help from our families.

After delivering the kids to the grandparents in Lexington, Ky., we attended a wedding with newspaper friends from far and wide in Carlisle, Ky. After the wedding, our travels included Nashville (what a music scene), Memphis (better music and excellent BBQ), Graceland (Elvis should have left the decorating to others), a pit stop in Indianapolis to see good friends and drink great beer, then on to Michigan.

While in Michigan we snuck up to Petoskey for a couple days for some kayaking, spectacular sunsets and more good beer. We also ate at Legs Inn (a landmark for Polish food I’m told).

The kids spent their time swimming and playing with cousins on both sides of the state, and Nate and I saw the Tigers beat the Angels in Detroit, along with Uncle Christian and cousin Ben.

A memorable trip packed with family and fun, and Rachel had her camera clicking the entire time.

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One of the big family developments in 2012 was Vivian’s introduction to riding horses. She has shown a love of all things horses since an early age, so we visited one of the many nearby facilities and started lessons.

She rides once a week at Ace Equestrian Center, run by Chris Allan and her daughters. The center is a beautiful escape into the country, though it’s just a couple miles from downtown Mooresville.

Vivian is young to be riding, but has shown steady improvement. Usually riding a horse named Lacy, Vivian challenges herself to ride bareback, and hopped right back on after her first fall. She even enjoys the chores that go with taking care of horses. It’s her favorite hour of the week.

Alert: Vintage pics from Vivian’s first experience riding a horse, at her fifth birthday party.

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