Keep Up With The Robillards!!

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Puerto Rico

Claire at her best :-)

What Jenna is up to

Picture overload

The pictures you've all been waiting for

Catching up once again

It's Friends and Family Time

Christmas?

Check out this announcement...

A quick Snider update

Jenna says hello!

For the crafty ones

Family Weekend

We survived

You're invited to view my photos

You're invited to view my photos

Whew...

Welcome Home Julie!

What's been going on...

Relay for Life

The calendar...

A month of catching up...

Tornado Video

Family Weekend 2011

We've been home for a week

Settling in

More updates

Claires Visit to the "hostable"

Welcome Jenna

No rest for the weary

Something's happening!

Nothing happening

Baptism

Charlotte & Lauren Easter Pictures

Tick tock....

37 weeks and counting....

What's been going on....

Long Awaited Pictures of Charlotte & Lauren

Fundraiser for Emily!

Bigger by the week....

What a day....

Smiles for Emily!

Did you know....

30 weeks & Hoboken St. Patricks Day

Happy Birthday Auntie Cindy!!

Your thoughts

Thoughts and prayers

Claire had to remind me

Happy Birthdays!!

Keep those doctors happy.....

Happy Birthday David

Yup, it's really a girl....

Congratulations Nicole and Larry

Congratulations on your prestigious Award Liz

Happy Birthday Kevin

Congratulations Nicole & Larry

The hunt for the perfect Christmas tree...

Working the day after Thanksgiving

Happy Birthday Erin

Happy Birthday to you...

TECWAE

Long overdue...and 14 week update

Ultrasound pictures

Paul's Epic Halloween Costume

Claires statements of the week

Long time, no post....

Nicoles shower pictures

Mason's first day at work

Donations for Julie's Clinic

Happy Birthday Julie

Happy Birthday Andrea

Happy Birthday Paul

Next Stop: Ireland

Greetings from London!

A few pictures

Lots of News

While in Vermont....

Happy Birthday Meredith!

Random

Ultrasound Pictures!

Potty Training

Happy Birthday

Good luck Mandy!

cAMP

When I grow up...

What's been going on?

The next time someone wins the lottery....

Way to go Julie!

Donate to Julie's Health Clinic Renovation

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Relay for Life is THIS WEEK!!!

Vermont Dates

Happy Wednesday

Come celebrate with us...

Happy Birthdays and Anniversary

Finally Friday!

Directions

Dressing:

2012-01-31T16:44:00.001-05:00

You can check out our pictures here

The password is my last name and FamilySession. Keep in mind it was super windy during the shoot and Jenna wanted nothing to do with picture taking. She wanted out of the sun and wanted to take a nap. Nonetheless I think they turned out great and the more I see them the more I love them. Now to narrow down the choices.

2012-01-30T12:07:00.003-05:00

Once again, we had a blast in Puerto Rico - 9 days of fun in the sun. It truly was a relaxing vacation, spending most days at the pool or the beach, the guys went golfing 3 times, Andrea twice, and one day Kristin, Andrea, Dan, and I took an adventure to go zip-lining. It was super fun and ended up being 4 hours of zip lining. There were 8 lines and one additional where you lay on your stomach and zip about a mile across the mountains. Andrea was a little worried about that one, but other than the take off it was awesome! We arrived a little late and missed out on the handing out of the water, which meant we almost lost Kristin waiting for the last zip line. She was wheezing a little from the hike up and then got super pale. There was a good amount of climbing involved and Kristin was feeling a little dehydrated (add in the sympathy pains from the hurting Grandma in our group). I have no shame and asked the couple behind us if Kristin could have some water and that did the trick. Good thing, because I'm not sure how she would have made it across the line.

Claire seemed the perfect age to enjoy the trip. She is still skeptical about the ocean and the waves, but at least she didn't scream when her toes touched the sand. Jenna on the other hand wanted nothing to do with the sand touching her feet or putting her toes in the water. It took her a little while the get warmed up to the idea of swimming in the pool, but she got it by the end of our trip. Claire kept getting braver and braver in the pool. We started with her Puddle Jumper vest and then she decided she didn't want anything on. Although she can't swim totally on her own, she is very very close. We asked someone at the pool to borrow their swimmies to see how she would do with just those and she was off swimming on her own and jumping off the side. She lost interest in those as soon as I bought her a pair and was back to trying to swim with no swimmies at all. I'll take a bet that she is swimming on her own 2 weeks into summer camp!

Jenna enjoyed her vacation, walks with Pipere every morning, and naps by the pool. She wasn't exactly herself while we were down there, had a slight fever on the way down and took a couple days to clear that up. I kept saying she must have been teething pretty badly and sure enough we picked her up from daycare on Friday and she had her two front teeth broken through the skin. She now has 3 teeth, which is so much earlier than Claire. Jenna also started cruising on the furniture while in Puerto Rico. I think it's time to slow things down a little - it's all going too fast.

I'll try to post pictures soon - we are still waiting on the proofs from the photographer we had come meet us at the beach. Should be interesting since Jenna was in absolutely no mood and it was super windy. Here's hoping she got some great shots - we had a blast working with her.

2012-01-10T09:48:00.002-05:00

Hope this gives you a good laugh or two - the second video is by far my favorite, you can probably tell by my ridiculous laughing in the background.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

2012-01-04T08:01:00.003-05:00

The holidays have come and gone and I have been super slack once again. Jenna has been up to lots, but I feel like I am losing track of it all. Jenna started crawling in the middle of December - a few days after we realized she cut her first tooth on the bottom right. I had no idea she was even teething until I caught a glimpse of her tooth popping through the gums. At least I know it wasn't bothering her or keeping her up at night. The diaper rash on the other hand, was awful and now we know why. Claire was exactly the same with getting a horrible diaper rash right before cutting a tooth. But other than that, the girls are so different in their developmental milestones. Jenna sat up way earlier than Claire ever did and followed that up with crawling (do you remember that Claire NEVER crawled, only butt scooted across the floor?). Now Jenna is a crawling machine, getting into everything and putting everything in her mouth. She also started clapping and is making a whole lot more sounds - many of which sound like Mama and Dada although I don't think she has any clue what she is saying. At her 7.5 month check up for the flu shot, Jenna weighed in at 14lb, 2oz - 2.5 lbs less than Claire was at this point.

We were slow to get started on the food but she is now eating anything that is pureed. So far we have made sweet potato, squash, carrots, green beans, peas, pears, applesauce, and bananas. I think this weekend we might expand some more and see what else she can try - she is enjoying yogurt though, and Claire loves sharing her yogurt with Jenna. Making baby food is so easy and definitely cheaper than buying it. Daycare game me a thumbs up for making it :-) We tried the Puffs but Jenna does not like the consistency at all.

Jenna started her New Years off with a bang - literally! On New Years Day Claire, Jenna, and I were playing on the bed and next thing I know Dan was yelling an expletive as Jenna was falling off the bed. Lucky for us she only ended up with a tiny scratch/cut on her head and only cried for a few minutes, but it certainly scared us. The next day she got out of her Bumbo seat and crashed onto the hard wood again this time landing on her cheek. I'm sure daycare was happy to have her back in their care ;-)

Next Saturday we are off to Puerto Rico for a week of fun in the sun - and more family pictures!

2011-12-12T15:01:00.011-05:00

**Don't forget to check out the pictures of the beach after reconstruction

Another catch up post from the Sniders. Daddy hanging out with his girls

Jenna trying to decide which sport she enjoys most - she was dressed up to support the Clemson fooball game, but she was enjoying playing with the basketball.

Hanging out at Thanksgiving with Great Grandpa

Showing off the hats they each made at school.

Saturday after Thanksgiving Jenna was baptized - it was a beautiful day and we were so lucky to celebrate surrounded by family and friends - thank you to everyone for joining us! Jenna was a little ham during the baptism and just stared at the priest as she was christened. Jenna's baptism gown was originally my grandfathers gown - 93 years ago! What an honor that she was able to wear the same gown, which I wore and Claire as well.

Once we got back from Thanksgiving, we took the girls to the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. Claire was so excited - we visited Daddys office and then headed over for a 5PM show. Claire was in awe and loved watching the dancing. Jenna fell asleep 10 minutes into the show and woke up when the music stopped playing at the end. Claire is still talking about it and loves running around the house kicking her legs.

Since the weather has been so nice lately we have been trying to get out to the park a lot. A few weeks ago, Claire took Jenna down the slide for the first time. Jenna seemed to love it - maybe she will be more of a daredevil than Claire is.

Andrea picked up this little diaper cover for Claire - it is sequined and says I <3 Santa. Of course I had this vision of putting her in it with little leg warmers so I went ahead and picked some up from Etsy - they might be the cutest little things ever - I think all little kids should sport leg warmer, especially with faux fur :-) Doesn't Jenna look thrilled? She might never forgive me for this one

This past weekend, myself, Dan, and Andrea travelled down to Birmingham for a friends wedding. We had a great time and from what I hear Claire and Jenna were pretty spoiled spending the weekend Nana & Pipere.

2011-12-12T11:58:00.002-05:00

It's kind of hard to believe

2011-11-12T20:19:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I feel like I spend my life catching up, but nonetheless here we go....

In October Dans cousin got married in Ohio so we took a trip to Columbus. It was Jennas first flight and she did great. She slept both flights and Claire kept the flight attendants entertained. She actually entertained the whole plane while we were boarding and she yelled really loudly - but Daddy the lady in front of me won't move! But that was better than when she asked a woman at the wedding if she had a baby in her belly...Anyways, Claire and her cousin Gretchen were flower girls and, besides looking beautiful, they did great!

Gretchen and Claire took different roles walking down the aisle. They both walked but Gretchen made it rather quickly and Claire took her time stopping at about every pew to hand out flowers. Dan eventually came behind to hurry things along, but at least they both made it down the aisle and no one freaked out. Jenna behaved herself and enjoyed her first time with a babysitter while we took Claire to the reception.
Meet the Snider grandchildren - Jenna, Claire, Gretchen (4), Benjamin (1.5 months), and Savannah (1.5 years)
While most people who read this blog spent Halloween trying to stay warm without power, Claire and Jenna got dressed up and enjoyed trick or treating. We went to a friends condo building and walked the halls which was nice because we stayed warm. Both girls had parties at school and got to wear their costumes there too - Claire is Belle and Jenna is a cupcake.
Jenna is getting bigger and bigger everyday. Not sure where the time is going, but she is growing up before our eyes. Developmentally, she is grabbing at things and rolling over from side to side. She doesn't like to play with any one thing for too long and she goes between her exersaucer, the bumbo, and playing on the floor. She has started making a lot more sounds and is generally a happy baby. She is taking (4) 6 oz bottles and sometimes a 4 oz bottle somewhere in the middle. The time change messed her up for a few days and I think she working through her tired period and caught her second wind once it was bedtime. We had a few nights where she didn't go down until after 9. Her normal bedtime is 8PM and she sleeps until I wake her up to feed her at 6 and then goes back down until Dan wakes her up around 7. Her napping is all over the place and she tends to take quick cat naps with the exception of one longer nap late in the morning. And while I'm rambling I'll add in that I believe Jenna will have Mommy's hazel eyes. Time will tell
One of my favorite things is watching Claire and Jenna interact. Claire listens to everything we say while tending to Jenna. She repeats it all in context and takes excellent care of her sister. Jenna watches every move Claire makes. She stares at her and just giggles and laughs. No one can make Jenna laugh like Claire can :-)
Daddy took Jenna for her 6 month appointment and she weighed in at 12 lb 10oz (below 5th %) and 24.5 inches (5-10%) She is very close to sitting up on her own - right now she stays upright for a bit before falling over - she is way ahead of Claire on this milestone. And can you tell Jenna loves the bath?
At 6 months the doctor gave us the OK to start rice cereal - Jenna is not so sure about it, but in the 3 times she has had she has gotten much better each time.
Now we are looking forward to heading to Massachusetts for Thanksgiving. Please join us on Saturday, November 26th for Jennas Baptism. The baptism will take place at St. Thomas church at noon followed by lunch at my parents. We're looking forward to seeing everyone soon!

2011-11-10T08:18:00.003-05:00

We are Robillards and you know we love a good deal. It seems like this is the friends and family time of year so I thought I would share some of the coupons that are out there.

40% off Ann Taylor and Loft - November 10th - 13th
30% off Gap, GapKids, etc... - through November 13th
20% off Kohls - November 17th - November 20th
25% off Crazy 8 - through November 13th

Happy Shopping!!

2011-11-08T15:45:00.001-05:00

Greetings from Sunny California!

In attempting to make travel arrangements and plans for the remainder of the year...has there been any thought as to when we are doing the Robillard Christmas?

2011-10-24T11:39:00.004-04:00

It is a pleasure to announce that Kristin Robillard has been promoted to Plant Manager for the Vermont facility. Kristin’s extensive knowledge of the Vermont operation, as well as her people management and problem solving skills will be well suited to the numerous challenges that are a daily part of a plant manager’s responsibilities. Kristin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business from Jacksonville University. She will begin her new role on October 24, 2011.

Congratulations Kristin - we know you have worked hard and deserve this. Best of luck in your position, we are proud of you and know you will do wonderfully!

2011-10-17T08:19:00.003-04:00

I do use this blog to keep track of what the girls are doing, so I wanted to update before I forget what is really going on in our world. Jenna had her 4 month check up and weighed in at 10lb 8oz, the doctors were fine with that, but wanted us to come back at 5 months to check her weight and get Claire her flu shot. Jenna jumped up to 11lb 3oz (below 5th percentile), 24 inches long (5-10 percentile), and a 40cm head circumference (below 5th percentile). While she is pretty small, she is within ounces of Claire at 5 months and the doctors were not concerened at all, so neither are we! Jenna is nursed in the morning before I leave for work (yes, I wake her up to feed her) and then she gets (3) 4.5 ounce bottles of pumped milk at daycare, nursed once more at home, sometimes twice, and gets 4oz of formula before bed. She goes down around 8:30, goes back to sleep after I nurse her in the morning and Dan wakes her up to get her ready for daycare. She is still sleeping in a cradle in our room, but it's about time to make the move to a crib. We certainly don't mind having her in our room because she does not make a peep - not even when my alarm goes off multiple times to get up. Last week I put her down without swaddling her and she slept just the same, so I think we are done with the swaddle. How is she old enough for this already?

Jenna started rolling over from her back to her stomach at 4.5 months. She hangs out on her stomach for a little while and then gets mad and fusses until we turn her over again - what a fun game this can become! She still enjoys her play mat, but it's about time to pack up her little chair. She tries so hard to sit forward and ends up flopping over the side of the chair trying to grab whatever is in reach. She seems to be enjoying daycare and is doing well there. The transition back to work for me was pretty good. We are slowly getting into a routine, it just means dinner gets on the table a little later than it used to.

Unfortunately, my breastfeeding days are quickly dwindling down. Not sure why, but I feel guilty about it and I don't remember feeling this way with Claire. I am just not producing enough to keep up with her and pumping at work is becoming too much when I am just not getting enough. I would like to keep the morning and night feedings, but not sure how that will work unless I continue to wake Jenna up before I leave. We will see....but I'm afraid this will come to an end very quickly.

Other than that, we have been staying busy - we hit the Big E which Claire absolutely loved, had a good visit over Columbus Day weekend with Andrea, last weekend we went down to Maryland to visit friends and see Clemson play, and Thursday night we are heading to Ohio for Dans cousins wedding. Claire and her cousin Gretchen are the flower girls - can't wait to see how they do!

2011-10-07T11:28:00.001-04:00

2011-10-04T20:53:00.004-04:00

I thought these Halloween treats were cute, maybe a good activity for the little ones.

Owl cupcakes

Candy Corn cookies

Happy baking - I think we will be making the cookies this weekend

2011-09-19T21:36:00.001-04:00

Finally got around to doing something with the pictures Dan & I took over family weekend. I must say we slacked off in the picture taking department, but we still enjoyed looking at the pictures we captured. Hope you enjoy as well (for those of you watching at work - there's music with the video)!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

2011-09-18T22:11:00.004-04:00

Mommy survived her first week back at work, Claire survived her first full week of preschool, Jenna survived her first week of daycare, and Dan survived the chaos. Not sure we have ever been so happy to have a weekend to relax. And now for the pictures....Claire was ready for the first day of preschool.
Her first day was only a drop in so I got to go with her while Dan stayed home with Jenna. Claire is lucky enough to have two of her daycare friends in her classroom with her. I think that made the transition much easier. Her teachers are wonderful and she seems to be enjoying it. She cracks me up when she comes home and reports back exactly what happened that day and is so proud to show off the new songs she is learning.
Jenna doesn't seem so impressed to be taking pictures at this hour of the morning
Claire loving on JennaSomeone loves to make muffins on the weekends, but I think she enjoys eating the batter more than making the muffins.
Our last visit with Andrea before her California departure. Andrea took her to Build-A-Bear and they made matching teddy bears. Claire made Auna-bear and Andrea made Claire-bear - they recorded messages for each other and put them in the bear, so every night at bedtime we hear "Auna loves you Claire, I miss you" over and over and over
I love this picture, but I am starting to think these girls looks a lot like Mommy
This is Claire dressing herself - maybe she wanted to make sure every color of the rainbow was represented?
We took Jenna back to the doctor for her 4 month visit last week and she once again weighed in at 10lb, 8oz. This visit the doctor seemed to believe that it's the nature of our girls to just be small. She wasn't concerned at all and actually recommended holding off on solids for breastfed babies until 6 months. I remember starting vegetables with Claire and 6 months, but I have no problems holding out as long as Jenna seems happy. The ladies at daycare love having her there and she is always happy and smiling when we pick her up. Look like we are back into our new normal

2011-09-11T00:12:00.002-04:00

You're invited to view Gail's photos!


	A note from Gail Check out my album on Walgreen's - enjoy!




Mt Washington 2011 324 photo(s)

More you can do with Walgreens:

2011-09-11T00:12:00.001-04:00

You're invited to view Gail's photos!


	A note from Gail Check out my album on Walgreen's - enjoy!




Mt Washington 2011 324 photo(s)

More you can do with Walgreens:

2011-08-27T07:52:00.002-04:00

It has really been a crazy couple of days. We'll start with Andrea flying out to Los Angeles last week to work and finalize a place to live, which she did successfully. She was set to fly out of Newark and into Hartford because she had a wedding shower to attend on the Cape Saturday. No problem since the Snider family was heading to Massachusetts for the weekend as well so here was the plan - Andrea take a car service to the airport and at some point during the week Dan would drive me to Andreas house and I would pick up her car and then Dan and I would take 2 cars to Massachusetts, Meredith heading up Thursday and Dan on Friday. This was followed by a brilliant idea by one of my girlfriends......let's get away for the night! Wouldn't that be wonderful, a night away with no kids.

So the planning began....which of our girlfriends could make a last minute trip to Atlantic City work? Three of us made it work, but that meant we had to find someone to watch Jenna Thursday and Friday because she hasn't started daycare yet. The plan was to meet my Dad halfway and do a baby hand off. This would be our first time away from Jenna for any length of time, but I could use a night away and what the heck? We were heading to Massachusetts Friday anyways. So Wednesday, on my birthday, I drove to meet Dad, had a wonderful lunch and left without a child. Only problem was Dad and I both hit traffic from an accident that closed down the highway 1 exit away from where we were going - and oh yeah, while I was sitting stopped on the highway I noticed my gas light was on. Awesome.... Oh well, it was a long trip but still well worth it.

I enjoyed a quiet ride back to Hoboken, picked up Claire from daycare, picked up Dan from work and we were off to Morristown for a birthday dinner and to pick up Andreas car. Of course when we got to Andreas house and it was now time for me to pump, I realized I forgot an important part of the pump at home. So back to Hoboken we went. Thursday I got up and picked up my friend to head down to Atlantic City. We had a wonderful time - no luck at the casino, but the food and company was excellent and the uninterrupted sleep was even better. But as we got down to AC we started to get a little nervous about this storm that was coming. And by the time we left on Sunday, we were evacuating with the rest of Atlantic City and the casinos were closed or preparing to close. Now I was trying to think through a plan for the Snider family - Hoboken is right on the water, and while the street we live on is one of the few streets in Hoboken that is not in a flood zone, there is still the potential - and did I mention we have lots of things stored in our basement, that would flood with lots of rain? It would have been easy to just decide not to head up for the weekend, but there were 2 little problems - #1, I would prefer to ride out the storm with the family together and Jenna was not with us. #2, Andreas car had to get to Massachusetts so she had a way to get back to NJ. After much thought, Dan and I decided we wanted to be in NJ to ride out the storm and wanted Jenna with us. So we planned to drive halfway to Massachusetts (again!) to pick up Jenna and ride out the storm at Andreas house. The drop required Dan and I to drive separate cars to CT, and then Mom & Dad to drive separate cars to from CT to Mass. Before heading out we packed for the weekend and prepared the house as best as possible. We started our trip at 5PM and arrived at Andreas at 11:30. I packed the flashlights, radio, snacks - Dan packed the beer. I think we are now settled at Andreas and are awaiting the arrival of Patrick, Sara, William, and Jack. They are under mandatory evacuation and will hunker down with us.

And don't worry, beside the kids, Sara and I have brought with us the most important thing - our supply of breast milk. Forget the food in the freezer, if you thought I would leave behind the supply I have worked so hard to build up you are crazy!! At least if it is with me I have the chance to get it on ice if we lose power. So here goes nothing - wish us luck!!

All of you in Western Mass stay safe as well. Keep us posted and we will do the same.

2011-08-19T10:50:00.002-04:00

After 26 months in the Peace Corps, Julie is now home for good. We are so happy to have her home and look forward to hearing her wonderful stories about the great work she did while in Ghana. Gail, Cindy, Paula, Joan, Claire, Jenna, and I welcomed Julie at the airport and then we spent the night at Andreas place. Now Julie is settling back in at home and I am sure looking forward to some relaxation in Vermont. Claire took to Julie right away and wouldn't let her leave her side. She even begged Julie to ride with us from the airport to Andreas - a decision I am sure Julie regretted as Jenna screamed for the last half of the ride. Sorry, Julie!

This is random - but are you looking for a good summer recipe? Try this out, it's delicious! We made it in Vermont with Mazzas corn off the cob, cut up a regular tomato instead of cherry tomatoes, and used bottled lime juice with no zest. Peter saw this on the Today show so you know by the time we got the recipe it was...a little of this, a little of that, whatever works.

2 cups cooked corn, fresh or frozen
1 avocado, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup finely diced red onion

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine the corn, avocado, tomatoes and onion in a large glass bowl. Mix together the dressing ingredients in another bowl, pour over the salad, and gently toss to mix.

Is everyone ready for family weekend - when are YOU making the trip up? The girls, Andrea, and I are leaving Wednesday and Dan flies in Friday around 5:30. We're looking forward to it!!

2011-07-13T13:30:00.007-04:00

Wow, time seems to be flying by. We have been staying busy, watching both Claire and Jenna grow before out eyes. Claire turned 3 and had quite a celebrations. Of course we brought cake to school on her birthday and then we headed out the next morning for 2 days at Sesame Place. Claire was skeptical and told us on many occasions to cancel her birthday because she didn't want to go to Sesame Place, but I am glad we stuck it out because she had a blast once we got there. She hated the characters, but enjoyed the rides. She had another get together with Hoboken friends the following weekend, and then we were busy with Piperes retirement party, a trip to the zoo with Kristin, and a long weekend celebrating with family in Massachusetts. Whew...we are heading back up to Massachusetts tomorrow night for a weekend of fun and swimming.

Jenna is still doing great. We had her 2 month appointment yesterday and she weighed in at a whopping 9lb 11oz, and 22.75 inches long. The doctor was slightly concerned with her lack of weight gain, so we head back in another month for a weight check. I on the other hand am not concerned because this is exactly the way Claire was. Jenna is still sleeping in her cradle in our room, and sleeps from 11 until whenever Claire gets in her face to wake her up :-) usually around 7ish. After Jenna eats, she/we go back to sleep for a few hours. Hopefully soon we will start moving Jennas bedtime up little by little to see how she does. I have a feeling my return to work will creep up on us...and that means Dan will then be in charge of getting both girls to different schools. It should be an interesting adventure.

And now for some pictures...

Singing at Claires daycare - if you look close you can see she has three fingers up...I promise!
A trip to the zoo - Claire was very concerned that the train was going to leave while I was taking the picture.
Enjoying the train ride
The binky girls....yes, Claire still gets hers to sleep
Jenna happily sucking on her thumb
It took a while, but we finally got a decent picture of the 4 of us. This is outside dads retirement party.
Real life with 2 kids - haha!
Claire and her aunties
Posing with the retiree
Singing Happy Birthday to Claire in Massachusetts - notice how much shorter her hair is, Gary gave her a good cut.
Around 6 weeks Jenna started smiling and the smiles get sweeter as the days go by. Here she is smiling and laughing at the animals on her bouncy seat.

Claire begs us every night for a few minutes to lay with her baby sister.
Great grandpa with 3 of his 4 great grandkids - special times!
If you are on facebook, you have seen many of Claire awkward sleeping positions. 3 nights this week she fell asleep on the hardwood floor, once with crocs on. I think she likes this location because she gets the light from the hallway so she can "read." It is not uncommon for us to find her this way.

2011-06-21T13:58:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone -

Relay for Life has snuck up on me this year and we start walking on Friday night! I am behind the curve on getting ready and just started fundraising a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to everyone who has already donated!

This year in addition to walking for Grandma Calnen and Gary I am honored to be walking in Support of Emily too! If anyone else is interested in sponsoring me, you can do so by going here: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/andrearobillard

Fingers crossed for good weather!

Andrea

2011-06-19T21:43:00.003-04:00

It looks like Vermont is going to be a busy place this summer - check out the calendar at the bottom of the page, let Meredith or Andrea know if you want us to update with your family visits.

And don't forget that family weekend is going to be Labor Day weekend!

2011-06-16T06:33:00.007-04:00

Has it really been that long since I sat down to update the blog? Here's what we've been up to...

A week after being home from this hospital Dave, Becky, Gretchen, and Savannah came to visit. Claire enjoyed playing (and fighting) with her cousins.

The Snider grand-daughters, the grandson is due in September.
Jenna just hanging out - I think she was just about 2 weeks here.
During our trip to Massachusetts, Claire got to spend some time playing with Hayley while I visited with Megan.
Dan was trying to make his love for Phish wear off on Claire. She loves wearing her bandana.
So I bought Claire this shirt before Jenna was born and we finally got the matching shirt once Jenna was named. I was so excited to get them in their matching shirts, but unfortunately this was the best picture we got. Maybe next time....
Claires first trip to JJ's for soft serve - think she enjoyed it?
Another shot from playing at Megans house, love those baby blues....
Claire still loves her baby sister and constantly wants to hold her. Every night Claire asks us to lay Jenna in bed with her, and once we do she tells us to leave. They have a few minutes of sisterly bonding before bed.
Time for Jenna to start learning about Clemson - she's big enough, right?
Claire has not been so good about going to bed lately, but she is good about staying in her room. Honestly, we don't really care if she goes to bed, but we do make her stay in her bedroom. Ever wonder what she does in there - here's one example. She pulled Jennas bumbo seat out of the closet and put it in the rocker so she could be comfortable while reading...what a stinker!
More snuggle time
and helping us during bath time
trying to get some smiles before bed
You think we wore her out, this is how she fell asleep. I thought it was so funny that I grabbed the camera and totally forgot to move her into her bed. She slept like this for at least an hour before we remembered to move her to bed.
Do you think Jenna has any idea what she is in for?

A visit from Auna before her trip to Lake Tahoe. Andrea watched Jenna while Mom took a trip to the dentist. Fun times!
So we have been busy - visits from Dans family, a trip to Massachusetts, and a trip to Maryland to visit friends. It is nice to be home with no trips on the horizon until July 4th weekend.

Where has the time gone? - Claire is turning 3 on Monday.....3, can you believe it?? Let's celebrate on Saturday, July 2nd at 1:30 PM on Wishing Well. We will have drinks, BBQ, swim, and have some more drinks. Sounds like my kind of afternoon with family and fun.

2011-06-13T17:58:00.002-04:00

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DpSYQm_xnCC0%26feature%3Dyoutube_gdata_player&h=7eb4a

This is a video of just some of the devastation in our town, some of this was our neighborhood. Fortunately we are all OK.

2011-06-13T15:27:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone -

Here is the PSA from Auntie Paula that Family Weekend is officially Labor Day weekend to ensure Julie is able to join us. Mark your calendars!

Also, don't forget if you email Meredith or Andrea when you plan to be in Vermont, we'll update it on the calendar at the bottom of the page so you can get an idea of when everyone will be around.

Happy Monday!

2011-05-20T21:06:00.006-04:00

and surprisingly we all survived. Claire is still loving on Jenna as much as possible and Jenna is still sleeping great. Dan and I would much rather stay up late and get Jenna to bed than get up in the middle of the night. I usually nurse Jenna and get her down around 11-12. She goes down great, wakes up once, about 4-4:30ish and then sleeps until 8:30-9. We have had longer stretches, but lucky for us, no short stretches of sleep at night. And she is great going back down to sleep after she eats. Now, if we could only get Claire to not wake up while I am feeding her - Dan loves his girls, but I am sure he would prefer to not have all of us in bed and awake at 4:30 AM. It's just so hard to tell Claire she can't help...she just wants to watch me feed Jenna, change Jenna, and of course sing to her and kiss her and kiss her and kiss her. And now for what you really care about - more pictures.

She constantly wants to hold Jenna - I love it!

Nana worked more than double duty this week...spending most days with me and nights working to help get Andreas new place cleaned up and settled. Well, it's not really "hers" yet, but it looks like it will be come Tuesday.
Love love love this picture - Claires smile is priceless!
After a long week in Germany, Pipere also did lots of work this week. If you didn't hear, Andrea hurt her knee Sunday, MRI is pending. She can't walk so she wasn't able to help much with the moving. Unfortunately, her new townhouse has the garage on the first floor and the second and third floors are living space. Needless to say, Mom and Dad had to do most of the packing and moving. This is how Claire set up Jenna
Claire being a goof....she thought she was soooo funny (and I'm too tired to flip the picture)

Hope you enjoy the pictures - say a little prayer for Andrea as she has a big work decision to make this weekend. I'm sure she'll be happy with whatever decision she makes. Tomorrow Dans brother and his family are coming into town until Wednesday - Dan turns the big 3-0 on Tuesday!! Claire is so excited to see her cousins and I am sure we will have lots of fun. We are heading to Massachusetts for Memorial Day weekend - we would love for everyone to meet Jenna!

2011-05-16T11:52:00.004-04:00

We are all settling in at home and doing well. The back to normal routine began today as Dan is back to work and Claire went back to daycare. Everything went surprisingly well this morning.

Before Jenna was born I had convinced myself that Claire was such an easy baby and we were destined to have a not so easy baby this time around. So far around we have been proven wrong and we are left wondering what we did to deserve this wonderful baby. First night home Jenna went down around 11:30 and I had to wake her up at 6:30! I was convinced that was a fluke. Next night we put her down again around 11:30, she woke up fussing at 4:15, I nursed her and she was back down and slept until 10AM! Sunday night was the first night it was just the 4 of us - Claire went down without much trouble - she just kept poking her head out to check on "my baby Jenna." Jenna went down around midnight and woke up at 5:45, just about the time Claire was getting up and running into our room. She sat with me while I nursed Jenna, then Claire got up with Dan to get ready for school, Jenna and I went back to sleep until she woke up again at 9:30. We're just hanging out until her pediatrician appointment at 3:00.

Jennas reverse sunglass tan after her stint under the lights. I feel like the pictures make it look worse that it really was.
Claire never liked having her arms swaddled up and so far Jenna likes to have only her right arm swaddled. She looks nice and comfy in her bed.
Hanging out getting ready for bed on Saturday night
Guess these pictures aren't in the right order....this is us breaking free from the hospital. Claire didn't quite understand the wheelchair.
The entire time I was pregnant, Claire said her baby sister was going to bring her a stuffed lion and she was going to bring her baby sister a stuffed elephant. She makes sure Jenna has her elephant at all times.

Jennas umbilical cord fell off Sunday so she got her first bath - it entailed her peeing all over her towel before she got in and then pooping in the tub - fun times!
Snuggling with Mommy :-)
Pictures with Titi before she had to head back to Vermont.

Claire enjoyed giving her baby sister a bath!

2011-05-13T14:06:00.008-04:00

*Update* - Jennas bilirubin levels were down slightly to 10.7 so we were discharged around 7:30 PM. Claire came to the hospital with Daddy and was happy to bring her baby sister home. We will take Jenna back to the hospital in the morning for one more blood test.

Where do we start - I feel like we have been at the hospital forever, but it sounds like we are breaking free tonight.

The name...Miss Jenna Marye Snider. Dan & I had decided on a short list for first names - Jamie, Jenna, Emily, or Abby. It was just a matter of meeting this little girl before we decided for sure and we definitely made the right choice. Jennas middle name was Dans grandmothers first name - pronounced Mary, spelled Marye (there's a story behind it, but I'll let Don explain so I don't mess it up).

Claire has been up to the hospital twice and has enjoyed loving on Miss Jenna. Claire generally pays attention to Jenna for about 15 or 20 minutes and then seems to lose some interest. There is just too much going on. Kristin arrived yesterday to meet Jenna and will be around for the weekend. Pipere arrives from Germany tomorrow night.

Also yesterday morning the pediatrician let me know that Jenna had a mild case of jaundice, with her bilirubin level at 10. He wanted to make sure I was pushing fluids on Jenna and wanted her levels to be tested again Thursday night. She is breastfeeding great and also taking a bottle as part of her feeding. Last night around 11:30 her bilirubin came back at 11.7 - boo for it going up and not down. Around 3AM, the nurses woke me up to let me know they were going to put her under the lights. I woke up around 6 and asked them to bring her in so I could feed her. She had a great feeding, took a bottle and we sent her back to the nursery around 8 AM for another blood test and to be put back under the lights. I passed back out until almost 10 and then found out her levels went up very slightly to 11.9 :-( Now I was getting worried that they were going to keep Jenna and discharge me, but we had to wait for the pediatrician to make his rounds after lunch before we knew anything. After getting up and showered, I asked to nurse Jenna around 11:00, but she was passed out under the lights so we waited a little bit. Just as I was finishing up nursing her and giving her a bottle, I wheeled her back to the nursery just as the pediatrician was walking in. He recommended we keep her under the lights until 6 tonight and then he will order another blood test. Assuming her levels don't shoot up - we will be free (all of us!) to discharge tonight. BUT, we have to bring her back first thing in the AM for one last blood test.

Claire enjoyed giving Jenna a bottle

and so did Auntie Kristing
Claire wasn't really into the pictures as you can tell

Claire was pinching Jennas cheeks to give her a better kiss.
I felt much more rested on Thursday
You can see the yellowish tinge to her skin here - poor thing!

Under the lights on Friday afternoon - hoping this helps!
Can you see how yellow she is around her little eyes where the mask was?
We're still keeping our fingers crossed that tonights results are the same if not lower than they were this morning - we would really love to bring Jenna home with us tonight. Say a little prayer for us...we will keep you updated once we hear something.

2011-05-11T20:53:00.000-04:00

Dan took off this afternoon to grab a nap and shower at home and then pick up Claire from daycare to bring her to the hospital. Claire was so excited to see "my Jenna" and she gave her lots and lots of love. Here is one of her first kisses for her baby sister.
Sweet kisses for Miss Jenna
Andrea had to take off this afternoon for a late night conference call and then she is heading to Virginia tomorrow for a wedding. And did you know she is closing on her house on Monday?!?! Claire just couldn't stop with the kisses

I guess this is our new normal. Don't mind me - I look exhausted. I mean, I am exhausted. We will send Jenna to the nursery shortly so Mommy and Daddy can hopefully get a good nights rest and maybe tomorrows pictures won't make me look like I have been run over by a mac truck - you can't even see in my eyes!
Daddy and his two little girls.
Thanks for all the E-mail, texts, phone calls, and well wishes. Since Jenna was born at 1:07 AM and we have to stay in the hospital for 2 nights, we are here until Friday. Kristin is heading down tomorrow afternoon and Pipere will be here on Saturday to meet Miss Jenna. We'll try to update with more pictures tomorrow - enjoy!

2011-05-11T10:17:00.004-04:00

Jenna's stats:

7 lbs. 11 oz.
20.5 inches

2011-05-11T02:11:00.002-04:00

So, this time was just about as polar opposite as the labor with Claire. We arrived at the hospital around 9:45 and got admitted quickly thereafter. Once Meredith got her epidural we turned the lights off and got a little shut eye. While I was sleeping, or trying to, Meredith's contractions were getting closer and closer together and stronger. Our doctor was called/paged, but was unable to get here in time. They had to call in the in house doctor and he got ready. Meredith told him it was time to go and after about 10 minutes of pushing, the newest member of the Snider family was born at 1:07 AM. The nurses all say she is gorgeous and that she looks like a C-section baby (round head.) Once we get some sleep and some food in our bellies, I'll upload some pictures and hopefully report a name.

2011-05-10T22:04:00.004-04:00

A7 lb 11oz, 20 inch long baby was born at 1:07. Name and picture to come...

11:15 - Mere just called and sounded good! She has had her epidural and was 6cm - she was going to try to take a nap for a bit...

Mere and Dan are settling themselves in at the hospital and she is 3-4cm dialated. She started having contractions this afternoon and it seemed to move pretty quickly after that...it went from me heading up after my 9PM kickball game to leaving my house at 8:30 and having to pick Claire up from Mere's friends house because they were already at the hospital! Claire is settled in on the couch watching Curious George with her baby doll....shhhh...don't tell Mere and Dan :)

Good luck Mere!!!

2011-05-09T17:56:00.002-04:00

Last week I was convinced this baby would arrive early, but now I'm not so sure. Last week I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced and the doctor said I probably wouldn't see my due date, which is this Saturday. Today I went back for my 39 week check up and things are exactly the same - 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. So we are back to waiting....maybe for Pipere to return from Germany??

We have another appointment scheduled for next Monday morning if we make it that far - time will tell!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers Day!

2011-05-07T12:10:00.001-04:00

I know that I have sent out a message on Facebook about Charlotte and Lauren's baptism but for those of you who don't have Facebook or don't check it regularly here are the specifics:

Date: Sunday, June 5th

Time: 1 pm, after the noon Mass

Location: Jericho, 537 Northampton Street, Holyoke

Party to follow at Jericho

Please post if you will or will not be attending, either on the blog or reply on Facebook so I know what to order for food following the baptism.

2011-05-05T13:46:00.001-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the twins on Easter. I can't believe I somehow forgot to get a picture of them together in their dresses. I have also thrown in a picture of Claire holding Charlotte when we went to see them the weekend they were up here. The last picture shown is also on Easter but at the end of the day. They are in their tights and onesies. I love the picture becuase they are looking at each other, and I can only imagine what they are thinking at that moment after seeing so many people in one day!

2011-05-01T21:09:00.008-04:00

Still hanging on after a busy week. Doctor appointment, ultrasound, visit from Marianne, trip into the city, chiropractor appointment, dentist appointment for both Claire and I, and play dates at the park. Whew...I am tired just thinking about it. But still, no baby and no name.

If you did not already know, my cousin Sara had her baby 2 weeks ago on April 18th - Jack Edward. Marianne came to visit on Wednesday and we took a trip into the city to meet Jack.
It was Babe Ruth Day on Wednesday and all the kids at daycare were supposed to wear a shirt from their favorite baseball team. Claire sported her Red Sox shirt, along with one other girl in her class, but she did look right at me and say - Sorry Mom, Indians....I wonder who put her up to that?
Claire is definitely tuned in to what is going on. She told everyone at the dentists office about her baby sister and how she is still growing in Mommys belly but will will be "borned" soon. She asks me if her baby sister is ready to come out and when do we need to go to the "hostable." One day last week she announced that today was her baby sisters birthday - I think I held my breath until the end of the day. Claire is also aware of what I can no longer do, like bend over to tuck her in and rub her back (I'm afraid I will break her bed if I sit on it.) Three nights last week she decided she wasn't tired when she went to bed and spent 2 hours each night making excuses of why she shouldn't go to sleep...I need a drink of water, I need to pee, I need to watch hockey, I want to watch Mr. Tony and Mr. Mike (from Pardon the Interruption), I want my magazine, I need to wash my binky, and on and on and on. These are pictures from those three nights, after she finally crashed.
The first night we tucked her in with 5 blankets at her request. She kept one for herself and carefully tucked in her baby doll at the foot of the bed with the other 4 blankets. The next night we thought was funnier because of how she fell asleep, but the 3rd night definitely takes the cake. Her hand in her pants, her baby doll perfectly tucked in, the book under her other hand, and of course the toucan nose that she is sporting on her head.

And of course, the ever growing and comparison belly shot.
And one last one just because I think it's cute....
Back to the doctor tomorrow morning to see what is really going on
*Update* - Doctors appointment went well, gained a few pounds, blood pressure 110/80, heart rate 138bpm. I am currently 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated. That kinds of freaks me out since I wasn't dilated with Claire until a few days before she was born. The doctor said she doesn't expect I'll make my due date but she doesn't anticipate anything happening immediately. Let's see, my dad leaves for Germany on Saturday, and we all know how that worked out last time...maybe it is time to start tying up loose ends at home!

2011-04-25T20:49:00.002-04:00

Another doctors appointment down and our last ultrasound to check on little Miss Snider before she decides to make her arrival. Of course today was the first day I have been home on maternity leave that Claire let me sleep while Dan got her ready for school and I had to set my alarm to get up for my 9AM doctors appointment. Hopefully tomorrow Claire will let me sleep again...yeah right! Anyways....everything looked good at the doctors, blood pressure was 120/70, her heart rate was 145 bpm, and I gained 2 lbs, bringing my total weight gain to 23 lbs. Next week starts the internal exams to see what is going on. Our doctors like one last ultrasound to check size, positioning and fluid levels. This afternoon I picked up Claire from school and we took her to the "hostable" as she calls it. There really wasn't much to see since the baby is so big, but she is head down, face down (which Claire was not), and the fluid levels were good. They estimated her size at 7lb 4oz, which is exactly what they said for Claire and she was born at 7lb, 5oz. Let's hope they are right on again :-)

This weekend Mom and Dad came down and we did some serious cleaning. Dan and Mom were a champ and I think the house is ready for this baby. Today I finished all the laundry and I can not believe how many clothes Claire had. Now, we just need a name. I promise we aren't holding out on sharing the name - we are nowhere near deciding on one.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter - we missed you!

2011-04-17T21:04:00.003-04:00

This week I finished work and started my official maternity leave. I am so lucky to work for a company that puts us off work a month before our due date. It gives me some time to relax and get things done at home. Everyone asks what I am going to do while home, and I don't plan on doing much. Thursday I slept until 9:30 and Friday I slept until 10:30, after getting up and getting Claire ready for school. Claire hasn't seemed to notice that I am here in the morning and goes to daycare just fine. We are both much happier with me home relaxing and her at daycare.

This weekend we headed down to Andreas on Friday afternoon and spent the night there. Saturday morning Andrea and I went for much needed massages and we got all of our newborn clothes washed. We are lucky to be having another girl born in the same season - we plan to reuse everything. Sometime this week I will buy another changing table and get it set up in our bedroom, and Mom & Dad are heading down this weekend to help us get things ready. We are onto our weekly doctors and last week everything looked good. Blood pressure was good, weight gain was at 22 lbs and the doctor predicted I have at least 3 weeks left. I head back tomorrow for another check up and next Monday we have our last ultrasound to get the babies size and positioning. Time is a flying....

In the meantime, Claire has decided she wants to look like Cousin It - she wanted to wear Dans vest and I guess somewhere along the way she pulled her bow out of her hair. This was the result...

And here are a few weekly shots for you from 34-36 weeks.

And Claires latest trick is pulling her shirt over her head. She usually leaves her arms in, but I think she was getting ready for a bath when she did this.
And just another day at the park, checking out the city...

2011-04-07T11:03:00.001-04:00

2011-04-01T14:33:00.004-04:00

Stolen from Mandy...again :)

Check out Emily on the news!

http://www.ctnow.com/videobeta/33d7fb15-cfc7-4be8-82f9-08aef89de6e6/News/Fundraiser-To-Fight-Cancer-4-1

Here are the details about the fundraiser:

Benefit for Emily:
Banding Together For Emily
What: Pasta Dinner & Variety Show
Where: Granby High School, Granby CT
When: May 7, 2011
Time: Pasta Dinner 5pm - Variety Show 7PM
Cost:
Pasta Dinner Only: Variety Show Only:
Adults: $10.00 Adult: $15.00
Childern: $7.00 Children: $10.00
Under 5: Free Under 5: Free
Pasta Dinner & Variety Show:
Adults: $20.00
Children: $15.00
Under 5: Free
There will also be a Basket Raffle if you would like to participate in that.
If you would like to buy tickets, contact Meghan or contact Sue Sojka at sojkas@granby.k12.ct.us.

2011-03-28T20:50:00.003-04:00

Another 2 weeks pregnancy comparisons. We are under 7 weeks to go and currently have no name, nowhere for the baby to sleep, no diapers, no wipes, no clothes in the house, nothing to prepare us for the arrival of this baby. She better hold out until we get some things ready around here.

2011-03-24T20:56:00.002-04:00

I had a doctors appointment and scheduled THE REST of my appointments.....scary

I weighed in to find out I have already gained 4 lbs more than I did my entire pregnancy with Claire....very scary (especially with 7 weeks left to go)

I registered Claire for public school next year....very very scary!!

2011-03-16T16:24:00.003-04:00

Mandy just posted a video that she and Paige made for Emily and I figured those non-FB'ers may be interested in seeing it. They did a GREAT job - such great pictures. I love the one of all the kids with Mimere on Halloween :) What do you think?

Also, if anyone is interested in donating to or participating, it looks like they will be walking in the Bark for Life at Stanley Part on April 16th from 9AM-1PM. You can donate or sign up here:

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/BFLFY11NE?px=19624817&pg=personal&fr_id=34208

And don't forget about her CaringBridge site - there are some great pictures and updates from throughout Emily's journey and she loves when people send her comments! http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/emilysmith2

2011-03-14T12:38:00.003-04:00

today is National Potato Chip Day? Happy National Potato Chip Day to all of you!

How do I know this you ask - because Claires daycare is celebrating. Each child was asked to bring in a bag of their favorite potato chip to share with all the other kids. Claire is probably in her glory (as I would also be) snacking on lots of different chips. And Claires chip of choice you ask - well, she picked out Cool Ranch Doritos to share with her friends.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

2011-03-08T20:15:00.006-05:00

Don't forget to check out this post first.

Another weekly pregnancy update, now that I finally found pictures from my pregnancy with Claire.And a few picture from the Hoboken St. Patricks Day parade this past weekend.

Such an innocent little face - ya think?

2011-03-08T09:04:00.002-05:00

I feel like this is the story of my life - better late than never... :-)

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday Auntie Cindy
Happy Birthday to you

We hope you had a great weekend celebrating - you deserve it! We all love you very much!

2011-02-27T20:23:00.004-05:00

So what do you think??Yesterday marked 29 weeks pregnant - I find that hard to believe. So far I feel pretty good. Last weeks doctors appt went well, except that I have already gained almost as much weight as I did my entire pregnancy with Claire. That could mean trouble with 11 weeks to go - guess we will see. Otherwise I feel pretty good. By the time Claire gets to bed at night I am exhausted and usually asleep by 9. Lucky for me I only have 7 weeks of work left - and you better believe I am counting down the days!

2011-02-23T20:04:00.002-05:00

I am sure Emily would really appreciate your kind words as she conquers the tough road ahead of her. Emily is Cindy & Rays granddaughter (~12 years old) who was recently diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma. She will begin her chemo treatments tomorrow. Her family has started a caring bridge site where you can follow up on how she is doing and send her some words of encouragement. Just click here and create a log in for her site. Don't be shy - just give your E-mail address to create a log in. Emily will be checking her site regularly and could always use some positive thoughts and words of encouragement.

We wish you well, Emily, and know you will get through this. Keep your head up and your smile beaming!

2011-02-18T08:22:00.005-05:00

As we were sitting down for dinner last night, Claire said she wanted to go back to Puerto Rico - and then I was quickly reminded that I never updated the blog on our trip. We had a blast and here are a few pictures (because I know all you really want to see if Claire)

The princess enjoying a snack by the pool - who has it better than her?
Playing at Luquillo Beach. Honestly, Claire wasn't a big fan of the sand OR the ocean. But she did OK at Luquillo because the sand was more compact and the ocean wasn't as rough.

This was the only time Claire got in the ocean. It took a lot of time to get her in, but once she was in, she was fine and enjoyed it.

Since the week we went down to PR wasn't the exact week Dad owns, we were in a different unit on the other side of the building. But that was fine, because this was our view.

I didn't lot time at the pool because of Claires nap because she loved to nap at the pool. Dan would usually lay with her until she was asleep and then we would put her on her own chair in the shade. She would sleep for a long time and wake up ready to swim.

Let me in this pool....

I couldn't resist this one - guess she has my genes when it comes to tanning. She got pretty dark while we were there and still has tan lines on her little tush. And I promise she was lathered in sunblock SPF 45 or higher everyday.

Claire keeping track of which room was ours by putting stickers on the door. And can we talk about how adorable her shoes are?

Strolling back from the beach

And she still loves her floatie. It was nice because we didn't worry about her in the pool at all. She actually went in a few times without us and was completely fine.

More snacking...

Smiles with Nana & Pipere!

And Claires final thought on Puerto Rico - 2 thumbs up!

2011-02-15T09:11:00.003-05:00

The blog has really been slacking and we owe some people very special HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!!

On February 4th, Maryellen and Peggy shared a snowstorm and a wonderful birthday. Insert sarcasm here as they both ended up in the ER two days apart on different issues. But the good news is they are both feeling much better now and I vote that you both have a re-birthday celebration on March 4th.

Today Gail celebrates her birthday - a very very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you. It sounds like you guys had a wonderful time celebrating on Sunday, and I hope the celebrations continue.

And I will also add that 2 of the 3 birthdays were big and the ladies are now celebrating this...

2011-01-06T12:40:00.004-05:00

I do use the blog as a journal of sorts for this whole pregnancy thing, so here we go....Yesterday afternoon I had a doctors appointment at 21 weeks 4 days pregnant and everything looked good. My blood pressure was good at 110/80, her heartrate was strong at 153 bpm, and she measured right on target. I'm not going to lie though - the doctor wanted to know why I lost 2 lbs in a 3 week period and reinforced that I should be eating plenty. I promised her that I am not depriving myself of food and maybe it was the change in scale - but seriously, did you guys see me eat over Christmas?!? Anyways, when all was said and done I have gained a total of 6 lbs and promised the doctor I would start weighing myself at home to ensure my weight is increasing.

I asked if there was anything to be aware of for our trip to Puerto Rico and was reminded that I can't go in the hot tub...bummer! Guess I already knew that, but it stinks to hear it. I was also reminded to wear sunscreen, stay hydrated, and carry a copy of my medical records with me just in case.

Mom & Dad flew to Puerto Rico yesterday, Kristin starts her trip tomorrow night, and we take off Saturday morning. Here's hoping the weather doesn't delay our flights and the weather is good while we are there!! :-)

And I leave you with a request for some pictures of the little peanuts - Lauren and Charlotte.

2011-01-04T18:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to You

Sorry it's late

Good Wishes are sent with lots of Love

Hope you had a nice

birthday

2010-12-29T07:49:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I went back for my follow up ultrasound for Baby Snider #2. The first time she wouldn't cooperate and the tech was unable to get two pictures she needed - left hand and the brain. I didn't mind though because it was an excuse to have another ultrasound and see this little baby swimming around and sucking her thumb! It was confirmed this is a girl and we got tons more pictures - hopefully I can get them posted soon.

Hope everyone is unwinding after the long exhausting week we just had. Both Kristin and I had long journeys home on Monday. Kristin and 2 other cars on the highway hit a piece of a plow that was in the road, giving her a flat tire. After waiting for someone to come change the donut then waiting to get a new tire, and traffic because of the weather her 3.5 hour trip home became 9 hours!! We didn't have trouble getting home but once we got into Hoboken it was a mess. I have to circle a 5 block radius about 10 times while Dan shoveled out a parking spot so we could at least leave the car long enough to take the suitcases and bags out. A couple of hours later he returned to dig out the car again so I could leave in the AM, only to find that there was no sense digging it out because it kept getting plowed in. Keeping his tired pregnant wife in mind, he moved the car into a garage at midnight. Great idea - but have you ever tried to find your car in a parking garage when someone else parked it and tried to explain where it was when you were asleep? I could hear the horn, but I couldn't find the car! Eventually I did, but we ran through the same thing last night after had been grocery shopping. I think tonight I will just leave the car at my office as we prepare for the arrival of Dans friends for their New Years Eve Phish concerts.

What are you doing for New Years Eve?

2010-12-17T21:05:00.006-05:00

Charlotte Jeannette 5 lbs 14 ounces

and older sister

Lauren Maryellen 6lbs 4 ounces

HOW CUTE ARE THEY!!

2010-12-16T00:29:00.000-05:00

Liz Happy Belated Birthday and congratulations on your Phi Delta Beta Business award! What an honor This award is not given out lightly You did a great job and we are all sooooooooooooooo proud of you!!!

2010-12-14T12:45:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday Dear Kevin
Happy Birthday to You

Have a wonderful day and know we all love you

2010-12-09T07:51:00.002-05:00

...on the arrival of your little bundles of joy - Charlotte & Lauren. Nicole did an awesome job cooking these little girls for over 37 weeks! We wish Nicole and speedy recovery and send lots of hugs and kisses to those precious little girls.

2010-12-08T08:27:00.009-05:00

The trees have been cut down, put up and decorated and I am happy to say that we did not make the same mistake we made last year - our Christmas tress actually fit in our houses! We made two trips out to the tree farm - once on Saturday to get Andreas tree and again on Sunday to get our tree and meet up with Patrick, Sara, and William. After seeing the line on Saturday Andrea was going to get her tree elsewhere but all Claire was talking about was the tractor ride so we waited the hour in line to get into the farm. By the time we got there, we had limited daylight left so Andrea had to find a tree quickly. By the time Dan had it cut down, it was really dark - but that made it that much nicer for sitting around the fire and roasting marshmallows.

After waiting in line for an hour, Claire needed a little potty break before heading out into the field

After all Claire talked about was the tractor ride, the tractor pulled in and said they were done for the night. We were able to sweet talk the guy into one more ride for Claire.

And she found her perfect tree - she may have over compensated from last year and gone much smaller, but the tree had a great shape and it really full. We had it up and decorated by Saturday night. Now Andrea just needs to post pictures.

Dan cuts down the tree while Andrea holds on. Don't worry, we moved Claire in case the tree came tumbling down.

After cutting the tree down, they have a tractor that brings the tree back, but it was late (and dark) so Dan opted to carry it back. Claire was right on his tail following along.

And then we made a second trip back on Sunday to get our tree and help Patrick, Sara, and William pick out their tree. The kids had a good time - they played in the car while we waited in line and then ran around the field.

Claire and William (and I guess, Dan too!) pose in the field. The two kids had a blast chasing each other around.

Just checking out the trees

Andrea was a champ, helping the pregnant ladies with the toddlers :-) Claire loved the marshmallows, but didn't want to put them near the fire. She enjoyed eating them cold off the stick....Mmmmmmm!

The tractor ride back - it was freexing outside!

2010-11-26T09:09:00.002-05:00

This is the Breakfast of Champions the day after Thanksgiving: Bacon, egg, and cheese pizza.

2010-11-19T10:16:00.001-05:00

2010-11-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to You

Have a Great Day

2010-11-18T15:42:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday Sister Paula
Happy Birthday to you

Hope you have a wonderful birthday - we'll celebrate over Thanksgiving :-)

2010-11-16T20:47:00.000-05:00

A simple but good laugh

GOD
LOVES DRUNK PEOPLE TOO

A man and his wife were awakened at 3:00 am by a loud
pounding on the door. The man gets up and goes
to the
door where a drunken stranger, standing in the
pouring
rain, is asking for a push.

"Not a chance," says the husband, "it is 3:00 in the morning!"

He slams the door and returns to bed.

"Who was that?" asked his wife.

"Just some drunk guy asking for a push," he answers.

"Did you help him?" she asks.

"No, I did not, it is 3:00 in the morning and it is pouring rain out
there!"

"Well, you have a short memory," says his wife. "Can't you
remember about three months
Ago when we broke
down, and those two guys helped
us? I think you should help him, and you should
be ashamed of
yourself! "God loves drunk people too."

The man does as he is told, gets dressed, and goes out into the
pounding rain.

He calls out into the dark, "Hello, are you still there?"

"Yes," comes back the answer.

"Do you still need a push?" calls out the husband.

"Yes, please!" comes the reply from the dark.

"Where are you?" asks the husband.

"Over here on the swing set," replies the drunk.

2010-11-16T18:01:00.007-05:00

Guess I have been slack about updating the blog - I'm not going to lie, I have been getting to bed very early lately! I don't feel tired during the day but after coming home and getting dinner ready and then getting Claire bathed and to bed, I pass out about 5 seconds after I find the couch. Wonder where those awesome genes come from?!?

While Dan was on a 3 day Phish tour (and since he can't stand the inside of pumpkins) we headed to Andreas to carve pumpkins - or maybe from the look of it we ate them....

But we eventually did get to carving them. Claire enjoyed popping the pieces out much more than she enjoyed sticking her hands in the pumpkin.

And here's Claire and I's final product. Do you see the kitty we cut around? Claire loved seeing the pumpkins lit up outside Andreas. We had to go back and keep looking over and over and over.
All Claire wanted to be for Halloween was a yellow princess. We showed her tons of costumes and this was the one she wanted. At least she will be able to play dress up with it now. She really wanted nothing to do with the crown, but she loved the costume.
I was going to upload another picture from Halloween but blogger is giving me trouble so this is all you get....

On another note, I had another doctors appointment today and everything looks good, heartrate was strong at 155 bpm. Today I am 14 weeks and 3 days along with the peanut and have gained a total of 5 lbs. The first trimester screening came back good and we scheduled our gender ultrasound! They let me schedule it a little early so we can find out before Christmas :-)

2010-11-04T20:00:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I had my first trimester screening which includes an ultrasound. While it is kind of hard to see what is going on in the pictures, it is crazy to see the difference between the last ultrasound we had at 7 weeks and this one. We are still on for a May 14th due date.

This pictures shows the profile view with the baby's hand over his/her nose. The entire time we had the ultrasound the baby was rubbing his/her nose.
Just the plain old profile shot
And a 3D picture for you - you can see the baby's right arm on his/her head and the feet curled up.
Saturday marks the start of the second trimester :-)

2010-11-01T14:59:00.003-04:00

This weekend, we ventured up to Boston College to see Clemson lay an egg, but we had a good time nonetheless (I live compound words.) As it was Halloween Eve, people all over the place were dressed up. The only one in our party to do so was Paul. He chose to dress up as Kenny Powers from HBO's Eastbound and Down. He pulled it off pretttttty good. See for yourself.

2010-10-25T11:34:00.002-04:00

Honestly, I don't know where she comes up with this stuff, but sometimes we can't help but laugh at the things that come out of her mouth.

Last week we were eating dinner - as soon as we sit down Claire goes around the table - Daddy, how was work? Mommy, how was work? And then a few minutes later she looks at me and says - Mommy, no talk with food in your mouth - chew first. Well, excuse me little lady....

I took her to the bathroom and as soon as she peed she looked at me and said - Mommy, I'm so proud of you

She must tell me 10 times a day - Be patient, mommy, just be patient

Paula - stop reading! Yesterday Claire woke up from her nap, walked into the living room and said Mommy, pee pee accident in my bed - oh Jesus! I really don't know where this one came from - but I couldn't help but laugh :-)

2010-10-22T07:29:00.007-04:00

Over Columbus Day weekend, we took a trip to Ohio to celebrate Dans grandmothers 90th birthday. We had a great time with great weather while we there (until we left to fly back), but that's a story for another day. Let's just say we enjoyed 2 flights from Cleveland to Newark because of the weather...

Focus, focus (it's hard for the pregnant lady you know)...enjoy these pictures from our trip!

2010-10-05T09:27:00.003-04:00

Enjoy this video of pictures from Nicoles shower :-) If you are at work, you might want to turn the sound down.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

2010-09-30T19:48:00.001-04:00

2010-09-30T07:19:00.002-04:00

Julie is still in need of $300 for her clinic so for those who still want to donate please send a check made out to Julie to my house. Her clinic is being renovated and she is very busy working on it !! Thank You Julie and Gail

2010-09-30T00:01:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday Julie we hope you have a great celebration with your fiiends. Maybe you will find some delicious American food like a cheeseburger and fries!!!!

2010-09-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

Have a wonderful Birthday what a great place to celebrate Ireland

the beer is great even if your not a beer drinker you have to try some!!

2010-09-27T16:23:00.003-04:00

Hope you have a wonderful Birthday and a great vacation

2010-09-24T08:21:00.008-04:00

I've had a great week in England and tonight my friend Laura and I travel to Ireland to meet up with our friend Richard. We have a busy week planned and we will be there until Thursday night when we head to Germany. I'm excited for several reasons - 2 being I am officially on vacation next week (I've been working from the J&J offices around here) and I've always wanted to go Ireland!

This week has been great. When I got here on Friday and couldn't find my friends, I immediately regretted not having a working phone OR getting my watch fixed before I left. After about 30 minutes (I think?) they found me waiting right where we had agreed to meet - Russell had decided they should go in and meet me but I had already passed through when they got there so they missed me - oh well. We had a 'full English breakfast' and then headed off to London for the day. My friends live in Windsor so we took the train in on Saturday and drove in on Sunday. Great weather and great sites - we had fun!

This week I've been working in our offices in Maidenhead and Pinewood . We've laid low for the most part -work, gym, dinner, tv, and sleep - but it is been good just not being home!

This morning I went to Windsor Castle while my friends went to work. It is about 1.5 mile walk from their house and the walk is mostly along the river so it was a perfect morning for a coffee and a stroll. I was really excited to see the changing of the guards...but of course in the month of September that only happens on odd days....Oh well - still a good time! You can't take a lot of pictures but here were some of the highlights....

My welcome banners in front of Laura and Russell's house...

Walking up to Windsor Castle...

Inside the fortress...
Saint George's Cathedral
Guard on duty...
I think this is one of my favorite pictures I've taken so far!
It's official - I'm not destined to get a good picture with a guard! Oh well!

Here is a brief plan for Ireland:

Cork --> Kilarney --> Galway --> Dublin

I hope everyone has a good weekend and gets to go and enjoy the Big E!!!

2010-09-19T17:50:00.007-04:00

Just wanted to share a few pictures from my weekend in London! More details to come....

'Proper Fish & Chips' - the meal and the name of the restaurant! Just for you Mere...

Playing with my new camera at the London Eye!

Big Ben & the Parliament - I look exhausted because this was post-red eye with no additional sleep...
Having a beer along the Thames with my friend Russell
Tower Bridge walking to dinner

Jumping picture with Laura in front of Buckingham Palace -

I had to do it...

We were running a little low on time and resorted to the car for part of the tour - with Big Ben!

We had been trying to find a guard ALL DAY! Finally found one while we were getting ready to leave at Downing Street and I made my friend stop his car so we could run and get a picture...

...the cops weren't as excited about our plan as I was :) Just got off with a warning and a 6 month addition to some list - I personally think it was worth the picture!

2010-09-19T17:32:00.002-04:00

...because we've been bad about updating. Not much has been going on with the Snider clan. We have had a few weekends at home which were much needed to relax. Claire is becoming so independent and keeps us laughing with the things that come out of her mouth. The picture below is Claire heading out to get ice - always a treat!
Yesterday, we tried out a new bar where the Clemson Club was getting together to watch the game. Lucky for us it was in Hoboken so Claire and I left at halftime. Claire had a blast and of course loved all the attention she got as the cutest Clemson fan at the bar. Poor child is already brainwashed. She runs around saying Go Tigers - touchdown! Too bad they lost a tough game last night.

I guess we tired her out. Any suggestions on how to keep this angelic looking child in bed at night? She doesn't have a problem going to bed but often times gets up at 2, 3, or 4 AM and wanders into our room. She only wants Mommy to get up and bring her back to bed and goes back to sleep fine once I rub her back for a minute or two. And I don't think it's nightmares because she never cries. Second problem is she gets up for the day way too early - usually between 6:15 and 7. She was a better sleep as an infant!Friday after work we took Andrea to the airport and she is now enjoying 16 days in London, Ireland, and finishing her trip in Munich for Oktoberfest. She is sad to be missing Nicoles shower, but we are definitely looking forward to seeing everyone. :-)

Now back to the football game - let's go Patriots!!

2010-09-13T14:26:00.003-04:00

We've missed lots of updates lately...

First of all, happy birthday to ANDREW, KRISTIN, PETER, AMY, MIMERE, and EMMA! We love you all and hope you had a great day celebrating!.

Second, here are some pictures of Twin A from Nicole's last ultrasound:

Happy Monday everyone!

2010-09-12T22:16:00.002-04:00

Just a reminder that Julies Birthday is Sept 30th! Her address is
Julie Bordua PCV
Peace Corps Ghana
PO Box 962
Tamale, Northern Region
Ghana

Also I am going to Vermont the weekend on Sept 24th with somea couple of friends and anyone who wants to go it's fine with me!

2010-08-30T12:11:00.003-04:00

I hijacked Tinas pictures from the wedding. Don't they all look pretty?

Enjoy!

2010-08-23T23:38:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear Meredith,
Happy birthday to you.

Hooray!

2010-08-20T07:26:00.002-04:00

As everyone heads up to Vermont for Jonathans wedding and what I am sure will be a fun adults only weekend (you know - the aunts/uncles, the adult adults), Kristin is heading South to Florida to attend a friends wedding shower and get fitted for a bridesmaid dress. Off topic -Which of these events are we more likely to see pictures of - Jonathans wedding or Kristins dress?

Kristin sent me a note last night saying she was in JFK airport listening to Daughtry - not over the radio listening, but literally listening - he was putting on a small concert at the airport....random!

2010-08-12T11:35:00.002-04:00

For those of you who don't already know...we are having GIRLS! The ultrasound technician said they were very uncooperative, and wouldn't sit still. She had a very difficult time taking images of the girls, but determined with "a fair degree of certainty" that they were both girls (which in english meant approximately 90%).

For those of you still not convinced, we have another ultrasound in 4 weeks because they were so fidgity and the technician wasn't able to get some of the needed images. One is approximately 12 oz and the other is 14 oz., which I am told is a little larger than normal at that stage. I don't understand how since I am only recently able to eat real food! The babies are head to butt! The tech thought that was pretty funny, and so did Larry. In fact, he thought that the one with its butt in its sisters face was a boy (at least before we found out that the second one was also a girl).

So far we have gotten several name suggestions which include: Paula, Amy, and Lisa (Larry's sisters roommate suggested that one). Any other suggestions?

2010-08-08T21:03:00.003-04:00

This picture has taken on a whole new meaning in our house this week for two reasons - first, check out the previous post. Claire is still doing awesome and we haven't had a pee pee accident since Wednesday.

And we'll caption this picture Goodnight, Sleep Tight, you know the rest....

well, the bed bugs haven't gotten Claire but they have sure eaten me alive and a little bit of Dan. I had heard they were running rampant in New York, but the thought never crossed my mind that we would get them - but we did! Last week I noticed some bites but didn't think anything of it. By Wednesday night Dan had done some research and we found one of the tell tale signs - little blood drops on our sheets. So now we are dealing with that (which is neither easy nor cheap). But I won't bore you with those details, other than to say we believe they are confined to our bedroom and Claire is just fine.

And below are two videos - Claire finally got the ABC's down last week - all the way from A to Z and the second video is her swimming at my parents house and jumping off the diving board. We tired her our so much she fell asleep eating before we left and then slept the entire ride back to Hoboken and went to bed an hour and a half later.

Now off to let the bed bugs bite...

2010-08-04T07:32:00.002-04:00

I still can't believe we dove into this head over heels, but we did! What were we thinking?!? Claire has been going to the potty on and off for some time now, but only if we happen to time it right and we never really thought she was ready for full on potty training. We would always have her brag to her teachers when she went hoping the encouragement would help. Last week I decided to ask daycare what we needed for them to start working with her at school. Since we were nearing the end of our package of diapers I figured they would say send her in Pull-Ups and we'll take her to the potty frequently. I was shocked when they said just put her in panties and send lots of changes of clothes.

Dan and I discussed it and decided to put her in panties starting Saturday morning just to see what would happen. By 9:30 AM she had two accidents and I was getting frustrated, but we stuck it out. She seemed upset when she had an accident and would immediately tell us she hurt Dora, or hurt Minnie (the characters on her panties), as if I couldn't see the puddle on the floor. We made progress Saturday afternoon and didn't have any more accidents. Sunday she did better and even went to the grocery store with Dan (and a diaper) but stayed dry and peed as soon as she got home. She was rewarded by being allowed to nap with her panties on. She was so excited! We finished the weekend with two accidents Sunday but we pushed forward Monday sending her to daycare in big girl panties (with a HUGE bag of extra clothes and panties). She started the day going on the potty before leaving for daycare and only had two accidents at daycare! Tuesday she had an accident before leaving the house but only had one little accident at daycare - she stopped and ran to the potty. Yesterday we took our first real venture out of the house for 2 hrs and she did awesome. She peed before we left and again as soon as we got home. We had to fight her to put on a diaper last night and she stayed dry all night and peed in the potty this morning. We are so proud of her!

I can't believe we are really into this whole potty training business - but Claire seems to be doing well and Dan and I are getting our exercise jumping for her everytime she is successful on the potty. However, Paul, Andrea, and our neighber who came over for dinner Monday probably did not enjoy the breaks in dinner while Claire begged anyone and everyone to come watch pee pee on the potty :-) Sorry!

2010-07-31T18:57:00.003-04:00

ppy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Nicole
Happy Birthday to you!

Hope you had a great dinner out. Here's Claires wish for you. Just think, two more birthdays and you will have your own choir singing to you.

2010-07-28T13:16:00.001-04:00

Mandys big surgery is tomorrow - here's wishing her lots of luck and a super speedy recovery. We'll all be thinking of you and praying for you.

2010-07-23T15:11:00.001-04:00

I will be in VT from August 2nd thru Aug. 5th with a few friends.

2010-07-22T10:15:00.002-04:00

...I want this little girls self esteem :) She is too funny...

Enjoy!

2010-07-20T09:34:00.007-04:00

The Snider household has been busy - here is a quick look at what has been going on.

Right after Claires birthday she because a bedtime nightmare and after much screaming, fighting, and freaking out - Dan & I figured out someone has a very strong dislike for being in her crib. At least that made the transition to a big girl bed much easier. She absolutely loves it and now gives us no problems going to bed. The hardest part now is keeping her in bed in the morning. She never gets up at bedtime but I will never get to used to her coming out of her room while I am getting ready in the morning. Or shall we talk about her opening the bathroom door while Dan was showering, peeking her head in and yelling Hi, Daddy!

Holy resemblance to Kristin - anyone else agree?

Claire loves to help and what better way than to have family pizza making night. Claire and Dora - her big girl panties - helped make pizza for dinner. Claire, Dora, and Claires tattoo were very serious and what didn't make it to Claires mouth made it to the oven for dinner. And it case you're wondering, no she's not potty trained, but we figure it can't hurt to let her run around in her big girl panties. We have cleaned up a few accident but I'm not sure who is more upset - me or Claire because she "hurt Dora" or "hurt Mickey" when she peed on them.

Here is another picture, just because I think it's funny. Someone needs a haircut - stat!

We have had lots of birthday parties for Claires friends, this past weekend Claire enjoyed the balloon artist. She got Elmo and a flower. The flower popped in the parking lot, but Elmo is still hanging around and gets tucked in every night.

That's it for now - we are heading to Vermont early early (5 AM early!) on Friday morning for a long weekend.

2010-07-19T13:52:00.003-04:00

....they should buy one of these for the lake!!!!

This weekend I found out the state park has a little beach/lake for $5. My biggest complaint about NJ is there are no pools so I was happy to see this. They had advertised the Wibit online but I had no idea what it was. For $3 for 30 minutes my friend and I tried it out (with about 8 little kids). It was the longest 30 minutes of my life and I have scratches all up my leg (no clue where they came from, I think the velcro). I must have fallen off trying to run across the little path about 12 times but it was awesome. Way harder than it looks - but worth every penny of the $3! We had a smaller version of the circuit above but the one below looks awesome too...

It would be an amazing addition to the lake....if we had piles of money sitting around with no good use of course :)

We can dream, can't we?

2010-07-15T08:38:00.003-04:00

Looks like Julie has successfully raised enough money for her Health Care Clinic Renovation - way to go! Can't wait to hear all about the details of the project from Julie :-)

2010-06-24T19:08:00.004-04:00

At Claire's Party, some blog readers mentioned they weren't sure how to donate to Julie's Health Clinic Renovation project so we wanted to share the link:

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=641-295

Julie is doing an awesome job fund raising - she has already raised over $2,500 and only has a little more than $1000 left. If you haven't done so yet, please consider heading over to her page to learn more about the project and and making a donation to a great cause. All donations go directly to Julies project and she will oversee the how the funds are spent.

Keep up the good work Julie!!!! Good luck on your project and we MISS YOU!!!

2010-06-24T18:57:00.003-04:00

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! for supporting me again in this years Relay for Life. The walk was last weekend and we had our most successful fund raising year yet - we were able to raise over $18,000!!!!! because of the support of our friends and family!

I thought I would show share some pictures with you...

Here we are once the whole team arrived from Boston after the 'Parade of Teams'. Little did I know just how long of a night I had ahead of me. I had an energy drink and couldn't sleep - I got about 90 minutes all night...

On the plus side of not being able to sleep...I got to walk....a LOT! We estimated I walked about 35 miles which was only painful when I stopped, tried to sit, or tried to stand. We were the only 'Platinum' team at the Relay this year, we were very excited...

So what did we do to celebrate? After a nap at the beach, we had a BBQ, got dressed up, celebrated 3 of the girls birthdays, rented a limo bus, and headed to the bar! Here is Patty (Kate's Mom) and her girls before we left. Imagine trying to get ready with all of us in a 2 bedroom condo :)

It was a great weekend and I was so happy to see all of my WS friends again.

So Thank you, thank you, thank you again!!!! CHEERS TO A CURE!!!

2010-06-14T11:19:00.001-04:00

Come Friday at 3PM we will begin our 24 hour Relay For Life! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who has donated so far! We have already raised more thank $13,000 and are looking forward to reaching our $15,000 before Relay starts. If you haven't donated yet and are interested in sponsoring me, Click here to visit my personal page...

2010-06-07T11:00:00.002-04:00

Don't forget to let the blog know when you are heading up to Camp. I've updated the calendar at the bottom of the blog with as much information as I had and will update it if any other dates come in. We also started adding birthdays, anniversaries, etc. so send anything you would like added! Leave a comment or email Andrea or Meredith.

Happy Monday!

2010-06-01T23:31:00.005-04:00

Hope you enjoy some of the pictures we had done during our visit to South Carolina. While we are having a wonderful visit, the weather has been horrendous. We have been here since Friday night and have seen about 1 hour of sun. What a bummer!

2010-05-27T13:30:00.002-04:00

We can't believe Claire is already turning two - but we are ready to celebrate her birthday and all you wonderful fathers out there.

Join us on Fathers Day - Sunday, June 20th, to celebrate. Party on Wishing Well Way, time coming shortly (most likely 1 or 2PM).

2010-05-25T14:04:00.003-04:00

Two special guys get a Happy Birthday shout out. Yesterday was Dan's birthday and today is Uncle Rays birthday. We hope you both celebrated and had a wonderful day with friends and family. As Claire would say Ah-Bo-Day (I will try to post a video later) .

Clearly, Dan is trying to live up his last year in his 20's. I love it!

Happy 36th Anniversary to Peter & Peggy!! Hope you were able to relax on the cruise. I bet nobody bothered the oldest people on the boat ;-)

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2010-05-21T08:14:00.003-04:00

Those of you with Facebook have probably seen these pictures, but I thought I'd share them here for those who haven't seen them. Little Miss Personality - on a cuddly day.
Sometimes I think Claire and Dan are twins - other times, I think she looks just like me. But one thing is for sure, the eyes are Daddys perfect match.

Sassy Pants -

And she finishes it off with a little attitude. My parents neighbors have a swingset in the back yard and Claire knows exactly where it is. She wants to head over there everytime we are in Massachusetts. She loves to climb and come down the "chide" and she refers to the slide.

Claire is talking up a storm and loves to repeat the last word that we say. She is working on her couting and has mastered 1-4, but then starts spouting off numbers from that point. I think 9 is her favorite. Last night, I was cooking dinner and I looked over to see her playing with the clock in her kitchen, moving the hands and counting. She loves music and is starting to sing with us, especially Happy Birthday (getting ready for Dads birthday on Monday), and Old McDonald. The ABCs are coming along but we aren't quite there yet. Potty training is making some progress - slow, but we are moving. Since Sunday she has peed 5 times in potty, I think that's pretty good. Last night was the funniest because she peed and I started clapping and asking Dan for M&Ms to give her. She looked at me like I was forgetting something and then says Mom - jump! Oh, how could I forget - jump up and down and clap when she pees. So there she is on the potty laughing while Dan and I are jumping up and down in the bathroom. She always calls someone to tell them when she pees, so last night I asked who she wanted to call - her request was Paul. Paul - I didn't think you'd appreciate that call, but I thought it was really funny.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend - it's supposed to be beautiful!