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Whew...

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.

Welcome Home Julie!

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

Dressing:

• 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

Directions

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!!

What's been going on...

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.