The snow piles in our yard are offically higher than our 5 yr old son.

We love snow in this house. After clearing the driveway, I took the kids out sledding. We built a snow fort and will likely be spending most of the day in it defending the house from bounty hunters (e.g. Star Wars characters). Love it.

Bliss

I am totally loving this "three kids" thing. For so long I was worried about how Ethan and Sadie would react to the new baby, how I would handle three hooligans running around the house, etc. And granted, Bex is only nine days old and Paul will be home to help me for the next five weeks, but still. I seem to do better with each successive baby- less delirious, less sleep-deprived, less like the walking dead, essentially. If I didn't have to have a cesarean every time, I swear I could have like four more.

Anyway, here are a few more pictures from this past week. We came home from the hospital on Monday (the 23rd); we were slightly delayed because of a nasty spinal headache I developed the day before. They wouldn't let me go home until they felt it was under control. After refusing the absolutely terrifying treatment they proposed, I agreed to dope myself up on narcotics so I could go home. I felt super loopy for about 18 hours and still had some trouble with headaches off and on Tuesday and Wednesday, but it was so nice to be out of the hospital. My parents were here to help with the kids and to spend Thanksgiving with us. Ethan and Sadie had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa K!

Me and Bex in the hospital

Sadie admiring her new sister

Ethan loves to hold baby Becca

Becca with Grandma the day we came home

Isn't her little "coming home" outfit so cute??

Ethan showing off the new moose jammies he got for his birthday from Grandma and Grandpa

Sadie just being cute

our little Snow angel!

Becca in her new car seat

Ethan and Sadie waiting anxiously by the front door for Daddy to come back inside. I think Sadie must be mad at me for "replacing" her because she now wants nothing to do with me. All affection has been transferred to her father. I ask her for a kiss or to come sit with me and all I ever get is an emphatic "NO!" What an ingrate.

Sadie likes wearing Ethan's snow boots

It's been an eventful week! We're all really excited for Christmas coming up, and hopefully we can get into a little bit more of a routine as we adjust to life with a baby again! (man, didn't we just do this??)

Introducing Rebecca Katherine

Rebecca Katherine was born this morning at 11:20 am. She is 7 pounds 14 ounces and 20.25 inches long. Both she and Mom are doing great. Man, newborns are fun.

Anxiously awaiting the arrival of Zoey, Claire, Maude or.....

Alright. We haven't revealed the baby's name yet but we're set for a c-section this Friday. Sadie is doing her part to break in the baby's gear before her arrival.

I am old enough to have a fifty-nine month old son

We had an early birthday party for Ethan this weekend. He turns five next weekend.

It was an "I Spy" party, based on the children's book series, so the kids had a scavenger hunt around the house. Here they are looking for stuff on the front porch.

We also had a dinosaur pinata.

The kids are waiting the cake here.

Look at the anticipation in their eyes.

Diego and Trinity

Blake Morgan

T-Minus 5 days and counting till baby

Halloween Recap: Skeletons and Spiderman

Sarah has been posting most of our new pictures on Facebook but wanted to update those that tune in here for their weekly Snow family fix.

This picture is from a Halloween party at Tuck. Notice that Ethan is wearing my briefcase to use as his trick or treating bag since we forgot to bring his jack-o-lantern.

Here is Sadie as a skeleton, basking in the glory of a medal she won at a pumpkin roll. Sarah made this costume using an old anatomy book from college.

Fall Catch-Up

Sorry I've been such a blogging slacker yet again. I had a cold for two weeks that then progressed into something much more sinister that settled in my throat and made all the doctors think I had strep. But they gave me Tamiflu just in case and it turned out not to be strep, just some random virus that eventually went away on its own. So now, after almost three weeks, I am finally back to normal and can eat things other than applesauce and pudding. Halleluia!

So here are a few of the things you've missed:

Sadie looking adorable in one of the dresses she got for her birthday. So cute!

We finally got around to carving our pumpkin last night. Ethan was supposed to go to a pumpkin patch with his preschool class a few weeks ago but it got rained out. It was rescheduled for last Thursday but then Ethan was sick that morning and couldn't go to school. So we just took the easy way out and bought a pumpkin at Wal-Mart. Ethan thought it was cool to see all the pumpkin's "guts." Sadie just wanted to throw all the magazine pages on the floor.


On Saturday we went to the local science museum, where they currently have a dinosaur exhibit going on. Ethan liked the giant skeleton in the entryway.


This year is the first time I've ever made a Halloween costume for either of my kids. For three of his last four Halloweens, Ethan has gone as a Star Wars character, and there was no way I was making one of those costumes. The other year he was a pirate so we just used stuff from his closet and a few other items borrowed from a friend. But I got a wild hair this year and decided to make something for the Sades. I chose a skeleton. Not super hard, just a little labor-intensive with drawing all the bones, tracing them onto the felt, cutting them out and then gluing them onto the pants/shirt. But I think it turned out pretty cute. I just hope she doesn't peel all the bones off as we're out trick-or-treating.

Ethan finally decided to be Spider-Man this year, and I found this costume at the local party store. I think Sadie might like it even more than Ethan does.

Mom and Ethan making cupcakes a few weeks ago

And finally, something for those CRAZY people who think I still "barely look pregnant." This was taken today, at 36 weeks. I am enormous. Only 25 days to go until Baby Snow makes her debut!! (my c-section is scheduled for 11/20) And yes, she has a name and no, we're not telling you what it is. It's much more fun this way. : )

You Know Its Dartmouth Night and the Feeling's Right

This weekend is Dartmouth's homecoming. We endured the rain and cold temperatures last night for free candy and fire. Seemed like a good way to cap a week of general sickness that has been passing through our house.


The night starts off with a parade down Main Street where all the athletic teams and each graduating class (all the way back to the '50's) is represented. Most throw candy. Means Sadie and Ethan were busy trying to pick Tootsie Rolls up off the cold pavement while wearing mittens.


Next comes the "running of the freshmen." Actually, we're not sure it is called that but it pretty accurately describes what happens. All of the D'13s run down Main Street and then around a giant wood pile. Quite a few wear costumes. This is followed up speeches from the student body and Doctor Kim, Dartmouth's president.


Here is a picture of us trying to keep the kids and dog calm as we wait for the talking to stop and burning to begin. It started raining pretty heavily at this point.

The night is capped with a huge - and I mean huge - bonfire. Too bad we forgot marshmallows.

Jabba Can Drive (in Doggy Years)

Jabba turned three this month and, as you can see from the emotion in his eyes, thoroughly enjoyed a Twinkie for his birthday.

Poor guy already has some grey hair on his chin. Must be all that hard living. Happy birthday, Double G.

Facilitating Fall Fun with Family (Say it 5 Times Fast)

We just finished up a fun weekend with lots of family time. Paul's Grandma spent several days with us and his cousin Willy and their family were also in town this weekend. It was a special treat. Photographic evidence below.

@ Simon Pierce in Woodstock, VT to look at glass blowing

@ Kids Workshop at Home Depot. Built fire station bank

Bug & Ethan competing in a face-off. Bug (Isabella) is Paul's cousin's oldest kid. Not sure what that make her and Ethan but they loved playing together.

Sadie playing with Legos at a family day at Ethan's preschool

Sadie playing behind Ethan's preschool

Ethan seeking out the most physical activity - fighting with hay - at his preschool

What I learned in school today

Today was my first time to be the helping parent in Ethan's class at preschool. And while Ethan was learning to play nice with his peers, I learned a few things myself:

1. Never guess the gender of a child based on the length of that child's hair. Hair can be misleading.

2. A preschool classroom is the equivalent of a pulmonary ICU. Nearly every child, aside from Ethan, spent the majority of their time hacking up a lung; out of courtesy to those around them, they were at least polite enough to hack into their elbows. Unless they forgot, in which case they coughed directly into your face while standing six inches away. I seriously almost asked for a surgical mask. I'm sure it is only a matter of days until I am stricken with some sort of medieval disease reserved solely for those thrown into the dungeon.

3. Sticker collages are the new Pop Art.

4. When you are four years old, getting the chance to be at the front of the line for class dismissal is akin to winning a Pulitzer.

5. And last but not least, I could never, ever be a teacher.

In addition to being my first time in Ethan's classroom, today is also Sadie's 18-month "birthday." I have slacked off of my monthly picture-taking but decided to pick it back up, at least for this month. What can I say, I am totally smitten. She is so stinking cute and just overflowing with spit and vinegar. She is super clingy these days and wants to be held quite a bit. I'm hoping she adjusts okay when she is no longer the baby of the house but we'll see. Until then, she's still my baby (well, she'll always be my baby but you know what I mean) and I can't get enough of her. If only she would stop growing up.

So big!!

Puppy love! Sadie is completely obsessed with dogs, even our spazzy obnoxious one

Stare-oids!

I just really liked this candid shot of Ethan trying not to get eaten by Jabba

Getting a kick out of big brother's antics

Taking time to stop and smell the roses

Deep in thought, hard at "work"

She has taken over Ethan's love of cars

Just adorableness

How sweet it is

to be a family again! Paul got home yesterday morning after taking the red-eye from San Fran on Friday night. What a sight for sore eyes! The kids were sooooooooo excited to see their dad on their "home turf." I don't think Ethan let Paul out of his sight all day; I've never heard that kid talk so much! And Sadie followed him around like a little puppy dog, throwing herself at his legs in loving embraces. I was effectively dropped like a hot potato the moment the kids laid eyes on Paul, and for once I am completely okay with that.

Too bad Paul is so jet-lagged or maybe I could have taken the morning off. But when your kids are psychos like ours and get up at 5:30 (Sadie) and 6:10 (Ethan), it's pretty hard to convince yourself to rouse someone who basically didn't sleep for 36 hours (and is still three time zones behind). Maybe next weekend.

And let me just say that the re-organizing/clutter* removal began the minute Paul walked in the door. That man just can't relax. Love you, babe!


*clutter is in the eye of the beholder, and our eyes behold things quite differently