the snow globe

Glass etching

2011-11-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

I've become kind of crafty lately. Not really sure why, but I have found all these cool things that I want to make and finally decided to go with it. One of my new favorites is glass etching. I saw it done on some blog somewhere and thought "I could do that!" It turned out to be way more fun and addicting than I had anticipated and I find myself wanting to etch every glass surface in my house.

I've had quite a few people ask me how it's done, so I decided to do a little example for demonstration purposes. I bought these plain juice glasses earlier this week to use as dessert cups for Halloween dinner- $2.99 for a set of four at Target. Can't beat that. And at that price, I can afford to use one for my demo.

First of all, you will need the glass etching cream. I've heard some people say they've found it at their local craft store, but I searched high and low at Michael's and couldn't find it anywhere (though, in all honesty, I didn't ask so maybe they do have it hidden away somewhere). Instead, I just ordered it off of Amazon. Anyway, this is what it looks like:

Next, you will need to decide what pattern/design you want to etch. For this demo, I chose a pretty script S and just printed it off my computer (in a really huge font and bolded). I've also used stickers as templates and that works really well, too.

Next, take a little square of plain Contact paper and trace the design onto it (or put your sticker on it). I've found that a fine-point permanent marker works best for this. Regular pen doesn't show up well and any other kind of marker just smears when you press it onto your glass.

Now just peel the backing off of your Contact paper and stick it onto the glass you want to etch, like so:

This is where it gets a little tricky/time consuming. Once the Contact paper is stuck to your glass, take an Exact-O/craft knife and very carefully cut along the lines of your design. I've found it helpful to move the glass around as I'm doing it, instead of trying to contort my arm into some weird position. If you accidentally go outside the lines, it isn't a super huge deal; you can usually go back and correct it.

Now it's time to remove the part you cut. Remember to leave certain parts of the Contact paper in place (i.e., if you cut out an "O," you'll want to leave the Contact paper in the middle or else it will just be a big circle). If you find that your cutting was not quite as smooth as you would've liked, you can always go back and fine tune your stencil. Here is what my fancy "S" stencil looked like when I was done.

Once you've removed the stencil, take your finger or some other blunt object and gently smooth down the edges around the exposed part of glass (I use the rounded end of my craft knife). You just want to be sure there are no air bubbles or gaps because otherwise the etching cream will seep under the Contact paper and ruin your beautiful stencil!

From here on out it's easy. Take a sponge brush and apply a thick layer of etching cream over the exposed glass. Try to make it as even as possible, but you do want it to be thick.

Then just let it hang out for 10-15 minutes while the cream does its magic. After the time has passed, put your glass under running water to rinse off the cream, rubbing it off with your finger if necessary. Here's what mine looked like after rinsing:

Now it's time for the big reveal! Peel the Contact paper away...

And voila! (sorry, this picture is blurrier than I thought but it's the only one I took and I'm too lazy to go back and take another one)

So that's it! A little time consuming, but I think it looks so cool and classy. And not super expensive, either (I think the etching cream cost around $6-$8 and I had most of the other stuff lying around the house already). And now my big Pyrex baking dish is un-steal-able! :)

Calling It Like I See It

2011-10-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

We have completely stopped posting to this blog. At some point, we use to post pictures and thoughts - all in real time, anxious to share with friends and family what was going on in our neck of the woods.

We still want to share that stuff to those that give a rip (it is a technical term - look it up) but we have been doing it through other means. Sarah has kept all of her updates fairly private by sticking to Facebook. I have been using Google+ all summer and will start making all of the "blog-like" posts public.

So, if you're still with us and aren't getting your Snow family fix from some other source, feel free to check me out on Google+ here or feel free to add me to a circle if you're also using +. I will post a bunch of public updates this weekend to cover our summer here in southern California. In addition, I guarantee to update more regularly. Pinky swear.

And baby makes six...

2011-07-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

Do you ever stop to look at your child(ren)? I mean, really stop what you're doing and just take a good, long look? Every once in a while I find myself doing this; I can't help it, really. It's those little random moments when they're all sitting on the couch together, or playing outside or even strapped into their car seats on a long drive, when I feel compelled to just stop and look. I examine their facial features, their expressions, mannerisms, physical characteristics- everything. I love discovering the ways in which they are alike, and the ways in which they are oh so unique. I admire the way Sadie's hair is highlighted so beautifully, the deep ocean blue of Ethan's big eyes, the perfect porcelain canvas of Rebecca's skin. I laugh at their sweet giggles, the goofy smiles on their faces, and am moved by the tenderness that exists between them. This is not to say, of course, that they are perfectly behaved or even nice to each other a majority of the time. Far from it. But I relish in those moments when I see their sweet spirits shining through and am reminded of who they truly are; and what an enormous blessing and sacred trust it is to be a mother.

I experienced one of those moments again this morning, when I saw my fourth and final baby during my 20 week ultrasound. Obviously, this is not the first ultrasound I've had. But it still takes my breath away every single time; I never tire of seeing them, or stop marveling at how something so small can be so amazing. We found out that we are having another girl, our third, and we are over the moon. Here she is in profile, with her sweet little snub nose:

My heart is overflowing with gratitude for this precious child, this baby girl that will complete our family. In many ways I feel unworthy of such an amazing gift and responsibility, but I hope and pray that we are up to the challenge. This little girl was not in our plans, but it's obvious to me that she had other ideas. She is meant to be in our family, for reasons I hope to understand some day soon. But for now I will simply love her and anxiously await the day when I can meet her and discover just what makes her special. And mine.

Expect the unexpected

2011-05-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

I have kind of adopted this as the Snow family motto. It seems we have gone through quite a few significant life changes in the last two or three years, some of them not exactly what we had planned.

First we left everything behind- our house, friends, job, income- to go back to school. Yeah, we planned that one, but it was scary nonetheless. It turned out to be one of the best decisions we've made, so that worked out well.

Then came Rebecca. We were sort of half-a$$ed trying to get pregnant at the time, but totally weren't expecting it to work as quickly as it did after struggling for nearly two years to have Sadie. We were pretty stunned to be having another baby only 20 months after Sades, but of course now we wouldn't have it any other way. Becca is the cutest, sweetest little girl and was definitely meant to be in our family.

When Paul started B-school, he wasn't completely sure what he wanted to do afterwards. He originally thought that he'd like to go back into consulting, but after his first semester of school he pretty much decided that wasn't the path for him. It took a long time for him to really pin down what he wanted, but eventually he decided to focus on the technology sector. Unfortunately for us, that meant a much more non-traditional recruiting process. While most of his classmates were accepting their full-time offers in the fall and early winter/spring of 2010, Paul continued to interview until the bitter end. It wasn't until about a month before graduation that we finally had his offer letter in hand and knew where we would be moving to once school was over. It was a pretty tense time, and I was nervous about the future. But Paul refused to compromise and eventually landed his dream job at his dream company. And that meant a move to California- a place I never in a million years expected to end up.

So we packed up and made the looooong drive from New Hampshire to San Francisco in June of last year. We really loved it there. The city is amazing; it has such a great vibe, great places to visit, great restaurants, beautiful scenery, you name it. We made great friends, Ethan started kindergarten and was thriving, Paul was excelling at work. Until one day he came home and told me that his current position was being eliminated. He still had a job, but he would have to find a new project, either within YouTube or over at Google. A couple days later, he told me about an opportunity he had to join a new, up-and-coming YouTube team down in Los Angeles that would work on film and television partnerships. He was really excited about it, but I was not. I didn't want to leave SF; frankly, I've never been a huge fan of Southern California and was worried about finding a good place to live with good schools, etc. I prayed and prayed about what to do. Eventually I just came to the conclusion that I wanted to be where Paul was, that I would follow him to the ends of the earth because we belong together. He really wanted this LA job, so we took the plunge. Five months later, I still miss San Francisco. But we are together and making the best of it; life goes on.

Which brings me to now. Expect the unexpected once again.

Yes, that is an ultrasound picture of our fourth child, who is due at the end of November. Never in my wildest dreams could I have predicted this. There is most definitely divine intervention involved; I can't explain this child any other way. We were not planning this. We weren't even sure if we wanted another child, especially given the fact that it will mean my fourth c-section. But apparently the choice was not ours to make, and here we are once again. My heart is full of gratitude for this opportunity to bring life into the world one last time, to complete our family.

Who knows what other twists and turns await us, but we're looking forward to the ride!

Images From the Last Two Months of Our Lives

2011-05-20T22:12:00.000-07:00

We are completely off the blogging band wagon. Not sure if we care or not but wanted to at least show how we've been spending our time.

Eating at Bob's Big Boy in Burbank

Le Bex

I Wanna Be Jackie Onassis. I Wanna Wear a Pair of Bright Sunglasses

Movie Night at Ethan's School

Eating Cupcakes with Pictures of Ethan's Teachers on Them

Food Trucks at Ethan's School

Playing at the Park

Visting with Miss Katie and Denise

Long Beach Aquarium

Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in Hollywood

Rebecca does a wicked Ray Charles impression

Getty Center

Sadie Making a Mask at the Getty Center

Hollywood Forever Cemetary - Johnny Ramone's Grave

Krispy Kreme in Burbank

Dodgers Opening Weekend against the Giants

Disneyland for Sadie's Birthday

Ethan making an Android craft at Take Your Kid to Work day at Google's Santa Monica office

Sadie running an obstacle course at Take Your Kid to Work day

Just kidding

2011-03-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

So, you can just forget all the stuff I said yesterday.

We're not potty-training.

I forgot to take into account what a strong, stubborn personality Sadie is; when she doesn't want to do something, it just doesn't happen. We never had even one successful potty experience yesterday, and this morning when I tried to put her on the potty for the second time, she went completely rigid and tried to bite me. She won't even sit on it without crying hysterically. I don't want this to turn into another epic power struggle/horrible experience.

So... yeah. Guess we'll try again in a couple weeks. I never thought Ethan would turn out to be the easier one... (potty-training wise; he is easy in lots of other ways!)

Here we go again...

2011-03-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

Potty-training Ethan was possibly the most horrific experience ever. It took nearly a full calendar year for him to be completely trained- no more accidents, no more power struggles, etc. We started the process because his pediatrician basically shamed me into it; at his three-year check-up, she was shocked that he still wore diapers. It was close to Christmastime, so we used the lure of Santa Claus to entice him to sit on the potty. It worked a little bit. Then we made sticker charts and he would get a sticker every time he peed in the potty. That lost its appeal after a while, so we decided to offer a big reward if he could go for a pre-determined stretch of time without an accident. His big reward was a light-up lightsaber. He worked really hard and got it. We were so proud. He got pretty good at peeing on the potty. But if he got distracted (say, while watching a movie), he would forget he had to pee and wet his pants. Unfortunately, he absolutely refused to poop on the potty. I don't know if it was his way of rebelling against our authority, or if he was scared or what, but it was a major power struggle. We'd sit him down on the potty at the same time every night and he would just scream his lungs out. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. We tried everything to entice him but nothing worked. He would wait until he went to bed (in a diaper, as he wasn't nighttime-trained) to poop, which then caused a whole host of other problems. It wasn't until we moved to New Hampshire in August of '08 that he really started doing all his "business" on the potty. I don't know what happened to make him start using the potty, but he did. And there was much rejoicing!

Sadie is turning three next week (can you believe it??!?!) and is still in diapers. I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to potty-training (obviously). I have no idea what the "signs of readiness" are, and everything I read about them makes me think Sadie's not there yet. But I just think it's time. She is the only one in her dance class that still wears diapers. I had decided to start after her birthday because we're going to Disneyland next Saturday to celebrate and I didn't want to worry about her having a million accidents or rushing to find a bathroom every 20 seconds. For whatever reason, I started telling her about my plan this morning and showed her the Minnie Mouse panties she got for Christmas and the Pull-Ups I bought a few weeks ago. She was super excited to wear her big girl undies, so she demanded I put them on her right then and there. Not wanting to discourage her, I agreed to let her wear a Pull-Up. We ran to the grocery store and bought an enormous bag of M&M's and I told her she could have one every time she peed or pooped on the potty.

It's been about three hours now, and she is currently next to me on the couch, naked from the waist down after peeing in her Pull-Up, writhing around hysterically and having a crying screaming fit because I won't give her an M&M. Wow, this is going well...

Living On a Backlot

2011-03-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday we got somewhat excited because a commercial was being shot at the house across the street from us. Turns out it was a Viagra commercial but still.

Then the Oprah Winfrey Show shot a segment on the sidewalk in front of our house on Sunday.

Finally, some film was shooting a few houses down today.

Any excitement or sexiness that was associated with film shoots is gone. We've come to associate them with big trucks taking up your parking and scruffy looking dudes sitting on your yard. Not exactly Universal Studios.

Starring in a Superbowl Commercial

2011-02-06T21:08:00.000-08:00

While watching a Chevrolet ad during the later half of the Superbowl, we were surprised to see a familiar face. Specifically, Carpenter Avenue Elementary, Ethan's school. He was pumped as well, which was super cute. Check out the ad here or see the pictures below.

Shot from Chevy Camaro Commercial

Ethan's School via Google Streetview

I Could Get Use To This

2011-01-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

We are really starting to enjoy southern California. How can you not when the weather is this beautiful? Check out the tough week we have ahead of us - mid-70's across the board.

Weather like that allows us to ... oh ... say, hit the beach in January. We went down to Santa Monica yesterday. While we didn't bring our suits, we did enjoy the boardwalk and putting our feet in the ocean. One thing we need to learn though is how to dress. Each of us wore long sleeves - entirely unnecessary - but old habits die hard. It is winter after all.

House Tour - Tarantino Style

2011-01-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

Alright. Paul is still posting to the blog. This post in particular has a dual purpose. One, it will likely convince Sarah to assume control of the blog again so that she can limit what I put up here. Second, it is suppose to entice people to come to LA and visit us.

We've probably told this story to most of you but, in early December, we spent several days house hunting. We found several options but a few hours before our flight we saw a posting for a home in Studio City (a small area of Los Angeles just west of Universal Studio and over the hill from Hollywood). We had time to kill so we decided to drive by.

We liked the neighborhood and called the landlord. Turns out she was out of town until tomorrow so we'd have to make due by looking at the outside of the house and peering through the windows. We liked what we saw and gave her a call once we got back to San Francisco. Did she have any pictures of the inside of the house? Turns out she wasn't particularly savvy with a camera or a computer. She had her nephew take a few pictures with him phone which helped but we were interested in seeing more before we committed. "Well, the house was in the movie 'Pulp Fiction' so you could see more of it there." she said.

Wait, what? Sarah had seen the movie but couldn't remember it enough to make a call on the house. Due to the time crunch we were under (we had a couple of other houses that we were considering putting an offer on and we had to let the moving company know where to take our stuff), this led to a frantic search across San Francisco to locate a copy of the movie on a Tuesday night. We located a copy at a Blockbuster, which closed at 10 PM. I planned to drop by after Bishopric meeting but we ran long. So, what's a guy (and girl) to do? YouTube it, of course. Sarah found a clip (which you can view here - mute your sound to avoid the colorful language). So, at 11 PM on a Tuesday we were watching a grainy clip of a mid-nineties movie to try and figure out - among other things - where our couch would go in the living room and what kind of storage the kitchen had.

Long story short (too late?), we are in the house and really enjoy it. I still haven't seen 'Pulp Fiction' but people have been asking for pictures of our new house so I concocted an elaborate plan for us to re-enact scenes from 'Pulp Fiction' in full on costume. Well, I haven't been able to locate good wigs yet (isn't that always the case?) so I instead just took pictures of the house and compared them to scenes in the movie.

Let me give a few qualifiers about the pictures. One is that I did zero cleaning before taking the pictures so this is just in our natural habitat. Second, I had Sarah pose for a couple of pictures. She was making dinner at the time but was nevertheless a team player. That said, don't be surprised if she decides to remove those pictures with her in them.

So, review the pictures and then book your flight to LA for your chance to stay in your own little part of Hollywood. We'd love to have you.

It's So Fluffy: Christmas 2010 in Lake Tahoe

2011-01-08T06:57:00.000-08:00

We are now in Studio City after moving down from Pacifica and spending the holidays in South Lake Tahoe (all within the state of California). All of Paul's family got together, which is a good thing because we needed everyone's help to dig out from all the snow we got. Take a look at the pictures below to get an idea of how the Snows celebrated the holidays.

Family picture with Paul's family

Back Row (from left): Beezer, Bryce, Kevin, Lauren, Niels

Front Row: Rebecca, Sarah, Sadie, Paul, Katherine, Stuart, Ethan

Grandma Snow introduced Sadie to make-up on the trip in an effort to entertain her during a long car ride.

Grandma Snow and Kevin get ready to ride the slopes at Sierra

Ethan demonstrating what the level of snow in Tahoe

Rebecca catching some rays at the sledding hill

Feasting on hotdogs with the family while sledding

Ethan displaying one of his gifts - a soccer goal

Sadie spent most of Christmas day dressed up in one costume or another

Rebecca - bundled up and ready to go

Sarah and Sadie in our neighborhood in South Lake Tahoe

At the house we rented, there was a little house in the back that Ethan and Sadie used to sell pretend food at outrageous prices. Here Ethan is heckling us to purchase some of his wares.

The kid entrepreneurs at work

Selling stuff that doesn't exist is hard work

The trees were absolutely beautiful after the snowfall

The family after taking a break from sledding

Sadie - attitude

Rebecca - joyful glee

Plastic + Hill = Fun

Ethan loved sledding with Grandma Snow

Niels was our resident hot tub expert. Think the most we got in the tub at one time was six people

The kids loved playing with their aunts and uncles. Here Sadie keeps it real with her Google Operating Council temporary tattoo.

Pivoting 400 Miles South for Sunnier Climes

2010-12-20T09:56:00.000-08:00

This blog is in absolute disrepair. Four months and no updates? Wouldn't be surprised if nobody reads it anymore and/ or gets their updates on our family from other social sources.

Regardless, we do have some news. This week, we're moving from the San Francisco bay area (Pacifica, California specifically) to the Los Angeles area (Studio City specifically). The move is related to Paul's job. It has been really tough this week to say goodbye to such good friends but we are excited to see what new adventures await us 400 miles south. Given the cold and rainy weather we have been having in San Francisco this week, we're also looking forward to slightly warmer days as well.

Before we head off though, we wanted to reflect on our happenings over the past couple of months. I'll stick with pictures and spare you any commentary.

One more thing - if you need our new contact information, just let us know - and Merry Christmas!

We went on a few local roadtrips

Sadie at Monterey Bay Aquarium

Rebecca and Paul at Monterey Bay Aquarium

We celebrated some birthdays

Ethan partying with his buds at Chuck E Cheese

Ethan turning the big six

Rebecca enjoying her first birthday with some cake

We enjoyed local sites

Sadie and Ethan at Alcatraz

Sadie listening to the audio tour of the cellblock at Alcatraz

Sarah smiling as she tours a maximum security prison

Ethan at the Palace of Fine Arts

We celebrated Halloween

Ethan went as Boba Fett again and Sadie went as a "dancing fairy princess"

Chew"Becca"

We celebrated San Francisco sports

An angel at the Exploritorium dressed up to celebrated the Giants - World Series champions

Freezing our butts off at a 49ers football game

We rode boats

Paul on a company dinner cruise

Sadie and Ethan on top of an aircraft carrier during fleet week

We enjoyed San Francisco's beautiful outdoors

Monterey, California

Half Moon Bay, California

The Golden Gate Bridge

The Bay Bridge

Baker Beach, California

Ethan on Mount Davidson in San Francisco

We studied hard
Ethan proudly displaying his reading certificate at Kindergarden

We worried about our neighbors
The San Bruno gas explosion from Paul's car

We enjoyed living in the San Francisco area
Rocking out to Neil Young

Posing next to a cupcake at Google's headquarters

Looking at the DeLorean from the Back to the Future movies

Riding a train with Rebecca

Ethan riding the Seward Slides in San Francisco

One Parting Shot
All three kids passed out in the backseat of a rental car as we house hunt in Los Angeles

Doing my part to bring joy to the world

2010-09-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

Zoo Day

2010-08-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

We went to the SF Zoo on Saturday because kids get in free for the whole month of August (sweet). We still had to pay for ourselves, but whatever. The kids loved it. I don't think we've been to a zoo since we left DC. Sadie seemed to like it the best. She has a thing for giraffes lately, so whenever we saw one she would scream "Mommy, RAFF!" At one point we saw two giraffes "kissing" and she yelled "Look, Mommy- TWO raffs!" So adorable.

Sadie looking at the lemurs

Are Sadie and Ethan gorilla-size? Not quite

Ethan got tired of walking by the end of the day, but all in all they had fun. Now I have to find some activities for Sadie to do while Ethan's in school!

Ethan's Big Day!

2010-08-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

My little guy started kindergarten this morning!! He has been soooo excited to go to "real school." We picked out his clothes last night, packed his backpack with all his supplies, packed his lunch this morning and set off on the one-block walk to school! There were cars parked by our house to drop kids off, that's how out of control the traffic was- nuts! We were like two minutes late (natch), and all the other kids in Ethan's class were lined up against the wall outside his classroom. I think this was too much for Ethan, as he kind of had a super freak-out moment and wouldn't join them, but after they went inside he was okay. We found his desk and sat him down, hung his backpack up in his little cubbie, said hi to his teacher (Mrs. Ryan) and took our leave. He seemed just fine- no tears on anyone's part, yay! I actually didn't see anyone crying anywhere.

Sadie doesn't seem to be missing her brother at all yet. Maybe she knows this is her chance to shine.

Getting ready to walk to school!

In front of his school- what's with the pained expression?

sitting at his new desk, with Princess Sadie in the background

Sadie Rose, Rock Star

2010-08-25T21:02:00.002-07:00

So, it's been sunny here the last few days (which is something of a miracle) and my old pair of sunglasses is all scratched and one of the lenses keeps popping out, so I decided it was time to retire them and get new ones. I had to go to Target anyway, so we headed down the accessories aisle. I am picky so it took me a while to find some I liked. In the meantime, Sadie picked up a pair of neon pink and purple sunglasses and a beaded clutch purse and was strutting her stuff up and down the aisle, much to the amusement of other shoppers. When I told her she couldn't buy either item, it was a meltdown of nuclear proportions. So I decided to compromise and let her buy some kid-sized sunglasses instead. After much deliberation (and an attempt by Mom to get her to buy the oh-so-cute polka-dotted Hello Kitty pair), Sadie settled on pink Barbie glasses. She made me take the tag off the second we pulled away from the cash register and pretty much hasn't taken them off since. I think she even went to bed with them.

Now, Sadie is something of a diva. Those of you who have spent any considerable time in her presence know that she commands attention no matter where she is or what she's doing. So just imagine adding pink Barbie glasses to the equation. Yeah. There's no stopping the posing, the strutting, the "Mom! My GLASSES!" But hey- if you've got it, flaunt it. (at least while she's still a toddler; this rule will no longer apply in ten years)

Joe Cool

Making a dramatic statement; I can just hear the electric guitars in the background, can't you?

A random shot of Ethan that I thought was super cute

on the move

What you talkin 'bout, Ethan?

playing deejay

Claudia, you will be happy to know that she is in love with this Aunt pillow you made me several years ago. This was her reaction when I asked her to hold it up for the camera. : )

So there you have it: next stop American Idol.

Aye yi yi

2010-08-23T15:34:00.005-07:00

Wow, has it really been over a month since I posted last? And here I was thinking I was getting better.

Well, not a whole lot has changed, I guess. Bex is of course getting bigger daily, but the general state of things hasn't changed much. Ethan starts kindergarten a week from today, so that will bring big changes for all of us. He is really excited, mainly because it means he will now get to stay at school for lunch every single day. It's the little things, folks. Sadie is divalicious as always, still obsessed with tights and purses and swimsuits. She's a Miss Universe in training. And my Becca is growing more rotund all the time, which in her case is a good thing. I took her to the doctor this morning for her nine month check-up and she has gained 5.5 pounds in three months- she catapulted into the 50th percentile for weight, up from the 6th back in May. So I am most pleased with that. She sits up and drools like a bloodhound, but we love her anyway. She got her first two teeth last weekend, both at the same time, so maybe that explains all the drool. No matter, she's adorable no matter what.

So I took a whole batch of nine-month photos last Friday and uploaded them all to facebook. I am feeling super lazy and don't want to spend the time it takes to put them here as well, so I will post the link instead: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=486129&id=763685077&l=bc32e59db8 But today she is wearing quite possibly the world's cutest outfit so I had to take a few pictures. My mom gave her this sunsuit waaaaaaaay back in March or something, and I was afraid she would never be chunky enough and the weather would never be warm enough for her to wear it. But alas, stars have aligned and it is simply spectacular here today so I couldn't resist. Enjoy.

I cannot stand it- look at how freaking adorable this outfit is, complete with little jelly sandals!

This is the hilarious diva pose Sadie now assumes when I pull out the camera. I have no idea why. It reminds me of a two-year-old's take on the classic Farrah Fawcett poster. And then there's Becca, who's just fat and happy and makes me want to nibble her chins.

this picture just makes me laugh

It's that time again

2010-07-20T14:37:00.004-07:00

Loyal blog reader (I think there's only one of you), it's time to endure more of my gushing about my little darling, Rebecca. She is eight months old today, which means another big batch of photos. I have a hard time deciding between pictures of her, so I tend to put them all on here. Deal.

Look at this little angel! She actually doesn't mind sitting in the exersaucer now that I finally replaced the batteries. She kicks her legs more than just about any baby I've ever seen!

Time for breakfast!

Look at me! I'm getting so big, I can sit up all by myself!!

Meet the next Gerber baby

Ooooooooooohh, soooo cute!

Not to be outdone, Sadie decided to play fashionista and try on a bunch of her shoes. That hat cracks me up.

What can I say, I have cute little girls!

Surf & Turf

2010-07-20T14:15:00.003-07:00

We are trying to acclimate ourselves to our new home, so we did a little exploring this past weekend. We stayed right here in Pacifica but found some pretty cool stuff.

This is the beach just down the road from our house. It was kinda foggy but still pretty!

That's right- the world's only beach-front Taco Bell! We're high class here in Pacifica.

Getting irritated that Ethan was running in the surf

Maybe we can enroll the kids in surfing lessons

We also found this AWESOME playground not too far from the beach. It's huge and sooo much fun! The kids had an absolute blast going down all the slides and hiding in all the nooks and crannies.

Apparently Paul was feeling all kinds of sassy that day

Ethan doing his best Macaulay Culkin (and yes, he has a slight black eye from some game he played at school last week)

So, we may not have sunshine or warmth, but Pacifica still has a few perks.

Catching Up

2010-07-09T10:09:00.007-07:00

I've got a lot of catching up to do. Since we posted last, we moved completely across the country- from one extreme to the other. We're no longer in New Hampshire. We now live in Pacifica, CA- about 7 miles south of San Francisco. So far we are really enjoying it here. The weather is a little spotty- it can be really foggy and windy and cold here. But it can also be sunny and gorgeous, so we take the good with the bad. On a clear day we can see the Pacific Ocean from our front windows, so that can't be all bad.

So, let's see... first up, Paul's graduation on June 12th. It was pouring down rain all morning, so instead of holding it in front of the big beautiful white steps of Tuck Hall, it was moved to the hockey arena. Soooo classy. Oh well. We were proud of him nonetheless.

Waiting for the ceremony to start

We survived grad school!!!

Paul's parents came out for the occasion

Three days later the moving truck came and loaded up all our earthly possessions. It was really nice not having to do it ourselves. And being the crazy insane people that we are, we decided to drive the 3,100 miles from New Hampshire to San Francisco with our three kids and spazzy dog. Oh yeah. Good times. It was A LOT of time in the car. We took a full week to do it and made some stops along the way.

Ethan at the Chicago Zoo

Sadie liked the rhinos

We stopped in Salt Lake City to see Bryce and Beezer and Lauren

We stopped at Lake Tahoe

Finally we arrived in California. And there was much rejoicing. Our stuff arrived on the 25th and we were pretty much completely unpacked by the 28th. We still need to hang some pictures, but other than that we're all set. Paul's mom and youngest brother Niels came out to help us settle in and were later joined by Lauren and Kevin. It was really fun to have family in town and the kids were in absolute heaven. Fourth of July weekend we went up to Muir Woods, a redwood forest north of the city.

After the woods, we drove up the coastline a little bit and stopped at a scenic overlook. Gorgeous!

We went to the beach after that, but for some reason I didn't take any pictures.

View of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin County side

Lauren and Niels defying gravity

Like I said, on a clear day you can see the ocean from our front windows

close-up of our view

Sadie being silly

Diva

The Bex

cute new shirt from Grandma K

I don't know if it's my imagination or what, but I swear Bex is putting on some pounds. She feels heavier when I pick her up and she just looks chubbier to me. I guess maybe all the olive oil and cereal I've been putting in her food is actually working.

Ethan started a kindergarten readiness camp this week and is loving it. I heard him ask Paul the other day if it was still summer. When Paul said yes, Ethan said "Awww, but I want REAL school to start!" I hope he still feels that way on August 30th. Paul is really enjoying his job at YouTube, especially all the awesome free food. And the hours aren't nearly as bad as we were all anticipating, so the kids love seeing him for breakfast AND dinner.

That's about all for now. We miss New Hampshire but are excited about our new adventure here in California. We hope to have lots of people come visit us (hint, hint- Claudia, you're off the hook since you're coming next month, YAY!). I think we'll be here for quite a while.

Ethan's Last Day of Preschool at Storr Pond

2010-05-28T19:00:00.003-07:00

We tend to upload most of our family videos here. Realize not everyone goes there though so thought we'd toss a brief clip from this week up here.

Fire Hazard

2010-05-28T18:57:00.002-07:00

One of the best things about turning thirty? The element of danger that having so many candles on your cake adds to the day. Happy birthday Sarah.

Observations

2010-05-19T17:49:00.002-07:00

Today has been kind of a sentimental day for me. I'm not really sure why, but I've just been thinking a lot about all the myriad things going on in our lives right now. We have this huge move ahead of us (more on that in a minute), Paul is graduating from Tuck next month, Rebecca will be six months old tomorrow... it just seems like so much is happening. Most of it good, but it does give me reason to stop and reflect a bit.

We have lived on the east coast for the last seven years. SEVEN YEARS. To put that into context, Paul and I have been married for almost eight and a half years; so for practically our entire marriage we have been out here. Crazy. I loved northern Virginia and living outside of D.C. It is such a great city (aside from the horrendous traffic). We made wonderful friends and had two of our children there. But then it came time for us to move on and we were given the opportunity to come up here to New Hampshire for school. What an amazing experience it has been. We have met some truly great people here- people from so many different countries and cultures and walks of life. It's been tough at times with Paul so busy, and last summer was especially trying as we were apart for three months, but we survived. And the future looks bright.

So now the time has come for us to move on once again. Paul's last day of class is tomorrow and then he will graduate with his MBA on June 12th. I am so immensely proud of him. He has worked so hard and given his all at school, on the job hunt and at home. He has accepted a job with YouTube in San Bruno, CA, and will be starting at the end of June. He is excited to work again and we are all looking forward to this new adventure out west. But I am sad to leave New England. It is amazingly beautiful here and we've felt very much a part of the tight-knit Tuck community. I know wonderful things lie ahead for our family, but it's hard to say goodbye to this place.

And then there's my baby Bex. She will be six months old tomorrow. I had a baby six months ago. It seems like six days ago. As I was pondering this astounding impossibility, I noted how differently I view her "babyhood" from Ethan's, and even Sadie's to an extent. When Ethan was a baby, I couldn't wait for certain things to happen. I couldn't wait for him to smile. I couldn't wait for him to coo and laugh. The day he turned four months old I started him on rice cereal. I wished he would sit up. I couldn't wait to watch him crawl around on the floor and get into everything. I was anxious for him to take his first steps. I desperately wanted him to start talking. And on and on and on. Now I find myself yearning for a pause button, as one of my friends put it. It's not to say that I don't look forward to all those same things with Rebecca; I most certainly do. I rejoice at every new milestone and skill she develops. I'm just not in a hurry anymore. I don't care that she's not sitting up yet; I skipped cereal as her first food because she didn't like it, and give her solids only when I remember. I haven't been waiting the recommended three days in between each new food to watch for an allergic reaction. Seriously, who is allergic to green beans? (besides picky five year-olds) I appreciate each stage for what it is, and realize that she will never be this small again. Pretty soon her world won't revolve around me anymore, she'll be running away when I ask her to do something, or throwing a tantrum because I won't let her have cookies for breakfast. She'll grow up; it's already happening too quickly. So I'm getting in all the sweet baby snuggles I can and enduring nighttime feedings because I know that this phase will end much too soon. She's already halfway to her first birthday!

Okay, enough philosophical ramblings- on to the cute baby pictures. I might take some more tomorrow but here's what I've got so far. I just want to nuzzle her chins every time I look at her.

I love you, Rebecca!!

Nifty nifty, look who's...

2010-04-20T18:16:00.005-07:00

... five months old. Wow, that joke really broke down quickly.

Anywho, it's true- our sweet Rebecca is five months old today. I don't know where she gets the nerve, growing up. Who said she was allowed to do that? I'm pretty sure neither of us gave her permission. Rebelling already.

I finally remembered to take pictures, so here they are. I am so completely and totally in love. Look at this precious angel. I love having a baby around.

getting cranky; she took a three-hour nap right after this picture was taken!

LOVE this one

Eeeeeeeeexcellent

I just want to nuzzle my face in her chins- such a sweetie!

Ethan's new haircut; doesn't he look handsome?

Sadie got a haircut today too. Both of them were so well behaved at the barber shop!

Easter and other total randomness

2010-04-20T17:49:00.004-07:00

Can you tell it's been a really long time since I've updated the blog?

So, we don't lead super exciting lives or anything, but here's what's been going on the last few weeks:

I made a cake for my friend's birthday

Ethan was a "humming fish" in his preschool's production of Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax"

I wasn't sure how best to create an orange fish costume, so I just bought some cheap-o orange clothes at a consignment shop and then glued on strips of shiny "scales." He seemed to like it, so I guess that's all that matters.

I got a haircut

Sadie got a big box of cute hand-me-downs from Aunt Claudia

Oh, and we celebrated Easter! The Bunny left a bunch of eggs downstairs for the kids to find on Easter morning

Sadie in her pretty Easter dress

beautiful Becca with her Easter bunny

Look at my sweet haul, Mom!

my sweet Ethan has finally learned to smile for the camera

a sleepy Sades shows off her new jammies

Okay, I think that catches us up. Told you it wasn't very interesting.

Sadie turned two!

2010-04-20T17:19:00.004-07:00

Like a month ago. Woops.

Well, it was fun anyway. Grandma K was here to celebrate with us and we had a blast with her. Let's recap:

Here is Sadie at 8:24 a.m., exactly two years old!

hangin' with Dad at the bowling alley

her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday cake

she got this adorable bear from my parents

MMC book from Paul's parents

she was loving this whole "unwrapping" thing

pretty dress from my parents

blow out the candles, Sadie!

dunking on the new hoop from Paul's parents

She had a most excellent birthday. And now that she's two, she feels the need to act the part. Oh Sadie... you're lucky we love you so much.

Our mini vacation

2010-03-18T08:36:00.004-07:00

Last week (first week of Paul's spring break), we decided to get out of Dodge for a little while and take the kids somewhere fun. Within driving distance. Seeing as this is a pretty small area and we've done nearly everything within the immediate vicinity, we broadened our horizons and set out for upstate New York. There is a Six Flags there and they happen to have a huge indoor water park. It was super cheap for the five of us to stay there so we went for it. It was a HUGE hit with the kids. Once we got Ethan over his innate hatred of loud noises (all that water rushing about is pretty dang loud) and made him try the lazy river and other tube rides, he loosened up and had a blast. Sadie could have played on the water slide all day long. Bex was not too impressed by all this but was well-behaved nonetheless. The only hiccup was an episode of car sickness on the way there, but luckily our hotel room was just down the hall from the laundry room, so we were able to wash all of Sadie's car seat before we left. It was the perfect little weekend getaway!

Does this suit look familiar? It might be my favorite piece of clothing ever.

Ethan taking the plunge

Go Sades!

we skipped a few nap times, so Sadie got pretty tired

A good time was had by all!!

Our lil' bit o' sweetness

2010-02-21T10:29:00.003-08:00

How can I even put into words how much I love this little girl? Look at her.

Is she not the sweetest little thing on the planet? She is such a good baby- pretty mellow, goes with the flow, adores her big brother and sister, tolerates the dog. She even likes Dad. The only thing about Bex is she does NOT like to be left alone; she always wants to be able to see you. Which is fine most of the time, but it makes showering a bit dicey. She is holding her head fairly steady when you sit her up and she likes to put weight on her legs for a few seconds when you stand her up. She is bringing her hands together in the "praying" position a lot, too. She still gets up once or twice during the night to nurse, but is getting a fairly predictable daytime nap schedule going, so I'll take the small victories where I can get them.

Anyhoo, yesterday was her three-month "birthday," which I commemorated by taking 15 million pictures and generally annoying the snot out of her. It's tradition.

Look at me trying to sit up! I'm so big!

This is her new standard: tongue hanging out of mouth. She does it almost constantly. So freaking cute. Look at that little baby tongue!

I am sooooo big!

this is my worried face

she was probably trying to figure out where that snoring noise was coming from (I'm lookin' at you, Jabba)

doin' my tummy time

Did I mention that I HATE tummy time?

this is her other favorite activity of late: fist sucking

HI!!

Cute, Party of 1

Look at that tongue! Love it!

So there you have it. Our three month-old cutie. She's a little piece of heaven I get to hold in my arms. I couldn't ask for anything more than that.

Adorableness

2010-01-27T19:18:00.006-08:00

Is that even a word? I don't know, but it accurately describes these pictures. Bex smiling, Ethan cooing over his baby sister, Sadie being coy... so cute. That's about all I've got- no witty observations or stories; I'm too tired for that at the moment. So for now, just enjoy the cuteness!

Sadie, ever the snappy dresser

waking up after a nap

OOOOOOOOOOH!!!! Can you get any cuter that that?!

Awwwwww!

I fell on a patch of ice earlier this week while holding Sadie and scraped the side of her face pretty badly. Poor baby. She now tries to smile when I'm taking her picture so this is her "I'm trying to smile but it hurts" face.

after getting into my moisturizer- this after the Vick's incident last week. The girl never learns.

Redemption

2010-01-21T11:17:00.002-08:00

All right, so Sadie's still pretty cute. She's been getting a bad rap lately, after smearing Vick's all over herself and her bedroom walls, spilling various foodstuffs, etc. So I thought I'd offer up evidence of her cuteness as a sort of redemption. Enjoy.

New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-19T10:57:00.003-08:00

I know I'm a few weeks late in making my resolutions, but I've been thinking long and hard about them, so it took me a little while to gather my thoughts. So here we go:

1. Lose my pregnancy weight. This one's kind of a no-brainer, but important nonetheless. Made ever harder by the Christmas goodies I indulged in and my almost pathological need to bake.

2. Keep every jar with a screw-top lid out of Sadie's reach. Or else this might happen:

Yes, that would be Vick's Vapo-Rub all over her face and in her hair. I washed her hair five times and still couldn't get it out. That's when I decided to throw in the towel and just pretend that we're trying out some new Australian-themed eucalyptus hair gel.

3. Buy sippy cups with valves that actually work, so we can avoid the giant puddle of chocolate milk that inevitably occurs at every meal. Yeah, I'm talking about you again, Sadie.

4. Put a bottle of Shout! stain remover in every room of the house. You never know when or where food will spill, diapers will leak, or Vapo-Rub will strike.

5. Buy stock in S. C. Johnson.

Let the smiling commence

2010-01-14T10:49:00.002-08:00

I haven't gotten on here in a while. In fact, I haven't used an actual computer in quite some time. I got an iPod touch for Christmas, which lets me check my email anywhere in the house, so most days I never even turn my computer on. Which also means I am way behind on reading other people's blogs so I apologize. But I admit it is nice to use a real keyboard for a change. I think I'm getting carpal tunnel from pecking at the keys on that tiny screen.

Anywho, nothing spectacular is taking place at the Snow house. Just the usual. Ethan's back in school, as is Paul, Sadie is a pistol as always, and Becca continues to get bigger despite my pleadings to the contrary. She will be two months old on Wednesday. Yo. The one advantage is that she is interacting with us a lot more, which is of course loads of fun. It's always so rewarding to see those first smiles after six weeks or so of looking at this little blob of a baby who wakes you up every four hours and doesn't do much else. Unfortunately, I am almost never able to catch them on camera; Becca stops smiling practically the second I pick up the camera. But I tried my best. Gimme a break, I'm not firing on all cylinders.

Random cute shot of Sadie (she was eating a chocolate chip muffin so there's chocolate smeared all over her face. Typical Sadie)

Ooooooh, so cute!

this is my "I'm concerned about the state of the world" face

this one I just liked because she looks so goofy- but she's still adorable!

So there you have it- nepotism is alive and well. Hopefully we'll have something interesting to write about soon, but don't hold your breath.

Ethan's First Class Picture

2010-01-11T17:11:00.002-08:00

Ethan took his first class picture back in November. Thankfully, they took the picture outside so his coat covered up the crazy outfit he had on.

Time Well Spent

2010-01-06T13:20:00.017-08:00

We've had a great time celebrating the holidays and welcoming in the New Year. The last guests left this morning so we wanted to throw up a few pictures.

We had a lot of fun with family...

(Sledding at Hanover Country Club)

(Boston before a Celtics game)

We had amazing food....

(Christmas Eve dinner)

We carried out traditions...

(Dressing up to act out the Nativity)

We shared gifts....

(Look at the excitement on Sadie's face)

and we blessed a baby.

Happy 2010!

So this is Christmas

2009-12-23T06:26:00.007-08:00

Howdy, y'all! Can you believe Christmas is in two days? I can't. I also can't believe my sweet baby Rebecca is a month old (and a few days). Wow. Totally didn't see that one coming. What is everyone doing for Christmas? We've got Paul's parents and two of his brothers staying with us- a full house indeed! We are so excited to have family in town; it's been three years since we've spent Christmas with anyone so it should be loads of fun. The kids can't wait for Santa to visit!

So here's what we've been up to the last few days:

The Snows brought Uno cards and taught the kids how to play. Sadie's working on her poker face.

On Sunday night we made gingerbread houses. Ethan decided that one of them would be for looking at and one would be for eating. But only the "kids" are allowed to eat the eating one. Hmm.

Jabba has a new best friend: Paul's brother Kevin. Jabba always wants to sit by him and is constantly licking his face. We're trying to figure out a way for Jabba to go home with him. (just kidding!)

And a few pics I took of Bex on Sunday- her one-month "birthday!"

Look at this precious blanket my awesome friend Melanie made for Becca! It is so soft and warm, I LOVE it! It's my new favorite swaddling blanket.

Hello cutie pie!!

Happy birthday, Paul!

2009-12-19T17:40:00.003-08:00

We celebrated Paul's birthday yesterday- the big 3-0! He requested manicotti for dinner with a carrot cake for his birthday cake. His family arrived late last night to party with us and hang out until Christmas, so it should be a fun week!

And a few random shots of our beautiful baby Bex. I absolutely CANNOT believe she will be a month old tomorrow. HOW did that happen???

Look at this super cute outfit from Auntie Claudia!

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

2009-12-09T07:32:00.003-08:00

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

2009-11-29T17:29:00.005-08:00

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

2009-11-20T11:10:00.002-08:00

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.....

2009-11-15T14:20:00.003-08:00

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

2009-11-15T14:15:00.006-08:00

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

2009-11-15T12:35:00.002-08:00

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

2009-10-26T10:26:00.003-07:00

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

2009-10-24T05:42:00.005-07:00

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)

2009-10-24T05:15:00.002-07:00

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)

2009-10-05T19:51:00.004-07:00

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

2009-09-24T18:09:00.003-07:00

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

2009-09-13T04:13:00.003-07:00

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

Oh the places you'll go...

2009-09-08T07:24:00.002-07:00

Do you ever stop and look at your kids and think about the myriad things they could become? The seemingly endless possibilities of what they will do in their lives, the places they will go, things they will learn, friends they will make, people they will love. It's mind-boggling, really. Maybe that's just me being overly dramatic but I really get overwhelmed sometimes by the raw potential that is a four year-old. They are limitless.

Our sweet Ethan started preschool last Thursday. I was a bit apprehensive, not because I thought he wasn't ready but because I know that he sometimes has trouble trying new things and being in new situations. Last Wednesday was the Open House where we got to meet his new teacher and see his classroom. He immediately found another boy in his class who likes Star Wars, so I knew Ethan would have at least one friend. His teacher, Molly, played cars with him and started to put together a dinosaur puzzle with him, until Ethan lost interest. She told him they would be learning about dinosaurs this year, which got him all excited. He played with the other kids, explored all the different stations and toys and generally had a blast. When it was time to go he got very sad and did not want to leave. I told him not to worry because he will get to come back A LOT!

The next morning we all got up and ate breakfast, and Ethan took it upon himself to act as my personal daytimer. "Mooooooom- we're gonna miss preschool! Go get dressed right now!!!!!" We piled in the car and drove the 20 minutes to his school, Hampshire Cooperative Nursery School, up in Hanover. The whole time there we sang songs and generally reveled in the excitement. When we got there, I parked the car and hauled the two kids out of the back seat. We walked up to the building and went inside, where his teacher was waiting at the door to greet him. I barely got even a "Bye, Mom!" as he raced past me into his classroom. No tears or separation anxieties here! I didn't even get teary-eyed! He was soooo ready for this. I only wish we could have sent him last year.

Three hours later I returned to pick him up. Once again, I parked the car and retrieved Sadie from the back seat, then made my way over to the walkway where all the kids were lined up to meet their parents. Ethan caught sight of me and immediately yelled "MOMMY!!!!!" and took off like a rocket toward me. His teacher had to hold him back so he wouldn't get run over! He gave me a huge hug and blissfully walked back to the car. I buckled him in and as we drove off asked him how his first day of school was. "It was GREAT!" Awww... how freaking cute is that?! "We played pirates out on the playground. They have a telescope there that we used to look for treasure, because pirates have to have treasure. But we didn't learn about dinosaurs." Ah, Ethan... there will be plenty of time for that.

Here are some pictures from this morning, his second day of school. He was just as excited to go to school today as he was last week! My little guy is so grown up!!!

Do we see a trend developing here with the arms-folded pose??

Oh, I also forgot to mention that we got Ethan's hair cut the day before school started last week and he did AWESOME!!! It was the first time he's ever gotten a hair cut without throwing a giant screaming fit. I was so proud of him! I made the stylist use scissors only, since the buzzer thingie is what freaks Ethan out. Doesn't he look adorable? He totally earned a Happy Meal that day.

This is outside the school. His building is actually behind me. Someday I will get a picture of that, too!

Congratulations, Ethan! You are so big and so smart and we can't wait to see what the future holds for you. Mom and Dad are so very proud of you!!!

For your viewing pleasure

2009-09-05T18:52:00.002-07:00

I think I mentioned in my San Francisco post that our camera broke on the last day of our trip. It had been having issues ever since Ethan dropped it with the lens extended back in October, but for some reason it decided to give up the ghost permanently last month. Bummer. But luckily Canon has a great owner loyalty program so we were able to upgrade to a nicer camera for like half the retail price. Sweet. So now we have our awesome new camera and I am back to taking stupid random pictures of my kids that no one else finds interesting in the slightest. Aren't you relieved?

I am sad that the camera didn't arrive until Thursday afternoon, about four hours after Ethan started his first day of preschool. : ( So I don't have any pictures of that. But I will take some on Tuesday and give a full report then. Surely the second day of school is just as momentous as the first day. Right??

So what is everyone doing for the long weekend? Pretty much every day is the same as the one before it around here (though with Ethan starting school that is about to change) so there's nothing particularly special about this weekend. Holiday schmoliday. I did decide to take the kids on a picnic for dinner tonight, mainly because the weather was *amazing* today. I heard about this little trail down to the Connecticut River over kind of near campus so we headed over there with a blanket and some food. It was a little more of a hike than I was anticipating and the kids had a hard time hoofing it. Ethan fell on his bum several times and astutely observed that his flip-flops were not meant for hiking. Sadie demanded to be carried half the way. Gotta love my little diva. But once we got down to the water it was worth it. Ethan kept commenting on how "beautiful" it was.

I just like this picture of the Sades after her nap- check out that crazy hair-do!

This picture of Ethan cracks me up. That kid makes the weirdest faces.

Yesterday I randomly decided to go pick raspberries. I invited our next door neighbor to come along so I had someone other than Ethan to talk to. It was pretty hot and the kids all got sweaty and ornery. I didn't even get enough raspberries for a single batch of jam. Grrr. So I popped them in the freezer and will try to go back before the season ends. Maybe once Paul gets back. Which is NEXT SATURDAY!!!! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

That's my neighbor's little girl, Katie. Isn't she adorable trying to push the wagon all by herself? Too cute.

Another random picture of Sadie waking up from a nap. I've got to figure out what to do with her hair.

And this is another of my favorites- look at that scowl!!!

All right, I think that's it for now. Like I said, I'll put up a full report of preschool on Tuesday. But so far so good!!!

I surrender...

2009-08-29T06:48:00.002-07:00

I am waving the white flag. I am throwing in the towel. I give up. I'm calling it a day. And every other cliche I can think of. I'm just DONE.

The trash has defeated me. You have bested me, o garbage gods. I bow to your awesome, disgusting powers.

You see, here in New Hampshire we don't have curbside trash pick-up. It exists, but is all privatized so it's really expensive (something like $50/mo for only two pick-ups). Which means that we take our trash to the landfill ourselves instead. In the last year we have spent a paltry $30 on trash. Which sounds like a good deal, right?

But... the price you must pay in the form of your personal dignity and cleanliness is not worth it.

Allow me to explain.

About three weeks ago before we left for California, I went to the back porch to collect the trash bags so I could take them to the landfill. I think there were four of them in there. I lifted the first two out and then I saw it... the third bag was teeming with maggots. Which then proceeded to fall onto my legs and feet when I lifted it out. Oh. My. Gosh. I put it inside another trash bag, but still had to put it into the back of my car. GROSS. Thank heavens for latex gloves.

When we got back from California, the lid to the trash can had somehow fallen off while we were gone. Consequently the can was filled with two weeks' worth of rain water. With a bag of trash floating in it. That I had to clean up. I seriously considered just buying a new trash can and letting Paul deal with it when he gets back. But it was literally keeping me up at night, thinking about its revolting contents. So I just sucked it up and dealt with it. Double GROSS.

I woke up this morning to discover that animals had knocked over my trash can and ripped open all three bags of trash on the back porch. Rotten food, dirty diapers, soggy napkins. All over the porch. In the pouring rain. That I once again had to clean up. Triple GROSS.

I hate my life.

So, to you garbage gods, I surrender. Truly, I am weak and you are strong. There is a special place in my darkest nightmares just for you.

The San Francisco Treat

2009-08-19T11:34:00.007-07:00

I know I've been a blogging slacker all summer. Sorry. The last two days have been unbearably hot here in NH, and we don't have air conditioning. It's currently 82 degrees inside my house, which means I spend the day in varying states of sweatiness and general lethargy. I'm pretty sure I took a shower this morning but you'd never know it to look at me. About all I've done is laundry because a) I have nothing to wear, and b) it's about 20 degrees cooler in the basement where the washer and dryer are. I did vacuum this morning because I couldn't take the copious amounts of dog hair that had accumulated while we were gone. But I think that's all I have energy for today, except for this blog entry.

So, here goes. We had a GREAT time in San Francisco. Getting there and back was your basic nightmare but it was well worth the effort. We arrived on a Friday afternoon and just chilled with Paul and his mom and brother, who were also there for a week-long visit. Saturday morning we were up bright and early (gotta love jet lag!) and Paul took us on a whirlwind tour of the city. We started at Alamo Square, home of the Painted Ladies- where the opening sequence of Full House was filmed.

Very cute area with a nice little playground that the kids loved. After that we headed to Coit Tower, which has some amazing views of the city and the Bay. We didn't go up in the tower itself but still took some photos.

After that we drove around Chinatown a bit, visited a fortune cookie factory, then headed to Lombard Street and made our way down (I didn't get a shot of that, sorry). Next up was Fisherman's Wharf, the big tourist destination on the water. Holy cow, it was packed! We had a hard time navigating through all the people with our stroller. We stopped to look at the sea lions who camp out near Pier 39. Ethan thought they were pretty cool. (apparently Niels did too)

We grabbed a bite to eat at In-N-Out and headed out to the Presidio, a park near the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was once a military base but is now a National Park, and is also home to the LucasFilm headquarters (gee, I wonder who clued us in to that...). The weather was gorgeous that day so we sat in benches and ate while the kids ran around and got their yaya's out.

And of course posed in front of the Yoda fountain.

Just a few minutes away was Fort Point, an old fort built on the Bay and is now directly underneath the Golden Gate. It was soooooo windy inside the fort and that wind was COLD! We left Sadie in the car, as she had passed out at this point (don't worry, Grandma stayed with her).

Later we went to Legion of Honor, which is kind of the outdoor part of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. Ever since the second Night at the Museum movie came out earlier this year, Ethan has been obsessed with the Thinker statue so we had to get a picture with it. The next few days were much more relaxed. Sunday we hung out and walked around Stanford's campus in Palo Alto. Monday we went to a pool in nearby Menlo Park. I don't remember what we did on Tuesday. Hmm. Anyway, Wednesday we all went to a San Francisco Giants game. We were late getting there, so I dropped Paul and the kids off and went to find a place to park. Freaking one hour later I made it, just in time for the bottom of the sixth inning. Awesome. The game did go into extra innings and the Giants won on a two-run homer in the bottom of the tenth. We had a really good time!

The park has a playground, so Paul took the kids over there in the ninth inning just as they were getting tired of sitting still.

On Thursday, Kathy, Niels, the kids and I headed up to the Muir Woods, north of Sausalito. It's a really cool redwood forest that we told Ethan was the home of the Ewoks. Return of the Jedi was filmed in some redwood forest in California, we're just not sure which one. Anyway, Ethan loved it and had fun looking for Wicket the whole time. It was beautiful, too. I could get used to the weather out there.

After the woods we headed up the coast a little and hit Muir Beach, a gorgeous overlook of the rocky coast. Stunning. This is about where our camera crapped out on us so you can see the pictures are kind of blurry around the edges.

We drove a little further and went to Stinson Beach. The water was pretty cold but the sand was like a million degrees. I think I burned the bottoms of my feet.

Now who else can say they've touched the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in a single summer? Pretty cool!

Kathy and Niels left early Friday morning, so Paul and I were on our own for the weekend. We moved to a new hotel closer to the city (we'd been staying in Mountain View, which is just south of Palo Alto), and Saturday morning we grabbed some doughnuts and went to a play area in downtown San Francisco. The kids were in heaven. We played for a while, then drove over to Union Square, which is the big shopping district.

We meandered through several neighborhoods, stopping at local playgrounds along the way. We ended up at Grace Cathedral, up at the top of Nob Hill. Very pretty and great views of the city.

At some point we went back to the hotel and went swimming, then went back out for dinner (a yummy Mexican place) and swung by City Hall. There was some gospel revival thing going on while we were there but we played at the playground there anyway.

Sunday we went to the most awesome playground I've ever seen. It was in Golden Gate Park and was awesome. Did I mention it was awesome? Unfortunately our camera completely died that morning so we didn't get any pictures of it. But trust me, it was awesome. We hit up some more playgrounds, went to another beach in the city, went swimming at the hotel, ate dinner down by the Wharf, got some ice cream then came home and packed. Then we were on a plane back to Boston bright and early Monday morning.

Whew! I'm tired just writing about all that! We had a blast in SF and can't wait for Paul to get home in a few weeks. And who knows- maybe we'll get to go back for good at the end of the school year!

I left my heart in San Francisco

2009-08-17T20:05:00.002-07:00

It's good to be home. We just got back from ten glorious days in Nor Cal with Paul, and I can honestly say that I will NEVER travel with the kids by myself ever again. At least not when I'm preggo and there's still one young enough to sit on my lap. UGH. Door to door it took us about 12 hours and Sadie slept a total of *maybe* 15 minutes the entire day. Yeah... not so fun for me. Ethan was amazing and only bugged me when the satellite reception on his tv stopped working. Can't argue with that.

So while I am glad we're home safely and no longer living in one hotel room (it's soooooo nice to have the kids back in their own SEPARATE rooms!!), and I think Jabba almost wet himself with joy the minute we walked through the door... despite all that I still feel empty. Empty because my other half is still 4,000 miles away instead of here with us. It was so nice to be a family again and see the kids light up every morning at the sight of their daddy. I can't explain it but I really don't feel like I'm "all there" without Paul. I'm hoping these next four weeks until he gets home go by quickly. And that it cools down because it's a freaking sauna here in NH.

I'll do the full run-down with pictures, etc. some time this week. Right now I should get to bed, though it will be hard to go back to sleeping by myself again. I miss you, babe. A lot. Life just isn't the same without you!

Eww.

2009-08-01T17:57:00.002-07:00

We went to the Lebanon public swimming pool on Thursday. Both the kids have a blast there, and it costs me $2 for the three of us to get in. Bah-gain. But there is just one thing that disturbs me.

I am convinced that the deck of the public swimming pool is where all scabby bandaids go to die. It's as if they've all made a suicide pact and as soon as their recently-disfigured master gets to the water's edge, they unite in jumping ship, landing on the nearest concrete surface, almost always scab side up. Dude.

And I can't say I blame the 15 year-old pool workers for not wanting to pick them up. I certainly don't want to touch them with a 10-ft pole. So I guess my beef is with the bandaids' wearers. Or perhaps their parents. Maybe they just didn't notice when the adhesive broke free and the bandaid made a break for it. Maybe it happened in a moment of carefree frivolity and the unbandaged knee was only discovered once they made it to the car. Then again, almost every bandaid I see looks very carefully placed on the concrete, just inches from the water, as if the wearer lovingly disposed of it there with full intentions of returning to gather it later. All I can think is, what mother sees her child doing this and doesn't go make him or her put it in the trash can? Seriously, who witnesses that and thinks no one will notice, or that someone else will come along and pick it up? Not me, sister. Like I said, I ain't touching that thing. But I still have to look at it. Along with the twenty-five other nasty bandaids that signed the pact.

So can we just call a moratorium on used bandaids by the side of the pool? Because I really don't want to give up my $2 afternoon distraction. But I don't want to contract the plague, either.

Look into my eyes...

2009-07-31T11:06:00.004-07:00

Sadie had her follow-up with the ENT this morning. Her ear tubes were put in place one month ago so the surgeon just wanted to check on them to see how they're doing. All is well- tubes are both open and clear, no problems. After meeting with the doc, we were sent off to the audiology department for a hearing test.

How on earth do you administer a hearing test to a toddler, you ask? Why, with these guys, of course:

The audiologist led us back to a hallway covered on either side with these tiny soundproof booths. The one we were in was maybe 5'x5'. There was an office chair in the center, where I sat and held Sadie on my lap. An assistant sat facing us, in perhaps the tiniest chair I have ever seen in my life. I didn't think Sadie would have fit into it, let alone a grown woman. The audiologist went to the other side of a one-way mirror and began administering the test. Now, the assistant in front of us was there to keep Sadie focused toward the center, since there were speakers on either side of us where the sounds would appear. The idea is that the child will turn in the direction of the sound, thus indicating that s/he has heard said sound. Above each speaker was a poster of either Bert or Ernie, and as a "reward" for turning in the correct direction, flashing lights would come on.

Sounds benign, right? Not so much. The flashing light bulbs were in place of Bert & Ernie's eyes. So it was almost demonic, these 2-ft tall posters of puppets with flashing red eyes. Sadie would turn in response to the sound almost immediately, and when the flashing lights came on she kind of cautiously looked up at them, like she was afraid they would eat her. Several times she did a double take, as if to say "What the fork are those things?!?!!!?" Even in between sounds she would eye them suspiciously, possibly just to make sure they hadn't inched ever so closer to her when she wasn't looking. I had a hard time trying not to laugh.

The good news is that she passed with flying colors, so hopefully we don't have to spend any more time with the satanic Muppets.

Wow.

2009-07-25T07:46:00.005-07:00

I am a terrible blogger. It has been over a month since I have posted anything. I used to be pretty good about updating this thing on a regular basis, but I guess between Paul being gone (meaning I have more work to do and less free time) and all the house guests we've had recently, I have really slacked off. Guess that means it's time for a recap.

So let's see... my last post was about my ultrasound so let me go from there. The very next week my parents and oldest niece Maddie arrived. The day after they got here, Miss Sadie went in to have the tubes put in her ears. She did amazingly well, but had a hard time coming out of the anesthesia. She screamed and writhed around like a baby possessed for at least 20-30 minutes, not seeming to recognize me at all. That was hard. But she eventually calmed down and was an angel the rest of the day. I just had to get a picture of her in her little hospital gown. How freaking cute is that.

The rest of that week we hung out with my parents and Maddie, going mini golfing, berry picking, dog walking, out to the local science museum, all sorts of stuff. Ethan enjoyed having an older kid to play with and of course Sadie reveled in all the extra attention. She absolutely fell head over heels in love with my mom and would attack her with hugs every time she saw her. I didn't mind the company either, of course, and really enjoyed catching up with my parents and having two extra sets of hands around the house.

In the middle of that week, Paul's mom and youngest brother arrived for their visit. Poor Kathy broke her ankle three days before coming to the U.S., so it was a bit of a difficult visit for her, not being able to go up and down stairs, etc. But we managed to make the best of it anyway. Just a few days after they arrived, Paul's brother went off to Scout camp for a week so it was just me and Kathy and the kids. I think we mostly ran errands and just played with the kids, very low key. Then the next weekend, on the 12th of July, Paul's dad, younger brother Bryce and his wife all came to town. Oh boy, Ethan and Sadie had so much fun with Uncle Bryce and Aunt Beezer. Ethan has really missed the rough and tumble stuff he usually gets from his dad (pregnant Mom is a lame substitute), and Bryce was more than willing to fill that void for him. Sadie took a real shine to Aunt Beezer and would seek her out for snuggles. At one point we all drove up to the Maine coast for a day and Sadie happily played with Beezer in the ice cold water all afternoon.

Bryce prepares for some serious Maine lobster

At the JS Memorial in Sharon, VT

After everyone left on the 19th, I decided that I wasn't quite ready to be all on my own again, so I packed the kids into the car and drove up to northern Maine to visit a friend of mine and her two kids. Everyone got along splendidly and it was so fun to get away for a few days.

One day while we were there we all drove up to Acadia National Park. GORGEOUS!!! But again, the water was freeeeeeeezing.

Sadie has turned into a car screamer, but she seemed riveted by my friend's in-car DVD player. I think they are watching Horton Hears a Hoo in this picture. You can see Ethan in the background with his big awesome headphones on.

So there we go- all caught up. It has been a fun-filled month for sure! Next week I get to see an old friend from VA as they pass through on their way home from VT, and on August 7th we are flying out to San Francisco to see Daddy!!! I'm so excited to see Paul I can hardly stand it. By then it will have been two months since we've seen him- waaaaaaaay too long. Hopefully I will remember to post something before then...

Making Your Kids Wear Old Socks

2009-06-27T13:48:00.003-07:00

About three months ago, I found an old pair of socks in a box in the basement. I immediately made Ethan start wearing them. The socks were the very definition of thread-bare - at least twenty years old, had lost all elasticity, and faded beyond belief. No matter. These socks - these silver, sparkly socks embroidered with Michael Jackson logos - were made to be worn. So, for the past three months, my son has been wearing socks that - for all intensive purposes - should have been thrown away two decades ago. All because his parents love the music of a kid from Indiana.

If Ethan is lucky, I'll give him the "Bad" cassette I have in my car when he gets older. May even leave him the sparkly glove in the box under our bed in his will if he plays his cards right. Maybe.

Well, it was bound to happen some time

2009-06-23T14:04:00.002-07:00

I was wrong about something. I know, your whole world view has just been rocked. But it's true.

I had my "big" ultrasound this afternoon. All through this pregnancy I have been absolutely convinced that we were having another boy. I had a dream about it, I just had a feeling from the very beginning.

Well, I was wrong. IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!! I was shocked when the tech told me, but lo and behold, there it was- the "money shot," if you will. Definitely no third leg there. And the three distinct little lines of girl parts. WHOA. I'm still digesting the news! But I am sooooo excited to have another sweet baby girl join our family! And everything was perfect with her, she even measures five or six days ahead of my due date so she's a big girl. Here are her ultrasound pictures:I think this baby looks just like Sadie when she was born- look at that second 3D pic! It's the Sades!

Now if we could just come up with a name. Any suggestions?

Our Father's Day weekend

2009-06-22T10:17:00.002-07:00

Well, we were father-less this Father's Day so I decided to just have some fun with the kids. I've been wanting to go strawberry picking since the farm opened on Thursday but it rained Thursday and Friday. So when it was just overcast on Saturday morning I siezed the opportunity and dragged the kids out to a strawberry patch a few miles south of West Leb. Ethan refused to touch the berries because they were wet. Oy. So he just wandered up and down the rows, and Sadie stuck by my side, smashing strawberries between her hands and then smearing them all over my khaki pants. Eventually she took off after her brother and they were both just running around the open part of the field. Our cue to leave! But not until I'd gathered a sweet haul of strawberries!

Mmmm... strawberries

We came home from the strawberry patch and Sadie took a nap. When she woke up we went back to the farm we visited a couple weeks ago. They were giving free wagon rides around the farm. Ethan said it was like a rollercoaster as we went up and down hills in the wagon.

And I had to do something with all those strawberries, so... jam! YUM. The first batch I made didn't set properly so I had to remake it. Blah. But the second batch was fine and the remade batch turned out great, too. So now I have 16 jars of strawberry jam. I'm sure they will find good homes.

We still miss you, Daddy! Even though you're far away I hope you had an enjoyable Father's Day and know that we love you so much!!!

Tiger Woods can rest easy

2009-06-17T18:33:00.003-07:00

I took the kids mini-golfing this afternoon and discovered a few things about them. Number one- Ethan is a cheater. I kept trying to get him to put his ball on the line at the beginning of each hole, but he would inevitably give it one compulsory hit and then pick it up and move it within inches of the hole, then push it in with his hand. And of course he would then do a little victory dance. Ah, Ethan...

And Sadie just wants to be exactly like her big brother. She enjoyed carrying around her own tiny little golf club and picking up everyone's golf balls for them. I'm sure she was just trying to be helpful.

And then she tried her hand at Ethan's trick of just putting the ball directly into the hole. Seems to work well. We had to stop at the grocery store on the way home and Sadie kept playing with her dad's baseball cap, which I just thought was so cute.

We miss you, Daddy.

Help Me Lake Canobie. You're my only hope.

2009-06-05T18:55:00.003-07:00

We went to an amusement park today as part of Tuck "Disorientation" - a series of activities for graduating students. The park, Canobie Lake, is just outside of Boston. We stayed for over eight hours and Ethan had a blast playing with the Kellys and Gassers. Sadie spent a lot of time in the stroller but a total trooper. We had a total blast.

New Hampshire's Definition of Safety

2009-06-05T18:00:00.002-07:00

Alright. Also had to give New Hampshire a little grief as well. See below for evidence of what constitutes safety in this state. Specifically, there are state run liquor stores at "Safety Rest Areas" along major highways. What better way to rest on the highway than with your favorite alcoholic beverage?

Random Encounters with Business Propositions in Vermont

2009-06-04T19:02:00.004-07:00

We really enjoy New England but we also love some good natured cross border trash talking. When we were in Oklahoma, Texas took the brunt the jokes. In Virginia, it was Maryland. Now that we live in New Hampshire, Vermont is our current target. As such, we wanted to share to signs we saw while driving in Vermont this week.

Exhibit A

It is great to see that this business has enough extra capacity that they feel the need to advertise. Maybe I should have considered the "Body Dumping" section of the economy when looking for employment.

Exhibit B

I am not sure what the "Buying Guns" sign does for the motel piece of the business. Are people more or less likely to stay at a cheap, roadside motel if it is the kind of place that buys guns? Truly, these are questions for the ages.

The ultimate business proposition? An establishment that buys your guns and lets you dump your bodies. Would definitely meet an unmet market need.

One additional note - yes, the Pleasant View Motel also buys gold, diamonds and ammo - all while accepting your Diner's card.

Row, row, row your boat

2009-06-04T18:15:00.002-07:00

We went canoeing on the Connecticut River this afternoon. Dartmouth has a place where you can rent canoes by the hour (but we sprang for a season pass). It was a little harder getting into a canoe than I remember, but then again I haven't been in a canoe since sixth grade summer camp so what do I know. We had to drag the canoe down into the water by ourselves so Ethan was left in charge of making sure Sadie didn't take a header into the river. Good thing he only had to do it for a minute or two. Once we were off from the dock, it was pretty smooth "sailing." Another canoe set off right after us and Ethan thought we were in a race. We lost. At one point we even ran aground because it was so shallow. We still had a great time, though. Sadie spent almost the entire time stretching her whole body over the side of the boat so she could touch the water. Ethan nearly tipped the boat over about a hundred times because he wouldn't sit still. Good times.

This may be one of my favorite Sadie pictures ever- look at that li'l bit o' sweetness!

Look! We have more than just snow!

2009-06-02T11:48:00.004-07:00

I know, I almost don't believe it myself. But look- hard evidence that things actually grow here on the frozen tundra:

I admit, the weather hasn't been perfect. It rained almost all last week and the temperature never got above 55. But every now and then we are rewarded with a nice day and some sunshine. Like yesterday and today. So we try to take advantage of it every chance we get. Paul is done with school for the semester and is home with us this week before he takes off for the Left Coast to spend his summer in the Bay Area. We decided it was a great time to do a little exploring across the river in Vermont.

Yesterday we hit up Billings Farm (pictured above), an old dairy farm that has been preserved and still has livestock that you can visit. Ethan and Sadie both loved it- they were mesmerized by the animals and even thought the indoor exhibits on 1800's farm life were interesting. Our visit started out a bit rocky, when this cow got a little up close and personal with Ethan (he refused to get anywhere near it after his initial encounter).

Sadie thought this cow was awesome, though

And apparently my pants tasted like some sweet grass because she kept licking me

It's kind of hard to see in this picture, but this is a calf that was born on Sadie's first birthday back in March

Ethan really liked the chickens, until one of them pecked a hole in Paul's hand

After we were done at the farm, we hit up a glass shop in Quechee on the way home. Wow! They have their workshop in the basement so we were able to watch as the workers made stemware. It was really impressive. There's also a waterfall out in the back, which was very cool. We made sure to keep the kids in straight jackets while walking through the store upstairs, as even a single goblet cost at least $70.

Today's adventure was to a place called VINS, the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. They have bugs and amphibians and lots of birds. Here Paul poses with the kids in front of the bald eagles.

Sadie enjoys a snack

I love the look on her face in this one

So... you see? There's more to New Hampshire and Vermont than just snow and more snow. It's the perfect place to summer! (I just love using that word as a verb) And with Paul MIA all summer long, starting Monday, it's up to me to entertain the kids. Which means that by the end of next week I will be ready to sell them to gypsies. So, I need people to entertain me for three months. Any takers? Come on, you know you want to. We have nature! And no sales tax or seat belt laws! It's paradise!

End of the Academic Year Party

2009-05-30T13:57:00.002-07:00

Tuck had a final, end-of-the-year party at a camp in rural New Hampshire today. Everything from a pig bake to a bounce house. Great opportunity to connect with folks before everyone goes their seperate way for the summer. Below is a picture of Sarah and Ethan on the shore of the lake near the camp where the party was held.

Gratulerer med dagen!

2009-05-17T07:19:00.003-07:00

Ever since Paul and I got married (and probably before then), I have kind of "adopted" Norway as my second country, if you will. Paul spent a good deal of his childhood in Stavanger, Norway and then returned as a missionary in his early 20's. I cheer for the Norwegians in the Olympics (the winter ones; do they even send anyone to the summer Olympics?). I have some beautiful Norwegian earrings that Paul sent me while on his mission. I can't speak Norwegian yet but would love to learn (mainly so he and I can talk about people behind their backs without their knowledge). When we lived in DC we went to the annual Norwegian Christmas bazaar in Union Station every year and bought as much Norwegian chocolate and strawberry jam as we could carry. We have tons of Norwegian Christmas decorations (as well as non-Christmas decorations and trinkets), and still keep up with a few Norwegian traditions. Such as today.

Today is Syttende Mai, or Norway's Constitution Day. It is a huge deal in Norway, as every school-age child marches in a parade, waving the Norwegian flag, people line up to watch, men and women wearing their best traditional clothing, called bunads. It is quite the spectacle. Paul and I went to Norway in 2005 and were there for Syttende Mai in Oslo- so fun! People everywhere, the royal family out waving to the crowd. We have a video of it somewhere if you really care... ah, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGNRFou9EuA The quality is kind of not so hot but you get the general idea.

So we are having our own little celebration today. Nothing super exciting but it's fun anyway. I made Norwegian waffles for breakfast (YUM) and yesterday I took my first stab at making a Kransekake, which is a traditional Norwegian wedding cake. I was sooooo excited when I found the pans at a local bakery shop so of course I just had to have them. It's not every day you find something like that! The recipe was fairly simple, required a few odd ingredients (almond paste, anyone?), but it was still fun to make. The dough is extremely dense and I about broke my arm trying to squeeze it out of my cookie press. I was also unable to locate the tiny little Norwegian flags that I *know* we have somewhere in this house (it is traditional to decorate the cake with Norwegian flags and little wrapped candies). So, I improvised. It's a little unconventional but I still think it turned out pretty well! Hey, cut me some slack- it was my first attempt, okay?

And all that really matters is how it tastes, right??

Now go out and wave a Norwegian flag or down some Norwegian chocolate if you can find it. Gratulerer med dagen!!!

Oh brother...

2009-05-12T12:12:00.002-07:00

...or sister?

That's right, folks- the Snow family is growing by two feet (get it? two feet? Buh dum CHH!). Believe me, no one was more shocked than we were when we saw those two pink lines on St. Patrick's Day, five years to the day from when we found out Ethan was on his way. Weird. Even weirder? This baby is due on November 23rd, the day after Ethan's fifth birthday. So, even though we weren't exactly planning it that way, you've gotta give us mad props for our sweet accuracy skills. But don't worry- they won't share a birthday. The c-section will be scheduled for some time the week before.

Now I'm praying the barfy-ness goes away. Any time now. Please.

Grrrr

2009-05-04T06:53:00.002-07:00

Well, apparently the Ethan video I posted isn't working. Grrrr. So here is the link instead. Trust me, you should watch it. In addition to the striking resemblance between Ethan and Sadie, it's just cute. Sweet little baby Ethan! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3_gS5hG7EI

And here's a short little video of Sadie's newest trick- spinning in circles until she's dizzy. Goofball.

Decide for yourselves

2009-05-04T06:48:00.001-07:00

I have never thought my kids look alike. Ethan is clearly a carbon copy of Paul, and everyone tells me that Sadie looks just like me. But then I saw this video of Ethan and about fell over when I saw the close-ups of Ethan's face. WOW!!! It's Sadie! So, see what you think. Do they look alike to you?

When it rains it pours

2009-04-23T08:28:00.002-07:00

As if we haven't had enough medical drama in the last week with Jabba and his surgeries, now Sadie has another double ear infection. That is #5 for her since November. She goes to the otolaryngologist on May 15th and I am just praying they let her get tubes ASAP. The ped today warned me that they may want her to ride out the summer and see how she does instead of putting in the tubes. Um, no thanks. My poor sweet baby has suffered enough. I don't want to risk her getting sick again and being in more pain. I'll keep you posted.

Jabba update #2

2009-04-20T06:41:00.002-07:00

Thanks for the prayers, everyone! They worked! Jabba is doing just fine. I took him up to the specialist surgeon in Burlington on Friday and they took more x-rays and said they couldn't see the stone. But the doc said Jabba's urethra still felt inflamed so he couldn't be 100% sure there wasn't a stone in there. So they did some other fancy radiologic test and determined he was stone-free, which meant no surgery! YAY!!! Jabba has to be on a special diet for the rest of his life and is still recovering from the first surgeries but he is doing great overall. Thanks again for your concern. Our sweet little puggy will be back to normal in no time.

Jabba update

2009-04-15T16:58:00.002-07:00

Our sweet little puggy needs your prayers. I don't know how many of you are animal lovers, but to me Jabba is just another one of my kids and I love him just the same. The thought of him in pain tears me apart and all I want to do is make it better.

Like I said before, Jabba had a stone in his bladder. He had surgery this afternoon to try to flush it out. They went in the first time, couldn't find the stone, flushed out his bladder several times, then closed him up and did an x-ray to see if the stone was gone. It wasn't. So they opened him again, repeated everything they'd done before, closed him up and x-rayed. Still there. The stone has now moved into his urethra, which is apparently much more serious. He needs to have a different kind of surgery with a veterinary surgeon up in Burlington, VT, which is about 2.5 hours north of here. It needs to happen soon or else the stone could possibly block the flow of urine completely, which is bad news no matter what species you are. We are tentatively looking at Friday.

Please, if you have any prayers & positive thoughts to spare for our little guy, we would really appreciate it. I miss my smelly couch companion. Ethan has broken down in tears at least three or four times today. Poor little Jub Jub.

Divalicious

2009-04-15T10:49:00.002-07:00

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. We've been in Oklahoma with my parents for the last two weeks so I just haven't posted. We had a great time, the kids loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa K. We even got to see Aunt Claudia and the cousins!! But we're back home now, happy to see Daddy again.

So in an attempt to catch up a bit, I thought I'd post about one of my favorite subjects, Little Miss Diva. She is so funny. She already has such personality. Earlier this afternoon she discovered her inner fashionista and somehow managed to put my purse on all by herself. I just loved watching her prance around the house with her new accessory. Just don't ask for a cell phone yet!

Strike a pose!

In other (less cute and cuddly) news, Jabba needs a few prayers. He's been having some bladder issues the past few days, having to go potty like 800 times a day but nothing coming out. So I took him to the vet this morning and he has a stone in his bladder. He's having surgery this afternoon to remove it. So say a little prayer for my sweet puggy wuggy that he will be okay!

Autism Awareness Day!

2009-04-02T09:20:00.002-07:00

Did you know that today is World Autism Awareness Day? It's true! So in honor of my friend Melanie and her son Grant, who has autism, and also because I worked for an autism nonprofit for two years, let's review the early warning signs:

In clinical terms, there are a few “absolute indicators,” often referred to as “red flags,” that indicate that a child should be evaluated. For a parent, these are the “red flags” that your child should be screened to ensure that he/she is on the right developmental path. If your baby shows any of these signs, please ask your pediatrician or family practitioner for an immediate evaluation:

No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter

No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter

No babbling by 12 months

No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months

No words by 16 months

No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months

Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age

*This information has been provided by First Signs, Inc. ©2001-2005. Reprinted with permission. For more information about recognizing the early signs of developmental and behavioral disorders, please visit http://www.firstsigns.org or the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/actearly.

There is no cure for autism, but there is hope! There are many behavioral treatments out there that can really help kids with autism, and early detection is the key. So speak up if you think something may be amiss with your child. It can only help them!

And finally, a little plug for my old organization- if you have a child with autism, or are a teacher of special needs kids and are looking for more information on autism research, teaching a child with autism, parenting a child with autism, or any other topic, check out www.researchautism.org. The Organization for Autism Research was founded by parents and grandparents of kids with autism, with the sole mission of helping other parents and caregivers provide the best quality of life for the people with autism in their lives. They have numerous informative publications, research and intervention information, and even ways to get involved and raise autism awareness. So check it out, it's a wonderful organization!

And now for the good stuff

2009-03-24T17:08:00.006-07:00

I still can't believe my little princess is one. Where did the year go??! She is going to the doctor tomorrow morning for her one-year check-up so I'll keep you posted on how she's doing. She has a bit of a cold right now so all these pictures feature a red, runny nose. Poor girl.

Anyway, let's start off with another cute shot from breakfast (this was while she was "dancing"):

After her morning nap we decided to open presents. It is the time of day when she is usually the happiest so it just made sense. Here's a picture of her with her sweet haul.

Let the chaos begin!

A little souvenir from Daddy's trip out to San Francisco last week

We should know this by now, but apparently we are incapable of learning from prior mistakes. NEVER open the toy first. Open the clothes first, then the toy. Otherwise the kid will just go ballistic when you try to take the toy away in order to open the next gift. We had to take a ten minute break so Sadie could play with this $1 bowling set from Ethan.

Looking very serious- opening presents is hard work!

More cute clothes from Mom and Dad

Sadie was a little overwhelmed by all the action going on, but had fun ripping the wrapping paper

More cuteness (the dress is pretty cute, too)

I love a good sock in the morning, don't you?

I love how "chill" Sadie looks in this picture

Adorable striped shirt from Aunt Claudia and the cousins! (it arrived this morning, like an hour before we started opening presents- impressive! And thanks for the toy for Ethan- he was SOOOOOO excited!)

Surveying the damage

I only got one shot of the cake with the candle lit before Ethan blew it out. It didn't turn out. Seems to be the way my luck is going today. Whatever. Maimed though it was, Sadie still enjoyed her birthday cake and made a huge mess. She had cake all down her shirt and in her hair. Nice.

We love you, sweetest girl! Hope you had a fun first birthday.

By the way, I forgot to mention that Sadie is officially walking! She walks everywhere now. She is still wobbly and falls down a lot, but it is the cutest little zombie walk you've ever seen. She definitely gets an A for effort!

However big you think you are...

2009-03-24T06:48:00.002-07:00

Happy first birthday, sweet baby Sadie!!!!! I can't believe it has been a year. Wow. My kids' birthdays are always bittersweet for me. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am extremely sentimental. I know birthdays are a time to celebrate and look back on a wonderful year of milestones. And I do celebrate. But I also look back and miss the sweet newborn days, the tiny person who slept on my chest so contentedly with milk dribbling down her chin. I know she will never be this small again and I get super emotional about it. I've already cried twice today (one unrelated to Sadie growing up but we'll get to that in a minute). I know, I know- buck up, woman. I'm trying. Anyway, I wanted to share a little slideshow of her throughout the year so you can see how she has grown. I think it is plain to see that she is the cutest girl on the planet. But I think I might be biased.

The day started off nicely. Sadie woke up, I fed her (can you believe I have now officially nursed for a year?!?!!), we went downstairs and I started making Norwegian waffles, Sadie's favorite. While I tinkered around in the kitchen Sadie explored her new favorite playground, my lazy susan.
Then we all had a nice big breakfast of waffles and orange juice. We listened to "Sexy Sadie" while we ate and Sadie danced along. That girl loves a good beat.

Then my mom called to wish Sadie a happy birthday before she had to go to work. She sang the happy birthday song over the phone, and Sadie licked it in approval. After we hung up, I went out to the dining room to clean up the rest of the breakfast dishes and that is when the horror began. But first, a little background (patience, good people).

For the last several months, I have been contemplating what kind of cake to make for Sadie's birthday. In recent years I have really found joy in baking and decorating so I was really excited to try my hand at a fancy birthday cake- and a GIRLY one at that. I love pink and brown together, and a lot of her clothes and bedding are in that color scheme, so I decided to do a polka dot cake in shades of pink and brown. Yesterday I mixed the cake, baked it, cooled it, put on a crumb layer of frosting, all ready to put the fondant on. This was my first attempt at an all-fondant cake so I was a little clumsy and slow but got it done eventually (read: three and a half hours later). I was extremely pleased with how it came out, despite a few beginner's mistakes, but those were easily disguised by the proper camera angle. I decided to take some pictures of it last night once I was finished. Here's what it looked like:

Not perfect, but not terrible for a fondant virgin. I was excited to watch Sadie blow out the candle and dig in to her first taste of birthday cake.

Unfortunately, Ethan somehow had some alone time with the cake this morning. It now looks like this:
Every single one of those little polka dots is gone. Here's where that second crying fit comes in. I actually wept. WEPT. Probably four or more hours of hard work, down the tubes. I have no words. I haven't been that angry in... oh I don't even know. Up to his room he went, though it seems insufficient punishment for his crime. Sigh. I am hoping that one day I will be able to look back at this and laugh heartily. But right now... I am still in the "blinded by rage" category.

More pictures to come, after we open the presents and eat the now mutilated cake. Deep breaths...

Montreal is French for Ghost Town

2009-03-13T18:39:00.006-07:00

We just got back from Montreal and Burlington. Probably should have waited until summer to visit but both cities were beautiful. Burlington is home to Phish and Burton snowboards. Montreal - to bugs and butterflies.

Sarah and Ethan in front of Burlington City Hall

Sarah being creeped out by bugs at the Montreal botanical gardens

Ethan and Paul at the Montreal botanical gardens

A butterfly emerging at the Montreal botanical gardens

Montreal's Olympic stadium

Sarah with Montreal in the background

Sarah and Ethan in front of Montreal's city hall

Notre Dame Basilica

Ethan and Sarah at Montmorency Falls

Quebec City Never Sleeps

2009-03-11T17:10:00.003-07:00

Actually, the entire city feels dead by 5 PM. Go figure. We spent the day in Quebec, nevertheless loving the vibe despite occasional sleet and rain. Sadie lasted the entire day without a nap and as his souvenir, Ethan chose a tomahawk. Onto Montreal tomorrow.

We're on International Travel

2009-03-11T04:30:00.003-07:00

Okay, so we only four hours north of our place in New Hampshire but it certainly feels foreign. We're spending a few days in Quebec City before heading down to Montreal and, with everything in French, we certainly feel like we're overseas.

We're experimenting with "micro-blogging" and are going to try to post pictures real time. Comments will likely come later - after we're done gorging ourselves on crepes.