Monday, October 12, 2009

September & October 2009

Well we had a great summer and now Autumn is upon. The weathers getting cooler and the leaves are starting to change. It's really a beautiful time to be living in New England!

I have a bunch to update you all on from the last couple of months.

Here's several photos from one of the agricultural fair we went to this summer. Anna loves taking pony rides and was so pleased to be hanging on all on her own. She also took her first ferris wheel ride and went on 2 rides on her own. My baby is getting so big!



Nanny and Granddad came for a visit. We rented a house on Cape Cod in Chatham for a week. We did not see any of the great whites reported in that area, thank goodness! Mommy, Daddy, and Anna went up a day early to get settled in, then Daddy went to get Nanny and Granddad from Boston airport the next day.

The first day we went to watch the fishing boats coming in with their catch. They were some other guests there...seals!! We went to the ocean side beach down the road from our house. We couldn't swim because of the currents, but it was nice and windy for kite flying.


The next day we were all there so we did a bit of exploring. We went to the Cape Cod Museum on Natural History and went out for a nice lunch. We then spent the afternoon at LightHouse beach, part of the National Seashore. It was a bit cool and we started out just playing in the sand, but it wasn't long before Anna was paddling in the water and we soon abandoned her pants!


We spent the next morning enjoying Morris Island. The tide was out so we got to see all kinds of crabs and shells. Anna did a lot of exploring. That afternoon the temperature warmed up quite a bit so we went to a bayside beach for some fun in the sun. Anna loved getting gin the water, finally!! Granddad and Nanny built wonderful sand castles and Anna had such a good time!!

After dinner, we went back to the same beach as the sun set. Their was a calypso band their playing as the sun went down. The tide was out and you could walk for what seemed like a mile where water had been a short while before. We found a bunch of hermit crabs that we put in our sand basket and let them race away when we released them. The sunset was spectacular. Bryan took some amazing photos which will no doubt be hanging on the walls of our home the next time you all come see us!



Regrettably Mommy and Daddy had to get back to work so we drove back home while Nanny and Granddad spent a couple of extra days in Cape Cod. They came back to our house on Thursday and on Saturday we headed to the Burrell's house for Maggie's first birthday!! We saw so much family and it was so wonderful hanging out with everyone. Pictures form that event can be seen at: http://lifewiththeburrells.blogspot.com/

Nanny and Granddad spent the rest of the week with us and Anna got lots of love and attention! Here's some pictures of us all roasting marshmallows one cool evening. Anna LOVED them, though Daddy wasn't so keen.


Nanny and Granddad left on Sunday and we were very sad to see them go. We had such a wonderful visit!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Summer 2009

Well I now its been a while since I've updated. We have a lot to share. Mommy and Daddy have been working all summer in the yard and it's really looking good.

In anticipation of Anna's second birthday, Daddy spent about 2 weeks slaving every night putting together a beautiful playscape. Anna is one lucky girl. Daddy even endured a trip to the emergency room and stitches in the building of this mammoth structure!



We joined Sylvie, Jarrod, Deidrea and Sebastian for "sunflowers for wishes." A local farm that makes their own ice cream uses extra acreage to plant sunflowers, then sells them for donations to the Make a Wish Foundation. Unfortunately, the rain kept the sunflowers blooming a bit behind schedule, so we didn't get to take a hayride through the blooming fields, but we did enjoy the yummy ice cream!
http://www.sunflowersforwishes.com/


On Anna's birthday she woke up and ran downstairs to see her pressies. She got a tricycle, a tool box, a stuffed Sid, and her favorite, a trampoline!! Later that day, Sylvie, Jarrod, Deidrea and Sebastian came over for some birthday fun. The kids ran around and had a great time. As the sky grew dark they caught fireflies!!


Anna's newest obsession is dinosaurs. There is a dinosaur park near us where you can walk on a path through the woods and see the dinosaurs hiding in the forest. There is also a great water park there. It was perfect for our recent hot weather.


This past weekend Dadddy was a way at a conference in Aspen :-(
We missed him. We were lucky that Aunt Maryanne, Uncle Scott, and Ryan came to stay with us on their way out to the Hamptons for their vacation. Ryan and Anna had a blast playing together. It's so wonderful that they are so close in age. Ryan and Anna wanted what the other one had at all times, but they shared well and it was really quite amusing. After the kids went to bed, Uncle Scott grilled the adults a lovely lobster and corn dinner, and we enjoyed wine out on the patio to finish the night.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Road trip to Buffalo

We had a wonderful time visiting Grams and Grampa for a long 4th of July weekend. We drove up Wednesday night. Anna kept telling me in the car she was "so excited Mommy" luckily she fell asleep for a bit because when we arrived at 11 pm at her grandparents home she had to get up and play for a while!!

Thursday was a sunny, though not especially warm day. We still tried the beach for a while. Anna frolicked with Grampa for a bit but then decided it was too cold and that she'd much rather play on the swing sets in the front of the park.


Daddy and Grampa took Anna to the marina down the road while Grams and Mommy went shopping. Anna played on the boat for a while, very interested in the buttons aboard. She then indulged in a pre-lunch snack of ice cream!! At 10:30 am! I think she has these men wrapped around her finger!


Later that day we had a bunch of family over. We saw Jon, Deb, Tyler, and Josh who were up from NC. We've missed them so much since moving. It was great to see the kids playing together! The Aunt Jer and Aunt Jude came over and Jeff, Michelle, Jay, Sammy, and Sarah! There were kids everywhere running around, having a great time, catching fish, playing; it was wonderful! I have some video I will post soon. We had a birthday cake for Anna which she really enjoyed! Then Jeff orchestrated a fire works display for us all. What a day!


The next day we relaxed after all the excitment of the day before. We were going to go on Aunt Jer and Uncle Dave's boat, but it was very windy. We went up the road to a little park where Anna ran around (everywhere)!

Sunday it was time to leave :-(
We went out to breakfast then being such a beautiful day (figures we were leaving!) Grampa took us for a ride on the boat. Anna was so excited and loved "driving" the boat and playing with all the buttons.

We had a really wonderful time. Every day since we left, when I pick Anna up from daycare she informs me that she doesn't want to go home, she want to go to Grams and Grampa's house. Here's a couple cute photos of cuddles:


Thursday, June 4, 2009

Trip to the UK to visit Nanny and Grandad

We all just got back from a wonderful trip to the UK to visit Nanny & Grandad. Anna got to spend a lot of time with her grandparents and her uncles Dave and Stu. Nanny and Gradad kept us busy and we had loads of fun!

Here's a few of Anna when we first got in. Enjoying a snack in the beautiful sunny weather.



Anna then begun what was to become her favorite pass-time during our trip...watering the plants in the garden.


That evening we took a walk down by the canal to feed the ducks. Then we took a stop in at the Swan for a few lagers. The Swan has a great outdoor area with kids outdoor toys so the kids can play while you kick back a few beers. Very civilized indeed!


The next day we were off to the petting zoo. We got to see sheep getting their hair cut, feed some goats, and play on some jungle gyms. Uncle Neil, Aunt Jo, Molly and Will joined us for the fun. At one point Anna encountered a very ornery goose, who kept honking at her. Anna proceeded to yell at the goose to "stop barking" as she tells her dog Jesse each day. It was pretty funny!


Daddy has a friend named Wakey, who's family own a farm with horses and ponies. We went for a visit and Anna was lucky enough to sit on one of their beautiful ponies.



Nanny bought a beuatiful cake and we all sung Happy Birthday to Mommy. Anna did a wonderful job blowing out the candles.



One day we decided to take a trip to London on the train with the Finlays. However, there were some transit problems occurring that day, so we took the train to Birmingham instead. It turned out to be a great day. We went to a children's science museum called the "Thinktank." The first few photos are from the night before when all 3 kids took a bath together.


Our last full day turned out to be a beauty. The weather was warm and sunny and Anna spent the day with as little clothes as we would allow.


The trip was wonderful. Anna really had a great time seeing where Daddy grew up and spending so much time with her grandparents, uncles, and new friends. She still asks about Will and Molly every day :-)

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Spring updates

I know it's been a long time since the last time I updated. Time just seems to get away from me most days!

I have a lot of back pictures to load.

In early APril we went to visit Aunt Kristen, Uncle Darren, & Maggie. Grams was there too. We went to a great petting zoo which Anna really loved.



We went back a couple weeks later with Daddy and had Easter with the Burrells and the Ricter's. Anna and Ryan had fun doing an Easter egg hunt. Unfortunatley, even with 3 camera happy families around, we did not take any pictures :-(


After picking up tomato cages Mommy bought from some guy off Craig's list, we took a ride through the CT country and found a great little farm where Anna had a great time! She had a pony ride and continually tried to climb through the fences to get to the animals.




We went up to Buffalo for maggie's christening. Anna had a wonderful time with her grandparents and aunt, uncles, and cousins. We had a big bash with lots of kids running around. Anna was in heaven!



Aunt Kristen has a lot more photos on her blog http:\\lifewiththeburrells.blogspot.com

Finally, Grans, Grandpa, and the Burrells came up for a wonderful Mother's day weekend.
Daddy, Grandpa, and Uncle Darren installed a very sharp looking split rail fence a long the far end of the property. Way to go guys!!

Daddy, Grandpa, and Uncle Darren installed a very sharp looking split rail fence a long the far end of the property. Way to go guys!!








We went to the Apple Blosssom Festival in Holmberg Orchards. They had wine tasting from local vineyards, which we all really enjoyed :-) and some great live music. Anna got to play with Sebastian and Deidrea also since Sylvie and Jarrod joined us for the fun. Anna also got hugs from Kaitlin and Kyle who were also there enjoying the festivities. Anna loved all the fun and attention.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Late winter 2009

It's been a little while since we've updated and we have a lot of new photos from the exciting last month.
Two weeks ago we headed out to Hyannis, Massachusetts for the Hyannis Marathon that Mommy was running in. It was cold and windy. We tried taking in the beautiful beaches when we first got there. I think it might be more enjoyable in the summer, but it was still pretty.

On Sunday, Mommy ran the marathon with her friend Kaitlin in 3 hours and 49 minutes! Even though she missed qualifying for Boston by 4 minutes, we were all still proud of her. The weather was cold and windy, but Anna and Daddy still came out to cheer Mommy and Kaitlin on. Then they went back to the hotel to nap, which was good because it started to rain for the second half. Kyle and Theresa (Kaitlin's boyfriend and roommate) braved the weather and were out cheering on Mommy and Kaitlin the WHOLE time. Here's some pictures from them.

It took Mommy a couple of days to recover from that!

The next weekend Aunt Kristen, Uncle Darren, & Maggie came for a visit. We had a wonderful time! The girls all went to the Mystic aquarium while the boys installed a new garage door (I think the girls got the better end of that one!)
Anna and Maggie played so well together. We had a bit of early birthday cake for Daddy's birthday (it's this Tuesday).


The night they left, we had a big surprise when 10 inches of snow fell. Daddy make a nice warm fire that Mommy and Anna cuddled near while watching Nemo.


This weekend Anna had her first invitation to a birthday party. Ella from her class was two and we all went to a birthday party at her house where Anna got to play with Ella and Sebastian (also in her class) and their siblings Evan and Diedra. They played, had lunch, a yummy cake with princesses on top, and ice cream. Anna got Ella one of her favorite books.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Grams came for a visit!

We had a real treat last week when Grams came in for a long weekend. When we picked Anna up at daycare she ran straight for Grams, hugging her and not wanting to let go. Anna spent the weekend playing with Grams, singing and dancing, and getting lot and lots of hugs and kisses. We had a couple of days of nice weather so we were able to play outside in the car and draw on the driveway with chalk (thanks Grandpa!).

The night before Grams left we celebrated her birthday. Anna couldn't wait for Daddy to get home to start the celebration, so she had to sample some cake early. We sang "Happy Birthday" to Grams and Anna helped her blow out the candles. They both enjoyed the cake.
We were so sad to see Grams go, but I'm sure she'll be back soon.



On Valentine's we took Anna to get a haircut (so Julie would stop making fun of her!). Anna was very good for Miss Debbie while she was cutting her hair. She looks like such a big girl now. I don't know where my baby went :-(

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Finally- the pictures from Lindsay's visit

Lindsay came to visit us a few weeks before Thanksgiving. unfrtunatley, the only picture I had taken were on my new phone, for which I didn't have a miscro SD card for to transfer them to the computer. With that finally resolved...here you have them....

We had a great weekend. Anna loved all the attention and cuddles from Lindsay. She was a wonderful playmate! We played outside a lot. On Sunday we went in to Mystic for a walk by the river and a play in the park. We topped the day off with a seafood dinner overlooking the river at S&P Oyster co. It was a wonderful visit and we can't wait for Aunt Lindsay to come back!!!

Monday, January 5, 2009

December and January updates

I know it's been a while since our last update. We've been very busy with the holidays. There are a bunch of new things going on. Bryan and I have been doing a lot of work on the house. Mostly painting and decorating. Anna has gotten so big! Her vocabulary is exploding. She seems to come out with several new words each day. She still loves her books and reading is probaby her favorite passtime. It's literally the only thing she will sit down for and stop running around (that, and eating:-)

Anna and Smudge have forged an interesting new relationship. Smudge has become super tolerant, at least of Anna; allowing her to pet, cuddle, and even lay on her. Anna even tries to "ride" the poor cat when she's trying to eat and Smudge does nothing but meow a bit.


We got a tree from a cute little farm up the road from our house. It had chickens and roosters running around, much to Anna's delight. They had goats and sheep in the barn that we got to visit. They handed us a saw and we went off to cut down our tree. Here's a few picture of us trimming:




We had quite a surprise the Friday before Christmas. What was supposed to be a few inches of snow dropped on East Lyme turned out to be about 10 inches for us. Here's the view out our front door that evening.
We drove up to Buffalo to spend Christmas at Grams and Grandpa's house. The weather held out for us and didn't get bad until the very end of the trip. We had a great time and Uncle Richard's and Aunt Norma's on Christmas Eve where we saw all the Aunts and Uncles, cousins and their kids. Christmas morning, Anna woke up with a fever. It didn't slow her down during the morning frenzy of opening presents, but by afternoon she was pooped. Good thing she had plenty of arms willing the hold her and cuddle her to make her feel better.


We drove back and Bry and I spent several days painting the den and all the trim and built-in book cases in it. New Year's eve Uncle Scott, Aunt Maryanne, and Ryan came for a visit. The snow had started again, so Aunt Kristen, Uncle Darren, and Maggie didn't make it until New Year's Day. Ryan and Anna had so much fun playing together. They were running around having a great time getting into everything! Unfortunately, we didn't bring out the cameras to catch any of it on film...too busy chasing after them. We will next time, promise. The Richters left Friday morning because Scott had to work, but the Burrell's stayed until Saturday. Here's a few pics of Maggie and Anna. It won't be long before Maggie is running around with Anna as well!



Linds, I didn't forget about the pics from your visit. I finally got a micro SD card, but my reader doesn't fit the adaptor. Will get one soon!