Fall Fever

At one point or another over the past two weeks everyone at our house has felt a little under the weather.  Despite needing some extra R&R we've managed to have a little bit of fun by visiting the playground, making cupcakes, having dinner with grammie & pa, a reveal party (we learned our good friends are having a boy which will be so much fun!), and of course Stella's weekly gymnastics class!  As Claire's first birthday approaches we are trying to move away from bottles which she's strongly resisting at bedtime, so we are getting close to moving past this baby stage but we're not quite there yet! 

Catching Up

We've been without our usual computer so we're a little behind on blog updates.  Here's some news since our last entry:

Some of the Gilson Crew!

We spent a fun day with some of the Gilson family at a party last weekend.  There was a bounce house there and our girls just loved it!  It was nice seeing so many family members who we really don't catch up with often enough.

The girls are back into their school-year routine and have adjusted nicely.  They are both doing great and are growing up so fast!  Claire-bear is getting more teeth and is learning how to assert herself.  Stella is actually able to carry on a conversation with us and recall events from her day which is always exciting to hear!

This past weekend Stella started taking Gymnastics again and she had so much fun.  We were amazed at all she remembered from last April.  She did such a great job waiting her turn and trying all the different events.  We also tried to pick apples with Aunt MaryJane this weekend but were disappointed to learn that the season has ended early this year.

@ Brookdale Orchard with Aunt Mary Jane

Uncle Ryan and Courtney's baby arrived this past weekend.  Rylin Kay was born on Friday evening and although she came a few weeks early she weighed in at 5lbs. 3 oz. and is doing well!  Since we are all coming down with colds we haven't been able to visit yet but are looking forward to meeting her soon!

2012 Pig Roast

We had a busy but fun weekend with family which was a nice way to officially end our summer!  Stella really enjoyed spending time with her cousins and was very entertaining on the dance floor!  We wish we had captured more moments on camera but this time we'll have to just hold on tight to these special memories when the little ones rarely get embarrassed and cherish such small things like an Elmo pinata and a roll of smarties!

Randy has ordered a really nice monument to honor his mom so as we head into another season this will give us something to look forward to as we wait for its placement.

Summer 2012 Pics

As we gear up for another school year we look back on another summer which passed us by too quickly.  Since we've skipped the photos lately we are sharing some here.

The girls love the playground down the street
and Claire's favorite is the swing!

Taking a break from some shopping in Erie
on the way to Aunt Melissa & Uncle Dan's

Getting a few groceries with Dana

The carousel at the Columbus Zoo - Stella LOVED it!

Zooming around on the new 4-wheeler!

This weekend we'll enjoy company of family and friends at the Goolden's 10th Annual pig roast.  It should be a fun day so if you are local and don't have any plans stop by mom and dad's!

Road Trips

We've had a busy two-weeks with trips to both Vermont and Ohio.  Both trips were full of fun! 

In Burlington last weekend we stayed with Auntie Caroline, Caleb, and Esme and enjoyed a trip to the local pool and some quiet time just allowing the kids to play together.  We also went to the NICU Reunion picnic to catch up with some families and hospital staff who we became friends with during our time in Burlington two years ago.  It is hard to believe so much time has passed and how each of the babies who had such fragile beginnings are thriving today!

This weekend we spent time with the Hooley family in Ohio.  We had a relaxing trip out with a night in Erie on the way and lunch the next day with our friend Adam (WVWC classmate).  In Ohio we visited the Columbus Zoo, celebrated Cailin's 4th birthday, and Randy was able to fit in a round of golf with Adam.  It's been a busy and exciting vacation!

Amidst all of the hustle and bustle our little Claire-Bear has officially begun to walk!  She still appreciates being able to get places faster by crawling so she's not walking exclusively, but she's figured it out!  Since we are still on the road we aren't posting any pics tonight but promise to soon!

Stella & Claire's First Wedding

This weekend we celebrated our fourth wedding of the season and brought the girls along.  They had a marvelous time and the wedding was just beautiful.  Congratulations Ashley & Ryan!  Stella danced until Mommy & Daddy could drop and has repeatedly told us she had fun at the party!  This week we also had fun at the playground, and playing with Aunt Mary Jane.  Summer is starting to wind down but our schedules aren't getting any calmer.  Stay tuned for pics from the NICU Reunion next weekend!

Claire Learning How to Walk

Claire  is continuing to work hard to learn how to walk.  She doesn't have the confidence to do it on her own yet but here's a video of her progress:

Both girls have had recent well-child pediatrician visits and are doing great!  They are growing girls!

July 2012

The girls dancing with Esme!

What a busy summer we've been having!  Most recently we've had fun with sleep overs at grammie & pa's house, a day trip to Burlington, play dates with Gigi & Cami, and a visit to the TimeQuest Park to feed some farm animals.  Stella has discovered she has the ability to be defiant which is making things interesting around here!  Claire has now taken four steps in a row, and has two more teeth coming through.  She's getting so big too fast!

Claire & Cambria playing sweetly.

Stella & Gigi taking a break.  Play dates are tiring!

We want to thank everyone who supported our fundraiser on behalf of the Ronald McDonald House in Burlington, VT.  We delivered a $525 check this past week.  It was so nice to see some house staff and have visits with Caroline & Esme and nurse Julie and Carmon.  We are very appreciative of everyone who helped us make a contribution to this great charity in memory of Trey.

Stella feeding the chickens at TimeQuest Park

Another Week of Summer Gone

These hot summer days are passing fast!  We can hardly believe it's the middle of July already!  Our NICU picnic invite arrived in the mail this week and Stella got so excited when daddy told her about visiting the animals at Shelburne Farms.  This will be such a fun party for us to start wrapping up our summer at the end of August!

Claire is still working on taking her first step.  She's not there yet but she's getting herself where she wants to be.  She would probably climb the curtains if we let her!  Stella has her 2.5 year check-up this week and we have a sleepover planned at Grammie & Pa's.  Never a dull moment around here!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today we celebrated Randy's birthday at Grammie and Pa's house.  It was a great day together!

"I'm getting in this thing with or without mommy's help!"

Claire is progressing well and is changing so much!  She has two teeth, has learned how to fall onto her bottom well, is scaling across furniture, and is trying to climb (into the sandbox, up the stairs, on Stella's furniture, etc.).  She's a little monkey!  She's also learning how to use a sippy cup, and is doing great trying out some solid foods.  Stella is progressing well too with using the potty.  We are proud of both of them!

"I love this Floppy hat my 'uncle' Jane made for me!"

We want to thank everyone who supported our Ronald McDonald House fundraiser.  We are still tallying the grand total but it's looking like we'll be able to bring them a check for just over $400.  We hope to plan a day trip later in the month to make the donation in person and see some of our Burlington friends.

Our 'patriotic' dress at the Zender's Annual 4th of July Party!

Summer Vacation!

 

The school year is officially over for the summer and we are all excited to have more time together at home!  We're so lucky to have such happy girls!

Stella loves being a big sister and most of the time is a pretty good one!


We had a busy weekend and it was lots of fun.  We were very grateful to Aunt Mary Jane for spending her birthday with us at a toddler pool party!  We all had lots of fun!

Thank you to everyone who has supported our Ronald McDonald House fundraiser - we have raised just over $200 so far!  There's just one week left to place an order if you are interested.  Please let us know if you'd like to order off-line or if you have questions! 

http://www.rmhcvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/RMH-Avon-Fundraising-Brochure.pdf

Relay

Luminaria's from the SUNY Potsdam Relay

A few months back we blogged about raising money for the Relay for Life.  Unfortunately due to Mom Todd's passing we weren't able to participate in the actual event held at SUNY Potsdam in March.  We did, however, join in on the fun at the Malone Relay this past weekend.  We were amazed at how despite having several Relays locally, this event was full of lots of fun activities and was well attended!  Claire did the survivors walk with her daddy and his friend from BMC Robin.  As usual this was an emotional moment - a reminder of how grateful we are for modern medicine, all of the caregivers who made Randy's survival a possibility - beginning with Dr. Kay who recognized Randy's tumor when he was 10-months old to the staff at the KNOT Clinic (Kids Now Off Therapy).

The survivors lap at the Malone Relay. 
The team theme was the 80's!

Between the two relays we raised $260 for the American Cancer Society.  Here's a shout out to our sponsors - thanks so much for your support!

Rachel and Jeff Mars              
Norma Reardon                  
Margaret Sisler

Larry & Diana Goolden
Sabrina and Adam Britton
Melissa and Dan Hooley









The girls are doing great!  Stella loves her new bed, and Claire is excited about being able to stand up by herself but not ready to let go just yet!

We are still raising money for the Ronald McDonald House in Burlington, VT.  Our AVON fundraiser is a great opportunity for you to treat yourself, spoil someone special, start your Christmas shopping, or stock up on some personal items.  Please let us know if you want to place an order!

Summer's Coming!

We didn't have any major plans this past week so we had some time to spend at home which hasn't happened in a really long time.  It felt great!  We recently changed some things around in Stella's room so it is now Stella AND Claire's room.  We're going to try out the sharing thing for a little bit to see how it goes!  Both girls are doing great and we are getting excited for school to be finished for the year so we'll have more time with them.  We are starting week 2 of our fundraising effort for the Ronald McDonald House.  Orders are trickling in but we are hoping for a lot more!  There are so many products to pick from to support this initiative and better yet, shipping is only 99¢ or FREE if you order $30 or more!  If you haven't read about our fundraiser here are the details: http://www.rmhcvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/RMH-Avon-Fundraising-Brochure.pdf


To place an order get in touch with us or order online at http://dgoolden.avonrepresentative.com/ 

In Memory of Trey

As the anniversary date of Trey's passing approaches we are remembering him through a fundraising initiative for the Ronald McDonald House in Burlington, VT.  We credit this charity as being one of the primary reasons why/how we were able to just focus on our twins needs when they were born too early.  They helped take care of us so we could take care of the babies.  As a gesture of thanks and support we want to give something back and hope you'll help us!  All you have to do is make an AVON purchase through my mom's website during the month of June.  All of her proceeds as a sales representative will be given directly to the Ronald McDonald House.  Just be sure to use promo code CASH4RMHC when you place the order.  If you haven't shopped with AVON recently, you'll be surprised with all they have to offer: makeup, beauty products, clothing, Tiny Tillia - a line just for babies, shoes, jewelery, kitchen products, etc.  Please consider viewing our brochure or visiting the fundraising site and help us support this wonderful organization!  We'll let you know our progress throughout the month!

We Love Long Weekends!

Stella and Claire's first time on a golf course together!

Stella and Gi Gi loving their time together.

We had a fun but busy weekend so we are very glad we had a few extra days at home!  Claire is starting to try to pull herself up and gets easily frustrated because she's not quite strong enough!  She attended her first wedding this weekend and was a good girl.  We brought her to the ceremony because we thought it would be nice for her to be there on her godparents special day.  Congratulations Katy & Joey!

Our family, all together

The sisters playing with their brother.

  Claire has also started to sleep in her own room (which is bittersweet...) so we'll probably start to rearrange Stella's room soon to make a space for Claire so the girls can be together for a little while.  Stella loves her pool and is such a big girl now she actually tells us that.

A Spectacular Weekend

Me and the girls in their matching 'SUNY Potsdam' dresses

We had a great weekend.  The weather was beautiful, commencement was a nice event shared with family, and the girls had a wonderful time in the kiddie pool Sunday afternoon!  Both girls are continuing to progress.  Stella has started to sing lots of songs, often times asking us not to help out.  Claire is doing great crawling and is now also able to sit up on her own, and hold her own bottle.

Check out Claire's newspaper debut:
 http://northcountrynow.com/news/170-receive-masters-degrees-suny-potsdam-057681

 

 Stella still loves her sandbox, and Claire's first time in the pool was lots of fun - she loved it!

Mom's Favorite Job

There really is 'nothing more awesome than being a mom' (~ M. Hooley)!  Taking care of Stella and Claire challenges me nearly every day, I'm tired (ALL the time!), and I definitely feel like some of my friendships have taken the back seat lately but I am so very grateful for my girls!  Thanks to everyone for the Mother's Day wishes - and a special thank you to my sister Mary Jane for spoiling me today with a delicious meal and beautiful flowers!  We are sending prayers out for Mom Todd today.  We miss you very much and hope you and Trey are keeping each other company.

This week we struggled a little bit through Stella having pink eye.  Thank goodness that's over!  Not only has Claire mastered crawling this week but she's starting to sit up on her own too!  Some fun pics:

Swinging @ the playground

Go Buckeyes!

My new outfit from Grammie

Playing Dress Up

Pretty Hawaiian dress sent from the Perrin's

I'm a big girl!

We have a Crawler (sort of)!

Claire has figured out how to move around and get where she wants to go despite not having perfected crawling.  She has progressively been putting her arm and leg movements together into an actual crawl but even when she's not practicing great technique she's on the move!

Stella is good but she's been a bit under the weather.  Her puffy eyes and need for a little extra sleep these past few days haven't kept her down though!

This weekend we left both of our girls overnight for the first time.  Thank you Grammie and Pa for being with them so we could go out of town for a wedding.  We had lots of fun with some of Randy's College friends and sleeping in until 8:30 this morning was a real treat!

Another Week Older

Playing outside a few weeks back.

Time seems to pass so quickly and it seems there's never enough time in the day.  A smile on Stella's face or Claire's little giggle are completely worth putting off a load of laundry though! 

Pretty in Pink!

Stella being silly at lunch time.

Stella loves being a big sister!

Playing with chalk.