Christmas 2012

We had a great Christmas this year and have tried to begin teaching Stella the spiritual side of this special holiday - celebrating the birth of Jesus and honoring his love for us.  When she asked if there would be balloons at church we knew she was catching on!

Our girls were blessed to have their grammie and pa with us on Christmas day and we had lots of fun together opening gifts.  Claire became a little overwhelmed despite our efforts to give the girls a somewhat modest Christmas; once you add up presents from everyone there ends up being a lot!  Among their most popular gifts are a Dora couch, arts and crafts, a Dora Gymnastics video, a Mickey Mouse hide and seek game, and baby dolls.  They really are enjoying all of the gifts that were given to them though!

We are really loving having extra family time together.  There's been so much snow mom even had an extra day at home because getting off South Street to go to work was simply not possible on Thursday until late morning!

This week we look forward to celebrating Stella's 3rd birthday.  We can hardly believe it's here already!

Canada and Gingerbread

As Christmas approaches way too fast, our girls got to experience even more "firsts".  The artistic skills of Stella came alive when her and her dad made a gingerbread house.  Although she managed to sneak a bunch of the candy as we built, she was able to save enough to make the house look presentable!

On Sunday, the girls made their first trip across a US border.  We traveled to Ottawa, Ontario to buy a present for Beth at one of our favorite stores, IKEA.  It was an absolutely wonderful trip.  The girls were well behaved.  We were able to shop, and play in the store as we walked around the giant place that IKEA is.  We then had a nice lunch, and made our way back home.

We would like to wish all of you a peaceful and rejuvenating holiday season.  May the season bring joy and hope to each and everyone of your families!

Family Portraits 2012

Family Photo Shoot, November 2012

As we gear up for a few really busy days to celebrate Christmas we welcomed a quiet weekend at home.  The girls had dinner with Niece on Saturday so we could have a night out with some friends but overall we had some quality time at home together with just the four of us.  When we finished putting up our Christmas decorations we stumbled across the Mickey Mouse lawn ornament gift from the Hooley's last year that we thought we misplaced.  Stella's been super excited about the festive addition he's made to South Street! 

Last month we spent an hour at Forevermore Studios in Massena getting family photos taken.  Despite how challenging our girls ages are for this type of activity we were blessed with some great shots to cherish and share!

Hello Santa!

This weekend the girls got to sit with Santa at the annual VFW Christmas party.  They were both excited and weren't shy at all.  Stella told Santa she wanted M&M's for Christmas, and Claire was just fascinated by the bow on the present he gave her!  The four of us were given the opportunity to light the second week of advent candles at church this week, and we also put up our Christmas tree too.  Stella's at a fun age for all of these traditions and lucky for us hasn't developed the gimmies yet!  Claire is just along for the ride, intrigued by all of the hustle and bustle but sure to not miss out on anything!    

Party Time

This month we have a series of parties and family gatherings scheduled so we expect it to be a fun one!  The celebrations began yesterday with a joint birthday party for the girls cousins Brody and Maggie in Plattsburgh at the Imaginarium Children's Museum.  This was a really fun place for a party and it was great to see some folks we don't have the opportunity to be around all that often.  We're so glad we made the trip!

Playing in the Crawling Corner at the Museum!

And Going Fishing Too!

Relaxing at home...

Thanksgiving Break 2012

We enjoyed four days together in celebration of the Thanksgiving Holiday and we took advantage of having some extra time at home and just relaxed.  It was great!  In the spirit of Thanksgiving we tried to teach Stella about the meaning of this holiday and when we asked her what she was thankful for she said 'Aunt Mary Jane'.  Not only was this so very adorable but very fitting since Mary Jane hosted us for our Thanksgiving meal!  In addition to enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Mary Jane's with Grammie & Pa, we were very fortunate to have some special time with family friends over the break too - we visited with the Mill's, and shared a meal with the Reome/Brown's.  While we thought about putting up our Christmas tree since we had some extra time we decided against it because we fully expect Claire will be trying to climb in daily.  We'll just wait another week or two but we sure wish we could have a four-day weekend more often! 

Purple for Preemies!

Posing for a picture after Stella's final gymnastics
class of the year.

November 17 is World Prematurity Day so we all sported purple in honor of this important event to focus attention and raise awareness on the global problem of premature birth.  We have literally experienced both the best and worst outcomes resulting from babies being born too soon.  In the United States, 1 in 8 babies are delivered too early.  Visit www.marchofdimes.com to learn more.  We miss you Trey ♥

Mommy's Trip

This week the girls had some special time with their daddy while I was away at a conference for 3 days.  This was the first time I spent time away from everyone in my little family all at once.  Stella and I started talking about my trip last weekend and made a calendar for the week so she could keep track of when I was leaving and when I'd be back.  We all did great and surprisingly there were no tears (not even from me!).  This weekend we were busy with lots of fun stuff - Kristen's baby shower, Miss Katy's birthday celebration, and time with Grammie and Aunt Mary Jane.  We've been so busy so we are feeling very luck to have another day at home together tomorrow!

Precious Moments

This week the girls had fun dressing up for Halloween and Stella enjoyed trick-or-treating with her daddy.  Grammie and Pa came over to hand out candy with us and that was fun.  We had special visitors this year too which was a welcomed surprise!  When we spent time in Burlington we met a family from Brasher who also had a son experiencing respiratory distress.  Christopher had a room right next to Trey and his mom Sandy was famous for cooking and baking special treats in the Ronald McDonald Family room at the hospital and we were lucky enough to benefit from her kitchen talents often!  Sandy and her older son Xavier stopped by to trick-or-treat and shared wonderful news that Christopher will finally be able to come home this month!  Nearly his entire little life has been spent in care facilities so this is such big news.  We are so hopeful for Sandy and her family that Christopher's homecoming will be everything they've waited for and dreamed it would be!

As Stella and Claire continue to grow and thrive we are captivated by special moments: the two of them chasing each other around and giggling, Claire's warm snuggles when she's sleepy, Stella's new discovery of the words and meaning of 'I love you', Claire's hilarious yet deviant behavior - such as stealing Stella's cup and running away with it - on purpose!, and Stella singing along at church.  We keep reminding ourselves to salvage these moments - we know they will pass too quickly.

This morning when we arrived at Church and I asked Stella to
take her jacket off she made herself at home and took her shoes off too!

Halloween 2012

This year Halloween has been fun because Stella is starting to understand what the holiday involves and also because we've been to not one but two Halloween parties!  This week will be fun trick-or-treating on our street and handing out candy with Grammie and Pa which has sort of become a Halloween tradition!

Party & A Special Walk

This weekend the girls celebrated with their cousin Laila at her first birthday party.  They always have fun playing with their cousins who are close in age!  We also participated in a special walk with Aunt Mary Jane and Logan - the CROP Hunger Walk.  This initiative not only supports individuals in need around the world, but also here in our community as well.   Our girls are too young to really understand the importance of this philanthropic activity but over the years we hope to expose them to lots of things until they find their passions in life!  Thank you to all of the families who sponsored us on our walk this year: The Hooley's, McNamara's, Brown/Reome's, and Grammie & Pa!

Claire had her one-year check-up this week and is doing great!  She weighed in at 20 lbs, 9 oz, and is 29.5 inches long!  Her growth is definitely different than Stella's was but both girls are so very different this is really no surprise to us!

Stella decorating a cookie @ the birthday party.  I used the words 'paint with your finger'
when we were doing the project and then the next day I asked her if she was going
to eat her cookie and she said 'no Mom, there's paint on it!'. 
She reluctantly took a bite after I told her it was frosting.

Claire slept through most of the CROP Walk but woke up at
the end just in time to share a snack with all of the walkers!

Happy Birthday Claire!

To echo Sue's comment from last week, it doesn't seem possible that Claire's already a year old!  We had a fun birthday celebration on Saturday and then relaxed a bit on this rainy, lazy Sunday.  We're all tired out from starting our week out by visiting Rochester to trade our Mountaineer for a Van (through Enterprise Car Sales) paired with all of the excitement from the birthday party.  It was a great week - we are very blessed for all that we have!

It wasn't warm enough to be outdoors so we brought the ball pit in

!

 The big kids making Jungle frames!

 Claire really enjoyed the cake Aunt Mary Jane made for her.  She dug in and when she was done she didn't hesitant to dig her hands in and start playing!  She literally ended up having a quick bath when she was finished!

Sleepover Fun!

Esme loving the swing!

Caleb pitching in once Stella couldn't
walk any further.  He carried BOTH Esme
and Claire to the top!

Auntie Caroline, Caleb, and Esme visited this weekend from Vermont and we had lots of fun!   All the girls enjoyed playtime together and despite being very young for a sleepover all three went to bed like a charm, probably from having such a busy afternoon!

On Sunday mommy and the girls joined them for a hike up Azure Mountain.  It was so wonderful to be out in the crisp fall weather enjoying the fresh air and beautiful surroundings.  Although Stella and I didn't quite make it to the top (we were so very close but just couldn't keep going) Claire-Bear did with Caleb's help, and Caroline and Esme were lucky enough to enjoy the view from the top as well.  We figured with the age of our group 4 out of 6 wasn't bad!  Stella's 15-minute rest about 80% to the top was just what she needed - she walked with Auntie Caroline just about the entire way down!  On the way she stopped to tell her 'this is a BIG walk!'.  She was so tired out she fell asleep before we even pulled off the Blue-Mountain Road!  We all had a terrific time and will definitely take on this adventure again!

We are so very fortunate to still have special friends from Burlington in our lives.  Trey truly still is with us in spirit and weekends like this remind us of how much he has enriched our lives despite not being here in person.


We have another fun-filled weekend ahead of us because Claire-Bear turns 1 this coming Friday!  It's hard to believe another year of our lives has flown by but we are excited about her growth and the energy she adds to our family!

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