6 Story Ave - For Sale

A few hours after having accomplished nearly everything we set out to do to this house 5 years ago, it went on the market. See the listing here.

Big-girl Bed

Someone made this bed for my mom when she was a little girl and, most uncharacteristically, it has traveled with her throughout her life. Colleen slept in it when she was little, and now it has become Claire's. With a bit of sanding, some white paint, and a quilt I made, it turned out to be an adorable addition to her room. It only took one tearful night of falling asleep for her to adjust and now she is proud to to be tucked in each night. It is also really special to know that my daughter is now sleeping in the same bed that my mother and sister once slept in. On a side note, this picture also depicts one of Claire's favorite ways to read her children's Bible: finding Jesus in as many pictures as possible. While we're glad she's always anxious to locate Jesus, it has gotten to a point that Steven asked if I wouldn't mind picking up a Where's Waldo book to mix things up.

Easter Dinner

Growing up, my grandmother would set an extravagant "kids-only" table for any major holiday meal. So, this is our makeshift attempt at Meg & Tim's. Cole ended up with the short end of the stick - a piece of butcher block teetering on a chair in front of him. We tried to play up the excitement of having a kids' table, but Cole was too smart to believe his situation was privileged. Claire and Ollie were, understandably, a bit more pleased.

Here's the rest of us (minus Kris):



Dave and Papi slept at our house the night before. Papi was relegated to the couch (decidedly NOT a pull-out), and didn't actually get to even attempt sleep until after we stopped painting in the kitchen around 12:30am. (If not for Tim's help, we would have still been painting during the easter sunrise service.) And Dave, having mistaken Steven's early-morning trip to the bathroom as a wake-up call, was up and showered by 4am to get ready for church, which wasn't going to start until 8. To the extent that some of us do not look our best, some grace is appreciated.

Hoping for Spring

I took Claire to Lynch Park with only a few days before the official start of Spring. Despite the cold, she is always happiest outside, and for me to see the ocean on a clear day is always therapeutic.

The Dress-up Bin

While cleaning out our house to put it on the market, we uncovered the dress-up bin that Kris put together for Claire a while back. It has become a big hit. She's developed quite a talent for walking in heels...

Utilizing the Gym

We recently started taking Claire to the pool at our gym, and, unfortunately, she has developed an obsession with swimming. It gets cold in there fast, and leaving can be a challenge. But, she loves it so much, it is all worth it.

Bar Exam Over

With the bar exam behind me, we spent the following weekend in New Hampshire, where there have been record snows this year. Claire loved walking along the road - climbing up and running down the hills - and just being out and about. The relief of no more studying was indescribable.

The Past Few Months

It's not as if we are unaware of our total delinquency as bloggers. For now, we're blaming two primary factors: the bar exam and our crappy camera. The pictures below are about everything we've got of late, and, as you can see, we've been somewhat limited to sepia because of camera issues. With a new camera (coming soon), we'll turn over a new leaf and start posting again. Until then...


The new "squinty" smile - only by special request:



Claire invading Baby Zion's space during Christmas at the lake:



Further evidence of Claire's "who" (Cindy Loo) ancestry:




Claire helping put up the Christmas tree (long since gone):

Finally, a minor update

Here it is, January 14th, and I'm updating our blog with a picture from Thanksgiving. We may one day bring this thing current, but today is not that day. That aside, this is such a great shot of Claire, it is a good way to get things up and running again.

Halloween

This was Claire's first real halloween, and her cowgirl costume turned out to be pretty effective. The evening was complete with trick-or-treating, lighting the jack-o-lanterns...


...and even pushing her own stroller home

The Surprise Party

I surprised Steven with a party at our home on the Friday after his birthday. Besides Tim and Cathy showing up early to throw together some gourmet appetizers, Tim took some video (on his phone) to provide the only documentation we have of a great evening with wine, desserts, pumpkin carving, and some good friends.

Steven's 30th Birthday

Steven turned 30 on October 24th. We kicked off celebrating with an oatmeal-blueberry pancake breakfast.

Russel Orchards

A fall favorite on an indian summer day.

Claire's Intuition

A 7 month pregnant Kate came to visit and from these pictures you can tell Claire was asking about the baby. She knew there was something special going on... An amazing moment.

New 'do

So I ended up with a plain old bob even though I had envisioned this...

New Red Shoes

Doesn't every girl need a pair of red shoes? As fall rolls around, we were forced to retire the sandals for some real mary janes -- especially now that Claire walks. We had tried to go cheap and Claire's feet weren't happy. These See Kai Run shoes however are now worn everyday and Claire loves them.

the last of summer

We had the chance to take Cole and Ollie for the day as Meg and Tim both headed back to work. We spent most of the day at a state park swimming during which an ice cream truck showed up and Cole asked if we could get some.... Steven replied, "Why not?" which thrilled Cole and we spent the next 45 minutes trying to decide on a flavor. It was the first ice cream truck experience for all the kids, it seemed only necessary to document it.

She Walks!

That was a grape that lured her across the room.

Franklin Park Zoo

Why is this ALWAYS funny?

Not so merry-go-round

In an effort to ensure Claire's well-roundedness, we thought we should expose her to the world of the Carnie -- this one at Salem willows. We only managed one trip around the merry-go-round with her actually ON a horse. The rest of the ride was spent in my arms, screaming for mom.