More of Haven

A few more shots of the new addition:

Memorial Day Ice Cream

We are obviously posting this picture from Memorial Day somewhat belatedly, but we think Haven gives us a good excuse to be somewhat behind on a few things. We got together with the Goodros and Stewarts for Memorial Day, and walked to an ice cream shop after enjoying a cookout. Grace would have been in this picture, but she had to leave a little early with her parents so that Wendy could go deliver baby Ian. (He was born just a few hours after this picture was taken.) Anyway, we loved this shot of the cousins together, so thought it was worth the late post.

He's finally arrived...

...and we're finally posting some pictures:







The stats: 8 lbs. 14 oz.; 20.5 inches; APGAR at 9 by 5 minutes of life. So far, so good. More to come...

39 Weeks

As much as I usually try to avoid pregnancy pictures, an early evening at the beach turned out to be a good way to document what I hope are some of the last days before our son's debut.

NH Getaway

With potentially no more than two weekends left before our boy arrives, and having grown tired of abandoning our home at least once a weekend for a showing that yields nothing more than the standard complaints about the neighborhood, we decided to get away to lake wentworth today. Claire never manages a nap when we arrive here, so she spent almost the entire day outside - fitting in some quality time with dad. Here's a few other great shots from the day:

Claire is 2 (almost)

So, Claire does not officially turn 2 until June 1st, but, considering the likelihood that her little brother may arrive before then, we wanted to give her her own special day before her world collides with another little baby. In the video below, you can see the difficulty she had with blowing the candles out on her own. At Claire's request, "Papi" stepped in to help.

Road Trip

The weekend of our first open house seemed like a good time to get away. We traveled first to Jerm & Sue's in Delaware, where we spend the majority of the weekend. On our way home, we fit in visits to Grandma Veenema in New Jersey, and to Will, Kim, and baby Siena in their new place in Brooklyn.

Here's Sue and I, each 31 weeks pregnant:



Claire and Eden loved being together...



Cousins and their daughters. Is that second cousins?



Will and Siena (she is adorable, and sweet, and so small).

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.