Cooper, Isabel, & Emma!!

Perine Christmas!

2012-01-26T21:13:00.000-05:00

We had a WONDERFUL celebration of Christmas with all the Perine's on MLK weekend. It was nice to have a little break after the real Christmas holiday, so everyone was ready to celebrate again!!! It is so great that with each family gathering, the kids are playing together more and more. And we couldn't ask for a better foursome of babies. They were so great the whole weekend. We are so lucky! Gumma outdid herself AGAIN this year. After strict instructions from everyone to go lighter this Christmas (she loves to spoil everyone at Christmas time), she did nothing of the sort. The living room was piled high with presents and everyone even had their own stocking. But the best present for all of us was all being together, especially with a healthy and happy Gumma!

This was a very busy living room!

Gogo and Gumma! (I think this was the first and only time Gumma sat down on Saturday)!

All the Great-Grammas!!

Gogo and Coopey

Gumma's friend Barbara knitted these adorable sweaters for all the babies. Janet, Estelle, and Dana! Unfortunately, Emma missed the picture above, but you can see her in her sweater below!

Our "Buddha-Emma" (as Gogo likes to call her, much to Gumma's dislike)

The definition of cuteness (in my unbiased opinion)

Our princess Isabel

LOVE the expressions from the kids this year. They literally LOVED everything they opened.

As I said, amazing enthusiasm!

As you can imagine, it was quite a crowded house, so the stair landing was the home of the 4 car seat carriers!

The older cousin stockings (including the plastic bag combo- as I said before, Gumma likes to go overboard, so the stockings are always overflowing)

And the adult stockings! Don't worry, the 4 babies had their own stockings too. Thanks to Aunt Kristi for making them for all the new additions!

Kristi and Janet keeping the sledders company

The big girls!

Too bad they didn't have any fun sledding...

Bath Party!!

2012-01-11T14:33:00.000-05:00

It's been so fun to start bathing the girls together. Emma is sitting up well enough to do it now and it's been a fun new activity. We have yet to get all 3 kids in there though, as Cooper now isn't so crazy about baths, and prefers to take a shower. He's growing up! I just got the pre-registration for him for kindergarten in the mail and almost teared up. Not sure how I'm going to cope come September!

New Year's/Quinn Christmas!

2012-01-07T21:36:00.000-05:00

We were so thrilled to have all of the Quinns make the long journey from Virginia to celebrate both a Quinn Christmas and New Year's Eve. It gets more and more fun to have the cousins together. They seem to be getting along better and better the older they get. We had an action packed few days including bowling, skiing, hockey game, celebration dinner, and of course, presents!!! The highlight of the whole trip though, was definitely getting to meet our new nephew/cousin Gabe! Check out how adorable he is!!!

A proud Auntie!

The calm before the storm

New hockey outfit! Jackson was the first to put his on, but all the boys got one. They looked adorable. Of course, at one point Isabel sadly says "I want a hockey outfit like the boys!" Now she knows how Cooper feels during the Perine get togethers with all the girl cousins!

Presents!

Emma's new bouncy ball toy was one of the biggest hits with all the kids!

Ryan and Jackson's first time on skis. They did AMAZING! I think they had a lot of fun too.

Isabel had a hard time figuring out her balance. She still had fun and did a couple of short little runs. We weren't able to get her on much of an decline. But she did better than I thought she would the first time. Her attention span for anything she's not comfortable with is pretty slim!

Unfortunately we don't have a video of Jackson, but he did great as well. Able to stay up on the skis almost as well as the older boys.

The bystanders!

We just skied on the little climbing hill which only lasted probably 45 minutes. But that was enough for the kids, and the adults who had to drag them up the hill each time! Maybe next year we'll get them up on the lifts!

Isabel sporting her new ski helmet. I'm just glad she agreed to wear it.

This was our night out at Fire & Ice to celebrate Grammy's 60th birthday and Grammy & Gramps' 40th anniversary!!! It was a great dinner, but let's just say I don't think they were sorry when we finally took our kids home!

Daddy and his girls!

The first cake...

...the second cake!

The plan was to do a large group picture with all of us, but at the last minute, we had to settle for just Grammy, Gramps and the kids.

The goofy version

Happy New Years!

Accessory girl!

The hockey game. Ryan proudly sporting his new puck! It was Ryan and Jackson's first hockey game. I'd say it was a big hit!

Prime seats, right up against the boards!

All in all, a WONDERFUL time! Despite Emma and Josh being very sick with colds and not sleeping much at all. The cold seems to have made it's way through all the kids now, and Aunt Casey (sorry Case!). I seem to have avoided it...knock on wood! We hope they all come back soon!

Isabel's First Day of Preschool!

2012-01-03T17:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I must say I was getting a little nervous for Isabel's first day of preschool. We've talked it up for a while and she's gone back and forth between wanting to go to school, and still go to Pat's house. And we're all a little "hung over" from the holidays, so that was another possible complication. But I'm happy to report she did great! She was happy to get to school in the morning, was cooperative with the pictures, and after getting her settled we said a nice tear-free goodbye! I called about midday and her teacher said she was doing great. She was a little quiet, but she was participating in all the activities (except didn't want to dance in the middle of circle time when her name was called!), and made her way around to lots of the different activities in the room.

So I decided to pick the kids up an hour early, figuring that Isabel would have had a long day and would be happy to see me. Um, no. As soon as she saw my face in the door she said "I don't want to go!" Then proceeded to run into the bathroom in the back of the school and close the door! So funny! While it took me some haggling to get her into the car, I must say it was a good sign!! So here's to a great first day at school! To be continued...

Thanks Aunt Casey for the adorable outfit!

Christmas!

2012-01-02T15:08:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful, fairly quiet low key Christmas this year. It was a good start to the long Christmas holiday we have scheduled. We're celebrating Christmas again with the Quinns at New Year's, then the Perines later in January.

Setting out cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve

Emma loved the presents...

...at least the wrapping paper!

My littlest lady!

Fun with the new toys. We only did a few small gifts for the kids this year, but you would have never known. The kids were very excited about their new toys.

Hugs for Daddy!

Christmas morning breakfast with Gogo and Gumma

Snuggle time with Daddy. This was the cutest thing ever, she was so sleepy and cuddly!

And now she's out!

The sisters

Emma in her Christmas outfit. She was SO cute!!

Now snuggle time with Mommy!

Impossible to take a good picture with the kids these days (I think that last good one of all 3 was our Christmas card).

The tree Christmas morning

Cooper with his eyes closed heading to the tree!

Hanging with Gogo at Gramma Ali's house Christmas evening.

And ready for bed! What a great Christmas!

Leggett Christmas

2011-12-26T16:44:00.000-05:00

I need to catch up with my posts! Obviously we have lots of pictures from Christmas! The annual Leggett Christmas party at Rob and Joanne's kicked off our holiday season!

The kids in their adorable outerwear, compliments of Gumma! I'm just amazed that they agreed to wear it!

The fam outside

The fam inside!

Little Miss Pretty!

Aunt Kate and Dana

Cousin Jan-Jan!

The babes, minus Estelle who was sleeping soundly in her car seat!

Proud grandparents!

The four older kids. It's so fun to see them play so well together as they get older.

The family watching the annual Christmas DVD of the years best family photos. Great job Joanne and Sue!

Gogo getting his lips glossed!

The basement crowd!!!!

Isabel's Birthday #3

2011-12-16T20:33:00.000-05:00

A great birthday weekend for the big girl. We had a family party Friday night and gave Isabel her big present, a princess castle! While her initial reaction to the gift was a little mellow, she loves it and it's provided countless hours of entertainment for both her and Cooper! Saturday morning we had a little party with a couple of her friends and did some cookie decorating which was really fun. I learned from Cooper's last birthday that just a few kids were enough, and to keep it to a 2 hour party! It was perfect! We were so lucky to have Grammy spend the weekend with us. Mommy and Daddy even got to go out with their friends Saturday night while Grammy babysat! Thanks Grammy!! The big girl starts preschool in a couple weeks, so we'll keep you updated on that!

Emma is really cute right now. She's really into grabbing faces and trying to eat them. I just pretend she's giving me lots of kisses and love!!!

Snuggle/story time with Grammy!

The kiddie party. Cookie decorating was a hit!

The birthday girl!

The not-so-exciting video of Isabel getting her princess castle!!!

"Tis the Season!!

2011-12-11T07:44:00.000-05:00

One of the reasons that I love Thanksgiving is that it marks the beginning of Christmas season!! And we LOVE Christmas!! We were very excited to get our tree the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and by the end of the day it was decorated as was the house!

Mommy doing the lights with my little helper (who for some reason is constantly taking off her clothes...). This is always my job. I've inherited the role from my Mom, who always put up the lights in our house. While I'm getting better each year, Gumma is truly the expert at putting up the lights, keeping the cords hidden and not leaving one branch light-less!

Mommy's little elf.

The finished product!

The next weekend we attended the opening weekend of "A Very Merry Middlebury Christmas." It is the second annual (I think), town celebration headed by the Better Middlebury Partnership. Quite a few of our friends are part of that group and play essential roles in putting this and many other wonderful events together. They do an AMAZING job! So we started off the day watching Santa ride across the town bridge on top of a fire truck. Then we got hot chocolate from the "Hot Chocolate Hut" complete with whip cream and marshmellows! Followed by a visit with Santa himself!!

Cooper was great this year. He had his list all ready to spout of to Santa! Isabel wouldn't even look at him, let alone go near him or his lap! Santa happens to be a friend of ours and so when he called them by their names, I think it actually freaked her out a bit!

Emma was great, she sat right on his lap and began to pull on the beard! She grabs at anything she can these days!

There was quite a line to see Santa, and Gogo was doing his community duty and giving out the numbers to everyone waiting.

We finished off the morning with a horse drawn carriage ride around town! It was an awesome weekend, and we are so thankful to all that helped put it together!

Six Months Old!

2011-12-06T20:10:00.001-05:00

Love.

A Very Thankful Thanksgiving!

2011-11-29T21:20:00.000-05:00

We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving with all the Perines, Ryans and Livesays. It was one of the few times that we've had everyone together for more than a day or two. I had totally prepared for a very chaotic Thanksgiving with lots of crying babies and sparring toddlers, but luckily all the kids and babies were so good! It was an amazingly relaxing and fun time. We have so much to be thankful for this year, especially the addition of the 4 baby girls, Emma, Janet, Dana and Estelle!

We did have some snow on the day before Thanksgiving so we took advantage and got in a little sledding on the driveway. The rest of the weekend turned out to be warmer and quite nice, so we got in more outdoor time.

The girls (Alice, Eva and Isabel), had a great time playing together. They got along very well and had lots of fun. So great to have everyone together!

Who knew playing in a pantry could be so fun?

Bathtime with all 4 older kids. Eva was the back scrubber!

Playground!

A nice stop at the Waybury pub for some beer and apps after a fun time at the playground

We had a photo shoot the morning after Thanksgiving. Cooper insisted on having a "boys picture". And since he's been a little overrun with girl cousins of late, we decided to indulge him!

Play time with Emma and Janet. Sorry Janet, Emma's going through a grabbing phase!

I think that's a smile from Janet under there!

Gumma wanted to do a photo shoot since the whole family was together. She assigned each family a color to dress in with khakis. With a little effort on everyone's part, we pulled it off!

I cannot get enough of this little munchkin. She's so lovable!

Baby Estelle, Eva's little sister. SO CUTE! And so quiet, I don't think I heard her cry once during their 4 day stay!

Cooper has taken up a sudden interest in planets and stars. This is Cooper and Gogo looking at a constellation book. One of my favorite childhood memories is looking at the constellations with Dad while he recited many of the myths behind them. It was really fun to see Cooper get so excited about this (I think Gogo enjoyed it just as much as well)!

And last, but certainly not least, a picture of Dana and her big sister! Yes, Dana's cheeks give Emma's a run for her money!

Great Weekend

2011-11-17T21:03:00.000-05:00

We were so happy to have Aunt Casey come and visit us this weekend! It's been such a crazy few weeks for us, and her visit was a great escape for us! We had a nice, low key weekend which was greatly needed. The kids had a blast with Casey, as did we!

Fun play

Emma is loving her standing toy. She is actually getting the hang of bouncy in it too.

Sweet Big Sister Isabel!

Sisters!

Emma and Mommy preparing for Emma's first meal of cereal!

Not quite sure about this. She really didn't take to it as well as Cooper and Isabel did. I think she was too distracted by her siblings to really even know what was going on.

Emma has this funny habit of covering her eyes when she takes a bottle or nurses. Very funny.

Emma was a happy girl with her Aunt Casey!

This was the second trial of cereal. Didn't get much more down that time. We're able to get some down at this point, but she doesn't really seem to enjoy it. We will probably move on to some squash soon and see how she does with that!

Emma absolutely LOVES her sister Isabel, and especially her brother Cooper. I swear, Cooper can make Emma smile at the drop of a hat. He is pretty wonderful with her too. Very sweet and gentle. Here are some adorable interactions between the two...

Emma is doing great overall. She's in very good health and the doctor's don't even feel the need to see her again. She's finally getting more comfortable at daycare. She had a rough transition (the hardest of the three by far), but she's also been the most attached to me as well. I can't say that doesn't excite me though. I'm totally coddling her (sorry Pat!) as she's very likely our last little baby!!!! Trying to soak in every moment!

Halloween Part 2

2011-11-06T09:43:00.000-05:00

We had an INCREDIBLY busy and very fun Halloween this year. It started the week before with pumpkin carving in our kitchen. The kids started by drawing the faces on the pumpkins then Daddy helped to carve. The next day, much to my surprise, the three kids actually sat through a mini photo shoot with the pumpkins and their Halloween shirts. Then Friday night they got dressed up with cousin Alice (and her little sister Dana too) and we all went to a Jack O'Lantern exhibit at the nursing home. It was so cool. Hundreds of very well carved pumpkins both inside and outside. The kids had a blast looking at all of them. Then on Saturday we got dressed up again and headed downtown to the annual Spooktacular event. Cousin Alice was with us again and Cooper brought along his buddy Camden. We had a lot of fun playing games then heading down Main St to trick or treat at the store fronts. Sunday we had a much needed day off, then came the actual Halloween day! (Pictures from that are on the previous post). We were so happy to still have Alice here with us, and we had cousin Janet too. We started off trick or treating at Momere's house, then Gramma Net's house, then went to Gramma Ali's who lives on a busy street, perfect for trick or treating! Alice, Cooper and Isabel (and Emma in the front pack) all went out door to door for treats. They were having a blast until unfortunately Isabel got a little traumatized by some adults dressed up as zombies, so she and I headed back while Cooper and Alice and Aunt Kate hit up a few more houses. Then the kids had a blast handing out candy to all the kids from Gramma Ali's front door. I have never really liked Halloween, but I must say we had a GREAT weekend!

First night of dress up!

The Jack O'Lanterns at the nursing home. So well done!

Cooper and buddy Camden at Spooktacular

Isabel and Alice (we missed you Eva!)

Then Cooper saw his buddy Luke...

...with whom he is always wrestling with! (Usually at high school football games)!

Cooper and Camden doing the sack race!

Halloween Part I

2011-10-31T21:32:00.000-04:00

Gymnastics

2011-10-15T07:42:00.007-04:00

It's been an exciting fall watching Cooper in his first organized sport, gymnastics. Cooper has always been a little slow to warm up to new things, and after our failed attempt at swim lessons last winter, I was shocked when he agreed to do gymnastics class. And much to our happy surprise, he's loved it. Yesterday was our 6th of 10 classes. They've done balance beam, spring board, bars, tumbling, and even started to learn cartwheels. It's been fun for everyone!

Whirlwind

2011-10-15T07:19:00.000-04:00

Well, it's probably been 2 of the most challenging weeks of my life (I hope). Between having three kids 4 and under, getting back to work after 4 wonderful months off, and spending 5 nights at the pediatric floor at Fletcher Allen with Emma to ultimately undergo surgery for an infected lymph node, and Josh being in the middle of midterms for 2 of his MBA classes, it's been about all I can handle!! I'm so happy and grateful to report that Emma is doing great and is about fully recovered. Just a couple more days of antibiotics and we can hopefully put this behind us! I have to throw a huge shout out to all of the doctors, and especially nurses and LNAs at Fletcher Allen. They were amazing and so supportive and comforting. It was quite a surreal experience to go through. While it was scary on one hand to be in the hospital with your 4 month old (and to have her go under general anesthesia-that was the worst part), it also made me feel very lucky and comforted at the same time. When I started to feel sorry for myself for being in the hospital with Emma, I would walk the halls and realize that we are SO fortunate and blessed. My heart really goes out to all of the families who are dealing with much more dire circumstances. I can't imagine that pain and heartache that they go through. Thank goodness for the "angel nurses" for the wonderful care they provide. All in all, Emma tolerated the whole ordeal wonderfully. She really was never very uncomfortable so that made it all easier to deal with. The other hard part was being away from Cooper and Isabel for days at a time. Thank GOODNESS for all of our wonderful family and friends who were able to help us take care of them, and even provided some meals for us!!! A special thanks to Gogo and Gumma (who was a huge help despite not feeling her best), and to Grammy and Gramps for making the long trip up here for a few days. Couldn't do this without you all! I'm not very organized with my pictures at the moment, so I'm just going to throw in a bunch from the last few weeks. Thanks again to everyone and thankyou God for watching over my baby!

The little lady with her IV in. Amazing little girl barely cried when they put it in! She tolerated that much better than she did her 2 month shots!

Mommy and Emma passing time making faces in the bathroom mirror. We had a few little toys, but it was amazing how creative we had to be without out Bumbo seat, swing, bouncy chair, play mat...

Finally one of the nurses brought in a bouncy chair for us the second to last day we were there. It was a welcome change of pace for us!

Smiles with silly Gramps!

Grammy taking good care of Emma

Emma's first football game (this is an old picture from a few weeks ago)

AND WELCOME TO OUR NEW COUSIN DANA!!! WHAT A CUTIE!!!!

Isabel taking Cooper for a ride

Second Child Syndrome

2011-09-23T09:20:00.001-04:00

Poor Isabel...second child syndrome. We've been preparing Isabel for her transition to preschool which will happen in the next couple months. Everyone's very excited for this to happen. Isabel has just started to show interest in learning her letters (she's known how to sing the alphabet for a while, but is quite interested in her name now). And to my dismay, I realized that when Cooper started preschool, he knew a lot of his letters, especially those that spelled his name (due to lots of practice and undivided attention from his parents)! But she's proven to be a quick learner and with just a few practices, she just about knows how to spell her name and identify the letters. (We have an awesome letter mat which is so fun to learn with- I highly recommend to all parents of young children)! Had to put in another video of Emma talking, though she seems to be doing a bit less in the last few days. I think she knows something's going to be changing soon. We've been taking her to daycare a few times for short visits, and hoping that she makes a smooth transition!

Surprise!

2011-09-16T15:07:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we threw a surprise (and early) 60th birthday party for Gogo. It was also the weekend of the Gordie Perine Alumni Tourney and all the family was planning to be in town, so we thought it would be good timing for an early celebration. It was a beautiful weekend with lots of sun and fun! We hosted everyone here and even got in a celebration for cousin Eva who turned 2 last week. The cousins continue to love each other and get along really well. Can't wait for the next two to be born!

The party-goers awaiting Gogo's arrival at the party

Double-fisting!

A Dora Happy Birthday banner for Gogo and Eva!

Just a couple of the photos we had around the house

Dad and his siblings (minus Perry who couldn't make it). We had a golf themed party and encouraged costumes!

The "Canoe Group"

The (early) Birthday Boy!

Love

2011-09-16T15:00:00.002-04:00

The kids are so fun right now. We're all enjoying the end of summer. Everyone's back at school and daycare so we're enjoying being back on a schedule. 2 more weeks and counting for me to get back to work. Here are some recent photos. Emma is just growing up way too fast. She's so expressive now and is cooing and talking constantly. She's happiest when she just sitting with someone who's paying attention to her and having a conversation.

Visit from Aunt Cary

2011-09-11T14:36:00.003-04:00

We were lucky to have a short but sweet visit from Aunt Cary on Wednesday night. She was in Burlington for a few days for work, and was kind enough to drive down and have dinner with me and the kids on Wednesday. It was also Josh's night for class, so I was especially happy to have the company and extra hands! Cooper showed off his dance moves for her and she got some good Emma holding time!

Ever since seeing his cousin Ryan do his dance to Dynamite, Cooper has been obsessed. He can now open iTunes and play Dynamite on his own, which I'm not so sure is a good thing...

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-07T16:26:00.000-04:00

We had a great Labor Day weekend. We were supposed to have my cousin Will's men's night at deer camp, and his fiance's wedding shower for the ladies last weekend, but it was rescheduled for this weekend due to Hurricane Irene. It was a wonderful surprise to have Kate and Alice here again for a couple nights. They have been such trooper's to spend so much time here this summer, despite Kate being ready to pop with baby #2! The kids have so enjoyed getting to play with their cousin Alice so much. Isabel now refers to her as "Alice, my best friend!" So cute! The boys had a great time Saturday night at camp and us girls had a great time at Joanne's to celebrate Jane and her upcoming wedding! All the girls, (Isabel, Alice and Emma) were all very well behaved. Emma seems to be getting out of her crankiness and blood curdling screaming which is very nice! It was a phase that didn't last too long, but a week or two is long enough!

Cooper on his way to camp. Full camo with his new Thomas the Train boots!

"Tough guy" pose

It was quite a warm afternoon/evening for the shower. We can unprepared without bathing suits, but Joanne was kind enough to lend me and Casey her old ones so we could cool off with the girls.

Happy!

On Saturday morning, we went and picked the first apples of the season. It was a lot of fun and we even made applesauce later that weekend.

Happy Valley Orchard

Tuckered out by the end of the adventure

Gumma and the kiddies

My pretty girl

My handsome boy

The crew (including 8 1/2 month pregnant Kate)!

We had a great visit with Great-great grandma Momere. Emma was very content in her arms. She's held quite a few babies in her time! She has not lost her touch!

A happy mama!

We wrapped up the weekend with a large gathering of about 10 kids and 30 adults on Sunday night at our house. While it was quite a zoo, it was a lot of fun to catch up with friends that we haven't seen much this summer. Needless to say, I didn't get a chance to take many pictures until the end of the night when we were left with just the Brushs for some down time before bed.

And finally, Emma is growing quickly. About 2/3 of the time she sleeps through the night (about 10 hours), and has become more easy going. She's taking the bottle a lot better, now that we've found the right one for her (which I think is contributing to less gas, therefore less of the fussiness). She's started to sit in the Bumbo, and is also starting to use her hands to knock the hanging toys on her playmate. I am going to try to savor (and relax) a bit with her for the last few weeks before I go back to work!

Cousins!

2011-09-06T09:25:00.001-04:00

Story time in Alice's room

The "twins", Emma and Janet

I'm very late in my posts, as we've had a very busy few weeks. We enjoyed having all the family in town again for Jody and Kyle's wedding. The kids and I went to pick up Alice and Kate in Connecticut to bring them to Middlebury because Kate had to get here earlier than Reeves was able to. We had a very fun sleepover at their house and then lots of good cousin time the rest of the weekend. It was great to have cousin Eva here too as the kids just love their cousins. The wedding was great, but unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from that! The kids were all with babysitters (including Emma), so I was just enjoying my hands-free time! Here are some pictures from the weekend!

Making spaghetti sauce!

2011-09-02T08:42:00.001-04:00

Couldn't Pick Just One...

2011-08-29T12:58:00.000-04:00

Playdate

2011-08-26T07:34:00.000-04:00

We just recently had the pleasure of having our friends Amanda and Carl over for dinner before they returned home to the West Coast. Their beautiful 4 month old daughter, Harper, and Emma even got to play a bit. Here's how that went (be sure to look at the pictures in descending order)...

Playing nicely on the playmat

Harper is going in for the hand hold

Connection! (No, we did not stage this) Emma thinks she likes it...

Emma's having second thoughts...

AHHHHHH!!!!!! Harper's not sure what happened...

Field Days with Gogo

2011-08-24T09:27:00.000-04:00

We've had such a busy summer this year with all the trips and weddings, etc. So when the annual Field Days rolled around, I wasn't sure I was up for taking the kids. The only time we could go was on one of my Wednesday mornings with all the kids. Fortunately, Gogo had the week off from work and was excited to go with us! We had a great morning of chocolate milk, feeding goats, visiting the children's barnyard, watching the oxen pull contest, and finally riding the rides! Cooper went on his first roller coaster ride with Gogo and loved it! Thanks for a great morning Gogo!

Vacation in Virginia

2011-08-21T09:06:00.001-04:00

I'm a little late in my posts, but will hopefully get to catch up soon. We had such a great vacation in Virginia a couple weeks ago. We really haven't been able to get down for a visit in the summer until this year, so it was a very fun pool vacation for the kids. We had lots of great family time and the cousins all got along very well. We made good use of Grammy and Gramps' pool as I think the kids averaged about 6 hours a day in it! Water guns were by far the toy of choice for the week. It was so fun to see the kids all horsing around with Gramps in the pool. There were a few pool rules, including no pushing anyone in, and no squirting people in the face. However, none of these rules applied when playing with Gramps, (mostly because he broke them first)! We were also lucky enough to be down there for Linsey's baby shower, due the end of October. It was a wonderful shower and Isabel loved helping Linsey open her gifts. That night we had a lot of the Quinn clan for dinner at Grammy and Gramps' house so that was a special treat too, as we don't get to see them a lot. Aunt Penny came prepared as usual to play with the kids with lots of toys in hand. It was quite madness at times. Josh was also able to attend his fantasy football draft while down there and catch up with his college buddies. Emma was quite good on the trip. She slept well and started to be much more engaging with people. She was held constantly which was great for her, and fortunately didn't set us back too much when we returned home! It was a wonderful trip for everyone!

Crazy play in the toy room with balloons from Aunt Penny

Fun with Gramps

Cooper didn't want to take off his floaties for most of the week. With good reason, as he was then able to keep up with his bigger cousin Ryan. But the last day, he decided he would and to our surprise actually was able to swim a few feet with his head under water! A good start!

Quinn Cousins

2011-08-18T10:45:00.000-04:00

While on vacation in Virginia, we took advantage of having the cousins together and got some professional pictures taken. To my AMAZEMENT, the kids were very cooperative and basically let the photographer direct where they sat and how they were positioned. The one tricky part was getting all kids to smile at the same time, and supress the urge to be goofy (check out the last picture of Jackson...so great)!

First Shots

2011-08-09T15:25:00.000-04:00

Emma had her 2 month checkup today. Mommy has been a little concerned with the difficulty of getting Emma to have good eye contact over the last couple weeks. However, she has quite improved over the last week (probably from not being put down at all during our vacation in Virginia, thanks to so much doting family), but I still mentioned it to the doctor. As I was expressing my concern, Emma was busy looking the medical student (who happens to be our friend Amanda!) directly in the eyes and smiling. She then proceeded to turn her head and look directly into the doctor's eyes and smile again. That little rascal!!! Apparently she was just pulling mommy's leg and is now easily engaged and quite smily. The doctor said she is very socially engaging for a 2 month old! I guess she put me in my place!

She's 13 lbs, 5 oz, and in the 95th% for both weight and height. Yes, she is growing quite well! The rest of Emma's checkup was great (minus the shots at the end). If you've ever heard Emma cry, she can really put her voice to good use. I've done many shots with my kids in the past, but this was by far the worst/loudest reaction I've heard yet. Emma's scream was SO loud I am surprised that Josh didn't hear it in Burlington. Her face was so red from not breathing I thought her eyes might pop out! Fortunately I was able to nurse her and calm her down quickly, but it was quite an insult on the ears. I think I'll send Josh for the next round of shots!

All wiped out!

The band-aids to prove it!

Sam and Blankie

2011-08-09T15:16:00.002-04:00

About 3 weeks ago, Cooper forgot to bring his blankie and teddy bear "Sam" to school with him. This was a pretty big event as those two accessories go almost everywhere with Cooper especially if he's going to be sleeping. But he did indeed forget them one day and as I noticed this in the car on the way to school, I prayed he would not remember until after I dropped him off, so I could avoid the meltdown. (I know, real nice of me). When I picked him up that day, I asked him if he forgot something and he nonchalantly said "Sam and blankie", and that was it! He ended up forgetting them a couple more times and then one morning I said I guess you don't need them at school anymore. And he surprisingly agreed! I was just thankful to have just a little less stuff to haul around with us. Unfortunately as a result of Sam being home alone during the day, he lost an ear. That's right, Sadie chewed off Sam's ear. Sadie didn't rip off the head, or pull out the stuffing, just nipped off his ear, with a very clean cut! Sadly, Cooper was quite devastated for one evening, but has recovered quickly and now he just has his blankie for sleeping. Josh said we could look for another teddy bear for him, but I discouraged it as there are too many things to keep track of with these kids! So yes, a selfish reason, for sure. RIP Sam...

Casey & Marc's wedding

2011-07-31T12:49:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we celebrated a wonderful family event- Casey & Marc's wedding. It was a beautiful and special setting at the family/friends sugarhouse in the woods. It was a hot day, but a fun and memorable one no less. Casey looked stunning (unfortunately don't have a good picture to post as I didn't bring my camera with me!), but take my word for it! Despite the 90 degree heat, the dance floor was packed the whole night. The kids had an absolute blast dancing, literally until we left for home after 9 pm. Emma as usual was a very good little girl, and we got lots of great help from people holding her, especially her Gramma Joycie! As you can see from the pictures, Isabel and Alice LITERALLY held hands or at least were by each other's side the whole night. It was quite sweet. We also loved playing with cousin Eva, but getting a picture of her is a little more difficult as she is in CONSTANT motion!!! Perhaps the best part of the night was in the very beginning of the night when Isabel went up to Josh and said (in her sweet little high pitched voice) "Daddy, will you dance with me?" So Isabel and Daddy the dance floor to themselves for a very special dance. Josh was choking back the tears (as was I) it was so sweet! Check out the videos and pictures below! Actually the videos took too long to upload so below are the You Tube links.

Great Gramma Joycie and sweet Emma

Mommy and her favorite boy

Cheers!!! I came prepared with champagne to share! I waited 9 months for this!! (And it was good!)

The "special" dance

BFFs

Yes, she was awake for some of the wedding!

A proud papa

Gumma and Gogo with cousin Janet

Here she is, the hard to catch Eva!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc457C0aGh0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPEfLkkB85Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2FaOGU3b78

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxFNLTgJbvU

And finally! A picture of all the cousins (oops, minus Emma), the morning after the wedding

A Day Out With Thomas

2011-07-24T16:19:00.000-04:00

I've heard about the event "A Day Out With Thomas" for over a year now from a few other mothers. They claim it is a great event and with Cooper's (and now Isabel's) intense love of Thomas the Train, I have been trying to find a time and place for us to attend it. Unfortunately there really is no close destination for us, so we ended up settling on Conway, New Hampshire (a 3 1/2 to 4 hour drive). We did it all in one day, and yes, it was a lot of driving, but it was beautiful scenery. We drove though beautiful mountains (I think we were on the back side of Mount Washington), little lakes, and adorable little towns. It's definitely an area that we would like to get back to. Back to Thomas...overall, it was a great day, despite the 90 degree heat! Without much shade at the event, the sun and heat were a bit taxing and it definitely drained some of the energy/enthusiasm out of us all. But the highlight of the event was the ride on Thomas. The kids enjoyed the train display, the bouncy house, getting tattoos, the random live turtle that was there, and of course, the ice-cream at the end of the day! Emma was a trooper and was very content to hang out in the stroller most of the time which was a huge help!

The North Conway Rail Station

Adorable North Conway Rail Station

Our conductor (this hat only lasted about 20 minutes due to the heat)

Finally meeting Thomas with our ride to follow

Our beautiful ride on Thomas (Cooper was so tired/hot he almost feel asleep)

Our scenic train ride

Hay Maze

Bouncy House

Random live turtle...very cool though. He was very large and just walked around eating the grass.

Showing off the Thomas tattoos

Emma's First Bottle

2011-07-19T18:30:00.000-04:00

About a week ago we tried a bottle with Emma for the first time. Cooper had been asking to feed Emma a bottle for a few weeks, so with his help Daddy gave Emma her first successful bottle meal. Unfortunately, the following 2 bottles that Dad tried to give Emma were unsuccessful, and very frustrating. Since then, Gumma and my neighborhood "mommy's helper", Megan, have both been able to give her a 4 ounce bottle without difficulty. And with Casey Leggett's wedding coming up this weekend, Mommy is very happy that Emma can take a bottle so she can have a few cocktails!!!

Check out the expanding belly!

Visit to Cousin Eva's House

2011-07-18T13:32:00.000-04:00

Two weekends ago we got to spend a quick but very enjoyable time at Chan and Karen's house in Hingham, Mass. Kristi and Peter made the short trip from Boston to hang out with us on Saturday. It was great to see them, but even more great to meet baby Janet! She's an absolute doll and it was fun to have the babies together. We got to spend a few hours at the beach near their house and both Cooper and Isabel did not want to leave. They absolutely love the beach and the water. We will definitely have to be making at least one ocean vacation a year! We had a wonderful dinner on Saturday night, and Josh even got to play golf with Chan on Sunday morning before we headed home. A little fun for everyone! Chan and Karen were great hosts and we hope to get back there soon!

Emma and Janet's first meeting!

The Ryan, Perine and Quinn crew!

My bathing beauty

Cousin Eva

Emma's first dip in the ocean...

...not very impressed (with the cold water, nor her mother). Though I blame this idea on her Uncle Peter as he introduced Janet to the ocean a few minutes before this, and Janet had about the same reaction.

The two babes

Uncle Peter and Cooper looking for shells

Uncle Chan and Cousin Eva

Emma

2011-07-12T21:43:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe that Emma is 6 weeks old! She continues to grow like a weed and is still a very good baby. Don't get me wrong, she does cry, but thank goodness it's not very often, as it is quite the ear piercing scream! We've had some success with getting her to use the pacifier, but most of the time she just purses her lips together and doesn't even let us get it in her mouth. She is sleeping well at night and most of the morning, and likes to be awake most of the afternoon and evening. She loves being in her swing, but really loves to be held. She also loves tummy time, but mostly to nap! Apparently she likes to be naked, as she loves her bathes and loves to get her diaper changed. She's starting to give us a couple of intentional smiles which melt her mommy's heart! Here are a couple pictures...

Father's Day

2011-06-28T11:55:00.000-04:00

Pictures from Father's Day and some other randoms...

Emma Update

2011-06-28T11:34:00.000-04:00

This is a long overdue update on baby Emma! It's hard to believe that she's been with us for almost 4 weeks already. She has proven to be a wonderful addition to our family! The kids continue to be in love with her, doting on her and giving her continuous kisses, hugs and "I love you's". Cooper and Isabel seem to have returned to their schedule which is helpful. Emma is such a sweet baby. She rarely cries, though when she does cry, she lets out the cutest little shrieks. She wakes up to eat 1-2 times a night and usually goes right back to sleep which is a big help for me! Her sleepiest time is early/mid morning which is very helpful to allow me get myself and the older kids ready to go for the day. She is growing like a weed and is well above 10 lbs and already starting to outgrow some of her little newborn outfits! I'm so behind in posting pictures, so I'm just going to catch up now. Pictures from Grammy's week here, Aunt Casey's week, and visit from Gramma Ali.

Matching Father/Son bathing suits!!

First swim of the year!

Look-A-Likes?

2011-06-23T14:07:00.000-04:00

Emma Carolyn Quinn

Jennifer Perine Quinn

Slip 'N Slide

2011-06-23T11:57:00.001-04:00

We are so happy to have Aunt Casey here with us this week. She's been a great help to me and a source of great fun for the kids! She came bearing gifts, and I couldn't help but post the fun we've had with one of them...good old slip n' slide!

Welcome Emma Carolyn!

2011-06-09T20:26:00.000-04:00

We are thrilled to welcome Emma Carolyn to the family! Born on 6/2/11, 2:06pm, 8 lbs. 13 oz, 21 1/4 inches. More pics to come when I get a little more energy!!!! But she's a sweetie!

3 Weeks and Counting...

2011-05-18T13:49:00.000-04:00

Well we're just under the 3 week mark for the arrival of baby #3. We're getting quite excited but very nervous as well. We feel like we just got the 2 kid thing down and now we're throwing another one into the bunch! I'm most excited right now to see the kids with the new baby. They are so excited. They are hugging and kissing my belly and practicing the songs that they'll sing to the baby. Cooper is hoping for a boy and Isabel for a girl, so we'll see! I'm hoping the excitement of the baby will overcome any disappointment that they might have that it's not what they wanted!

We've been trying to get lots of stuff done around the house (both inside and outside) before our lives take a more hectic turn. I had absolutely no intention of even trying to potty train Isabel before the new baby came, but a couple weekends ago she decided she wanted to start, and so it began! It is SO much easier than with Cooper! She's doing really great despite still having about an accident a day. She's just starting to tell us when she needs to go instead of us having to keep her on a schedule which is nice. I'm totally prepared for a set back when the baby comes, but at least we won't be starting from scratch!

My two big kids (sniff, sniff...)

Here are a couple funny videos. Cooper has enjoyed being the big brother and showing Isabel what to do! (And no, those aren't poops on the floor, they are rocks)!

"I gettin' dizzy!"

2011-04-26T15:54:00.000-04:00

Easter

2011-04-26T15:32:00.001-04:00

A very busy Easter week/weekend! We started off by dying eggs which was a big hit. The bonus is that the kids actually like to eat the hardboiled eggs too!

This is Easter morning, after opening Easter baskets and getting ready for the egg hunt before church. It was really cute how much they enjoyed the hunt.

This is them laying out all of their goodies!

Getting ready for church. Cooper of course put up a HUGE fight to wear his button up shirt, but finally the parents won! Isabel LOVED getting into her Easter dress and looked adorable! Thanks to Grammy and Gramps for the beautiful dress!

The next picture is Isabel at the second egg hunt of the day at her friend Elle's first birthday party (rescheduled from the day before). It was a great party, lots of fun. Cooper didn't make it though as he was golfing with Dad and Gogo. They had a blast and of course, Cooper had to be dragged off the course kicking and screaming. Golf is definitely one of the few things that Cooper's had unwavering interest in.

The below pictures are of the Easter egg hunt #3, 4, 5, 6 at Sue and Crock's house for the family dinner that afternoon. It was unbelievable how much the kids enjoyed the hunts. They made us hide them 4 times! The eggs were empty after the first round, but they didn't care in the least! Very fun, and very tiring day!

This is Isabel's second outfit of the day. I love that she loves to get dressed up! Thanks Aunt Casey for the adorable dress!

Our little hopping bunnies!

Cooper's Fourth Birthday

2011-04-06T08:42:00.000-04:00

The birthday festivities started the night before as we made cupcakes for school. Cooper really enjoyed this. He mixed the different colored frostings and loved putting on the sprinkles on. He really likes to do most cooking/baking activities. Isabel isn't as interested yet, but she did like to help with the sprinkles.

Cupcakes for school

The Birthday Boy!!!!

A new spiderman bicycle. We at least got a "a new spiderman bicycle! Thanks!" out of him before the balloons quickly became the favorite gift of the day. They provided hours of entertainment. Needless the say the bike is still in the garage unridden. Let's just say Cooper doesn't like to try new things unless it's on his terms and his decision. So we'll see...this bike may end up fitting Isabel before Cooper even tries it!

We had a pizza party that night with (most of) the Leggetts, Roys, and Sargents. All of the Viriginia relatives and Grumma and Grampa Gogo were greatly missed! Cooper was a great sport as he tolerated Isabel starting to open most of his gifts before he did (notice the little hand grabbing away)!

I think the funniest part of the whole birthday process was then morning after when Cooper came up to me crying saying "Can I be 3 again?" I asked why and he said "I don't like being 4!" Like I said before, Cooper's not much for new things. He likes his comfort zone! We'll see if he decides he likes being 4 before he turns 5!

Too Cool for School

2011-03-30T14:11:00.000-04:00

A big thanks to Aunt Casey and Grammy for coming up to visit and help out the last 2 weeks! We loved the visits!

Winter Randoms

2011-03-09T09:01:00.000-05:00

Making a snow tunnel at Gramma Net's house.

Having hot chocolate after making the snow tunnel! With marshmallows!

Well, it seems that winter is not ready to leave us in the least. So I figured I would use this time to post some random pictures from the last 2 months. We've had a lot of time to play outside. However, with my expanding belly and dwindling energy levels, my motivation to play with the kids outside is quickly diminishing. Here's to hoping for the ground hog's prediction of early spring to come true!

No more "Paci"!!!

2011-02-28T20:45:00.002-05:00

We had a monumental moment this past Monday. It was President's Day so Isabel and I had the day off, but Cooper still had school. It was a nice girl bonding day for us! We've been a little concerned in the recent past that Isabel has seemed to be more and more attached to her pacifier. Cooper got rid of his on his own at about 6 months of age as he found his thumb, but Isabel has had to have her pacifier for naps and bedtime for most of her young life. We decided to try to get rid of the pacifier sooner rather than later so for some reason I felt a sudden urge to start this process. We had a nice shopping trip in Burlington with Gumma, and decided that Isabel could get a Dora doll (she's currently obsessed with Dora), to sleep with in substitution for her pacifier. While in the store as I described our new plan, Isabel started to cry and ask for her pacifier. It didn't last for long, but I certainly had my doubts. But I was not going to give up easily, so when we got home, I explained things again and we seemed to have a break through moment when Isabel got on board with the plan.

I'm happy to report that this has been a remarkably easy transition for us. Isabel has only once asked for her pacifier but was easily distracted. She truly is getting to be a big girl which makes her mommy a little sad. She loves to call herself "Big Girl" now. If only we can convince her that big girls go pee and poop in the potty, then we'll be all set!

Quinn Family Band

2011-02-28T18:50:00.001-05:00

Skiing!

2011-02-19T11:35:00.001-05:00

So we originally started Cooper on skis last winter, but just the kind that you slide regular snow boots into. A few weekends ago we got him into actual downhill boots and skis and took him up to the Snow Bowl for the first time. He was quite cooperative while fitting his boots and getting measured for a ski helmet (much to my surprise). But once we started to actually get on all of the ski equipment and head outside, it took a turn for the worse. Once outside we had probably about 20 minutes of screaming and crying and refusal to move in the skis at all. Isabel followed suit and didn't want to put on her little set of skis either. After much contemplation by his parents about whether or not to throw in the towel, (but good advice from Grampa Gogo and Grumma to stick with it), Cooper quickly turned the corner and had a great morning getting used to being on skis and even going downhill. We took him up the next morning as well and had to drag him OFF the mountain. Hoping to get back out there this weekend too! Oh yeah, and finally Isabel agreed to put on her skis and joined in the fun a bit as well!

Cooper's buddy Luke showed up at the end and they had fun racing down the hill.

Randoms

2011-01-29T08:46:00.000-05:00

Playing dress up with the costume chest from Aunt Linsey!

We used to not being able to keep anything in Isabel's hair. Now she wants EVERYTHING in her hair!

"GO REDSKINS!"

New Year's with (some of) the Quinn's!

2011-01-26T13:47:00.000-05:00

Grammy, Gramps, and Aunt Casey were so great to come and visit us after Christmas and ring in the New Year with us! We had a blast with them, as always!

Funny faces with Gramps!

Cooper and Aunt Casey

Grammy and Isabel

More presents from the Quinns!

Isabel's new baby and stroller (not pictured are the bouncy chair, high chair and crib). The stroller is definitely one of her favorites!

Carving the "Turducken" on New Year's Eve. None of us had had it before, and it was surprisingly pretty tasty.

Wow...

2011-01-24T13:44:00.000-05:00

So we were making cupcakes yesterday and I was standing up stirring the batter. Cooper looks up and says "Mommy! Your belly is shaking like Santa Claus!" Oh my god.

Christmas Day, Session #3

2011-01-12T08:16:00.000-05:00

Our third event on Christmas day was celebrating with all the Leggetts (including half of the Whitney's from Montana which was an extra special treat this year), at Robbie and Joanne's. So fun to have all the family together. The kids did very well, especially considering how tired we all were! All in all, we had a wonderful Christmas day with lots of good food, gifts, and most importantly, family.

On our way to Robbie and Joanne's. Cooper has now adopted Isabel's "old" baby that has taken a back seat since she got her new ones. It's great training for when #3 comes in June! He's already asked me many times if the baby's going to like him! So cute! He's really excited. And thanks Grumma and Grampa Gogo for the beautiful coat and boots that Isabel's wearing. It's tough to see in this picture, but she looked adorable and is much better dressed than her mother!

Our Christmas Belle. Thanks for the beautiful dress Aunt Casey!

Our whole Perine family! Good thing we got this done in the beginning of the evening!

Good quality book time at the end of the evening with Grampa Gogo!

Christmas Day, Session #2

2011-01-08T09:12:00.000-05:00

Round 2 consisted of opening gifts and a really nice breakfast at the Perines. We were so lucky to have everyone here this year. While a little crazy, it was a lot of fun, and very special. We don't get to see each other enough!! Please forgive the long video attached, but one of the biggest hits this holiday season has been the kids dancing to the Frosty the Snowman figurine. This was one of the few clips that we got to see all the kids dancing (and even me, which I would've cut out if I knew how)!! I think it was too big to upload on this blog, so it's on you tube. Sorry for the length, but we had to get all the kids sporting their moves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr2GzI2o4bA

Cousin Eva and her new baby

Cousin Alice feeding her new baby

All the cousins!

Christmas Morning, Session #1

2011-01-06T13:17:00.001-05:00

It was quite a busy Christmas day for us. We first woke up at our house and opened stockings in bed. Then we went downstairs and saw all of the presents that Santa brought for us. Cooper had a greaet time opening all of his gifts. Isabel was quite funny as she would open one gift, then go off and play with it, and didn't have much interest in the rest! After we opened those gifts, then went to Grumma and Grampa's house to open more presents with the rest of the Perines. Then, we had a big Leggett Christmas party at Robbie and Joanne's. It was quite action packed. A lot of fun, but

exhausting!

Pre-Christmas Activities

2010-12-30T15:44:00.000-05:00

Gingerbread house making with Grumma.

Cranberry Bread. The kids loved putting the cranberries into the food processor.

Cooking making with Aunt Kristi, Aunt Kate, and cousin Alice.

Then finally Christmas Eve with just our family. We left a snack for Santa and then read the Night Before Christmas before turning in. Christmas pics to come soon....

Waiting for the Quinns to Arrive

2010-12-29T16:46:00.000-05:00

Grammy, Gramps and Aunt Casey should be here soon for a New Year's visit! We're so excited we had to find something to do to pass the time until they get here. This is what the kids came up with...

Isabel's #2 Birthday

2010-12-11T07:50:00.000-05:00

What a great birthday celebration we had for Isabel last night. We had a pizza party, then opened gifts and of course, had cake. The big hit of the night was the table and chairs and tea set from Aunt Sue Perine. The tea party lasted the whole party, and has resumed this morning after coming downstairs! Isabel had a great time and was an adorable birthday girl. We had a great time with the Middlebury family, but really missed all the rest of the relatives!

The Birthday Girl!

The beginning of the tea party (and the end of the interest in any of the other presents)!

Cooper loved this just as much as Isabel did. I don't think he played with a truck all night!

Thanks Aunt Kate, Uncle Reeves, and Cousin Alice for the adorable clothes (not pictured is the cutest little tutu)!

My attempt at being creative. Isabel at least knew it was a cat!

First Snowy Day

2010-12-08T20:55:00.001-05:00

Today was the first snowy day that we got to go outside and play. We have about 6-8 inches of fluffy snow and it's not too cold yet, so it's really great playing weather. We took quite a little walk over to Gramma Net's house and sled down her little hill, then the kids decided they wanted to shovel off her porch for her. Isabel is taking after her brother with her love for shoveling!

Linsey & Mark's Wedding

2010-12-06T17:26:00.000-05:00

So, I'm WAY behind on my posts, as I've been sufficiently reminded by my sisters and sister in law. I was going to start with our most recent pics, but figured I can't leave out Linsey and Mark's wedding that was the first Saturday in October. It was a GREAT wedding and overall trip to Virginia. And a huge thankyou to my mom who came down to watch the kids for us as we were busy with wedding events. It was a HUGE help. So, here are the pictures, in no specific order...

Family picture in the church

The girls

Grumma being a big hit with the kids. (For some reason, Jackson really liked to rub Isabel's ear, and she was surprisingly compliant).

The kids had a great time dancing in the beginning of the reception before they got too tired. I think Isabel loved dancing the most. She was all over the dance floor. I'll have to try to find a video of this!

This was not very in focus, which is too bad, because it's a great shot of the family.

This was taken the night of the rehearsal dinner. They dress up pretty well!

More swimming!!

2010-09-09T11:33:00.000-04:00

We've had such a great summer with warm weather and few bugs. We've gotten so much swimming in, it's been really fun. Last week was a really hot week, especially for the end of August/beginning of September, so we got one more good pool week in! Isabel made a big step during this time as she jumped off into the pool without holding on for the first time. Of course, she did this jumping to her Grampa, not her mom! She's got the belly flop down!

Linsey's Shower

2010-09-01T12:54:00.001-04:00

A couple weekends ago, I took the kids to Virginia, via plane, without Josh. It was quite an undertaking especially as we were a few hours delayed in Burlington, then diverted to Charlottesville, to sit on the airplane for an hour, then finally to Leesburg! During the 8 hour trip, the kids were amazing very well behaved. Not to say they were perfect, but no major meltdowns. That's success in my book. We had a great weekend visiting with the family. The kids had a blast with their grandparents, aunts, uncle and cousins most of all. We got to swim a lot in Grammy and Gramps pool even though it was overcast and not very warm. The point of the trip was to go down for Linsey's bridal shower. Casey, and family friends, put on an amazing shower consisting of wine tastings and LOTS of yummy food. Linsey looks beautiful and can't wait until the wedding in October! By the way, the flight home was on time and a piece of cake (Cooper was so exhausted he slept most of the way)!

This was the white wine table. There was also a red wine and dessert table.

The Bride to Be and Mother of the Bride!

Cousin Jackson

Isabel's first time using floaties and floating without assistance. Since that weekend, she's gotten her own set and is getting quite independent with them!

Cooper and Ryan insisted on sharing the fire engine bed for nap time. Needless to say, no sleeping took place during this "nap time"!

Fun with recycling...

2010-08-07T15:39:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Grumma and Grampa for their new washer and dryer boxes! We've had a lot of fun using them as forts. Coop even decorated his with his Bob the Builder coloring pictures.

Go Hokies!

2010-08-07T15:35:00.001-04:00

Getting excited for the start of football season soon!

First Day of Preschool!!

2010-06-24T20:12:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe but today was my little boy's first day of preschool. I know, it's weird that he started on a Thursday in June, but that's the first day of the summer session. So, we've been prepping him for this for a while and he's been pretty excited, but I must admit I've been VERY anxious. But as I expected Cooper came through like a champ!! I can't quite say the same for me however. As we dropped Isabel off at Pat's house, my nostalgia started. It was really hard to think of Isabel and Cooper being separated for the whole day. Cooper's been at Pat's since he was 4 months old, so it really is like a second home for him. So I got a little teary eyed there, but as I got back into the car a smile came over my face as Cooper exclaimed..."Yipee, I'm so excited!" So off we head towards preschool. We get there, walk in, and within 10 seconds, Cooper's shoes are off, backpack's on the floor and he's up on the loft to play with the trains. The teacher even saw me and said "where's Cooper," as he was that fast. I went up and played with him for a few minutes and he said (as he's said a couple times in the last few days), "don't worry Mommy, I won't cry." Well, that just about broke my heart! What a little man! He followed with..."Bye Mommy. I love you Mommy. Bye Mommy." And that was that. After a kiss I walked out, got into my car, and the flood gates opened! It was definitely a combination of relief, happiness, and some sadness that my little boy is growing up too fast. The teacher said he had a really good day. He was very engaging with the kids and the activities, and much to his mother's delight, he didn't have any accidents! I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with Kindergarten. Josh may have to do that drop off.

Finger painting

2010-06-01T21:14:00.000-04:00

Lake Champlain

2010-05-28T11:46:00.000-04:00

When Casey was here we also walked along the bike path in Burlington along Lake Champlain. We came across a cute little beach. With graffiti and all!

Hula Hoop

2010-05-28T11:38:00.002-04:00

More fun with Aunt Casey! By the way, this is a lot harder than I remembered it being.

Thanks Aunt Casey!

2010-05-26T21:06:00.001-04:00

Thanks for coming to visit us Aunt Casey! We always have the best time when you come visit! Can't wait to see you at the beach!

Cooper Update

2010-05-19T17:17:00.001-04:00

Wow, that's a lot of pictures of Isabel! I'd better even up the score a little bit. Cooper's doing great. I can call him potty trained with confidence now. He is has not had an accident in his pants for about 4 days now. He's doing great. He's getting very excited for preschool which he'll start at the end of June. I think this has provided some good motivation for the recent success in potty training. It's hard to believe it's almost preschool time, I think Cooper is more ready than I am! He's such a big boy!

Princess Belle

2010-05-18T20:22:00.001-04:00

Ahhhh...I love the sun!

2010-05-18T20:20:00.000-04:00

Peek-A-Boo!

2010-05-18T20:18:00.000-04:00

Enjoying Spring!

2010-05-12T21:53:00.000-04:00

Too cool for school

Flowers from our gardens. The daffodils were great this year.

Thanks for the great wagon Aunt Casey! We use it ALL the time!

Cooper with his new golf clubs that he got for his birthday. He's already joined Daddy at the golf course.

Random Pictures

2010-05-12T21:48:00.001-04:00

Hugs for Gumma! We're so lucky that she (or Grampa) watch the kids every Friday morning!

Josh and I had a great day/night away in Burlington/Stowe a few weekends ago. We rented bikes and rode the bike path in Burlington all the way to the Colchester Causeway. It was a much needed getaway!

Belle

2010-04-20T13:41:00.001-04:00

Cooper potty training update. Continues to be very good with minimal to no accidents with pee, but has yet to poop in the potty again since my birthday! Ahhhhh!!!!

Happy Birthday to me!

2010-04-14T20:26:00.000-04:00

Today I turned 32 years old, and it was a great day! Wednesdays are my normal day off so I was home with the kids (so not really a day off, but still good). This morning Cooper asked me while lying in bed what I would like for a present for my birthday. Hmmm...it was quite simple. "I would like you to poop in the potty for my birthday." And much to my surprise and overwhelming joy, he did! Right after lunch today. We have been working on this for months now. The peeing has come along quite well, but until today we had not gotten a poop in the potty. Well, the streak has been broken and I can only hope that it continues! But for now, I will always remember it as the best birthday present ever! Thanks buddy!

Weekend Morning

2010-04-01T15:46:00.000-04:00

I took this picture a few weekends ago. Quite a nice relaxing morning!

Christmas in Vermont

2010-02-21T07:43:00.001-05:00

After coming back from Christmas in Virginia, we had our Perine Christmas in Vermont. We had a great horse drawn sleigh ride, and enjoyed some good time with family and with the snow!

Cooper with his new skis.

Christmas in Vermont

2010-02-21T07:37:00.000-05:00

Playing with Grampa

We finally got some snow

Isabel and Aunt Karen

Quality time with Grumma and Cousin Eva

Christmas in Virginia

2010-01-12T14:46:00.000-05:00

We had a great time in Virginia this year for Christmas. We were able to go for a whole week which was great, and the kids were very good in the car so that always is a plus. The highlight of the trip was definitely the cousins getting together to play with each other. Cooper and Ryan had 3 sleepovers during the week which was nothing less than adorable!! Isabel unfortunately was a little under the weather and we ended up taking her to the Urgent Care Center the first morning we were there. They gave her antibiotics for her ears which seemed to do the trick, but she was pretty miserable the first two days. Not to mention the lack of sleep that Isabel, Mom and Dad got the first 3 nights. I have a new appreciation for my good sleepers!

Isabel's Big Steps

2009-12-07T19:51:00.000-05:00

It has been very exciting the last week watching Isabel start walking. She was taking a few steps last week, as you can see in the first video. And today she has been all over the place. She can now easily stand up on her own and no longer needs us to set her up to walk. She is quite motivated and continues to do it more and more. She's a quick study. Check it out for yourself!
On a funny note, we have a penguin that sings "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" (you can see in the second video), and the first few times Cooper played it he thought that the last words were "Merry Breakfast"! So cute!

Sorry for the orientation of this next video. I keep forgetting that when you turn our camera to the side, the video comes out sideways. Hopefully you'll get the idea!