Martin Family News

Lilia-isms

2010-12-12T06:46:00.000-05:00

Lilia keeps us laughing around here. Her personality emerged pretty early on as a jokester who loves to make people laugh. Sometimes, when she's being serious is when she's the funniest, though. Like the Graceisms I posted about a while back, I've started recording her quirky statements, before they're lost to our memories...We always joke about how LOW Lilia's voice is! Grace has a high-pitched tone, but Lilia is very low. It's funny to hear them talking to each other: Big one squeeking away; little one so husky!

These are all from the ages of 20 months to just turned 2 years (she's pretty verbal, so I've written exactly as she speaks).

L to kindly passer by: "Hi Man."

Man: "Hi."

L: "These are my keys."

Man: "Are you going to drive home?"

L: "Yes. Bye, honey.... Mummy! Da man talk to ME!"

L to mummy: "Mummy, don't eat my cheek."

Mum: "Is that your cell phone, Lilia?"

L: "Yes. Lilly gave me."

Mum: For your birthday?"

L: "Yes.... [putting phone to ear] Hi Lilly!"

L: "Mummy, I scared truck. I scared, I scared."

[Mummy hugs L]

L: "Oh, I okay now. Bye truck. Truck all gone."

L: "I took [off] my cardigan, Granny. Was too heavy on my tummy."

Mum: "Look at the colors."

L: "Ooooooh. It's wonnerful, it's wonnerful."

L: [singing] "Ameeen. Ameeen. Happy birthday to you. Say Aaaaaaamen."

Grandad [on phone to Lilia]: "Have you been a good girl?"

L: "No. I been a naughty girl, Grandad. I been a naughty girl."

Me: "Lilia?"

L: "Yes, honey?"

L to Grace [who is crying]: "You okay, Grace? What hurt you?"

Lilia's Second Birthday Part 1

2010-11-14T19:45:00.006-05:00

For Lilia's second birthday, we had a play group in the park. It was Veteran's Day--her official birthday--so there were older siblings and even some dads who could make it.

Lilia loves pandas (ever since our trip to the zoo), so we had a panda theme, with panda cupcakes decorated by my dear friend, Brandy (as I am completely clueless when it comes to cak

es).

Lilia enjoyed running around in the park. Thankfully the weather was great. But she didn't seem to have a clue that it was all to celebrate her turning 2! Grace was there to celebrate her baby sister's first two years with us, and she seemed more excited than Lilia!

Cats

2010-10-24T21:05:00.004-04:00

As we've been wearing our Halloween costumes for several weeks now, it's about time I posted some photos. The girls love dressing up as cats!

They have fun playing together now, and they truly love each other's company. Grace loves to match Lilia, so they got matching costumes this year...

First day at School

2010-09-12T16:33:00.004-04:00

Lilia and Grace had their first day at preschool last Friday. They both had backpacks and new school shoes... It was an open house when parents could come and meet the teachers. Lilia is only doing one morning per week. This is her first time attending school! She loved her new classroom! Grace loved hers, too, because there was a dress-up section.

We love Grace & Lilia's new preschool and it is a short walking distance from our house! Here are Lilia & Grace walking to school.

Dutch Wonderland

2010-08-11T08:23:00.013-04:00

Well, I am a new fan: Dutch Wonderland is awesome!

Perfect for kids under 10. People have been telling me about it forever, and finally we went... There are tons of rides perfectly suited for toddlers and young kids! Lilia and Grace were is awe from the moment we arrived, to the time we left. I thought it was a beautifully designed amusement park, with landscaped gardens surrounding it, and Amish farmland as a back-drop. From the moment we arrived, we ran from ride to ride.

Granny & Grandad came with us, and stayed in our hotel room. This meant Jeff and I could escape for dinner in Lancaster, while Lilia slept. Somehow, we all had pretty good nights' sleep! Granny & Grandad helped look after Lilia while we took Grace on some of the big-girl rides... It was the perfect set up for such a trip; we could come and go freely depending on the kids' rising & falling energy levels, but we had just enough help to make it easy on the parents. :)

There was a princess story-time, which was a highlight for Grace. Lilia loved the bulldozer ride (surprise, surprise!). She screamed and cried when it was over, just to prove it!

The highlight for me, was seeing the girls get to ride real ponies. Grace loved this part and Lilia, too! Lilia especially has always loved horseys--her favorite song is "ney, ney, ney; hear the horse in the early morning." She sings it all day!

As we had a two-night hotel stay, we were able to spend time in Lancaster. It was beautiful. I really loved the beautifully tended to farmland and houses, and all the horse-drawn buggies. Grace got a new handmade teddy bear with her name on it. On the way back, we stopped in Gettysburg. We had the most awesome lunch in the Dobbin Tavern--a colonial restaurant lit only by candles. Food was great.

I wish it wasn't over...A truly wonderful weekend.

Grace's 4th Birthday

2010-08-10T20:37:00.009-04:00

I have been meaning to blog about Grace's 4th birthday last month...Grace turned four and is a toddler no more (is that the cut off age?). Anyway, she is certainly becoming a little lady FAST! She is still the girly girl she was starting at 8 months when she first developed her love of jewelry. And so there was no more fitting birthday for Grace than a princesses and knights party. Needless to say, she loved the idea!

We kept it simple and rented a (rather large) bouncy castle. Favors were blow-up swords (for valiant knights) and crowns (for fair princesses). Kids came dressed up, and bounced away!

Grace loved her birthday present from us, which was her princess dress and shoes.

Grace's cake was a princess castle de

corated with four of her favorite princesses. Grace got a toy castle and princesses with it, which she's been playing with ever since.

She got way too many presents, but her friends were all so sweet to get her such great gifts! She remembers who gave her each gift and talks about her friends all the time. Grace loved her party, and it took her a few days to calm down after all the excitement.

Lilia loved bouncing in the castle, but did not like the dress-up part. She is decidedly not interested in dresses, crowns, jewelry or anything of a girly nature. Lilia loves trains,

trucks, buses, cars, balls, balloons and anything that goes! Today, I took the girls to the book shop and came home with a Princess Ariel books for Grace and a books shaped like a bus for Lilia. They couldn't be more different!

Grace's First Ballet Recital

2010-06-13T08:29:00.017-04:00

Yesterday, Grace was in her first ever ballet recital. She has been in ballet school at the Perfect Pointe for a year now, and she loves it! Here she is with one of her fellow dancers.

Grace adored her recital costume! She was even

allowed to wear a little make up for the dress rehearsal and recital.

Here is Grace wearing

her make up!! She LOVED

it. I couldn't get used to it at first. It was really strange to see her looking so grown up...

The day before the recital, there was a dress rehearsal. We weren't allowed flash photo

graphy during the actual recital, so here is Grace on stage at the dress rehearsal. It was exciting to see her come out on stage in front of a sold-out auditorium! I was so proud of her, and she did a wonderful job.

We invited the Drapers, the Rankins, and Grandparents Martin to come see the performance. Here is Carrie with Lilia. Lilia lasted about 20 minutes in the audience before having to be taken out!

Here she is with her friend Ella, who was also performing in the recital. She got two bouquets afterwards.

End of Spring

2010-06-01T12:58:00.009-04:00

The beginning of summer/end of spring has become one of my favorite times of the year. School is winding down, and we're looking forward to spending summer days at the pool, beach, and taking weekend trips with daddy. For Memorial Day weekend, we went to our friends, Mark, Mandy & Maddy's house near Ocean City. This time, we also went to Assateague beach, where wild horses run right on the sand...

Mark & Mandy's is one of our favorite places to go! Grace worships their daughter, Maddy, who is 7 years old. They have a beautiful beach on their property and we never tire of the waterfront views. They are incredibly hospitable hosts!

This time, we took the Drapers with us, and Grace was able to play with Will all weekend. So much fun. Here are Will & Grace on the "secret beach"--part of the beach that's secluded.

We went to a block party one street over on Memorial day and Grace had her face painted for the first time!

Now the weather is in the upper 90s in DC, and the summer is here! Cannot wait to spend a lot of time at the pool with friends. Lilia & Grace are now playing together all the time! Here they are eating lunch at their new table...

Spring So Far

2010-05-10T19:09:00.007-04:00

We've had a busy spring so far! We've been spending as much time as possible outside. Lilia loves playing with water and bubbles, and hanging out in the play house. We've been going to the park, and cooking out... We also went to Rehobeth for a quick beach trip one weekend when it was really hot weather (90s)...Grace loves the beach, and Lilia spent the whole time pointing at the ocean, sand, etc. shouting, "Look! Look! Look!" It was a truly idyllic family trip. Sadly, we have no photos to post, as our camera wasn't working, but we got it fixed in time for Rachelle's baby shower. We love it when Rachelle comes to stay, and this time was even better because we got to celebrate baby Chapman who will arrive in October! Here's a shot of the beautiful mom-to-be with me at her baby shower.

Now that Lilia is approaching 18 months, family life has become busier and more fun. Lilia has been keeping everyone entertained with her sense of humor. And she is a talker! She speaks in sentences already (usually variations of "I want something, mummy!" The sisters play really well together and really love each other.

Grace loves to go to a nearby lake with her friends Lucy, Isaac, and Augusta in their neighborhood. This photo was from two weeks ago.

And here is a pic from when we cooked out at the lake...Lilia loves balloons, and generally as long as she is holding one, she is happy. Sadly, we have no pics of our second annual Easter Egg hunt, because our camera broke. But it has definitely been a wonderful spring so far.

Valentines Dinner

2010-03-03T12:26:00.008-05:00

I've been late in blogging recently, but so much has been happening! The highlight of February was definitely our second annual Valentines Dinner, which was in a "Mad Men" or early 1960s theme (Liza's vision). Guests came in costume and brought dishes true to the era (think jelly molds and processed foods!) and Jeff and Don did a tasting, picking winners. My personal favorites were the crown of frankfurters (courtesy of Meg, see below) and the canned veggie pie (proudly presented by the Cotes). We served a sit-down Italian meal for 20 guests on 3 tables. It turned out to be a fun evening! More importantly, after going down a little late, the kids slept through the whole thing!! Here are a few shots of the party.

Bahamas Birthday Getaway

2010-01-31T14:32:00.007-05:00

Last week, I was able to surprise Jeff with a trip to the Bahamas for his birthday!! He was absolutely shocked to find where we were going on the morning of our trip; I had given him a gift box with "clues" as to where he was going inside...He still didn't catch on until he opened the birthday card with the boarding passes inside! He had been expecting a day out, not three nights away without the kids in the Caribbean! Needless to say, it was a wonderful time of sun, sand, sea, and relaxation. We did an all-inclusive for the first time, and it was the perfect way to have a care-free vacation away from it all. My parents and dear friends, Carrie & Brad, watched the kids for us. Pretty much an hour after finding out where we were going, my parents showed up and my dad drove us to the airport. It was an awesome surprise! I've included just a few shots below of our trip...We went snorkeling, Jeff went diving, and spent a lot of time in the pools, hot tubs, and on the beaches of the resort. Wish it wasn't over! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEFF!!

More Christmas Pics

2010-01-10T12:24:00.010-05:00

Some shots from Christmas & Christmas Eve

2010-01-03T19:31:00.003-05:00

More to come!

Showed In!

2009-12-21T08:33:00.009-05:00

Here are some pictures from our historic 2-ft snowfall this weekend...

The Christmas Season So Far...

2009-12-09T09:50:00.009-05:00

We have been BUSY this December. So many fun things to do! Here are a few highlights of our recent activities...

Trying on Christmas dresses.

Decorating the Christmas tree.

Walk around the National Mall (never get tired of this view!).

Winter Wonderland exhibit at the Botanic Gardens (so worth standing in line!!).

We are so excited for Christmas this year! More to come!

Happy First Birthday, Lilia!

2009-11-17T12:47:00.000-05:00

Lilia turned one year old last week on Veteran's Day! Well, needless to say, we cannot believe how quickly the year went by. She is such a blessing in our family and she really adds so much joy to our lives. She is so different from Grace, yet there are similarities, too! Like Grace, she has an enormous sense of humor; It is so easy to send her into fits of laughter. She also smiles at everyone who passes us by, just like her sister. They are both very outgoing and sociable. One distinguishing characteristic about Lilia is her strong will, and she certainly lets you know it when she wants something. No one is going to push her around, that is for sure!! Here is Lilia exactly one year ago, at one day old...

Our lives have changed so much since Lilia came along. I got inspired by another friend's blog who took a representative photo of how family life had changed with the addition of a child, and I took this photo of our bathroom sink (with the addition of a fourth toothbrush)!

The weekend before her birthday, Lilia was dedicated at our church. She behaved perfectly the whole time! We took this photo afterwards with Granny & Granddad.

We love having this beautiful little girl in our lives. We are so thankful for her. We finished the birthday week off with cupcakes at our Friday morning play group and we sang "Happy Birthday."

Lilia's Post-Meltdown Pout

2009-11-03T15:06:00.003-05:00

Halloween

2009-10-30T20:41:00.008-04:00

We had a lot of fun this Halloween! We went to Mainly Music with Will & Elizabeth, in costume...this time Grace was a fairy
and so was Lilia. Will was a construction worker.

Grace had a Halloween dress-up party at her preschool. Here she is with her classmates. She was a last-minute angel because her official Halloween costume wasn't ready.

Then, it was Halloween! Grace dressed up as Little Bo Peep and Lilia was a sheep. Here they are getting ready to go Trick or Treating.

We took a family photo outside the house.

Grace LOVED trick or treating...She walked to each house and knocked on the door. It was raining by the time we started, but it didn't seem to matter!

Here are Will & Grace going up to one of our neighbor's houses. The did such a great job! They shouted, "trick or treat!" and collected candy from each house.

And then, after trick or treating, we went to Cherrydale's Fall Festival. Grace got even more candy, went on the bouncy castle, played tons of games, and saw her friends from church. Here she is with one of her best buds, Lilly.

2009-10-25T09:15:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, we hosted a "sip n' see" (thrown by Colleen) for Liza & Don's new baby, Elaine. She is 3 weeks old! She is so adorable and is a beautiful baby sister for Grace's little friend, Will. Here are some pics of the event.

Baby Elaine

Colleen, Liza & Elaine, me

Getting gifts

The spread

Lilia's Words at 11 Months

2009-10-17T07:22:00.003-04:00

Lilia is doing well on her words! She can now say (in a meaningful way) the following words:

Uh oh

Oops

Mama

Dadden (Daddy)

Ball

No no

She loves to clap and dance (rock back and forth) to music. She also loves attention. Yes, we have another extrovert in the family! She is still NOT crawling, but is shuffling a little and maneuvering herself enough to reach toys...

My Grandmother

2009-10-06T08:19:00.008-04:00

Today is the day of my grandmother's funeral in England. She died just a couple of days after my parents spent a month visiting her. She was 97 years old. (We could not make it back there for the funeral with the kids, etc., and we would have preferred to go when she was alive anyway, which we had been hoping to do in the spring). I wrote a statement that my dad will be reading out at the thanksgiving service they are having for her at our old church. She really was an amazing woman, and I cannot say enough about her. She was a deeply spiritual and godly woman, and always had words of (biblical) wisdom for me--not just in my childhood but also in my adult years. I grew up with her and my grandad living just down the road! They made a huge impact my on life growing up and we had Sunday dinners together each week after church. Here's a snippet from my statement that I wrote about her,

"My husband and I named our first daughter, Grace Anne, after her because she truly was the most wonderful woman we know. As Grace grows up, she will learn more about her great grandmother and why we all loved her so much."

Of course, I think one of the things we will most miss about her, was her enormous sense of humor & enthusiastic personality. I also wrote this:

"Any joke that was told in her presence was always answered with a bellowing laugh from my gran, and she would bring joy and merriment into any situation. I will always remember her playing the piano by ear for our family carol-singing sessions at Christmastime and how she was endlessly enthusiastic and supportive."

I love this photo of Grace with Great Granny taken when we visited her in England (Grace was 8 months old).

Look! I'm Learning!!

2009-10-05T19:16:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite phrases that Grace says is, "Look mummy, I'm Learning!" When she is trying something new and mastering a new skill, she gets very excited about it and I try to encourage her all the way. She also loves to watch Lilia learn...Lilia is saying words like "ball," "mama" and "dadden" (instead of daddy) and Grace helps her learn new words, too. Grace loves to draw, and has been very good at drawing faces since she was two and a half. But now, she wants to learn more complicated sketches, like including the irises, pupils, and eyelashes on the eyes, and trying out new things, like chickens, etc. Here is a sketch she did today. It is a portrait of her mummy! I was thrilled with it (and quite flattered, actually!)....She did it all by herself, but I helped her with the writing.

First Week of Activities

2009-09-17T08:33:00.003-04:00

This week, Grace started all her fall activities. She began a new ballet class at a real ballet school, which we love! Here she is doing tap dancing...

She also started her first week of school. Here she is with her school bag, ready to leave! As always, she loved it.

We signed Grace up for soccer for the first time

as well. Two of her friends from preschool are doing it with her. Here she is with her friend, Alexander. She enjoyed it a lot. Sadly, there was a problem with the coach (he was fired by the parents) and now she will be in a parent-run class instead.

Lilia was such a good sport, and helped drop off her sister to all her activities. Lilia is such a great baby sister!!

Summer 2009 in Review

2009-08-18T08:18:00.022-04:00

What a great summer it has been! We've been enjoying life as a family of four, and in all honesty, the transition has been pretty smooth despite the odd sleepless night. There have been other changes, too; Jeff took a new job with a new company and is now back in sales, which he loves! Lilia has reached a ton of milestones, has gained 3 teeth, and has kept us entertained every day with her funny sense of humor! Grace has been learning to read, and is sounding out her letters.

We didn't do a big vacation this summer, but went to stay with Mark and

his family at the beach, and we did a lot of day-trips on the weekends. Grace had her first time in a kayak.

We also celebrated Grace's 3rd birthday! Here she is with

Granny...Granny & Granddad hand-painted a rocking chair in the exact colors to match her bedroom. She loves it, and reads

her books in it all the time.

We went fruit-picking near my parents' house in Leesburg. We ate tons of raspberries and brought more home...I love this pic of Lilia!

We spend quite a bit of time at the pool this summer, both in the wading pool in our back yard and at local neighborhood pools. Here is Grace with her friends.

Lilia has really blossomed into a beautiful baby. She is constantly smiling and laughing and has the most pretty little blue eyes. Grace decided that we should keep her, and that we won't be taking her back to the hospital to give her back.

Here are the girls in their stroller... We filled our days with play dates and outings as all of our scheduled activities stopped for the summer. In September, Grace goes back to preschool two days a week. We're also in several other activities, including CBS (Community Bible Study) and ballet. Now, we're looking forward to getting back into our routine.

Lilia's First Play Date

2009-08-10T21:20:00.006-04:00

Lilia had her first play date today! While Grace played with her buddy, Alexander (aged 3), Lilia got to hang out with Alina who is only 10 days older. They looked so cute sitting next to each other!

Grace's First Sleep Over Party

2009-08-09T08:55:00.004-04:00

Grace had her friend Rory over for a sleep-over last night! The fact that I am in the mood for blogging about it the next morning, is a good sign! ;-) Grace and Rory played in the park, had dinner, played games, and had a bath. Then, it was story-time, prayer, and bed. It took them exactly one hour from lights out to falling asleep, and I was amazed that by 10pm, they were both sleeping soundly! The only sad thing was that Rory woke up with a terrible cough at 11pm and had to be picked up by her daddy. :( Oh well, it went really well up to that point. We are looking forward to doing it again soon! Here are the little cuties spinning in a chair shortly before bed.

Singing "Happy Birthday"

2009-07-28T11:47:00.002-04:00

Birthday Butterfly Cupcakes

2009-07-28T09:56:00.002-04:00

Grace is Three!

2009-07-28T08:14:00.022-04:00

We had a really great time this year, celebrating Grace's third birthday. We had a garden party for her, with a butterfly theme. Grace dressed up as a butterfly! Here she is with Georgia.

We had butterfly-the

me activities. Here is Carrie doing the tattoos (bugs and butterflies).

Brad manned the water-balloon toss (the kids had to hit the butterflies on the wall).

Grandad was stationed on the grill!

Granny helped Grace and her friends decorate butterfly cookies.

We had a great time celebrating Grace's first three years of life with our wonderful friends and family. Afterwards, we went for a walk by the harbor.

Cute Photo

2009-07-15T12:55:00.002-04:00

I love this photo of our two girls!

First Vacation as a Family of Four

2009-07-07T14:20:00.023-04:00

We just got back from our first vacation as a family of four! We went to stay with Mark, Mandy & Maddy at their house for 4th July weekend, just like last year, only this time we had Lilia with us, too. We left on Friday morning with Carrie & Brad and took a nice, easy drive to the shore.

Almost as soon as we arrived, we headed for the family's private beach close to the house. Grace loved

playing in the sand.

Even Lilia went in the water, for the first time! She managed to get sand in every place possible!

Grace adores Maddy. She was so excited when Maddy gave her a princess dress. She didn't hardly take it off the whole time we were there! We think they could be sisters in this picture. :)

Maddy & Brad hanging out on the porch.

Daddy & Grace went kayaking!

We went for a ride on Mandy's parents' boat.

Maddy held Lilia!

Mandy with Lilia & Maddy.

First Tooth!

2009-07-07T14:12:00.003-04:00

We are proud to announce the emergence of Lilia's first tooth! She was very brave during the teething process, and didn't cry much. The picture shows her first tooth (bottom, right), which we took during our vacation. She was 7.5 months when it first appeared.

Day at the Beach

2009-06-25T17:37:00.007-04:00

We love to spend a day at the beach. Jeff took a day off last week and we drove to a beach about an hour and a half away. It was perfect weather, though a little windy. Lilia had to hold her hat on!

Grace loved floating about in her inflatable boat and digging in the sand. Here she is with daddy.

"I'm going to be on the TV"

2009-06-23T08:13:00.010-04:00

Grace announced this past week that she is going to be on the TV. Aprrently, she intends to perform one of her favorite songs, Taxi. I guess that makes me her stage mother. ;-) Here is a sneak preview:

Grace & Millie

2009-06-14T18:53:00.006-04:00

Grace had a visit from her old friend, Millie (and Millie's wonderful family) this past weekend. Millie & Grace used to be great friends when she lived in DC, but last year the Greer family moved to CA. Stacey and I used to get asked if our daughters were twins when they were younger (see previous post). It was great to see how much the girls have changed over the past year!

e had a little cook out/pool party for them. The kids had fun and so the did adults!

he Greers.

More Swim Pics

2009-06-11T20:03:00.003-04:00

Glenda took these photos. They really capture Grace's personality!

Summer by the Pool

2009-06-03T10:42:00.000-04:00

We are looking forward to spending a lot of our summer by the pool this year. We bought a ridiculously large pool from Costco that has been a real hit with Grace and her friends.

From left, we have Bo, Kylee, Mia, Grace, Taylor, Sybella.

This was Grace's first time in our new pool! She went down the slide about 50 times! :)

Laughing Lilia

2009-06-02T14:16:00.004-04:00

One of Lilia's most endearing characteristics, is that she laughs almost all the time. It is so easy to make her laugh; All you have to do is tweak her nose, or make a silly noise, and the belly laughs erupt. I have neglected to post many videos of her laughing, because I think we're taking for granted the number of laughs we get. But her giggles brighten our lives every day and we are so thankful that she is a happy, healthy baby. Here she is in a video from last week:

Latest Graceisms

2009-05-17T20:18:00.003-04:00

Collected over the past month...(age 2 years 9 months)

Grace: “When I get bigger and bigger I want to make cupcakes. I want to be a cupcake man.”

Grace: “The little boy and the little girl don’t have any toys…”
Mummy: “Would you like to give them some of your toys?”
Grace: “No. Jesus will give them toys. I need my toys here for my friends.”

Grace: “I went outside to see what’s ongoing.”

Grace to mummy: “Hey! That’s too many kisses.”

Mummy: “You did so well at the doctor’s today. I am so proud of you.”
Grace: “And I am so proud of you, too.”

Mummy: “I do nice things for you, don’t I?”
Grace: “And I do naughty things for you!”

Daddy: “What is your painting of?”
Grace: “A rainbow pinecone.”

Daddy: “It’s windy outside.”
Grace: “I need a windy coat.”

Grace: “A pretend elephant is coming to rescue Lilia. I will cover her ears.”

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T09:03:00.003-04:00

I had a lovely Mother's Day with my husband and two girls. It was perfect weather! After church, we went for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant nearby and got outdoor seating. Then, we came home and let the girls nap while we did a little gardening. After that, Jeff took us out for a picnic. We had triple-cream brie & truffle mousse with french bread and some cake. It was such a nice day! I love hanging out with my family on days like this. Wish we could do it more often!!

Turkey Hunting

2009-04-28T09:30:00.002-04:00

Last weekend, Jeff went turkey hunting with some friends. They went hunting on Mark's property in Marlyand. Here's a pic of the turkey Trevor shot. I got a kick out of this photo of the guys!

Going Blonde!

2009-04-27T08:35:00.003-04:00

At 5.5 months, Lilia is showing signs of going blonde! She has lots of white hairs coming through underneath the dark brown. We still don't know which hair color will stick, but it would be fun to have a blonde in the family! :)

Great Grandad's 90th Birthday

2009-04-26T20:02:00.008-04:00

We celebrated a special event last weekend: Great Grandad's 90th birthday! All the Martin family met halfway between Ohio and Maryland and stayed in a hotel in Uniontown, PA. Here is a photo of Grace & Lilia with their great grandparents! Lilia's second name is after her great grandmother, Ruth.

Grace had so much fun running about with her cousins!

Here is a photo of Great Grandad receiving birthday cards with hand prints on them from each of his great grandchildren. Grace & Lilia presented their cards, too (decorated with hand prints in pink paint)! At 5 months old, Lilia was the youngest great grandchild.

And here is a group shot of everyone...Even Lilia stayed up late just to get in the photo! :)

Lake Trip

2009-04-17T20:41:00.010-04:00

Grace, Lilia, and I took off for a mini-break with friends this week. We went to a beautiful lake house courtesy of our friend, Katharine (her in-laws own it). Katharine's in-laws were so amazing; they stocked the house with food and everything we needed. We all (Stacy, Katharine, Jordan and me) each had our own room with enough beds for every one. Here are Grace, Rory & Lilly running outside...

It was a great time, even though it rained the first day. Here are the kids playing inside. In this photo: Grace, Rory & Jackson.

And then next day, they had a good time playing outside when it got sunny. The kids had so much energy...even though Lilia & Grace decided to get up at 5am!! (But, we did manage to get back to bed by 6am, thankfully).

I love this photo (right) of Jordan running with Rory, Lilly, and Grace. They are pretending to be birds...

We drove up with Jordan, Rory, and Brody. The kids were really well behaved in the car and, of course, we got Chick-fil-a on the way up and the way back! :)

Easter

2009-04-12T08:24:00.025-04:00

We had a lovely Easter this year! We kicked it off with the Eggstravaganza (NCC's huge egg hunt) in a local park. It was pouring with rain, which somehow made it all the more memorable. We trudged through the mud cheerfully and lined up, and then the kids ran (or tottered in some cases) forward to collect the eggs. Grace seemed totally bemused by it all and just stood there in the rain. She only picked up 4 eggs (with help) but seemed quite happy with it all. Wish I had some photos...Lilia was all bundled up in the baby bjorn, with only her eyes visible. Sadly, we didn't get any photos of that but here's Grace (right), in her Easter dress.

Then Grace & Lilia's grandparents (Martin) came to visit and brought Easter gifts and lovely matching outfits for the girls! I can't wait for them to wear the matching swimsuits. So cute! Then, they baby-sat for us while Jeff and I went out for dinner with friends (great company & conversation!). The next morning, we dressed the girls two matching dresses that Grandma had bought them and went to church.

It was a beautiful sunny morning and we enjoyed the service. After church, we went to ANOTHER egg hunt that our neighbor, Mary, threw for the kids in their backyard.

Here is a nice one of Grace and James (one of Mary's twins).

And then, we celebrated Easter by what is becoming an annual tradition: lunch with dearest friends, Auntie Carrie & Uncle Brad. A perfect weekend...I even got some shopping in! :)

Thank God for our life here in Arlington, and our beautiful children. He is good! And as Grace likes to sing in one of her favorite songs from kids' church: "He is alive!"

Claude Moore Colonial Farm

2009-04-09T20:46:00.000-04:00

Grace and her playmate, Will, went to Claude Moore colonial farm the today. They love to run around together and play outside.

It was a beautiful day and a really great outing. We had a rather frightening (for the mummies rather than the kids) encounter with a huge male turkey. But we enjoyed checking out the chickens and talking to the colonial farmers.

Video Clip of Egg Hunt

2009-04-06T21:13:00.002-04:00

First Annual Martin/Draper Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-06T20:29:00.000-04:00

We teamed up with our next door neighbors and friends, the Drapers, to throw an Easter Egg Hunt last weekend. The weather was perfect and the kids loved it! Grace had her favorite dog bag from last year to collect her eggs.

We scattered 450 eggs throughout the Drapers' backyard and let the kids go while the parents watched!

They all did really well, and collected every single egg within 10 minutes or so.

Each egg was stuffed with a treat or little toy. Here is Grace discovering a little toy camera. She has been playing with it ever since.

Afterwards, we had a cook out and every one brought really great food & drinks to share. Here are some shots of the kids:

Lilia & Grace Playing

2009-03-19T14:28:00.005-04:00

I like getting photos of the girls together. In a couple of weeks, we are taking them to the Picture People to get professional photos taken (I did this with Grace at 5 months, 12 months, and 2 years). These will be Lilia's 5 month photos.

Anyway, Grace loves to play with Lilia and look after her. She kisses her, and soothes her if she cries. It is so sweet to watch! Here she is showing Lilia how to push the buttons.

Today, Grace missed preschool as she is under-the-weather, so we had a nice few hours with just the 3 of us. Check out the matching dresses! A lady at our church gave us a whole box of matching outfits that her two daughters had worn...

"Julie" the Snowman

2009-03-02T18:45:00.005-05:00

We got a really good amount of snow today. Bit of a change from the 60 degree weather we enjoyed last week! It was great, though, because daddy worked from home and during his lunch hour, he made a snowman with Grace. Making a snowman with his little girl was apparently pretty different than the experiences Jeff remebers growing up as a boy playing in the snow! Grace insisted on holding her doll, Polly, the entire time, and gently patted the snow while daddy did most of the work.

Afterwards, the snowman was dutifully named, "Julie." (Grace has to have a name for every single doll/stuffed animal she owns, and the snowman was no different). So, Julie is standing proudly in front of our house tonight. Hope Grace isn't too upset when her new friend melts!

Grace & Lilia

2009-02-27T18:43:00.002-05:00

Grace loves her baby sister. I often overhear her telling her friends, "I have a baby sister!" She says, "You are so beautiful" to Lilia and tells her she is "so cute!" It is heart-warming to see them together.

Second-Baby Syndrome

2009-02-20T13:26:00.010-05:00

I suddenly realized that Lilia is over 3 months, and we haven't taken very many photos of her! It is a case of second-baby syndrome. By the time Grace was 3 months we had taken up half the file space on our hard drive! So I took a few this morning to close the gap somewhat. Isn't she cute?? We think she looks more like the McDonald-side of the family (Grace is definitely all Jeff!).

3 months and one week

Valentines Dinner

2009-02-16T14:05:00.006-05:00

My friend, Liza, and I threw a Valentines Dinner last weekend. We had childcare at Liza's house (she lives next door) and the dinner at mine. It was a really good evening for the adults to get together without the kids! So, we did a semi-formal dinner with place cards, china, and silverware. We had a blast and Jeff made Mint Juleps (the signature drink of the night) and we made coq au vin with potluck-style sides.

Here's a pic of the ladies...

We had two tables. Here's table 1.

And table 2! :)

Laughing

2009-01-31T14:54:00.003-05:00

Lilia started smiling at 6 weeks (even though she was born two weeks early). She recently started laughing! I got a few giggles on video last week...

Toddler Talk

2009-01-19T10:40:00.007-05:00

Grace is a real little talker these days. She chatters away all day and comes out with the funniest things! I usually laugh, and forget them soon afterwards, but recently I've made an effort to write some of them down. Here are some recent favorites...

Grace (two years & five months):

"Look at my legs, mummy! My legs are sitting down!"

"Grandad will buy me bigger diapers." (After being told she's getting too big for diapers).

"I can't go in the naughty chair...I'm a princess!" (!?)

"I have a boo boo. I want to see beautiful Doctor Pease." (In reference to her pediatrician).

"Grandad, you have a little bit of hair....like Lilia!"

"No, I'm not hungry. I'm staaaaaaarving!"

"I am a little girl...but I am a baby sometimes."

"You have two rings, mummy? Good idea!" (After being told daddy has one ring on his finger but mummy has two).

"Do you like flies, mummy? I like flies. EW!! Gross!!"

First Ballet Class

2009-01-16T08:40:00.002-05:00

Grace's dream came true last week when she became a ballerina at her first ever ballet class.

Miss Brandy teaches the girls for free at a friend's house every Monday.
Grace loves it! She was actually quite good!

Grace wore her special tutu that our nextdoor neighbor, Terri, gave to her for Christmas.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T09:00:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year to all our friends & family! 2008 was certainly an eventful year for our family, marked with major life changes: We left city-life, selling our townhouse on Capitol Hill and buying a single-family home in Arlington (still pretty urban though!); We got pregnant and had a baby girl, Lilia Ruth; Grace turned two years old and started preschool one day a week; Granny & Grandad moved to the area from England; and Jeff got a new job after his company was acquired--quite a relief in this economy!

We are very thankful for all the blessings we have received in 2008, especially for our two healthy and joyful girls. We are excited to start 2009 as a family of four! Grace did this drawing (all by herself) of our new family.

Christmas Pics 2008

2008-12-31T17:16:00.001-05:00

Christmas Cookies & Santa

2008-12-20T14:45:00.000-05:00

Grace decorated Christmas cookies this week with her friend Taylor. It was so messy! They ate more than they decorated, which we knew would happen. They got so hyped up at one point on their sugar-high that they both started shouting "boooooo!" in unison at the top of their lungs and then falling about laughing. It was a fun time. Tip: use a paper table cloth and just fold it up with all the mess still inside for easy clean up!

She also went to the mall to visit Santa this week. And she was even brave enough to sit on his lap. When Santa asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she said: "lipstick." Hmmmm...maybe she'll get her wish this year (the clear, non-staining variety!).

Tagged

2008-12-16T14:46:00.002-05:00

So I got “tagged” by Stacy a little while ago, and now it's my turn to share six facts about myself. It was surprisingly difficult trying to think of six things to share!

I love to eat. I have many favorite foods, but one of the top on my list is Indian, and I CANNOT--after much effort--find a good Indian restaurant this side of the Atlantic. Recommendations are appreciated!

I met my husband in a bar while on a girls' night out (Gordon Biersch in downtown DC to be specific)—how cliché can you get?! AND, we’re still together! ;-)

I might as well stop hiding the embarrassing truth: I’m one of those few hangers on that still loves reality television; American Idol, The Bachelor, Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, How Clean is Your House, What Not to Wear...you name it!

I flew to America on a one-way ticket when I was 22 carrying a suitcase and $100 cash, thinking I wouldn't stay…over a decade later, I’m still here! I guess my husband would like me to stick around a little longer at this point.

I love blogging and reading my friends’ blogs…it’s one of my favorite pass-times. I think of my blog like an online scrapbook of memories, which I hope to show to Grace & Lilia when they are older. It’s a great way to record your experiences and update loved ones on your news!

My two favorite places in the world are New York City and the beach. I hope to retire close to either one of these places with the love-of-my-life some day...

Now, I get to tag six friends…

Stacey, who moved to CA over the summer with her newborn and 2-year-old and I miss her!

Katrina, because she never updates her blog. :)

Michelle, " " :)

Laura, my old Philly friend.

Sharon, who is expecting #4!

Girlyn, who needs to keep up with her blog again now that baby Karis is here.

Christmas Festivities

2008-12-09T14:22:00.006-05:00

We have spent some nice evenings by the fire and Christmas tree this year. Here's a pic of Grace and Lilia in the sitting room, listening to Christmas carols. Grace knows that the stocking hanging from the fireplace will have presents in it soon!

Grace was in her first ever performance this week! She sang "Away in a Manger" with her friends from our Tuesday bible study (CBS).

Check her out in this video (she's near the front).

Big Sister

2008-12-04T19:35:00.000-05:00

This week, Grace's friend Aliyah came over and gave her a new book titled, I'm a Big Sister. It's quickly become her new favorite. Katrina read the story to Aliyah and Grace. After the story, Grace immediately said, "Read it again!"

Here's a video of Grace and Aliyah "spinning around." They had a good time burning off energy as only two-year-olds can!

The Christmas Tree

2008-11-30T18:40:00.002-05:00

Now that Grace can understand what Christmas is, the holiday season is all the more fun! She is very excited about putting up Christmas decorations this year. We had a good time this weekend when we went to get our tree. Grace helped daddy pick it out while mummy & Lilia stayed in the car...

Grace was surprised when the tree ended up on our roof! (Lilia slept through all the excitement).

Grace did a really good job putting the decorations up.

Before bed, she posed for a photo. Here's the finished product.

Lilia (12 days old)

2008-11-22T16:36:00.013-05:00

We can't stop taking photos of Lilia, because we know how quickly these first weeks go by!

She hardly ever cries, which is a big relief! And she sleeps a lot.

Lilia just started opening her eyes a little more, but they are still closed most of the time.

We don't know who she looks like yet. Right now, we'll settle for Churchill.

Lilia's First Week

2008-11-18T20:14:00.004-05:00

Lilia enjoyed her stay at the hospital where all the nurses were very kind to her. She passed all her tests and did a lot of sleeping and eating.

Our friend, Laura, took a photo of Lilia's feet! (something we would never have thought of).

We had lots of visitors while we were in hospital including Jeff's brother, Jake and his wife Patty. Here is a pic of Lilia with her uncle and aunt.

After four days in the hospital, we brought Lilia home. Here we are leaving our room.

And here we are at the hospital entrance where grandad picked us up.

It was so exciting for Grace to greet her new baby sister! Grace kept saying, "It's Lilia! It's Lilia!" and was determined to hug and kiss her at every available opportunity, so we had to restrain her a little :).

When we got back to the house, we placed Lilia in her new Cosy Baby moses basket that granny & grandad had bought for her. She thought it was very cosy and fell straight to sleep after a busy day.

Lilia has had a good first week. She has enjoyed being introduced to friends and family (even though she slept through most of the visits so far!). Here she is with "Miss Shell" (as Grace likes to call Rachelle) who came to give her some lovely gifts. She loved all the presents and cards she has received, and we have been overwhelmed at the outpouring of support and generosity from friends and family. We have deeply appreciated all the emails, phone calls, and visits from friends, as well as all those who are bringing such great meals. We feel greatly blessed!

Baby Announcement!

2008-11-12T17:34:00.008-05:00

Our newest addition, Lilia Ruth Martin, is here!

November 11, 2008 - 7 lbs 3oz - 20 inches

Very First Hug

A few hours old...

Sleepy...

Still sleepy...

My big sister & me

Family of four

My Big Lady

2008-11-07T09:04:00.001-05:00

Yes...that is my new nickname, according to Grace. She says, "I love you, my big lady!" And, I say back to her, "I love you, too, my little girl." I certainly am a big lady these days, with 4 days left before Lilia arrives. :)

Halloween

2008-11-01T08:25:00.003-04:00

On Halloween, Granny & Grandad took Grace to a special event at our local library. (Sometimes, Grace attends library story-time there on Friday mornings). All the kids dressed up in their costumes.

Then, Grace went trick-or-treating with her friend, Taylor the hula girl!
They held hands the whole time!

They caught on to the idea pretty quick and went to each front door to collect candy.

Group shot with the Blackanns.

Halloween Dress Up (Part I)

2008-10-30T12:45:00.002-04:00

This week, Grace had a great time when she donned her Halloween costume (as a fairy) and visited a local retirement home with her friends from our VA moms' group. Granny came along to help, as I am having some late-pregnancy symptoms and need to stay off my feet as much as possible. We handed out candy (with Bible verses attached) to the residents. I didn't get photos of all the kids, but here are a few cute ones before my camera died:

Grace and Georgia (in her homemade 50s costume!) holding hands...

Jackson the puppy.

Bradford the pirate, and Lilly the bumble bee.

Brody the cute little pumpkin.
Will as Thomas the Tank Engine.

Lucas the rooster.

And a group shot!

Baby Shower

2008-10-22T12:44:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday, I was thrilled to have a baby shower thrown for me by my friend, Laura, at her house. It was so touching to be able to celebrate the upcoming birth of baby Lilia with some wondeful women! Here are Laura and me.

The spread--complete with personalized napkins and a delish cake saying "Lilia Ruth" that my mum brought.

Tea-bag favors with "Lilia Ruth Martin, expected Fall 2008."

Here are old friends (from my working days), Girlyn & Rachel. Lucky Girlyn was able to lend me this dress to wear at the last-minute (literally 30 mins before the shower!) when I suddenly realized I'd grown out of my only dressy maternity outfit!

Here are the two grandmothers with Jenn (also expecting a baby girl herself!)...

Katrina & Lora...Lora is due in about a week!

Thankfully, Auntie Carrie got back from Vietnam just in time for the shower though still recovering from a heavy cold that she caught on the airplane.

Heather, Michelle, and Shauna... (H & M are both expecting, too!)

Opening gifts... I was so grateful for ALL the beautiful baby gifts I received from friends and family. It was a little overwhelming to open them all at once! But such a treat. :)

Had to get a shot in with Trevor's famous deer head in the background! ;-)

Didn't get pics of the whole group, but here is one of Sharon & Grace.

Reuniting Old Friends

2008-10-13T09:20:00.002-04:00

Old friends, Morgan, Ralph & Nolan, flew in from CA this week! Sadly, Morgan & Ralph left DC when she was pregnant with Nolan. And Nolan and Grace are only 3 weeks apart! It was so nice to have the 3 families back together again--along with Girlyn, Bernie & Baby Karis. Here are Girlyn, me, & Morgan (left).

Girlyn, Morgan, and I all met when we worked together and were childless & single. It was great to get together now that we all have babies... (From left: Karis, Grace, Nolan).

...and husbands! (From left: Ralph, Jeff, Bernie). I wish we got to see this family more often (we are planning a long CA trip for 2010!!). It was so nice to reconnect and get to hang out like old times. Nolan looks jsut like his daddy!

And check out Karis's hair! The mohawk is completely natural. So cute.

Maya's Birthday

2008-10-06T08:17:00.003-04:00

Grace's friend, Maya, turned one year old yesterday! She wore a traditional Korean baby outfit (her daddy is Korean).

She looked so sweet in it. How fun to celebrate with this great family!

Pregnant Ladies

2008-10-06T08:03:00.002-04:00

Here is a pic of 4 pregnant ladies from our moms' group. From left (in order of due dates): me at 33 weeks, due in Nov; Christina due in Feb; Nina due in March; and Lauren is expecting TWINS!! There are a lot of other pregnant ladies in our group right now as well! In the next few months, we'll be seeing a lot of exciting changes.

Baby Sabine

2008-09-24T09:27:00.002-04:00

Last weekend, we went to visit Thomas & Cole's new baby, Sabine. She is so beautiful! It is great to see both Thomas & Jeff with thier daughters, after all those bachelor years together. Awwwww!

First Day at Preschool

2008-09-06T17:48:00.001-04:00

Last week, we had an exciting day for Grace: her very first day at preschool! She loved the orientation day we went to earlier in the week, and she seemed to settle right in. She is in the young-twos Thursday program with 10 other kids. We were called by the school at the very last minute, because one student dropped out! It is only a few minutes from our new house and they have a great facility at a local church. There were no tears as I dropped her off and away she went. I get a whole 4 hours off every Thursday morning, so I am just as excited as Grace! When I picked her up, she couldn't stop talking about all the exciting things she did that morning. And she ate all of the lunch I packed for her! Here she is, ready to leave for school, lunchbox in hand.

Last Week of Summer

2008-09-01T21:01:00.005-04:00

We have had a pleasant last week of summer with temperatures down in the 70s and some much-needed rain (although it's definitely heated up again before things will cool finally off for good). We are excited to start a new school year for Grace (she'll be attending pre-school one day a week) and preparing for the new baby in November.

This past week, we had house guests staying, our friends Jedd & Janelle who were visiting DC for meetings before taking off for South Africa to launch an exciting micro-financing program through their nonprofit organization Paradigm Shift. We loved reconnecting with them and hearing all about their travels over the past year, during which they visited 11 countries and fine-tuned their training program.

For Labor Day weekend, we went to my parents house about 40 minutes away to escape for a few days and have some family-time. Grace picked out some squash at the local farmer's market. Granny & Grandad are away in Cannes, France visiting Great Granny and Oonagh and have finally got to see Oonagh's new villa. (We hope to make it out there ourselves early next year along with the new baby!).

But we still had fun going shopping in the outlets, we had a picnic in the park, and took Grace to her favorite carousel ride in Dulles town center.

We also waved goodbye to Auntie Carrie who is leaving us for a long work assignment in Vietnam. We will miss her! (I am hoping she gets back in time for the new baby!) Grace made her a card wishing her safe travels, which she was very excited about giving to her. She even put some of her favorite, most cherished stickers on it, just for Carrie.

We are looking forward to a busy fall. Hopefully, we'll have lots to blog about! ;-)

Visit with Grandparents Martin

2008-08-24T08:55:00.003-04:00

We went to Grace's grandparents house in Maryland yesterday and she loved [pretending to] ride the pontoon boat. Perfect weather for a day on the water!

Little Karis!

2008-08-15T21:13:00.005-04:00

Little Karis came over today with her mommy, Girlyn, for the first time (since being born!). She is soooo cute. She looks just like her daddy. I managed to get one photo with her eyes open... She still sleeps most of the time, so I didn't get any pics of her out of the car seat. But she is such a joy!

She will be friends with our next little girl, as they will only be 4 months apart. So fun that more & more friends are having babies!

Recent Random Pics

2008-08-14T08:31:00.007-04:00

We've been keeping busy this summer and trying to fit as much as possible into our weekends. We haven't been taking many photos recently because our camera is broken and we're using our old one that doesn't work so well. But I snapped some cute pics of Millie when she came over to play.

Hugs goodbye

We went to Ida Lee Park near Granny & Grandad's house for a picnic . They are going to Europe for several weeks, so we will miss them. It was perfect weather! Grace loved running free on endless expanse of lush green grass!

We also went out for cream teas at a local English tea room/antique shop. Grace loved it, but mummy loved it more! :)

Visit from Family

2008-08-04T15:46:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, we had a visit from my cousin, Tim, his wife, Dottie, and their family from Wisconsin (where my dad is originally from). It was great to reconnect with them. They came to show the kids, Katie, Aaron, and Abby, the sites of DC. Grace had such a good time with them, and certainly enjoyed all the extra attention!

Here's one of the second cousins together: Abby, Aaron, Katie, Grace.

Second Birthday Party

2008-07-28T08:47:00.002-04:00

To celebrate Grace turning two, we threw her a birthday party with a few of her toddler friends. She didn't have much of a first birthday celebration, so we made up for it this year with two little parties (one with the Martins last weekend, and one with friends and her McDonald grandparents this weekend). We had water-based fun in the backyard, bubbles (always an easy source of entertainment), dressing up, and general play. Below are some shots of the party. She had a good time with her buddies! She especially liked her ridiculous pink princess cake!

Grace, Millie, Sybella & Aliyah in the pool

David, Violet, Aliyah & Grace

Millie & Jeff

Brandon & Baby Owen

Jen & David, Nina & Ella

Carrie & Jenn with Baby Go Go (Giovanny)

Ella & David in the play house

Millie, Grace, Aliyah, Violet

Sybella singing at the piano

Violet singing

Having party snacks

The Browns

Millie all dressed up by Katrina

Stacey surprised--and a little horrified--by her daughter's frilly attire!

Christopher with Baby Simon

Birthday Girl

Princesses

2008-07-25T08:30:00.001-04:00

Did I mention that Grace LOVES princesses, fairies, and ballerinas? It is all she talks about these days. Laura took some great photos of Taylor and Grace when they dressed up as princesses the other day and ran around in Laura's garden.

Two Cinderellas...

With Baby Bo...

Martin Family Get-Together

2008-07-21T10:11:00.001-04:00

This past weekend, we had the chance to see Grace's cousins, aunt & uncle, and grandparents! They came over to celebrate Grace's second birthday with us and to see the new house (although her grandparents have already seen it a few times).

It was great to see everyone and Grace had a fabulous time opening all her presents.

She played with Katlyn and showed her how to "cook dinner."

She even had a birthday cake (the first of two!) that she had picked out herself that morning when we went shopping. It was a "choctate" cake. Everyone sang happy birthday and Grace was over the moon! She even ate most of her cake with her fork all on her own.

Here is a cute photo of the cousins in order of age: Brenden, Katyln, Riley, Grace. Grace turns two on Thursday! Can't wait for more birthday fun when she has a party with her toddler friends next Saturday!

Baby Simon Is Here!

2008-07-14T14:20:00.003-04:00

There are so many new babies coming into our lives right now. We are so excited that "miracle baby" Simon Christopher is here! We went to visit him at the hospital today. He is 3 days old. He is strong and healthy (weighing in at nearly 10 lbs!!) and such a joy to see. He looks a lot like Millie. So cute.

We are going to miss this family so much when they move to CA in a few weeks. They have been such a huge blessing in our lives and Grace & Millie love to play with each other so much.

Baby Karis Is Here!

2008-07-14T14:11:00.004-04:00

Baby Karis Olivia has finally joined us. We went to see her over the weekend for the first time. She is one week old and sooooo beautiful and healthy.

Girlyn & Bernie are doing well and are adapting quickly to being first-time parents. It is amazing to see them with a daughter after knowing them for the past six years! We are so excited for them. What a lovely family.

Baby Shower

2008-07-14T08:05:00.000-04:00

We went to Thomas & Cole's baby shower on Saturday. Little Sabine is due in August!

We are looking forward to playdates with our three girls!

There were lots of kids there and Grace enjoyed playing with them. Here she is with Shannon.

It's a Girl!

2008-07-11T21:11:00.002-04:00

As if texting, emailing, and posting on Facebook aren't enough, we are updating our blog with our news too! We just found out that it's a girl! We feel a little surprised for some reason, but definitely happy. Soon Grace will have another little girl to play with at home! :)

4th July Trip

2008-07-08T17:35:00.003-04:00

For the 4th, (Independence Day for you English readers), we decided to go away and spend some time with our friends Mark (who Jeff grew up with), his wife Mandy, and their 5-year-old daughter Maddy. This time, we took Carrie and Brad along, too. It is so great to visit them as they live on some stunning 200-acre waterfront property near Ocean City with a private beach & guest house.

We drove up on the Friday morning, and by early afternoon we were sunning ourselves on the beach. Such a welcome retreat from the metro area! Grace loved the bay beach and walked around in the shallow sandy-bottomed water with Brad and Jeff as Mark dug for clams and checked his crab pots. Carrie, Mandy and I sat on the beach chairs and relaxed while Maddy played at the waters edge. An idyllic setting!

Another shot of us swimming in the warm water. Grace is actually standing in this one.

The girls dug in the sand...

A cute pic of Carrie & Grace going for a walk...

Later, we cooked out (NY strip steaks, sausages, chicken, corn on the cob, watermelon) and hung out on the porch overlooking the water.

Around the table (right)... The weather had been perfect, but then there was a terrific thunder storm! Their house has waterfront views from every window and we all sat in the dark and watched the storm! The rain meant we couldn't set off our fireworks, but it kind of didn't matter in the end. The lightening was more impressive!

The next morning, we hit the boardwalk at Ocean City so Jeff could show us his childhood/teenage haunts and we visited some of Mark's beach stores and I bought some shells. Then, we had and lunch headed back to the house to relax before taking off. Grace enjoyed it so much as she got to play with Maddy and the dog, Tucker, and all of Maddy's toys including her beautiful dolls' houses.

Carrie & Grace coloring...

Maddy dressed Grace up as a fairy! Maddy even gave Grace her princess dress-up gear and a toy Kitchen, which is the most delux model we've ever seen!

Then, we meandered home, listening to a pod cast on the way. Jeff suddenly had the idea to show Carrie & Brad the harbor-town of St Micheals, as it's one of our favorite places. We stopped off and had a great dinner, followed by icecream. We even saw Donald Rumsfeld driving by in his car (we already knew he lives there) and he was wearing a denim shirt with a cartoon character on it!!

What topped off a great trip was that on the way home we spotted a huge firework display from the road. We pulled off and parked, and saw a fantastic show! Even Grace loved it (with her ears covered) and talked about fireworks and pretty colors on the way home. What a great time with great experiences and--more importantly--fantastic people!

More Water Park Pics

2008-07-02T16:09:00.006-04:00

We went back to the water park again today for play group. Grace took a while to build up the courage to get wet, but eventually, she loved it!

Here are David, Ella, and Grace. Grace follows David around a lot and he kept poking her in her little round tummy!

The New Play House

2008-07-01T16:05:00.007-04:00

Grace got a new play house for her second birthday (next month). We found it in Costco and couldn't resist it (this way she gets a new house, too!). It's already provided hours of entertainment, which any parent knows is an invaluable asset. It took daddy and granddad an entire afternoon to build it. Originally, we put it at the bottom of the garden, but 25 mosquioto bites later, it had to be taken apart and rebuilt inside the screened-in porch. Now, Grace can play free from insects and in any weather. It's definitely been worth all the effort.

Yesterday, Millie came over to play and she and Grace had so much fun with it. Millie is so sweet-natured and she plays very well with Grace and even lets Grace hug her all the time!

Today, Taylor dropped by to try out the new play house. Taylor is into tea parties, princesses, and fairies just like Grace, so they have a lot in common. It's great to be a girl. :)

Three Trimesters!

2008-06-27T14:01:00.004-04:00

At Stacey's baby shower last Saturday, we got a photo of Stacey, me, and Michelle in order of trimester. Stacey is due in just over 2 weeks! Michelle is in the first trimester, and I am approaching the halfway mark in my pregnancy. There are so many people in our lives who are expecting babies right now. It is so nice to share all this with friends.

Here's a group shot from Stacey's shower. It was a great occasion to celebrate the new baby boy that will soon join us.

Spray-Ground

2008-06-27T13:00:00.006-04:00

We had such a fun day today with Michelle, Miles, Lucy and Stacey & Millie. We went to a water park, or "spray-ground" and the kids loved it. Grace let out peels of laughter as she ran around in the water that sprayed from the ground. The park is really near our new house, and we'll definitely go back a lot this summer.

Then, we had a picnic on the grass and afterwards went on the swings and in the sand pit. Here are Millie, Miles, and Grace on the swings. So much fun! Grace loves summer fun, and talks about her activities with friends for days afterwards.

Good To Be Back!

2008-06-18T07:22:00.012-04:00

Well, we are finally getting back into action after a long hiatus due to health issues related to the pregnancy, house moving and renovation craziness, and trying to cope with our usual life responsibilities all at the same time. Thankfully, things have calmed down a little for us now. And we are excited to start enjoying the summer! It is my favorite time of year as I love hot weather (disgustingly hot 100 degree weather doesn't phase me at all! --Something to do with living through too many English "summers" I suppose) and Jeff and I both love the beach. This year, we have only made it to the shore once to date. Here is a pic of our visit last week on an insanely hot day. We like to go to North Beach or Breezy Point in the morning and then drive back through Annapolis to stop for a late lunch at Carroll's Creek (I always get the tagliatelle with shrimp and spicy sausage).

As for the house, it is coming along, but some of the kitchen cabinets are still not finished, which has delayed unpacking of the kitchen stuff. There are other projects that still need to be finished as well, but we are slowly making progress. We are very happy to be here and thankful for the way the house has worked out, which is just what we were hoping for. We hope to be here for a few years to come! We'll post photos soon. Here we are taking a walk in our new neighborhood when there was a yard sale.

Grace loves what she refers to as the "new house." She has been such a joy over the passed few months, despite all the stresses of illness and moving taking place around her. She has taken pretty strongly to dressing up lately (she LOVES anything "pretty" i.e. colorful or sparkly), and has started stealing my make up out of my bag when I'm not looking! Here she is after I caught her with my mascara the other day! Now she's into lip gloss...

She loves counting and puzzles with letters in them and she has learned her alphabet. She especially loves playing with water (here she is on my parents' deck, getting soaked).

She's also eagerly anticipating the arrival of the new baby. She listens to my stomach to hear what he/she is doing inside. When we ask her what the baby is doing she answers without hesitation and with complete certainty: "picking stones!" (an activity she has enjoyed in my parents backyard and at the beach). Well, of course! Here is a little video clip:

Pregnancy Announcement

2008-05-31T16:36:00.000-04:00

In our 101st blog post, we are thrilled to announce we are expecting our second baby in November! This doesn't come as news to many of our friends and family who already know, but we thought it was about time to update our blog. We're 15 weeks along already!!

So far, Anna has had a pretty difficult pregnancy with one complication after another, so she has spent most of the past 2 months on bed rest and is not yet fully recovered (hence the lack of news to blog about). But we hope she will be up and about anytime now.

We are so excited to be moving into our new house tomorrow! We cannot wait to post the "after" photos now most of the renovations are complete. We are having some BIG life changes right now!

Moving Day

2008-05-05T16:43:00.008-04:00

Well, we've officially left our old neighborhood on Capitol Hill. We're sad to leave, but excited about our new home! Here are some photos from moving day (old house, left). Let's hope this is the last time we'll be moving for a looooong time!

New house, which is still under renovation.

Here's the new basement ("before" shot!). We'll hopefully be posting the "after" shot in a couple of weeks.

Grace's Trip to the Zoo

2008-04-22T17:51:00.003-04:00

We haven't been posting for a while as it has been so hectic with the move among other things. I wanted to post this adorable photo of Grace with her friend Aliyah. Aliyah and her parents, Katrina & Jonathan, took Grace to the zoo the other day to give us a chance to get things done. She had such a great time and talked constantly about "ephants" and "mokies" and her friend "Ayah" when she got home. Katrina & Jonathan snapped this cute pic of the two girls at the zoo!

We hope to post more about house progress soon. There is a lot happening right now! A couple of the rooms (kitchen and basement) have been totally gutted. It's exciting to see it all happening.

Under Construction

2008-04-05T17:55:00.003-04:00

Here is a first look at our new kitchen! Obviously, there's not much to see right now. This is the "before" shot. :) We're looking forward to posting the "after" picture soon. Right now, we're enjoying the process of seeing this house become our new home. We hope to move in some time in May. But between now and then, our lives are a little chaotic!

SOLD

2008-03-24T19:02:00.002-04:00

We've been meaning to post an update on our house situation for a while now (although everyone already knows the news by now!) Our house is finally SOLD! It was a funny feeling when the SOLD sign went up. No going back now! We close on both houses next week, all being well. It's never a done deal until $$$ exchanges hands. And all being well, we'll move into our new home at the end of April. We're so excited and are looking forward to planning the renovations. The kitchen is our first project. There's a lot of work to be done on the new house, but that is something both of us really enjoy doing. Hopefully, we will be posting photos of all the progress soon!

We took a few friends to see the new house after Easter lunch. (Girlyn is pregnant and in her 6th month. There is so much going on in everyone's lives!) It's exciting to think that it will be officially ours just days from now.

Easter Sunday

2008-03-24T18:19:00.006-04:00

We had a very busy Easter Sunday this year. Grace wore her special pink and brown dress that Oonagh sent over from England!

We met up with friends for lunch (here is Grace with Brad, whom she adores!).

Later, after being out and about all day, Grace got to play with Millie at our house. Don't they look cute in their Easter dresses? They both put toy necklaces on.

Here is Grace telling Millie a secret.

Egg Hunt

2008-03-24T18:06:00.005-04:00

Last weekend, Grace had so much fun with Easter celebrations. On Saturday, she went to an egg hunt, put on by our church, with hundreds of other kids. She picked up the idea pretty quickly, and managed to collect several eggs in her basket!

Her Grandparents Martin came as well to join in the fun. They brought her a dog-shaped easter egg basket that she loved. She used it to collect her eggs at the hunt! She had a great time socializing and saw many of her friends. Here she is saying hi to our pastor.