Misc. Christmas Vacation '08

We had a wonderful trip home to Maine! We were very fortunate and grateful to be able to spend a whole week visiting with friends and family. Here are a few more random pictures from our time there. The top is the view from the rest area closest to our home in NH... it was a beautiful way to end the trip. The other photos are from the snow we had and Noah's insistence on wearing a shower cap like his Nana:) We are off to Chicago Thursday... stay tuned!!

Christmas Morning '08

Noah was quite spoiled this Christmas! He enjoyed all of his presents:) The top picture is a CUTE little backpack/suitcase with wheels that will come in handy when we fly to Chicago next week... he learned how to pull it quickly. Gabe's favorite gift was the basketball hoop, thankfully Noah loved it too and has been a very quick learn so far. He had to take breaks every so often, I think he was a bit overwhelmed with the task of opening presents, but he seemed to very much enjoy it! At Grammie and Grampie's Santa brought a new wagon which Noah LOVED to both ride in and pull himself:) Most of all though his favorite present seemed to be this set of growth sticks he is opening with Grampy... he wouldn't put them down! It will be a fun spring summer with the wagon!!

Christmas Eve '08

On Christmas eve besides seeing lots of family Noah got to frost and eat cookies and see Santa.  He wasn't at all afraid of Santa and was surprisingly eager to help hand out (and help open) everyone's gifts.

Christmas '08 in NH

We celebrated Christmas a few days early in NH before leaving for Maine.  Noah did so well opening presents and was so excited to do so.  It was lots of fun for us to watch him enjoy his gifts.  As you can see, he was reluctant to pose for any pictures after he got the tool belt:)

Christmas Cookies

Noah loves to cook and especially bake... he very much enjoyed making and cutting out the cookies... he did not like the flour on his hands:)

Polar Express 2008!

We had the wonderful opportunity to bring Noah on the Polar Express last weekend! The train left from White River Junction, VT took about a 30 minute ride and arrived at the North Pole. On the train (which Noah was very excited to be able to ride on) there were waiters that served hot chocolate and treats, and a conductor who punched tickets and gave out little rubber ducks dressed as conductors. We all also sang Christmas Carols as we traveled to the North Pole. Once at the North Pole (there were way too many people to take pictures there) we were greeted by elves of all ages and Santa. An elf read us the Polar Express and Santa handed out gold reindeer bells just like in the book.

Lunch after the Polar Express:)

There was a great little cafe across from the Polar Express adventure, where we were able to have lunch with friends. Noah and his friend get along well and I thought these were very cute pictures of the two of them playing and eating their cookies:) FYI- these are Noah's Christmas Pajamas that he wore with several layers of long johns underneath.

Lebanon Christmas Party 2008

Gabe and I took Noah to the Lebanon Municipal building to see Santa.  We got a wonderful picture of  Noah and his friend Suvi sitting on Santa's lap... Suvi screaming and Noah staring at her:) It was on a little instamatic polaroid so I couldn't post it, but it will be great when they are older.  There was also a horse drawn carriage that brought us for a ride around the green, face painting, crafts, and Noah's favorite part: a group of Girls Scouts singing Christmas Carols.  He held fast to his balloon all night, except for when he stopped to clap:)

Big Baby News!

Yes, the rumors are true... We are expecting our next baby at the end of June!!  We are all very excited... Noah has no idea what is happening, but he behaved well at the long visit with the midwife today:)  We actually got to hear the heartbeat at the visit today, which was a wonderfully unexpected surprise given that we didn't get to hear Noah's heart beat until nearly 13 weeks!... maybe this one will cooperate... Thus far this has been a totally different pregnancy for me with far more nausea etc., but I am hoping that I will begin to feel better again in the next few weeks!!!  Stay tuned...

Juggling

I realized that I hadn't posted anything for a while, but nothing that out of the ordinary has happened in the past month, so the next two blogs are about Noah's two new obsessions.  The first is juggling.  Gabe is a great juggler and I can not juggle at all... So Noah will, many times a day, bring the balls to me and gesture for me to juggle for him.  I have to tell him that only daddy can juggle... if Gabe is home Noah will bring the balls to him, watch him for a minute, laugh when he drops the balls, then go and lay down on the floor... this is his way of letting Gabe know that he too should juggle while laying down... it is quite a funny and predictable scene.  Gabe is a good sport and getting quite good at juggling while lying down!

Dishes

Noah has become a big help with daily household chores.  He can load and empty both the washer and dryer (with a little help, of course), and most recently he loves to bring his stool to the sink to help with the dishes.  As you can see from this picture his actual favorite part is eating the bubbles... he hasn't gotten sick from it yet, so I figure he can't be ingesting that much soap...:)

First Snow/Freezing Rain- 11/08

Noah has spent months wearing his rain boots inside and today he finally got to wear them outside in the rain/snow.  I thought these pictures were very cute:)

Trip to Burlington

Noah and I joined Gabe for his residency interview at the University of Vermont.  While Gabe was busy Noah and I took full advantage to all that Burlington had to offer.  We shopped, listened to a live children's musician, and visited the Echo Aquarium and Science Center on Lake Champlain.  There were lots of fish, frogs and turtles... lots for Noah to enjoy.  He even did a little fishing in their make shift  river:) The middle picture is of him looking at a fish stuck to the  side of the tank with a magnifying glass... he learns fast!

Halloween 2008

Noah and I were able to spend Halloween weekend this year in Maine. He loved to dress-up in his frog costume, but refused to let me strap it under his chin. He also really enjoyed playing in the leaves. The bottom pictures are from my parent's yard. He was sliding down into a pile of leaves, then Nana would throw some leave on him and he would laugh really hard. I think he had a good time b/c when we put him to bed that night he laid there and laughed for a while:)

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today Papa died... and to be honest, most of the time I don't believe that it is true... this was such a huge and unexpected loss for our family.  We have all had many new "firsts" this past year without Papa around... I can only imagine that it has made us all stronger.  He was such a wonderful and loving man... there still is not a day that goes by that I don't miss him terribly and start crying if I think too much about it.  Each new milestone that hits and he is not physically here with us to enjoy it makes me eternally greatful for all of the wonderful time we did get to enjoy life with him.  Getting through the past year: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Florida, summer without Jo Mary, Fryeburg, etc. Each time I have dreaded these things, but each one has been extremely memorable and exciting... Nothing is the same without him and I wish more than anything he could be here with us, but I can always feel his fun, life-loving spirit in all we do.