& Austin makes 4

New Blog!!!!!

2008-05-21T21:28:00.002-04:00

Visit us at our new location. New look, same great flavor.

& Then there were 5

Hope to hear from you all soon.

xox Liz xox

Welcome Taylor Eve

2008-05-13T22:35:00.003-04:00

No time to write out the details. We were discharged from the hospital this morning and I need to catch up on some much needed sleep. We hope you enjoy the photos of us with our sweet little angel. All our love to all of you. I'll be posting more very, very soon.

Love Liz

The belly shot

2008-05-05T23:34:00.004-04:00

This just says it all for us. I absolutely love this picture... I think it may just be my favorite ever. Chris did a great job photographing me and the belly. Thank goodness Austin decided to jump in for a few shots. We asked him to tickle baby sister (which he does several times on a daily basis these days) and he captured this.... he is so hired! This is going to hang on her nursery wall. Undoubtedly a fantastic testimony to how much her big brother absolutely adores her already.

We had quite a few more pictures that turned out so amazingly well, but we both agreed that they are more private and not necessarily something I want to be posted all over the internet, showing only a little more skin than I would in a bathing suit. You may get to see them if you come to our house...

Wish me luck everyone! It should be any day now.
Love to all,
Liz

P.S. Alright, here's another one. Here he's giving baby sister a kiss. I just love how he's looking up at me.

Dear Austin

2008-05-04T22:18:00.002-04:00

You have grown to be such an amazing little bugger. Daddy and I adore every waking moment we get to spend with you. And although it may not seem like it at all times we love you more than anything else in this universe, and that's a really big place. So even though we may get angry at you for not listening or you may feel that we are pushing you to do big boy things that you don't always want to do, like go on the potty and fall asleep by yourself at night, and eat big people food, it really truly is only because we love you.

You are going to be a big brother soon and I know there are no words to express just how excited you are to meet your baby sister. I'm sorry that when mama goes out to the store that I don't come back with her because I know this makes you mad. I really hope that she comes soon too so that we can bring her home, and show her all the beautiful presents she's gotten while growing in mama's belly. That will be the coolest day ever for us.

Mama and daddy are going to need your help a lot when she comes home from the hospital and I know you're up for the task because you just can't stop talking about all the fun things we'll get to do, like give her a tubby and change her diaper. Just please do not ever forget how much we love you okay? Because mama might be tired for the first year or two, but I was like that with you too. It just takes a little while. I promise to be running and jumping and tumbling around with you again as fast as I can. Don't loose your sense of adventure and the fire you have right now because that would make me so super sad buddy.

The biggest job you have once baby sister gets here is to be yourself because she needs that awesome person to look up to... daddy and I are okay, but not nearly as funny, imaginative and crazy as you. Okay? Are you ready? I know I am, but I'll miss you when the doctors are helping mommy in the hospital. I think that's the only thing that really makes me sad, that I won't get to see your handsome face first thing in the morning.... I love you buddy. I know I've told you this a hundred times already and you'll probably hear it at least a million more but, you are the greatest big brother in the whole wide world. You're the best my little man.

Love, Mama

I found these lyrics in one of my parenting magazines. It's by the children's singer/songwriter Frances England, who's music I absolutely adore. I thought it was very appropriate for Austin and cannot wait for her new album to be released so I can actually hear the song.

Last night while
everyone was asleep

I looked out my window, up
through the trees

The sky was so big and
covered in stars

I knew a baby brother or
sister would soon be ours

Hey Ho, our family of three

Is growing beyond my
mommy, daddy and me

Hey Ho, just how will it be

When we add another branch
to our family tree?

Happy Birthday Friend

2008-05-04T21:46:00.002-04:00

We had our friends Amy, Ava and Jack over for a delightful treat the other day to celebrate Amy's birthday. I picked these cupcakes up from Baltimore Cupcake Company in Eastport (thank you Kim) and they were absolutely heavenly. Quite the indulgence to enjoy with some of our favorite people. Happy Birthday Amy! We love you guys and can't wait! to celebrate in a more festive fashion, one that allows me to toast just how wonderful you are. xo Liz xo

Holy Cow!!! 3 posts in a row!!!

2008-04-21T19:10:00.003-04:00

Here's a couple pics of Austin enjoying the spring weather at the park. We're so happy spring has officially sprung. Okay enough blogging for now.

xo L xo

I forgot

2008-04-21T18:44:00.005-04:00

I can't believe I forgot to post these pictures from my shower in New York. Mom and Laura hosted the loveliest shower a girl could ask for. It was perfectly intimate and I really enjoyed the company of some of my most favorite women. My two best friends were both able to make it. Abbey traveled from San Fran and Leah was there too from up the street. It was so nice to have them at this shower as they couldn't make it to Austin's.

Our little man was spoiled as usual by his Grammy and had several gifts of his own to open the day of the shower. Then he, his Bo-be and his great-Grandpa enjoyed a little guy time.

Thanks so much for all you guys do for us. We love you so much and can't wait to bring this newest family member into the world. She has some pretty incredible women in her family to look up to. What a blessed little girl she is already.

If you cannot tell from the pictures, I'm carrying quite a bit smaller with this one than I did with Austin. Hopefully she's not pushing 10 pounds when she arrives like her brother. I would like that a lot.

Hope to hear from you all soon.

Love, Liz

Like a Fish!

2008-04-21T17:41:00.004-04:00

Austin had his first swim lesson today and did so well, I just had to write and let you all know how proud I am of our guy. There are four children in the class. All boys and the other three are 4-year-olds who know one another. Austin took the lead the entire class and really showed the big kids up. Their parents couldn't get over how he was not intimidated at all by the water. At one point he even copied the instructor and took a dip under himself, came up a bit startled, but made eye contact with me (who was watching from outside) and began laughing and splashing all over again. I must say, I'm still a little nervous at just how comfortable he really is around the water, but feel confident that he will be swimming on his own in no time.

The outdoor pool at our gym opens for the season Wednesday, which I am thrilled about, not that I'll be in a swim suit anytime soon but Austin has a blast and that's what matters most.

Here are a few pictures I took with our little point-and-shoot outside on the observation deck. I was shooting through glass so they may be a little distorted. There are a couple here too of Austin having a blast splish-splashing in a puddle outside our house.

Sorry the posts have been so few and quite far in between. I'm sure once the little one arrives, I'll make up for lost time in a big way :o) Hope you are all doing well.

Lots of love, Liz

Planted - a non-photographed update

2008-04-14T08:35:00.005-04:00

I know I've been bad about posting to the blog. I can't imagine it getting much better anytime soon though. I have a ton of photos to post from the baby shower my mom and Laura had for me in NY and lots to tell about from my shower here and birthday weekend to all the purging and organizing we've been doing here before the baby comes. All very lovely especially the birthday and showers. As for the purging and organizing...I'll spare you the details...

Yesterday Austin was helping me plant flowers outside. Honestly he was so darn cute and I didn't have my camera, nor the gumption to hop up out of the spot I had planted my rotund-self in to run inside, down to the basement to grab the camera. We still have more flowers to plant, but it nearly froze overnight here so we'll stick to indoor activities for today, or at least until it decides to warm up a bit again.

Other than that, I do owe all of you pictures of the beautiful bedrooms our kids have. Chris and I are very jealous as we have never had rooms as AWESOME! as the kids and little miss isn't even here yet. There's still a few odd and end things to get done in both their rooms, but I hope to have that accomplished today and will take some pictures and post them once I'm done.

Well we hope you're all doing fabulously. I will do my best to get some photographs up soon. Have to run, hit the gym or do something at least a little active :o)

Love, Liz

Finally getting a new post down

2008-03-31T20:52:00.006-04:00

Austin at our neighborhood Egg Hunt

Sweet little Riley enjoying some eggs with mama

A-man sporting his basket around his neck, what a goof!

Austin at his school's egg hunt (he had just finished eating a blue 'peep').

Austin chilling out on our new and quite lovely green sofa, a.k.a the big green chair.

If only he would look at the camera...

...there we go.

The Egg hunt Easter morning at Grammy and Pop-pop's house

The start of a new tradition, decorating the octopus cake

Rough housing with Pop-pop

Kite flying at Maidstone Beach

Hannah lugging around a piece of drift wood bigger than her.

A-man throwing rocks into the water

Me flying the kite

Chris in the dunes with miniature Hannah in the distance.

Hello everyone. I know it's been a little while since my last post. Things have been busy here and as this little one in my belly comes closer to being delivered, I am loosing steam. I forced myself and poor Austin to stay indoors for most of the day today as I am trying to kick a nasty little cold and the weather just called for a day indoors.

We had a fabulous March, spending lots of time with family and each other. Austin is really growing to love art and brings home the most fantastic projects from school. I must dedicate a room to his masterpieces. I can't get over how big he is. He and I have many adventures throughout the day and he is a great conversationalist. Last week he helped me pot some flowers for our front doorstep and was really a big help. He rinsed and recycled all the plastic containers the flowers were potted in, filled the pots with dirt to the appropriate level and then watered the flowers once we were done. He's hired!!!

Chris and I are so proud at how well behaved he is and couldn't be more excited for him to be a big brother. He enjoys talking to my belly at bed time and telling baby sister just how excited he is to hold her and see how pretty she's going to be.

Well my photography has taken a backseat to long afternoon naps and quality time spent with Austin, but I do have a few to share here with all of you. I'm not able to capture at the angles I have grown to love so these are a bit more 'snapshot' like. That'll change soon enough. Just six more weeks until our due date! Then I'll having a lovely little lady to photograph... until she learns from her big bro' to run away from the camera. Enjoy the post and I hope to have more pictures for you all as soon as the sun decides to stick around for longer than just a couple hours one day in every 10.

Love to all, Liz and the crew.

P.S. Any suggestions for a new blog name? How about a few guesses as to what day this little one will arrive?

A Few Lost Friends

2008-03-18T08:40:00.011-04:00

I've been looking through Chris' photo archives this morning and came across some really great pictures taken before Christmas. I thought I'd post them since I'm so lacking in posts these days. Things have been busy, I've been feeling very pregnant and well other than that there's no better excuse as to why I haven't posted in so long.

I hope everyone is well and that you all have a wonderful Easter. I hope to have some pictures of our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt up soon, but who knows...

We'll start with Halloween I guess.

Austin and Ava, his most favorite girl. Isn't he charming? Picking his nose and all.

Austin with the cutest pumpkin in the neighborhood along with Jack, baby Parker

Here's Austin with most of his adorable friends. His buddy Billy had a spooky playdate. That's Austin in the pilot's costume, a tribute to daddy's service in the Air Force. And yes he has stickers all over his face, what a goof.

Giving Daddy a hand with the hard wood floor project.

Me, in shock because we finally have hard wood floors and because Chris did such and AWESOME JOB!

Waiting for the Christmas Spectacular to begin at Radio City Music Hall.

Mommy and super cutie.

Strolling the streets of NYC with Bo-be and mom

Lovely Laura showcasing a beautiful cupcake treat.

Not such a great picture, but you get the point, it was pretty.

A chilly night out with Miss Ava. We took the kids to see the parade of lights downtown Annapolis. It was a Zoo because the city dock was closed off for construction (actually I think it still is), but we still had a blast.

Opening presents from Grammy & Pop-pop before heading to Memphis for Christmas.

In January, Austin did so well on snow shoes while we were in Maine...

...we decided to put him on skis in Connecticut. He did just as well on skis and I think Chris may have cried he was so proud to see his little man skiing. Like father like son, Austin threw a tantrum when it was time to go in.

Le Petit Prince

2008-03-02T11:44:00.003-05:00

'Look mama, I skateboard too!'

I know they're a lot of the same picture over and over, but Austin was having a great time with the crown he had made in school last month. I finally got a box to store all his projects in and when they all resurfaced he took favor with this one. I just love his imagination these days and all the art work he creates at school and at home. He could spend the entire day painting and coloring if I let him. I'm looking forward to it getting less messy at this point, but I am really amazed with the things he creates and all on his own.

He's really getting so big. The other day at the Farmer's Market he saw a little girl (maybe 5 or 6) zooming around on her Heelys, you know the sneakers with the wheels in the soles. Well he wanted to skate so very bad, just like the girl and he would run, run, run! and stop short and say 'Look at me mom, I skateboard too!' Now I ask myself, at what age do I introduce him to a skateboard or Heelys? I think we should stick with skiing and swimming, then work our way to the less gentle fall, more bone breaking, hard surface hitting sports.

P.S. His rash seems to be getting a little better. He has a follow up appointment Tuesday, we'll see how it goes.

We Caught the Sun

2008-02-27T22:42:00.003-05:00

Caught him taking a breather

SO!!! Excited to have the sun out.

Ready to slide

'Yummy big, big carrots and juicy 'matoes...'

Still has that sweet little face, always my baby.

Austin and I caught the sun being warm Monday. On our way back from the dry cleaners we decided to make a pit stop at the neighborhood park. It was nice to just be outside for more than 5 minutes, the air wash fresh and clean and Austin was having a great time playing. Then we headed home for lunch on the back deck. I even broke out the bubbles and buckets of water to play with. He made mud pies in the back of his Tonka trucks from the potting soil left in the planters on our deck. The day was so pleasant I didn't even mind so much cleaning up the muddy mucky mess when it was time for him to take a nap.

Since then the weather has been gray, cold, dismal and quite frankly plain depressing. Hey little man, at least we had Monday. Hopefully the sun will show us its warmth again soon.

I hope you all enjoy the pictures. If you hadn't noticed, Austin's got a little funky rash going on. It's unfortunately continued to get worse since Monday and the doctors are not quite sure what it is. Come Friday if it hasn't started to clear up we'll have to take him in to see a specialist. No worries though, Austin feels just fine, just a little itchy that's all. Still keep him in your thoughts, hopefully this thing will clear up soon.
I hope this blog finds you all well.

With love, Liz

Solo in San Fran

2008-02-24T23:43:00.006-05:00

Fidel - a.k.a Deli-boy

my ladies

Leah in the hat

Going to market

The Bay Bridge (not the Golden Gate ;o)

Leah, the hat and some coffee

again

China Town

China Town Dim Sum - yum!

I can't believe I was there

My favorite picture from the trip

Muir Woods

Big Tree

love this shot

us in a big tree

Abba and Geo in the same big tree

Us so cute! Fatty in the middle :o)

Ab' and Geo at Sunset

Heaven - the perfect ending to a perfect trip

With two wonderful ladies of course. I enjoyed a quick weekend getaway without my guys in San Francisco last week. Thanks to my lovely hosts Abbey, Geo & Fidel, I was able to get a very good taste of the Bay Area. And yes, by that I mean that I ate half the city while I was there. I'm a little tired and just relieved to be getting a post up for you all to enjoy. I don't feel that I could do any justice to just how tremendous and wonderful this trip was for me by writing right now. So I will spare the details and allow for the photographs to speak for themselves.

I hope you are all well. Thanks, as always, for checking in on us.

Love, Liz

Not worth much of anything

2008-02-19T21:54:00.002-05:00

Yes that's me, not worth a whole lot right now. I am exhausted. Had a fabulous trip to San Francisco and since I've returned I can barely justify rolling out of bed in the morning especially since Austin has begun telling me to go away when I try to wake him up. His new big boy room is THAT cozy.

I know I've failed to reach my 30 pictures in 30 days project, but I do have some great shots for you all. I should have them posted by the weekend. Then I'll try to pick up where I left off. Hopefully we can reach 30 pictures before the baby arrives. Hang in there with me, I have the motivation, just not as much energy as I would like. Not that I'm complaining, I do love having an excuse to take naps and sleep in :o)

Love to all. Liz

I owe you

2008-02-13T07:26:00.004-05:00

She really loves her baby, no matter what she tells you.

He had no idea I had stuck (using static) this balloon to his head.

I know, I owe three photos as of today. I hope to get one up there, though I'm preparing for a trip today and may not get around to it. No these darling photos don't count because I took them the same time I took Day 7's photo.

The weather is so crappy here. My dear husband spent (and I'm not kidding or exaggerating here) 4 hours and 14 minutes in the car last night trying to get home. If any of you have visited or lived in Annapolis, you know that the town is surrounded by bridges, all of which were CLOSED! last night due to icing. Not to mention that there were accidents on every road into and out of Washington D.C. Maryland and Virginia. It's cold and wet, frozen and messy. I can't wait to get to California.

Day :: 7

2008-02-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

I heart my dog.

My Funny Valentine

2008-02-10T22:48:00.000-05:00

He just loves to be messy. Austin had just woken up from him nap and wasn't in the best of moods. I tried a cupcake to cheer him up, which did the trick until I put the camera in his face... I get this look a lot and it's often followed by him telling me, "No more mom, all done, too bad!" Which translated means, "Please just cut it out already, I've had enough. Get that thing out of my face." Our poor children, I wonder if they'll ever appreciate all these pictures. I like to think they will.

Hope you're all well. Thanks for checking in on us. Lots of love, Liz

Day :: 6

2008-02-10T22:43:00.000-05:00

Trader Joe's Vanilla Bean cup cakes topped with
sweetened crème fraîche and sprinkled with love.

Too few

2008-02-10T11:49:00.000-05:00

There will never be too many moments like this. Chris and I were finished eating dinner and typically end up sitting at the table talking until the A-man has finished his plate. He's been a bit of a picky eater these days, putting up a fight when we feed him anythign other than chicken nuggets and pizza, and this night was no exception. Until Chris and I were done and our plates had been cleared, he surprised us and actually began eating the quesadillas I had made for him, dip, dipping them in the salsa and guac left behind from Chris and I.

Of course Chris and I never give Austin's little miraculous acts like this any attention only because we fear he may stop at once with any sort of acknowledgment. So we continue on our adult conversation paying him no mind, when he decides mid-meal, that he wants to cuddle on daddy's lap and climbed on over from his seat to Chris'. I couldn't grab my camera fast enough. It's just a little moment, but one that I know if you were a fly on the wall in our home you would have thought it was pretty darn cool too. I can't even tell you how fortunate we feel just knowing there will be twice as many moments as these in just 3 short months. So fortunate, so grateful, so blessed.

Day :: 5

2008-02-10T10:58:00.000-05:00

Out for a spin

Such a sluff

2008-02-10T09:34:00.000-05:00

I know, as of today I owe 3 days of photos. I have the pictures, just haven't had the time to post them. Will do today, at some point. We have Austin's 'big boy' room all set up though. I guess that's what's been keeping me so busy. It looks fantastic, I'll share pictures soon. He's so loving it too. I was trying to put him to bed last night and just as I thought he was sound asleep, no movement, no noises, just deep breathing, he'd ask me a pretty darn cute question, so i certainly couldn't get mad at him, I was just so proud that he wasn't more freaked out by the bed.

We bought him this turtle as a gift for transitioning into his bog boy room, actually I think it was more intended as bate to lure him into totally loving the new space we made for him.... regardless it worked out great. He adores his new constellation casting friend and has named him Happy.

Okay enough posting for now. Keep an eye out for the pics :o)

xo Liz xo

because he's cute...

2008-02-07T17:11:00.000-05:00

...and because he just loves "Big giant carrots" more than baby carrots. what a stinker.

Day :: 4

2008-02-07T16:49:00.002-05:00

In my free time...

Day :: 3

2008-02-07T10:17:00.000-05:00

I was a total slacker yesterday and didn't post my pic of the day. Worry not, you'll get a double dose today. I went to bed at 8:30 with a book and a nice warm cup of tea, a real miracle considering I am typically up until at least 1am every night working on my business stuff. I did start a new book last night, not sure how I feel about it yet though, Friday Night Knitting Club. I know one thing, it makes me want to knit...

Day :: 2

2008-02-05T22:32:00.000-05:00

Now that's one use for a classroom chair.

I should really start doing sit-ups

2008-02-05T22:07:00.000-05:00

No that's not a basketball

So after sending out the notice of my personal assignment, I received several requests for photos of me. Here they are friends. Not all that great, I had been working all morning on the computer. I really need to work on the self portrait thing. In my own defense though, I had everything set up to take a few pictures hoping to not have to shoot into the mirror and between the dog and the Austin, my camera was knocked over twice (coming within inches of the fireplace hearth = scary for Liz) and the backdrop was pulled down 3 times so I gave up and headed into the bathroom to grab a shot of myself in the mirror.

This belly is big, well actually it's huge... the scariest part for me is that this little sweetie has more than three months of growing left and quite a few pounds to gain...
I can't wait to see just how big it does get :o)

30 Days of Pictures - Day 1::30

2008-02-04T11:01:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! I am attempting to do a photo every day for the next 30 days and I am trying to experiment a little with my style. At the end of the thirty days I would like to continue posting a picture a day (or more) however I will not overextend commitments, lord knows I've already done that with my New Year's Resolutions :o)

So here's day one, craft time with Aussie-boy. He loves to draw and even better he loves it when we draw for him, little turkey.

count with me now!

2008-02-03T14:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, we are counting. We are counting on two (1,2) very important things right now.

First of all we are counting the number of times Austin goes to the bathroom on the potty. Last night he made a #1 on the potty for the very first time. It didn't actually go into the potty, but he was sitting on the potty when he made it and that's what counts most! Then this morning he wore his big boy underware (which are actually so tiny and so adorable on him ;o) and went #1 again 3 times (count 1,2,3!). He's so awesome. i can't tell you how much of a battle this has been for us. before last night he was petrified to even sit on the toilette. I think his girlfriend Miss Ava had something to do with it though. After seeing her last night and hearing how big she is with no more diapers, he probably figured he could do it too.

I hope to be able to return the box of diapers I bought at Sam's Club yesterday. I know this probably isn't all that thrilling for those of you who do not have kids or those of you who do bit haven't had to touch on potty-training yet... sorry for the potty talk! But I'm just so darn proud of my little man.

The second thing we are now counting on, actually counting down, is the arrival of our little girl! Today marks 100 days until her due date. It's gone so fast as I only have 3 months and 8 days until she's due. Wish me luck on the final 100 days all. She's very active and absolutely loves it when her brother and daddy talk to her. Her nursery is slowly coming together. We've decided on a bird theme for her room, which will be painted a very soft green/blue (depending on the light in the room) with pink accents. The image in my mind is quite nice it just all has to come together now. We actually HIRED painters to paint the bedroom upstairs, which holy smokes is huge for us. We've always painted accept once when we were about to sell the house in Cheyenne. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you we've painted over 20 rooms together.

I have to run, actually to touch up some paint in our new powder room. Hope you're all well. I have a few pictures to post and will do so later, once they have downloaded.

A New Read

2008-02-03T09:31:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to post on a few things I am reading right now. First off, for those who know me I think you'll be very proud to hear that I've finished a book and I'm actually almost through my second one of the year! I hope to read more than one a month this year, but would be happy with that.

I really enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love by, Elizabeth Gilbert. I did think that there were times where she explains things and she sounds crazy (and fully admits it) but didn't give enough information or back story on things for you to actually really feel her emotions. But for the most part it was a very good story and just one of those books that are so easy to read and follow and very entertaining and at the same time very informative on cultures and rituals... yes I really loved it.

The book I am reading right now is The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan. This book has consumed me in so many ways. It has brought me back to being daddy's little girl and has made me cry on more than a couple occasions. She tells her story, of how she as a mother of two, was diagnosed with breast cancer and just as she is recuperating from chemotherapy her father is diagnosed with cancer for the third time. She's stuck in the middle place, where she won't accept loosing her father as an option and steps up as a parent for her parent, but also is at a point in her life where she needs to be her mom and dad's little girl still because of the battle she's fighting with cancer. I do it no justice, really, it's fantastic and I urger you all to buy it and read it. Most of you will probably breeze through it in one night. I was lucky enough to meet Kelly at a special night out (one of my 'cultural' activities) book reading and signing of hers. One of my friends went to school with her and organized the whole get together. She read from the book and there wasn't a dry eye in the place.

The third read I have just discovered is my new favorite mommy's blog Soule Mama. She's a mom of three in Portland, ME and has a book being released in April on raising a creative family. I really just love her style of writing and her photography. I think I may copy her current project, 30 days of pictures.

Hopefully you look into these reads that have all in their own ways, brought a certain level of inspiration to me.

A New Post

2008-01-22T14:02:00.000-05:00

So I've gotten a few requests for an update on this here blog. Most days I'm not quite sure what to write about. Today is one of those days. Austin has one heck of a cold so we've been camping out inside all day just praying he gets better soon so maybe I can sleep at night again. I stay up not because I have to, but because I worry about our little man. The cough he has right now sounds so ferocious you might think that there is a hungry lion living within my darling little boy. Every time he coughs I wince because I know it can't feel good, not with a sound like that. So I stay up not because he's coughing all night but because if he might start to cough I want to be sure I'm right there to comfort him and let him know it's okay.... so I'm tired, but that's not unusual.

The docs say I'm anemic with this pregnancy, mildly anemic, so I'm only allowed to speak mildly about it I guess. I'm only permitted to be slightly freezing while wearing several layers of clothing and take short naps because that's what mildly anemic individuals are supposed to do.. I guess. Not that I'm complaining, God knows I am thankful for not being entirely anemic, I can't imagine being any more freezing, tired or light headed on a day-to-day basis than I already am. Really, I am thankful for only being mildly anemic.

Austin has this new thing that he says and I'm really not quite sure where he gets it from, Chris cannot figure it out either. If there's something he doesn't want or just feels very strongly about something he now says in a very strong tone "Too bad!" Did they teach him this at school? Like rather than just using 'NO' our son now says "Too bad!" completely out of context. Is there a book they read him that had every other line is "too bad!"? I just hope he's not trying to say stupid, which is not a word used in our home. Dumb is the preferred word when referring to something not so smart or not really to our liking... Not too sure about this all folks... if any of you know clue me in. I know he likes saying it because it's every other sentence out of his mouth and I hate to correct him because really he does sound so sweet and it's so much better that the "na" and "no" we had been receiving from him.

So I was thinking about my New Year's resolutions and was wondering if I've actually stuck to any of them. Here's an update for you all, I think I'm doing alright.

1. Become more culturally active in my communities (i.e. Annapolis, D.C. and Baltimore)
Week one I took Austin into D.C. to the National Natural history museum.
Week two I was away in Maine so didn't really stick to it that week
Last week I went to a book reading/signing for The Middle Place with some girlfriends downtown here in Annapolis
This week I intend to see the Ansel Adams exhibit at the Corcoran gallery

2. Become more active physically
Ummmm... yeah no. I've only been on a few walks since the New Year. I was supposed to go to the gym we're joining today to get all signed up but with Austin being sick I canceled the appointment. I will get to this.

3. Read more books (and finish them), watch less TV
Okay so I've completely stuck to this one and really enjoying my evenings so much more now. I'm just such a slow reader, I now have a stack of books to get to... I'm hoping to finish this one book before February rolls around.

4. Get my business fully functioning before little Miss arrives
Doing very well with this although the process only seems to get longer. I should have my site ready to go live in a week, will have a big announcement once that happens.

5. Live greener - walk a little lighter on this earth
yes, taking care of this one as best I can right now. It just made me sad that it costs so much to really be as responsible as you can be. I think because Chris and I want this badly enough for our family, it will happen, it's just going to take some time and financial readjustments... sad that it comes down to $

6. Spend less money - have less stuff
Yes spending less money and still in the process of having less stuff. Dropped off 2 bags of old jackets to Goodwill yesterday. May the purge continue.

7. Get organized
As I said, let the purge continue

8. Print, Frame and Hang
Maybe next week?

9. Less junk food, more fresh food, no fast food
Okay, so here's one that I've done very well with. I still have a sweet tooth for a little candy here or there, but hey, I'm pregnant what can I say? More fresh food yes, enjoying lots more fruit, salads and only had fast food when we were traveling up to Maine, a very long drive with very few alternatives to fast food.

10. Write more letters
Yes! Have written many relatives I don't have the chance to speak with on the phone very often. I even mailed some pictures to a few of them.

Alright, so Austin is now not keeping anything down, but his fever dropped from 103.1 to 100 degrees, so maybe he just had to hurl the sick out of him. Well wish me luck tonight and wish my little boy well. He wants so bad to play with his friends and go to school. Poor little guy.

Hope you're all doing well and get a wonderful night's sleep tonight... do it for me.

First Day of School

2008-01-05T21:58:00.000-05:00

Austin started school Thursday and absolutely loves it! Gave me a kiss on my way out the door and was on his way learning new things all afternoon. When I arrived to pick him up I was a little early, so I decided to wait in my car outside his classroom window, just to peak in and see how he was doing, you know inconspicuously. Well that worked for all of 10 seconds when he noticed my car outside. He made me feel so good, started jumping up and down saying "Ma-ma! Ma-ma!" So I went inside and he took my hand to show me all the things he had done that day, played with monies (the play cash register), read a story, made a hat (a sparkle filled crown with his name on it), I was so proud of our little man.

On the way home he couldn't stop telling me everything from snack time to circle time and singing. We were certainly hesitant to put him into school this early, but we're very glad we did and feel so good about this program. We are all so excited for Tuesday. Here are a few pictures just before we left for school. Chris was able to see him off as he took the day to work from home, felt a little under the weather that day. Seems I may have picked up on the bug he had, but really what else is new? I'm just thankful that Austin feels well.

Hope you enjoy the post. I wanted to thank all of you who sent us warm wishes during the holidays, it's always so great to get cards from friends and family you haven't heard from or seen in a while. Looks like everyone had a great 2007. Hope 2008 brings you even more blessings.

Love, Liz and the gang

Ha, ha, ha! Just stop it, it hurts!

2008-01-05T12:49:00.000-05:00

This is what the computer had to say about Chris' blog. Fantastic! Really now, how do they come up with this?

Fast Payday Loans

What the computer thinks of my blog

2008-01-05T12:41:00.000-05:00

Well now, doesn't this just make me feel smart. Good going computer! Not sure how you come up with this, but boy you've made me feel so intelligent ;o)

Fast Payday Loans

Resolutions

2008-01-05T08:54:00.000-05:00

I read a friend's resolutions a couple days ago on her blog and just can't seem to stop thinking about my own now. I had only decided on a few, however she (like she always does) inspired me. So i decided to take on a few more. I debated whether to post these or not, but I haven't written them down and well to be honest there sort of just floating around in my head at the moment and nothing has really stuck. So this is an attempt for me to get things to stick, to work. I find that each year I spend so much time worrying about whether I'll keep to my resolutions, when all it comes down to is this. All my resolutions are activities, changes in my lifestyle or commitments that make ME feel good about myself, so why should I not stick to them? Really it's a no brainer, but I think most of you can probably agree that changing our routines is not always fun, even if it is easy, sometimes it just feels good to not have to process a thought in a different way. Alright now I'm babbling, bit it's really something that's sat heavy on my mind since Christmas.

Here's the list.

1. Become more culturally active in my communities (i.e. Annapolis, D.C. and Baltimore)
I want to see more and broaden my scope of knowledge and what better way to do that than to really embrace the incredible part of the country that we now live in? To add to that thought, I know I can benefit my children by taking Austin to museums, art exhibits, book signings/readings, festivals, concerts and shows even. And I must say that we do all of these things with him now, just not to the extent that I am satisfied with. So my goal is one a week at the very least.

2. Become more active physically
This is one of those no brainer yet easy as pie ones for me. I LOVE WORKING OUT! I love the way it makes me feel, I love the results and I love being able to steal away and relax whether it's walking with my iPod going or taking a relaxing Yoga class. I sleep better, I crave healthier foods and I am a happier person overall because of it. So why don't I do it every day? I don't someone answer that one for me please. We're joining a gym that has an activity area for children. I think it's important we become more active as I don't want our kids being little home bodies, I want them to kick and scream at the end of the day when we have to go inside.... active kids you know?

3. Read more books (and finish them), watch less TV
Cutting back on television is not a difficult thing for me especially since all the writers are on strike. I do enjoy watching a few movies with Chris every week, but I think we choose movies that are good, and by that I don't mean like they make you laugh, I mean that they are movies that we can watch together and comment on the cinematography techniques, direction, story structure, character relationships and overall artistic attributes, not just the ones that are as my brother puts it "fun rides." But what kills me is that I can never get into reading full time. It's either all or nothing for me, like last night for example. My sister-in-law Melissa gave me two books for Christmas (thanks so much by the way) and I picked up the lighter read of the two Eat, Love, Pray and could not put it down. So I was up until 2 a.m. reading. But get this, I couldn't even finish reading Tuesdays with Morrie the entire time we spent in Memphis. I am a slow reader and unless every page makes me turn to the next I guess I just can't find it in myself to finish it. Morrie did that though and I just didn't get the chance to finish it. I do well with short stories. Suggestions welcome please. A.M. Homes rocks my world, I like David Sedaris and pretty much anything my bro sends me.

4. Get my business fully functioning before little Miss arrives
This is probably the most difficult one for me to achieve, for several reasons, one being that it's something I have to do alone and one that I am doing for no one else but myself. I'm not always good at doing things for myself and have actually been tempted to empty my business checking account on buying things for others. I know in the long run that my family will benefit from this, a working Liz is a happy Liz, but my biggest challenge is allowing myself the time to get all my business ducks in a row without feeling guilty that I haven't taken my eyes off the computer for a couple hours. I think now that the little man has school during the week this will allow me to get over that and get work done while he's out of the house. Oh and I also want to redesign my workspace, it just isn't working right now.

5. Live greener - walk a little lighter on this earth
We've done a good job with this one already, but there's so much more to do! And yes, I feel great knowing that we use less energy, that our cars have low CO2 emissions, that we reuse and recycle. I would like to support our local farmers more (yes as you discussed Laura) take mass transit or walk whenever possible, make the house more environmentally friendly and support our local businesses more and the big "marts" less.

6. Spend less money - have less stuff
I don't think this one needs a lengthily explanation. Less is more and that's another thing that makes me feel good and is easy to do. I get a thrill out of not spending anything for several days on end. this may be a challenge though with all the activities I plan on us taking part in :o) So I guess it's better if I say, spend less money on material items.

7. Get organized
Again, less is more. We live in a small house and have way too much stuff that we do not need.

8. Print, Frame and Hang
My artwork, that means I need to photograph more than my adorable kid and other adorable kids, and yes that makes me feel great.

9. Less junk food, more fresh food, no fast food
We did it last year for about 8 months, then lost site and 'got too busy' to bother on focusing in on it anymore. Another easy one, lets just stick to it this time. The greatest thing is that Austin actually prefers fruit over chips and broccoli over french fries.

10. Write more letters

That's it!!! Wish me luck, can't wait to hear your feedback.

Love, Liz

Happy New Year Everyone!

2008-01-03T14:00:00.000-05:00

The Saucier Clan

Austin, Josh & Sam

Decorating with candy is so Yummy!

With a little help from his big cousins!

Santa may have over done it this year...

Stockings hung with care, even Hannah got one this year.

Austin's reaction when he first saw all the presents.

Opening one from Santa

Going for a cruise on his new Scooter

The Birthday girl

The yum-a-licious cake

The spread

We made it back from the south just fine. Our Christmas in Memphis was just incredible thanks to my in-laws, Dana and Gloria, they truly know how to make their company feel comfortable and right at home. I was so thankful for Gloria's wonderful cooking and for all the help they gave us with Austin. He really took to his Memere and Pepere this time around and cannot wait to see them again.

It was also such a treat to see all the nieces and nephews. It's amazing how quickly they grow and how well they all get along with one another. Austin just adores them and and was so pleased to get so much time playing with them all. There was never a dull moment for us.

I think that the pictures speak for themselves. Santa was extremely good to Austin, Anne and Rebecca when he visited Memere and Pepere's house (yes those are only the gifts for half of the grandkids as the other 3 stayed at Karen and Dave's place).

Austin's most candid reaction to a gift was when he opened his Leap Frog first computer, he let out a little shriek and made us all laugh. He sees Chris and I on our computers all the time, I guess it was about time he got his own. He's done very well with it and loves using the mouse. What lucky kids I tell you! And what lucky parents we are to have such great kids.

Besides having a blast playing with his cousins, grandparents and all his new toys, Austin really enjoyed decorating his (and mine or that matter) first Ginger Bread House. He really did a fantastic job with help from the pros Anne and Becca, I've never seen such a yummy and beautiful house before.

Our trip concluded with a Surprise Birthday Celebration for Gloria. Karen and Cathie did such a fantastic job pulling the whole thing together. It was a great success, guests all had a wonderful time and (my favorite) the cake was to-die-for! Happy Birthday Gloria, you are loved so much by so many and this was the least we could do to show our appreciation for all that you do for us year in and year out. We love you!

Well we hope that your New Year has gotten off to a fantastic start. We have so much to be thankful for this year and so much to look forward to. Enjoy the photos and hope to hear from all of you very soon.

All our love, Liz and the gang

Happy Holidays

2007-12-15T09:52:00.000-05:00

Well the Holidays are in full swing and I have just about finished my preparations. Now I can sit back and enjoy time spent with family and friends. Austin has been quite entertaining this season, knows Santa well and exactly what he would like Santa to bring him, a Red Dinosaur and a Green Dinosaur :o) Our sweet little man is really into the season, and honestly... Chris and I are even more into the spirit now than we ever have been in the past.

This doesn't make it easy on us though in one way. It hurts my heart to spend Christmas away from many family members. There are traditions that we have established for our small family of 4 (soon to be 5 :o) ) but it is always nice to return to those traditions we grew up with. So this is to all of our loved ones that will be far from us this Christmas. Know you and the traditions we have shared over the years remain in our hearts and have become part of our little Saucier family tradition. It's as exciting to think of Christmases to come for me, as it is enjoying the season we are currently in. But that's just Liz, the dreamer.... it's just in my blood.

Merry Christmas to all of our loved ones, that's you!

Surely lots of pictures to come very soon.

Pink, pink, pink!!!

2007-12-10T17:21:00.000-05:00

It's pink! 100% positively sweet little girl. Chris and I could not be more thrilled. Austin? Well I think he's still digesting the little alien he saw on the television in the doctor's office. He was entirely convinced I was going to get 'BIG OUCHIES' and only settled a little when the technician gave him a few chocolate covered pretzels.

Everything else looks beautiful. Her heart and brain were visible and look fantastic, but she wouldn't budge enough for the doctor to get a good shot of her spine, so I'll be going back in 4 weeks when she's a little bigger to verify that indeed everything looks good with her spine. The doctor assured me that had there been anything wrong with the spine, it would have shone in her brain, so that was settling for me.

So now the big question, what will we change the blog name to.... :o) I thought I would ask for your suggestions, please get as creative, funky and fun as you want. We love you all and cannot wait to hear what you come up with. Thanks so much for checking in!

All our love!!! (and even a little more today)

Liz, Chris, Austin, baby girl and Hannah too!!!

Love

2007-12-09T00:01:00.001-05:00

I took a few photos at our friend's Dave and Heather's wedding... back in October... I've finally gotten to editing them and this is the one I have fallen in love with. They are family to us and it makes us all so happy to see them officially together forever.

The wedding was amazing. It was the first overnight Chris and I had away from Austin. We went out to the bars after the reception, something I haven't done in a while. Although I was not drinking, I had so much fun anyway. Heather and Dave both have incredible families and it was so nice to get to see them all again.

Chris and I had an unforgettable time, but were both so excited to get back to our little man.

So many congratulations to you. Thanks for the fabulous time! We love you both.

All, check back with us Monday to see if we'll be shopping pink or blue for the new nursery.

Worth the wait?

2007-11-07T21:04:00.000-05:00

Hello friends and family! I hope that our news finds you all healthy and happy. I know it's taken me so, so long to notify you all of our big news. I apologize for stringing you along for so many months, but I know no one lost sleep over it... at least I hope you didn't.

Let's cover the good news first. Chris got several fantastic job offers from different consulting companies. The company he had been favoring throughout the interview process ended up showing him the utmost respect and made him a fantastic offer, one he just couldn't walk away from. So starting on the 12th of this month, Accenture will be graced with my wonderful husband's talents, passion and presence :o) Congrats love, I know it was a long road getting to this point, but you did it!

Now for the great news. Austin's going to be a big brother! And boy is he thrilled about that. I am currently 13 weeks 3 days pregnant and so glad to not be in my first trimester still. The first three months were very hard, unlike my pregnancy with Austin, I was sick almost every day, all day and actually lost a few pounds. I began feeling better over this past weekend and managed to get the flu or some sort of nasty cold. So I am really looking forward to kicking this thing so I can start enjoying this little one and my big boy.

Not really showing yet, though I feel like a bloated tick (no I'm not sparing the details). Our next appointment is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I absolutely LOVE the practice I am going to, thanks to my dear friend Mandy. We will be finding out if it is a boy or girl, I just can't stand the suspense and always love buying clothes a year out on 75% off racks. I don't think we're going to share the name this time though. Too many people know/knew someone they didn't like with 'that name' and I think we would rather just deal with those issues between the three of us, although I don't think Ausitn will have too much of that going on, he pretty much loves everyone. We would love suggestions, as the second baby seems a lot harder than the first. My Leah called today and suggested two names (jokingly) she had heard at her Yoga studio. One of the instructors named her first Karma and her second Lotus.... all suggestions are welcome :o)

So here are a few pictures the doctor took at our first appointment. How adorable huh? I was only 11 weeks and you could already make out hands and legs, eyes and the umbilical cord. Technology is really amazing!

Speaking of, we don't have a scanner, maybe Santa will bring us one. These are pictures I took of the ultra-sound pictures with my camerra. If anyone knows of a great Scanner/copier/fax machine/printer all in one, we'd love suggestions on that too.

Love to all, thanks for stopping in. So tell me was it worth the wait?

xoxo Liz, Chris, Austin, baby & Hannah xoxo

This One's for the Boys

2007-10-17T19:43:00.000-04:00

We've been in Connecticut for almost a week now and having a great time! Especially little A-man. Holy cow do you we have some handsome boys or what? Austin absolutely adores all his cousins. His newest 'trick' is becoming an owl. can't you see the resemblance with those owl eyes (the hands cupped around his sweet little eyes). He runs around hooting and encourages others to be owls with him. I was amazed that I actually got a few good pictures of these guys. Typically they are so used to having my camera pointed in their face they avoid me at all costs :o(

Enjoy the photos, I now that Grammy and Memere will! Miss you all. Huge news coming very, very soon... I promise, it's all worth the wait.

A little bit of fun

2007-10-04T17:45:00.000-04:00

My friend Sam did this on her blog, I thought it was fun... Thanks Sam!

Goodnight Blessings

2007-09-24T20:56:00.001-04:00

It's such a blessing for me to walk in an hour or so after bedtime to find the sweetest little man in the world, sleeping so contently in his crib. It is such a blessing to me to know our son is healthy, smart and sometimes terrible in his 2s, but even that's a blessing. Each moment as a mom, although some days are tougher than others, is such a blessing.

It is a blessing for me on the nights that Chris takes on tub-time duty, bed time duty, story time duty and vitamin and brush your teeth duty. But is is truly one of God's gifts to me to encounter this. I was a fly on the wall, enjoying story time with them and watching the different ways Chris makes Austin smile. I am so blessed. Goodnight everyone, may you realize your blessings too.

Ice Cream + Austin = Love

2007-09-20T20:39:00.000-04:00

Well I can't get him to drink milk any more because he thinks that milk is just for babies. Ever since we took his bottles away, he won't even touch the stuff! And trust me, I try every day! The only way I can get any calcium in him is through frozen yogurt and ice cream. I know all my fellow mommies out there are thinking, "I wonder if she's tried..." cheese? yes, calcium fortified juice? yes, yogurt? yes, cottage cheese? yes! And nothing works! Accept his daily vitamins and this wonderful sugar filled creamy goodness we like to refer to as ICE CREAM! and isn't he just a doll stuffing his face with it? He was a good boy today so I added sprinkles.

Love to all, Liz

John Deere rocks!

2007-09-20T13:37:00.000-04:00

Austin enjoyed driving Pop-pop's John Deere this weekend. I think Daddy had a little bit of fun too.

A New Little One

2007-09-20T09:58:00.000-04:00

Laura and I headed off to my aunt Mary-Ellen's for a wonderful shower for Heather and her soon to be baby-love, Liam. It was so wonderful to see all the ladies of my mom's side of the family again. We've always been so close and this once a year bit never seems to be enough for me.

Heather got so many beautiful gifts, from adorable clothes and handmade blankets to all in one strollers and plenty of things to entertain the little man from one day to one year and beyond. The greatest part for Laura and I was seeing how excited Nathaniel was about his soon to be baby brother. He was a huge help (along with cousin Tori) delivering and unwrapping gifts. Nathaniel is such an amazing kid, so respectful and kind, I know he'll make the best big brother a baby could ask for.

It would be remiss for me not to mention how fabulous the food was, I ate so much I was full for two days after! Thanks so much for the great party ladies. I can't wait to see you all again soon. I wish I had taken more pictures of the rest of us, but I must say, I captured the most beautiful part of the party!

Love to all, Liz

At The County Fair

2007-09-19T20:43:00.000-04:00

We all had such a blast at the County Fair last week. Austin enjoyed eating chicken fingers in the grass, screeching with delight on the rides, mooing with the cows, clucking with the chickens and oinking with the pigs. His favorite part though was the vintage tractor display.

I wish you could all see how quickly he's developing these days. He says pretty much everything, and if he can't say it, he'll babble something with the same amount of syllables. He's saying 4-5 word sentences (not always of course) and can communicate most everything with us, thank goodness.

Sorry the updates have been few and far between, I have another coming soon, pictures from our awesome weekend to Long Island. Love to all!

Liz & the crew

Welcome Football season!

2007-09-09T23:24:00.000-04:00

We had a quick, but fun adventure at our church picnic this afternoon. Austin let us know it was time to leave by telling us he wanted to go to mama's white car... a first considering he never wants to leave fun, food and friends. Shortly after we got home, we found him in this position. Another first, he never sleeps outside his room, unless it's in his car seat. Our poor guy must have been totally wiped. Although I think he may have stayed awake had we had a game on.

Hope you're all well, sorry for the delay in updates, we've been busy.... I promise, more to come on that soon.

Love, Liz

Maine Sweet Maine

2007-08-21T22:41:00.000-04:00

The Blog was just screaming for an update! Seeing that picture of Chris on his last day of work seems like ages ago. Things are going well with us. We'll update you on everything once plans are finalized. For now, we're taking a wonderful break in Maine! Chris and I have quickly come to realize that this is a favorite destination for all of us.

Enjoy the pictures! Miss and love to all.

xo Liz xo

The End of an Era

2007-08-09T22:24:00.000-04:00

Some of you may not know that Chris has decided to separate from the Air Force. His terminal leave has already begun (just after his surgery 2 weeks ago) and tomorrow will mark his official farewell at a luncheon being held in his honor.

I can't speak on his behalf, but I'm pretty sure he'd agree... I believe the Air Force has given us so much more than a paycheck and great benefits. The Air Force is in no way just a job, it's a way of life, a life Chris and I have lived while dating, engaged, married, pregnant, mourning, moving, changing.... We met friends we consider our family, jobs we hated and jobs we loved. All the way we were changed for the best, we knew what and who to appreciate more, we grew closer to family while living further apart and most importantly we grew from a young couple in love into a family. We're taking away some of the greatest and some of the hardest times we will ever know. The Air Force has been good to us. We have some pretty big plans, and even bigger dreams, so get ready gang, we're gearing up for quite an adventure (more on that to come).

I am so proud of all that you have done serving our country Chris. Thank you love, I'm honored to say that you're my husband and my hero.

Taken on his last day of work.

Giggles with grammy & pop-pop

2007-08-09T22:01:00.000-04:00

Karate kicking bubbles with Bo-be

Lovely Laura relaxing with a book

At 6'5" Bo-be's never too big for the kiddie pool, especially when Austin's around.

Horray for more birthday cake! (this was his 4th, lucky duck!) So nice of Grammy to make her specialty, Strawberry shortcake, just for the little man.

Mmmmm! Nuuummmm!

Splash time with Grammy

Splash time with Pop-pop

I remember being at the same place, at the same age with my mom. It's such a gift to be able to take Austin to all the beaches I grew up on.

Harbor-side Maidstone Beach, where I learned to swim.

The last leg of our trip last month (I know it's taken me forever to blog these wonderful memories) was to my hometown, East Hampton, to get some quality time with Grammy, Pop-pop, Bo-be and Laura. We spent a good bit of time on the beach, despite the rain and had a blast playing in the backyard with all the new toys!

Blogging Blues

2007-08-05T09:40:00.000-04:00

I'm a tad disappointed in myself for being so relaxed with my blog posts. I honestly have been working day-in and day-out on design stuff, which is wonderful because it means I am that much closer to having my photography business up and running.

Where most professional photographers hire designers to design their sites, business cards, stationery head, logos etc, I have decided that rather than taking out a small business loan to do all this, I would take care of it myself. I am working with a wonderful artist who is helping me with my logo design for the company, she is extremely talented and a close friend of my family.

So I apologize for not posting recent pictures of the baby. I have a ton of great pictures that I will get to very soon. We had such a blast in Maine and East Hampton and I can't wait to share our memories with all of you.

Wish me luck with all of this.

A few of my favorite people

2007-08-01T14:49:00.000-04:00

I had a chance to photograph a few of my favorite people while in Maine. Lucky me!

Miss Maddy, Jen & Matt

Mad-dog M

M#1 & M#2

Little Miss 'T'

Bouncing baby 'C'

Beautiful 'M'

Austin's Birthday Party

2007-07-24T18:19:00.000-04:00

We had a great time entertaining friends and family at Austin's #2 Birthday celebration. The kids all had a blast getting moms and dads wet during the water fight, looks like that's going to be a tradition for us. Austin was so surprised with everyone singing to him, he just beamed with happiness.

I can't believe our little man is two already. The past few weeks have been monumental for him, he's actually begun to speak in 3-word sentences and can count as high as ten, though he usually stops around five. He's taking to family and friends much better these days, not so shy or bashful as he was.

Enjoy the pictures! Love to all, Liz

Ava and Austin

2007-07-24T17:57:00.000-04:00

Austin enjoys having his friend Ava over for snack time. She and Austin get a long so well together and he's always pooped after an afternoon of play with a friend. Here are a few pictures I took about a month ago. Isn't she a doll? I know it's been a while since my last post. I have a ton of catching up to do, so please be patient with me....

Having Fun in Maine

2007-07-16T22:49:00.001-04:00

This is Chris, posting for Liz as she doesn't have a great internet connection.

Visiting the fire station with Liz's cousin Curtis (who actually is a fireman)

What kiddo doesn't like fire trucks?

Hannah going for a boat ride

Who wants to play ball?

Another Year Older

2007-07-13T09:23:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe but our little guy is another year older. The photos from his party are on their way, but in the meantime here's a couple of videos for you. I am still in Maine and don't have easy access to the internet but hope to catch up soon.

Parker Ryan

2007-06-28T21:41:00.000-04:00

Remember this belly?

Meet the little man who was hiding inside.

Parker Ryan came 7 weeks early, weighing a whopping 5 lbs! He's got a name for the NFL and so far he's cut out to follow in his daddy's footsteps. Parker is the healthiest (and cutest) premature infant I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. He has such a calm demeanor and saying that he adores his mamma is a huge understatement. I had such a pleasant experience photographing this little one. Austin and I just love him to bits, and I was so fortunate to have some time alone with him and his mommy to take pictures. He looks so much like his dad, I can't wait to grab a couple of shots with the two of them together. Congrats you guys! We couldn't be happier for you. Parker is such a blessing.

Thanks for popping in.

xoxo Liz xoxo

Academy walks

2007-06-22T21:29:00.000-04:00

Austin and I often take walks at the Naval Academy here in Annapolis. These days, he's the one walking me. Just a few months ago, I was pushing him around in his stroller, total role reversal, I guess this is just the beginning of that... I may not get the desired workout when we go now, but I sure am wiped out chasing after this guy for a couple hours.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Love, Liz

Have we forgotten?

2007-06-21T07:46:00.001-04:00

My brother is a Tulane University alumni, and I believe he found his soul while studying down in New Orleans. I wonder if it weren't for him, would I have already forgotten about all that happened when Katrina hit, all the struggle and heartache that city has gone through since then and the uphill climb they still have in front of them?

It's hard for me to follow the news everyday and often both my husband and brother are my eyes to the world outside building blocks and toy trains. I know the media has significantly slowed it's coverage in New Orleans, in essence dimming the 'Katrina Disaster' light shown to the country. Because we are such a media driven country, we turn our attention to Paris Hilton in jail and Katie Holmes second pregnancy.

I know I am as much to blame for being complacent as the next person. In my heart I know there are things we can all do to help the people of New Orleans. My brother sent me this graphic novel on New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. Even in the smallest way, I hope this blog post helps, that maybe it reminds us all and maybe hurts the heart a little and makes you want to do something more again.

I know many of you are helping and are probably reading this thinking 'how dare she assume no one's doing anything!' Well let us know what you're doing and how the rest of us can help by leaving a comment here on my blog for the hundreds of readers who frequent my site on a daily basis, although small it will make an impact.

Thanks all for stopping by! Love to all, Liz

Sprouting up

2007-06-13T23:50:00.000-04:00

Austin is growing so fast! I measured him a month ago and he was 36". Today I measured him at 38". No wonder the poor guy is so cranky these days! I took this picture of him today, he looks so much like a big kid, it breaks my heart. Just goes to show you, no matter how hard you try to not rush through the 'little' stage, there's no stopping them from growing into big boys.

I can't decide who he looks like in this picture, Chris or I? Let me know what you think.

Love to all, Liz

Wyoming Days

2007-06-12T23:23:00.002-04:00

Austin and I returned to his birthplace, Cheyenne, WY over the weekend. We went to surprise one of my dearest friends Mary and her family as two of her three amazing children (can't call them kids anymore) graduated, one from high school the other from college. So we decided we just could not miss the party and headed on out to the wild west.

Here are the pictures I took on my camera (actually it's Chris', I left mine at home this time). I'm hoping to get pictures form the many other photographers I spent the weekend with, including lovely Miss Beth (her camera rocks, I had a ton of fun with it this weekend) and the great photographer who now sits at my old desk in my old office, Shelly.

Beth, Sam and sweet little Reagan put up with our shenanigans this weekend, lord bless them, and thank them. They are truly so giving and such wonderful hosts. Thanks so much guys for letting us crash your pad!

Austin playing with "kitty" Sophie.  She's a small pup who makes up for her size in personality, I cried laughing many times at this sweet little dog over the few days we were there.

We had a lunch date with Miss Kenlie and her mommy Jaimel.  Jaimel and I were coworkers and revisited our usual lunch joint, Guadalajara's.

Please Lord, please ask these people to take down the Christmas lights from our old home.  And tell those girls to quit smoking out my baby's nursery window.

A web log reunion!  Tammi, Beth and I out at the stadium.  Tammi took part in the Walk for Life.  Great job Tammi!

Austin and Evan playing in the parking lot dirt at the stadium.  These two have a lot in common, not only are they the stars of oh so popular blogs, they were born 3 days apart!

Tanner, Evan and Austin having snack time.  Evan and Tanner are great at sharing!

Austin playing ball with Mary!  I couldn't get over how green everything was.  Typically it's all brown and dried up by June.

After a great breakfast with our friends Bo and Barbara, I took Austin over to the Depot.  This was the only train to be found at the 'Cheyenne Depot Days Festival.'  A little disappointing, but Aussie had so much fun all the same!  'Look out for the broken beer bottle by that choo-choo buddy!'

The Fahrer clan at Luke and Erin's graduation party.  I think little Brady dropped his soda cup.

Austin and Brady painting Aunt Mary's fence with water.

Austin enjoying a piece of Luke's graduation cake.  It went in and came out the same color blue, quite an interesting diaper experience.

A visit with Austin's all time favorite baby-sitters, Priscilla and Frank. It was so great spending some time with them and Sandy. Hope to see you all again soon.

Roses are Red! mama

2007-06-12T22:47:00.000-04:00

We are back in town! After a few days spent with great friends in Wyoming, Austin and I have returned home. He's been having a rough time sleeping lately so today was just a day to catch up and clean up at home. We have a packed schedule the next few weeks with birthday parties, aunt Karen's visit and a surgery!

I'll post pictures of the trip just as soon as I get my camera empty! Hope you're all doing great and as always, thanks for checking in on us.

Love Liz and the crew

P.S. Don't you just love the rose Austin picked for me? What a guy.

My favorite

2007-06-06T18:49:00.000-04:00

This right here, is the absolute best. Nothing in the world could top it. All these pictures were taken within a matter of a minute. Our little guy is growing up so fast and has so much love and laughter to share these days. Chris and Austin took turns tickle-torturing one another, I was so glad to see that Austin can now 'fight' back. He's a lucky guys though, has the best daddy I know!

ahh! ha ha ha.....

hahaha.....

ahhhhhh, ahha!

'okay da-da let me breath!'

'Payback is a dirty diaper, huh dada?'

Chris - 'he laughs like me!'

'hold on bud, let's go get mommy'

'kiss-kiss'

'gentle puppy'

Sweet Hannah is the love of all our lives.

Delightful

2007-06-06T14:12:00.000-04:00

I was delighted and so thankful to photograph my friend and her daughter (Austin's 'girlfriend'). They're both so beautiful and so easy to photograph, it was just a fabulous afternoon. Ava absolutely adores her baby (or belly) and she was very entertaining throughout the entire shoot. Thanks so much ladies, for letting me photograph you both! I can't wait to meet baby-baby in a few weeks and photograph her/him.

Love to all, Liz

Tomato!

2007-06-01T23:30:00.000-04:00

Austin and I had a little date if you will at the park this evening. I brought him there with the hope to capture his 2-year pictures outside. We started off great! Lighting was perfect, but it was a bit hot. We went for a stroll and just like his daddy, Austin heats up fast, and just like his momma, the second he gets the slightest bit warm he starts to resemble a tomato.... poor baby. I didn't get the exact pictures I wanted, but the ones I did get are pretty priceless.

So we cut out of there and went for a joy ride to the ice cream place, thought we could both use a good cool down. All in all I had a great date with my little man.

"Na-na!" Anytime he finds a stick he thinks Hannah would enjoy, he'll pick it up and start calling for her, even if she's 5 miles away inside out house.

Compliments of our great friend Loraine,
Austin's new fav' toy is his train Scarlouey.

I just love this picture. I think a bird caught his eye.

"ye-yo" If there's anything yellow in sight, don't worry, you won't miss it. Austin's on top of pointing out everything yellow these days, including the car down the street, must get that from his uncle Kev.

And another new favorite train, the moo-ing milk cart from memere. Austin adds his own little sound effects when playing with it. He has also taken a liking, or should I say passion, for playing atop tables.

Our little man is growing so fast. We walked around the grounds a bit, I think that's what made him so hot. Not to mention it was 90 here today.

The walk resulted in this sweet little tomato face. Don't ya' just want to eat him?

not so magical bubbles

2007-05-29T23:34:00.000-04:00

Austin has been enjoying the outdoors from sun up to sun down these days. The weather here has just been incredible! Austin loves bubbles so I made up a solution of dish soap, corn syrup and water the other day. According to MARTHA, it's the best bubble solution in the world. We didn't get a single jumbo bubble out of it and now I have to go buy more dish soap. Regardless of my failure to mix up an awesome batch of magical bubbles, Austin had a great time and that's what matters most. It's pretty awesome, he's still young enough to think I'm the best, even when I mess up. My bubbles were still magic to him, even thought hey tasted a little funny. We hope you enjoy the photos and check back soon. xoxo Liz xoxo

'i think mommy did it like this'

'fishin' for my wand, my magical bubble wand...'

'bubbles must taste good if they
come from a bottle!'

'wow! sister! that's no warm milk!
yuck, magical bubbly ick!'

'mamma! get this taste out of my mouth!'

'now that that's been cleared up, back to business
where was I?'

Moo!

2007-05-24T11:22:00.000-04:00

SOCIALISM: You have 2 cows and you give one to your neighbor.

COMMUNISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and sells you some milk.

NAZISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and shoots you.

BUREAUCRATISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both, shoots one, milks
the other, then throws the milk away.

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell your herd and retire
on the profit.

SURREALISM: You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take
harmonica lessons.

AMERICAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You sell one and force the other
to produce the milk of four cows. Later, you hire a consultant to analyse
why the cow has dropped dead.

FRENCH CORPORATION: You have two cows. You go on strike, organise a riot
and block the roads because you want three cows.

JAPANESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You redesign them so they are
one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.

GERMAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You re-engineer them so they live
for 100 years, eat once a month and milk themselves.

SPANISH CORPORATION: You have two cows but you don't know where they are.
You decide to have lunch.

RUSSIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You count them and learn you have
five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them
again and learn you have 2 cows. You stop counting cows and open another
bottle of vodka.

SWISS CORPORATION: You have 5,000 cows. None of them belong to you. You
charge the owners for storing them.

CHINESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You have 30 people milking them.
You claim that you have full employment and high bovine productivity and
arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

INDIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You worship them.

BRITISH CORPORATION: You have two cows. Both are mad.

IRAQI CORPORATION: Everyone thinks you have lots of cows. You tell them
that you have none. No-one believes you so they bomb the shit out of you and
invade your country. You still have no cows, but at least now you are a
Democracy.

WELSH CORPORATION : You have two cows. The one on the left looks very
attractive.

WE'RE BACK!!!

2007-05-22T23:06:00.001-04:00

Well I know it's been a while since my last post, but we've been busy, on the road and in the air. Chris has been busy continent trekking (he's hit three this month) and Austin, Hannah and I have resorted to the life of gypsies, showing up on the doorsteps of unsuspecting relatives and crashing, I mean trashing their homes. We've had a blast and although it's been so nice to be reunited with daddy, we miss our other family members already.

Our first leg of the trip was up to Connecticut to visit Cathie, Jamie and the boys for a week. We were so blessed to take part in Josh's First Holy Communion. His mom and dad sure have a lot to be proud of, as does the rest of the family.

After a full week with the Martin clan, we took the ferry down to New York to spend some much needed time with my mom, Dan, brother Chris and Laura. The weather was crummy, perfect for napping and catching up on some much needed tube time.

This weekend Chris' mom and dad are coming out. I hope to get a ton of yard work done with the creative gardening eye of Gloria. I know Austin's looking forward to seeing Memere and Pepere, he's been gearing up and practicing his hugs and kisses on Hannah, poor dog!

Well we hope you enjoy the photos. As always, we would love to hear from all of you. I will start posting more regularly again... I think....

Love, Liz, Chris, Austin & Hannah

Our new favorite neighbor

2007-05-09T22:07:00.000-04:00

This is Miss Riley, she's the new kid on the block and the queen of cuteness. I took a couple quick pictures of her today while Austin was napping and hope to photograph her a little more with her mom and dad.

Belly shots

2007-05-07T09:19:00.000-04:00

How gorgeous is this? I had such a wonderful time photographing my good friend and neighbor Mandy. She is in her 30th week of pregnancy and is just so perfectly pregnant. Thanks so much for letting me do your belly shots! I can't wait to photograph the baby when he/she arrives!

Lovable, laughable you

2007-05-06T13:04:00.000-04:00

He's really the best thing ever!

Love to all, Liz

Martian invasion

2007-05-02T22:50:00.000-04:00

Okay, so mid-month (April) we had a few of our favorite guests in town, Cathie, Jamie and the boys and no not from Mars, but close, Connecticut.

We had taken gobs, and gobs of photos and well I get overwhelmed when there are gobs to go through. So it's taken me far too long to edit them and get to this post, but here it is. As you can see we had loads of fun and did so much in the short time they were here. We can't wait to see you guys again soon! I love our martians!

Dan-de-lions

2007-05-02T22:23:00.000-04:00

'So how does this work ma-ma? Just blow on it, like this?'

' This isn't quite working for me the way it did for you ma-ma.'

'I 'll just eat it.'

a better view of our newly stained deck

Just after the sick left, still gaining back some energy. I think he may have overcompensated though, there's a bit too much energy now!

At the Park with Billy-the-kid

2007-05-02T22:02:00.000-04:00

Austin and I had such! a great time at the park yesterday with Billy and his mom Erin. It was truly the first time Austin has played tag with someone, as these two chased one another all over Bestgate Park. Austin also learned a little thing or two from Billy about sharing his food, better he learn it from a friend than me pulling my hair out over yet another thing to 'train' him on. Austin is very bored with Chris and I these days, so any day with a friend is a great day especially when that friend is Billy-the-kid.

Sharing so nicely!

Oh the thrill of having a best bud like Billy!

And away we go!

Awww honey-pie, you are driving me frantic

2007-05-02T21:38:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know I'm partial, but let me just start by saying the 'terrible' twos have entered out home with full force. I have been tested many times, hourly, and have come to realize that if I just walk away for 15 seconds or so, I realize how amazing this little being terrorizing my life is! So, with that said, Austin just gets more adorable by the second. Here are a few shots I took last night as he was enjoying watermelon on our newly stained deck (took Chris and I all day Sunday to accomplish, but it was worth it, looks like a brand new deck!).

This first one is my favorite. I just like the way it's framed and that it's not perfectly in focus, shows how non-stop and busy Austin is these days.
This one is pretty close to #1, I just love his eyes in this one.
This is the one that tells the story though, so maybe this is my #1.... which is yours?

All my love, Liz

No more sick & better than ever!

2007-04-27T19:55:00.000-04:00

Well it was a tough go by all, but we made it through! Austin was feeling much better today. It rained for most of the morning but we were delighted to welcome the sunshine in the afternoon. We hung out on the back porch for a bit and enjoy some ice pops, actually I think Hannah enjoyed more of them than we did, we had a fun time all the same. Enjoy the photos!

Chris and I especially like the first one here. It just screams Austin! One last thing before I sign off for the day. I was taking photos of him today, and have never asked him to "Say Cheese!" And as I was taking the top photo he gives me this grin you see and as clear as day says "Cheeeeeese!" So which one of you taught him that huh? I love it, wonder if he picked it up all own his own like so many other things.

Love to all, thanks for checking in on us!

xo Liz xo

Farewell Friends

2007-04-26T23:56:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow will be a sad day for Austin and I as we will be seeing off two of our favorite people here in Maryland. Anyone who's followed my blog knows Austin's buddy Michael and his mom Jen. I had the pleasure of working with Jen at Prudential, we hit it off right from go as we both were military spouses with adorable little boys about the same age. I can honestly say that Austin will miss seeing Michael so much. Michael and Austin learned to play beside one another, to share (germs and toys :o) and even gave their first yelling a match a go with one another. Tonight as I was working on some of the pictures I took at Michael's birthday party this past weekend, Austin was sitting up on my desk (this is what he does now) and began identifying the pictures on my screen and there was no guessing where Michael was.

Well guys farewell for now and I know we'll see you soon! We will miss our lunch dates, Academy walks, Mall-time play and most importantly just your company. I know you all are off to a wonderful start in Jacksonville and I will pray that things will continue to get better with each day. I am just so happy that your family is reunited again after so long apart. Hopefully the Navy will move you closer again and in the near future! Here are a few of my favorite pictures taken from Michael's party this past Sunday. I hope you enjoy them.

A bit yuck

2007-04-26T23:22:00.000-04:00

Our little man has been feeling a bit yuck the past few days. He's had a stomach virus, can't keep anything down and anything he does manage to get down, well we'll just say it makes it's way out in a hurry. He's been a real champ about it all though, tough as can be. After an episode, where matter actually made it out of his nose, I asked him if he was alright and he quickly responded with a "Yeah, yeah mama." I can say I haven't seen Austin sit this still since he was about 4 months old. He actually fell asleep on the floor yesterday, curled up in a little ball, usually he's bouncing off the walls like a ball. A change of pace that didn't last long. Tonight he had his first bit of food in two days, and kept it down. Maybe we'll be able to hit the park tomorrow...

Love to all, Liz

Aiden's Birthday Party

2007-04-24T14:18:00.000-04:00

Here's a few pictures from one of Austin's buddy's birthday party. Aiden's mom Sarah and I work at the same office. Michael and Jen were also at the party and boy did our guys have fun!

White House Egg Roll

2007-04-24T14:11:00.000-04:00

Our friends Nathan and Brenda came upon tickets to the White House Easter Egg roll. Figuring we would never have the opportunity again we took them up on it and had a blast. It was a fantastic event that was very well attended. There were visits by the Easter Bunny (of course) several of the Nickelodeon and Disney characters as well some some of the White House staff and celebrities. We saw Olympic Gold Medalist Kerri Strug and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, among others. Where else can you have the NTSB chairman read you a Thomas the Train story?
Addy had a good time
Bella got her face painted with an Easter Egg

Every train to Austin is a 'choo-choo,' even the Washington Metro
How does this go again?
On your mark....
Get set.....and.....
Go!!! Or you can just stand up and cheer! Austin, you're first in our book!!!
At first he had a hard time figuring it all out, but once he got the hang of rolling the easter egg with a spoon he didn't want to stop. He didn't come in first in his race, but he did pretty well. Mom and Dad were proud.
The Easter Bunny was a little scary
Austin was a little overwhelmed with some of the characters he met....this is Jakers

The First Dogs playing in the Rose Garden. There were a bunch of NPS guys on doggy detail.

Okay nothing makes me more frustrated than losing an entire blog post when I'm trying to catch up. Let's see.... I'm not even going to try... here are the pictures from the Easter Egg Roll at the White house. Lot's more to come (hopefully I don't lose this post too, I'll lose my mind if I do).

Warm weather, where have you gone?

2007-04-17T22:15:00.000-04:00

Oh my are we missing the warmer weather. The past week or more (it seems like an eternity) has been cold and wet and worst of all WINDY! All of you who know us, know we compare harsher weather conditions to our days spent in Wyoming, where the wind sucks not only the air from your lungs, but the soul from your body. It's Wyoming wind we've been having here and I'd rather be in Wyoming taking it, at least it would be dry ;o).

So I stumbled across some pictures Chris and I took one afternoon the week of my birthday when it was sunny and warm and it felt like spring was finally here. It made me long for the warmth again. Austin has learned to be very active on the playground and, well it makes me a bit nervous, just because he'll try everything once, whether mamma's there or not. So most often times all I see at the park is the backside of him. I've taken less photos these days for that reason and also because neither Austin or I have very much fun when the concentration is to get a good shot and not just have a ton of fun.

Have lots more photos to crop still so I'll end it here. Keep checking back and thanks so much for stopping by! Love to all, Liz and the crew

Howard's Egg Hunt

2007-04-15T01:00:00.000-04:00

So anyone who has been to our neighborhood knows we love our community so much. Just recently the Zehe family organized an Egg hunt for all the little ones on the loop. Austin had such a blast and got some great practice in for Easter Day! Unfortunately we had to remove him a bit early from the festivities as he was taking the eggs from the other kid's baskets and throwing them on the ground... well 'cuz I guess it just looks so cool when jellybeans explode from plastic eggs...... yes we are having fun... more than we like to admit. Well I just have to point out that there must be cute and adorable in the water here in our community because my goodness do these kids got it!

Love to all, stay tuned for my next post, The White House Easter Egg Roll

Wicked

2007-04-10T23:04:00.000-04:00

So thank you to my mom and step-dad for inviting us into NYC to see the show 'Wicked.' It was awesome, amazing and just incredible. And thank you to Cathie and Jamie for watching the little man for us and allowing us to have a simply splendid day away.

The show was so great, but what was even better was catching up and spending time with several of my family members. My cousin Heather and her son Nathaniel and my grandpa and his lovely-lady Barbara were able to join us, my brother and Laura and mom and Dan. I truly was a treat! We met up and had a quick lunch before the show at the 'Pig and Whistle' just outside Time Square. They all sand "Happy Birthday' to me and we headed out. The theatre was only a couple blocks from the restaurant, so we all strolled over to the Gershwin to see the show. A great time was had by all and Chris and I are looking forward to bringing Austin in to see the Christmas Spectacular this coming holiday season.

Enjoy the pictures, wish there were more...

A stranger no more

2007-04-10T22:55:00.000-04:00

Hi gang,

I am so sorry we've been so out of touch the past couple weeks. Things have been hectic and it's looking like they may not slow down for quite some time. We've been having a lot of fun though despite all the commotion and of course have pictures to tell our stories for us.

Last week here in Annapolis we were blessed with the most unbelievable weather, low 80's (if not higher) and sun, sun, sun! I was able to take Austin tot he park a couple of days and swore to him that I would leave the camera at home, I think we both have more fun that way.

If we couldn't make it to the park, Austin had a great time playing in his sand box, making many messes for mamma to clean up. It wouldn't be any fun if there wasn't a mess tough right?

Oh! One other thing and I know it's obscene, but I just have to share. We have this huge bird hanging out on our back deck (I have yet to see such creature) who leaves behind, well these massive piles of... well just look at the picture....

Enjoy these photos, there are many more to come. Hope to hear form you all soon and sorry for the delay in posts.

Beautiful Beth

2007-03-26T16:59:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday to my dear friend and fellow mama Beth. She's the friend I never had in Cheyenne and miss so much now that we're gone. Hope you had a superb day miss!

Got My New Boots!

2007-03-20T22:47:00.000-04:00

I had a hard time getting him to take these one's off. Our nephew Ben has a thing for hats, won't take them off even for naps. Austin wanted to take these in the bath with him tonight. I guess he thinks e can splash in the puddles with them, why not try them out in the tub? Every little boy has a fascination with something, my brother's was a toy hammer, I wonder if Aussie's will be his puddle-stompers. Thanks Grammy and Pop-pop for the new Wellies! We had fun playing in the mud with you guys today! I really think Austin's spirit can be seen in these pictures, more so than others. I just love the way they turned out and the good time we had taking them. Oh the great fun we have every day!

Icing on the Cake

2007-03-20T21:54:00.000-04:00

Austin is the best therapy. Even on the hardest days, he never ceases to amaze me. I was feeling a bit glum today and in typical Austin style, he found a way to make his mama smile. So much like your daddy, little man. You my loves are the icing on my cake every day, you both just make life so, so incredibly sweet.

On our way back to my mom's house from visiting her office we stopped to grab a sandwich at the Springs General Store. Grammy was nice enough to get Austin one of their mini cupcakes, perfect for his little hands to hold. I, being the ever so lenient parent, gave it to him right away for the ride home telling my mom, oh he won't make a mess of it, we're just around the corner. The store is not even a 2 minute drive from my mom's house. Well the quick trip gave little Aussie-roo more than enough time to indulge in his decadent miniature chocolate cake. I think the pictures speak louder than these words. No matter how your day is going today, I these photos bring a smile to your face.

More to come soon. Love to you all, Liz

Mmmm! Ice Cream!

2007-03-19T09:57:00.000-04:00

Yum, yum, yum! Austin enjoyed a special treat made just for him by Grammy, a hot fudge sundae. Enjoy the photos!

Love, Liz

Shhh, don't tell daddy

2007-03-16T22:02:00.000-04:00

Happy day all. It was absolutely freezing here today and just plain nasty weather wise. It rained all day and began sleeting once the sun went down. Right now our back porch is a sheet of ice, fun times letting the 'H' out to pee!

Here are a few pictures I took today. Austin loves wearing Chris' Red Sox cap. I had to grab a couple shots of him in it. He told me a little secret though, "Don't tell da-da, I really love the Yankees!"

The World is My Racetrack

2007-03-14T21:09:00.000-04:00

No question about it, he is his pepere's boy! I know my dad is always smiling down on us, but this must make him so proud! Austin LOVES his cars and LOVES to race them. He doesn't actually say 'car' yet, instead he makes a noise like 'wub-wub-wub-wub' the way a race car sounds when it's idling, this child is so darn smart. Then when he puts them into motion he'll make the standard 'car is moving' noise. We had such a great day playing outside in the sun. I've got a cold that's just not letting up, I actually felt worse today than I have since I got it over a week ago. Yuck! Hopefully the sunshine will clear this darn thing up! Enjoy the pictures.

Love, Liz

Post delays

2007-03-13T22:49:00.000-04:00

Sorry all for not being better about the blog. We've been so busy with work these days, during my free time I'm either doing homework or playing with Austin. We have a lot of exciting things happening right now and look forward to sharing everything with you soon.

I'm posting pictures from today and yesterday, skipping over a few special events that happened last week, but will get back to those when I have a little more time to write. We had company (Austin met his first love) and he hosted his first book club meeting. So more of that to come. For now enjoy these shots of our kids playing, Austin trying to aspirate Hannah's nose, the way ma-ma does to him..... the things kids do I tell ya! and a picture of me, in the midst of working on all that I'm working on.... in my new glasses I look so, so much like that awesome writer/producer guy Chris Bernier, I could be his sister. You should check out his work here or here

Love to all, Liz & the crew

Fun with Mac photo booth

2007-03-08T09:53:00.000-05:00

We enjoy the little things in life. This photo booth program never grows old with us, every time we use it I laugh until I cry, these are from last night with Beth and Sam Daane.

Honey, I'm seeing another man.....

Our house guests are from another land, but we love them anyway.

Cheeeeeese!!!

The first web I designed

2007-03-04T22:52:00.000-05:00

Let me know what you guys think. Hopefully soon I'll be able to upload it onto the web as more than a screen shot! It's much more fun to experience it with all the effects I've added in. Love to all, can't wait to hear your feedback. --Liz

Made my day

2007-03-02T14:05:00.000-05:00

I am so in love with Mac! This comic made my day.

Losing interest in LOST

2007-02-28T22:30:00.000-05:00

Now tell me, why has LOST been a total let down for us this season? I almost can't get myself to watch anymore. Could it be that Heroes rocks cable now and LOST has nothing on it? I don't think so. I think LOST has too little mystery these days. Granted a level of mysteriousness still exists, however you no longer feel like the numb-skull idiot that used to wonder about everything, the numbers, the 'Others', the Sawyer, Kate, Jack love-triangle. Ahhh, I miss the days of yelling at the television at the end of the episode, 'You've got to be kidding me! You can't end an episode/season like that! Oh this is so good.' Now the only thing that reels me back in is the preview for next week. Okay, just had to get that out.

Sorry, Austin pictures coming soon.

Love, Liz

Laugh with us.

2007-02-26T23:27:00.000-05:00

Candles

2007-02-26T00:06:00.000-05:00

Laying about hundreds of toys, one can find a small $2 candle in our home. This is Austin's new favorite item. At any given time, over the course of a day, you can find our guy strolling around the house, sitting on the coach or riding on his rocket with his candle in hand. Every so often he'll stop it all to take in a quick whiff, then it's back to his activity still candle in hand.

Come on Academy!!!

2007-02-25T21:45:00.000-05:00

You've got to be kidding me! Cars didn't win, I'm a tad disappointed. We saw Happy Feet as well and though yes it was quite entertaining, it wasn't near what Cars is. We support you Pixar! and thank you so much for giving us Cars!

Wayfarers Welcome

2007-02-24T00:38:00.000-05:00

We were quite busy this weekend enjoying the company of friends and family. Mom and Dan came down from Long Island for a couple days and Angela (one of the few friends from Wyoming we've kept in touch with) came out from Ohio. The weekend started with our routine run to the Amish market where we shared our love for the homemade buttery twisted loveliness known as the Amish pretzel with Ang.

From that point on we saw a lot, ate a lot and enjoyed each others company through Annapolis, Baltimore and D.C. I wish I had taken more photos. On two occasions I had to leave early due to a crying and unhappy baby, once a the Aquarium in Baltimore, the other at the Spy Museum in D.C.

Austin's got some tough love for me these days, very much addicted to my presence and often not willing to cooperate, a small price in retrospect to the joy he brings us all. I wish I had more energy to write, but for now I'll just leave you with images. Good night for now and thanks for checking in on us.

Love, Liz