Monday, July 14, 2008
Surprise, surprise!!!
In case you were wondering, this was not planned -- but nevertheless, we are very excited. #3 will be 21 months behind big sis Claire, who is 22 months behind big sis Julia. Could this be our shot for a boy? Stay tuned...
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
One year old!
I can't believe our baby is a year old! We celebrated Claire's first in Reno with my brother, Miles, his wife, J.J., and my sister, Sarah. Miles graduated with his MBA and we went to the ceremony. Reno is a neat town, and Tahoe is amazingly beautiful!
Princess Encounter
Disneyland with an almost three-year-old is a blast! We were waiting in line at the Princess Faire to meet a princess when I overheard an employee say that the line was an hour and 15 minutes from where we were -- and we had already waited 30 minutes! Julia was overtired and I knew that this was not a good idea. As we ducked under the rat maze to exit, an employee came up and gave us a special pass to return in an hour for a private meet and greet with Cinderella. It was so cool! Julia spent 5 minutes or so with Cinderella and her fairy godmother in a private room! She's a very lucky girl!
Claire's First Ears
Julia was lucky enough to live in LA for a few months early in life, but Claire had her first trip to Disneyland in May. We had a blast! Mark, who formerly grumbled about the commercialism behind such theme parks, asked me if we should get season passes. I guess this is what being a Daddy will do to a guy!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Easter
Okay, so it's next to impossible to get a decent picture of the girls together. Oh well...here they are in their Easter dresses.
Happy Spring!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The nights and days of our diva
Today, Julia departed from her usual Disney princess persona and pretended to be Barbie -- apparently prompted by a Barbie valentine she received from a friend. When I would call her Julia, she would quickly correct me, saying "No, I'm Barbie!"At one point, she turned around, smacked her bum and shook it, and said, "I have a Barbie booty." Wish I could say the same!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
New city, new baby, new job, new house!
It's been a busy year...but we've finally settled into our new life. After a whirlwind tour of South Dakota, LA, and Salt Lake for Mark's rotations over nine months, Mark graduated from PT school May 12. Claire Amelia was born May 17 in Las Vegas, joining sister Julia, who turned 2 on July 19. We are living in Las Vegas to be near my parents and siblings -- plus, it's a great job market.
Life with two kids is hectic as many of you know, but always an adventure. At 2 1/2, Julia is our vivacious little princess. She loves her little sister and does a great job keeping her entertained.
Claire is our happy, easy-going one. She is already eight months old! She's very mobile, crawling all over the place, standing lots, and taking steps here and there. She has a contagious gummy smile with two new teeth and is just a little cutie.
Mark started his first position as a physcial therapist on July 1 and is really enjoying it. He has great hours and a great compensation package, so we can't complain. You know you're officially a grown-up when you care about things like health insurance and 401K plans. I am still freelance writing a few hours each week, which I continue to enjoy.
We closed on our first house at the end of August. The house is 13 years old, so ancient by Las Vegas standards, but it has a huge yard and a big covered patio. Many of you may recall Mark's affinity for the barbecue grill...needless to say, we have enjoyed our outdoor space. Also, our community has a series of lakes -- quite refreshing in the desert!
So for now, we spend our free time enjoying our girls as they grow up too fast, and spending any leftover time and resources on home improvement projects.