Payton and Uncle Rob

Payton loves Uncle Rob. Here's a little clip of Payton and Uncle Rob from yesterday. Payton puts and end to their exchange when she changes her focus to Riley.

Happy First Birthday Charlie Hope!

Today we celebrated the first birthday of a miracle baby. A year ago today our friends Jodi & Mark gave birth to a baby girl at 26 weeks gestation. Charlie Hope weighed in at 1 pound 1 ounce. Today she is a happy healthy one year old and weighs in at 15 pounds. We went to Benihana for a special dinner then back to their house for cake. Here are some photos of our celebration.

Meet Furball

I must have lost my mind!

Kelsey and Nick have been begging for a hamster since before Christmas. They have saved up their own money. They even put together a power point presentation over Christmas break in support of a hamster as a good pet. How could we say no. So today they brought Furball home. She is kind of cute in a rodent sort of way!

Our First Snow Day This Winter

Today we got about 2 inches of snow. Although it was not our first snowfall this season (we got a dusting on October 3oth), it was the first time the kids could get out and play in it. Koda joined in on all the fun too. It's amazing how much entertainment kids get out of the smallest amount of snow. I am still hoping for one (and only one) huge snowfall this year so the kids can go have more fun on a big hill.

Koda's Scary Friday

Just a little update about our day. This morning while Kelsey was getting ready for school and I was making her lunch, we were both in the kitchen and witness to Koda having a seizure. He has never had any major health problems so we have no idea why this happened. Kelsey was a huge help. She stayed calm and we were right there with him through the entire 5 minute episode. We are waiting for results of lab work from the vet and we'll see if they can come up with any answers for us. He is acting fine and the vet says he looks like the picture of health on the outside. She also said this may or may not ever happen again. We have all talked about the do's and don'ts of what to do if he has another one. Koda is only six and a half. Here's a picture Kelsey took of her best friend last week.

Christmas Weekend 2011

We stayed in New Jersey this year for the holidays. While we missed family terribly, I love waking up at home on Christmas morning! Here are a collection of photos we took over the course of the weekend. The kids loved opening gifts and we enjoyed some quiet time as a family which was desperately needed with all the stress Rob is dealing with at work with the SAP computer conversion. Nick definitely wins the prize for most animated in all the photos. Thank you for all the gifts and holiday greetings. Enjoy the silly kids' pictures and we wish you all the best for 2012!

Nick & Kelsey's latest school work

This year Nick's school is requiring each student to read at home for 30 minutes a day. He has found a new place to read that is quiet and well lit...under the Christmas tree.
Kelsey has been busy making creative projects for her classes. This is her latest creative writing assignment complete with a standing candy cane character.