Silly Hill Pumpkin Glow

Thursday night the Hoppes invited us to join them at the Silly Hill Pumpkin Glow. Though cold, it was fun to see all the pumpkins. The one to the left is of a sailboat and was one of several that were setup on the top of a waterfall. It looked very cool.

One of the paths had the rhyme Hey Diddle Diddle carved out. Very creative. At the end was 4 pumpkins. 1 was the moon and then 3 others were situated to look like a cow jumping over the moon. Here's a picture of us that Dave so kindly took.

Welcome Home, Grace!

Miss Grace Elizabeth Lawrence came home from the hospital today! We're so glad she's out of the hospital and doing so well. Our thoughts are with her as she continues to grow at home with Mommy & Daddy.

We can't wait to see you!

First Snow of Winter 2008/2009

This is so depressing but we got our first snowfall of the 2008/2009 winter. Now, it's not unusual for Vermont to get snow before Halloween but THREE inches?!?!?! That's just nuts!!!!!

Luckily it's supposed to warm up and melt for kids to trick-or-treat on Friday but it's still sad that it happened. We have long enough winters as it is here, we don't need accumulation snowfalls before Thanksgiving in my humble opinion!!

Oh and OF COURSE...we got 3" at our new house...they got barely a dusting in Waterbury/Stowe where we work and used to live. LOL - the joke is on us! Oh well, I LOVE our house and if that means we get more snow, then I'll suck it up!

Dining Room

So, we've finally put some paint on the walls. We painted the feature wall in our dining room a really pretty blue to match a photo of Stowe I got as a bridal shower present. The rest of the room will be painted a gray or creamy white.

White Face Lodge - Lake Placid, NY

So this weekend we joined my old boss Melissa and her family at the White Face Lodge in Lake Placid, NY. We had the best time!

On Friday morning we headed over on the short trek, which took a little longer due to the stop we had to make at the new Target. The weather was great so the drive was beautiful! The resort is fabulous!!! We stayed in a 3-bedroom unit, which was so nice and plenty big for all of us (4 adults & 3 kids). The resort has an ice cream parlor, bowling alley, game room and even a 57-seat movie theatre that shows 3 movies a day! Oh and they had three hot tubs and an indoor/outdoor pool with a passage way that lets you move in or out.

Missy's kids have gotten so big. Skyler is now 7.5 (8 in March!) and the twins, Ella and Edwin are 2.5 (3 in April). Edwin perfected hitting Shaun in his manly spot whenever he tackled him, which was too funny. And Ella became my little cuddle buddy. Of course Sky has sprouted like a weed but still gives me good hugs like he did back in the day.

Miss Ella

Mr. EdwinMr. Edwin & Mr. Skyler

Grace Lawrence

I had a very special weekend this past weekend. I headed to Courtland, NY for my friend Lauren's baby shower. Lauren and I went to elementary school together in Yuma, Arizona. She was my best friend. We wore matching outfits, made up dance routines to John Cougar Mellencamp songs and did everything together. When I think back to my time in Yuma (up through the 5th grade), Lauren is probably in 95% of my memories.

Anyway, back to the weekend. I headed to Cortland for Lauren's shower with plans to drive over early in the morning, attend the shower and then spend the night so we could hang out a bit. I got to Lauren's house around Noon and Lauren was dressed and ready to go but said she was having some contractions (more intense than the ones she had been having for the last month). Her due date was Dec. 2nd so she was obviously early. She convinced us she was okay and we all went to the shower.

After the shower we went back to her house where her contractions continued. After an hour of contractions 2-3 minutes apart she called the doctor, who told her to come in. Good thing she did. About 30 minutes after she got to the hospital, which was around 5:30/6ish, her water broke. Lauren's husband Chris called and told me the news (I was at their house). Lauren's mom, Nancy, came over and I drove us up to the hospital. We got there about 7:30pm and Lauren was definitely in labor. Around 10pm the doctor and nurse came in and said Lauren was finally dialated. It was go time.

Nancy and I waited down the hall. About 10:30pm we got a call from Chris telling us Grace had arrived and that if we went and stood by the elevator we should be able to see her as they took her up to the NICU. Of course we ran to the elevator. A minute later they brought out Grace. She looked so good for being 8 weeks early. The picture above is her in her incubator as they were wheeling her to the elevetor. The nurse was so nice and stopped so we could see her and take a picture. Thankfully they did because it was all I got to see of the little one before I left.

Before I left on Monday I stopped by to see Lauren in the hospital. Grace was still doing really well and not hooked up to a respirator - just had some air being blown into her nose to make breathing a little easier for her. She looks so good. She was 4lbs 3oz and 17.25 inches long. She's got her momma's long legs and big feet. She's beautiful and I was so happy to be there with Lauren.

Here's a few pics that Chris posted. I just had to share some more of this little miracle. Shaun and I are so anxious to go back to Cortland once she's finally home from the hospital.

Grace Elizabeth Lawrence
Sunday, October 5, 2008
10:26pm

4 lbs, 3oz

17.25 inches

Rowan Beeman

Our friends John & Amy gave birth to their daughter, Rowan, on Friday, September 5th at 8:21am. She is such a cutie and we're so excited for them.


Of course Shaun has always been a big fan of their dog Katie who is now a big sister. LOL! The shot isn't great but here's Shaun & Katie.









Rowan Shea Beeman
September 5, 2008
6lbs 8oz
19 inches

The Keaton Girls

Today I got the cutest picture of my Goddaughter NataLee. It was the nicest surprise to see it come across my cell phone. The picture looks like an add for Rice Krispies - I love it! Jen must've been getting ready to my Rice Krispy Treats or just realized how freaking perfect that picture would be with a bag of marshmellows on the counter! :)

I haven't seen NataLee since I was down in North Carolina in April when I met her and her big sister, KayLee, for the first time. She's already gotten so big - I can't believe it! Here's a picture of KayLee and NataLee with me during my visit. I love these girls and their momma is such a great sister and friend. Love you, Jen!!!