Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! We hope you had a wonderful day with your close ones. We had a grand time at the Conneticut Lewises. Thank you to them for hosting another wonderful Easter holiday. It was great to see the Lewis family, eat delicious food (I still can't stop raving about the beef tenderloin and ham!!!), and watch the kids race around finding eggs. The Easter egg hunt was by far Zoe's favorite - she is a true competitor and was really into it this year.

Zoe and I spent the day before making lots of fun Easter things. We colored eggs, made little Peep desserts and also a batch of Surprise Oreo Cupcakes. It was so fun to watch Zoe get into the cooking this year. It really is something she likes to do and watching her is priceless.

Click here to view all the pictures of our Easter adventures.

Trip to Florida

We took a trip to Florida March 21-26 and had a really nice time. First, we went to Orlando (Steven had a conference there). We decided to take Zoe the Disney's Magic Kingdom as a special thing for her before baby arrives. She was a tad too young this time but we made the best of it. She did like some things but was overwhelmed by it all. Her favorite was driving the racecars with Daddy (to see a brief video click here).

After Orlando we headed to Marco Island to visit Steven's parents. They head down there for the month of March every year. It's beautiful there - white sandy beaches, clear blue sky and blue-green water. Zoe LOVED the beach and spent hours building sand castles with Daddy and hunting for seashells with Nana & Grandpa. Steven and I were able to relax in the warm sun and even had a date out one night! Click here for pictures from our trip.

It was such as nice trip and it was hard to come home. We are back into the swing of things again and looking forward to Easter with the CT Lewises on Sunday.

Baby Update: I'm 17 weeks along (almost halfway!) and feeling good. We have our "big" ultrasound next week, Thursday 4/12 where Steven will find ot the sex of the baby....and no he's not telling anybody.

Zoe Turns Three!

Zoe turned three years old yesterday, March 16th! We've had a series of celebrations, including a vist from Lanny & Karen a week ago, 6 inches of snow on her actual birthday and a fun Curious George birthday party with friends and family today, March 17th. Zoe had lots of fun and received many wonderful gifts from everyone - THANK YOU!

On her birthday, New England was hit with a snow storm. We received about 6 inches of the white stuff. Zoe of course was excited to play in it - until it became too cold. She caught lots of snowflakes with her tongue.

We took some pictures of all the birthday celebrations and have put them up on Kodakgallery. Click here to see them.

Thank you again to everyone for your presence in our lives and generosity. We are blessed to have such wonderful family and friends!

Baby News!

Here we go again....we are excited to announce that Zoe will be a big sister this September! I am about 13 weeks along and due on Septemeber 14th, 2007. We are so thrilled to add another little person to our family and Zoe is looking forward to helping take care of a little brother or sister. We ask her every so often if she wants a brother or a sister and of course it changes - today she says she wants a sister.

I've added a little "ticker" to the blog (that colorful thing at the top) that will track the weeks of the pregnancy. So if you're curious as to how far along we are, you can always check the blog. I'm also answering some of the FAQ below. And to see more photos click here.

How are you feeling?
I'm feeling much better these days. The first 12 weeks were tough as I was incredibly nauseous and tired - more so than I was with Zoe. But I've turned a corner and feeling much more energetic and less nauseous.

Any strange cravings or aversions?
Yes....I can't seem to stomach poultry right now and I can't seem to get enough Mac n Cheese. Last week I was jonesin' for beer, too.

Are you going to find out the sex of the baby?
I don't want to know this time and Steven does. So....he's finding out and I'm not. Although this is subject to change once he really does know (WHAT?!?! A pregnant woman changing her mind?).

Zoe's First Ballet Class!

Today was Zoe's first ballet class....ever! She was quiet and observant at first but then warmed up and participated - and even had a great time! You could tell she was so happy and proud of herself at the end when they gave her a stamp and coloring sheet. She came running over to us afterwards to show us her rewards. Steven and I were typical first time parents with our video and camera in hand - capturing every moment. It was SO precious to watch our little ballerina and it even brought a few tears to my eyes.

Of course we wouldn't end the blog with out some photos and video for you to watch! Click the links below to watch two videos and view photos of our beautiful ballerina dancing.

Zoe's First Day of Ballet - Flower Dancing Video
Zoe's First Day of Ballet - Jumping Over a Puddle Video
Zoe's First Day of Ballet - Photos

February Summary

Hi all...again neglected the blog this month but trying to play catch up now. I'll keep trying harder to publish more often.

We are all doing well. Steven was in Sweden for a week for work. That week was also the week of the snow/ice storm and it was REALLY cold here. Glad that's over and that Steven is home.

Zoe has been doing great. Both Steven and I are amazed at how much energy this kid has. It's almost like a light switch went on - she is constantly go, go, go! She's also doing well in preschool. We had her first "parent/teacher" meeting where we reviewed her development with her primary teacher. She's doing great and her teachers LOVE having her in their class. It made us feel so proud of her.

We are gearing up for Zoe's 3rd birthday. It's hard to believe she's almost three already (3/16). We're having a small birthday party for her with family and a few friends on March 17th - it will be a Curious George theme. She's very excited about it - as am I as I love planning parties! I'm sure we'll have lots of pictures when the time comes.

I'm getting ready for some work changes. Starting in mid-April, I'll be teaching at my current employer. I've been working the desk there for the past year and a half and now I'm switching roles. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be teaching four, one-hour, "mommy & me" type of classes at Isis Maternity. Each one meets once a week and I'll have 9-11 month old babies ("Movers & Groovers"), 12-14 month old babies ("Sprouts") and 15-20 month old toddlers ("Explorers") - to read more:http://www.isismaternity.com/programs/developmentalgroups.

Steven has been busy with work and is travelling a lot in March. We're also planning a family vacation to Florida at the end of March. We may hit Disney (shhh, Zoe doesn't know this yet) but we'll also be visiting Steven's parents in Marco Island. Those snow birds head South every March.

So that's the summary....we'll keep you posted. Sorry no photos this time around. I haven't downloaded them to the computer yet. But I'll try to get them up and posted soon. Ciao for now.

It's Been a While

Sorry it's been so long since we last posted. The last few weeks have been busy with work, life and preschool. My mom visited us these past few days. We really enjoyed her visit and Zoe had a blast with her.

Zoe and I managed to play in the snow a couple weeks ago when we got a little dusting. But Zoe is still anxious to build a snowman - we haven't had enough snow yet. Here's a crazy stat - Malibu, CA got more snow in January than we did!!! Malibu got 2 inches and we got 1.8 inches. CRAZY!

Not much else to report right now. I'll try not to go so long without posting. Have a great weekend everyone!

Here are some pictures from the month of January,http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=b1japq.4qkgrgcr&Uy=-2kzwbf&Ux=1