Dancing Baby

Why I Love Living in the North, in Pictures

I love my younger brother, but I could never embrace the state of Florida as he has done over the last 8 years.  I would miss the change of seasons, and especially the winter snow, way too much!

Today was one of those beautiful winter days.  It was quite chilly, but with 3-4 layers on we all enjoyed almost an hour of fun outside.  And once again, Audra had a blast!  She didn't complain at all, despite the fact that her mittens fell off a few times and at least a half dozen times she also ended up with snow on her face.  She is definitely an outdoorsy girl!

26 Weeks

This pregnancy is flying by!  Here were are with only 14 weeks left to go.  

Thankfully I'm continuing to feel well, though it is getting much more difficult to sleep.  (Seems like this baby usually wants to dance every night when I want to fall asleep!) 

I recently had a friend ask if we are "doing the same thing" with this birth as we did with Audra's birth. (She's an older lady who never had any children of her own, so I know she thinks I'm a little nuts to plan a natural, drug-free birth!)  So for her, and anybody else who is wondering, the answer is definitely yes!  Despite the 15 hours of active labor with a baby in a posterior position (read: major back pain) I am excited that I have the opportunity to birth another baby.  It really is an amazing experience!

First Snow

Not only did we experience our first snowfall of the year this past weekend, but Audra also had the opportunity to play in the snow for the first time in her life.  (We only got a slight dusting of snow in the winters of 2012 and 2013, and this is the first time since the winter 2010-2011that the ground has been completely covered.)  Audra was completely thrilled with the experience, despite the fact that she'd had a cold all week and was generally miserable from cutting her 2-year-molars.

Sophie, of course, was delighted by the opportunity to play in the snow, too!

Since I'm still an Upstate NYer at heart, I was excited to see this much snow in early December.  Hopefully it's a sign that Audra and I will have many more opportunities to play in the snow this winter!

Christmas Tree

We went to get our Christmas tree this past weekend.  The weather was quite cold, but at least it wasn't raining.  

It was a delight to continue our family tradition of going to Stimpson's Tree Farm in Monroeville, NJ to search for the perfect tree, especially since Audra is at such a fun age these days.  She is very focused on the details in life, so she made sure to point out the holes in the ground that we came across, and asked to step in them about 5 times.

Audra seemed to think it was a bit strange that we were cutting down a tree to put it in our living room, but she enjoyed the new sights and the hayride with Daddy.

Back at the house we got prepared for Christmas by listening to Christmas music and setting up the decorations.  Audra had fun "helping" (and has continued to "help" by taking the decorations off the tree since then!).  And the next day we gathered near the tree for some pictures.

 I love the holiday traditions of our little family!

Tired Dog

After seeing how tired Sophie was when our guests left, Audra brought a blanket and two pillows from the couch.  She then proceeded to snuggle on the floor with "Doodle".

Sophie seemed to enjoy the special treatment!

Thanksgiving with the Loucks Family

We had a wonderful holiday with my sister and her family, who drove down from upstate NY.  Audra was so excited to spend time with her cousins, aunt and uncle!

The day after Thanksgiving we celebrated Christmas (after much prompting from the kids!).  Audra was thrilled with the magnet drawing board that she received and her cousins had fun showing her how it worked.

Sophie received lots of extra attention as well!

Thank you, Loucks's, for visiting!  We love you!

New Decking

We were thankful to have a visit from David's parents during a weekend in October.  David and his dad worked hard to tear apart the decking, which had been in bad shape for a couple of years.

Thankfully the frame was still solid, so the project moved along quickly.  By the end of Saturday they had completely re-decked the area.

And this previous week Audra enjoyed playing on our new deck!

Boxer Puppies

We were able to see some Boxer puppies this morning, though we definitely didn't have plans to bring one home.  However, after a short time with a sweet, snuggly male Boxer named Schoffield, David was wishing that that particular puppy wasn't already sold.

Audra was pretty excited about the puppies, though she was a little overwhelmed at seven 7-week-old puppies who were extremely hyper.

The good news about puppies is that they tire easily, and when they calmed down Audra was able to pet a couple of them.

All seven of the puppies had similar coloring to our Sophie and it was like stepping back in time to July 2010!

Dancing

For 3 seasons I've taken Audra to a mommy-and-me Music Together class in a nearby town.  She loves music and has grown very fond of our classes, the teacher and the songs that we learn together.  There are many nights when she asks us to turn on her cd's and this song (Jim-Along Josie) is a favorite!