Happy Holidays & Recapping 2010!

This has been the most exciting and busy years for us! So many new beginnings and great memories. I wanted to take some time to tell our friends and family how much we love everyone and how much your support has meant to us. These are some of the things that happened this year & what we've been up to recently...
Clare enjoyed swimming lessons in Long Island during the Winter months- hopefully we'll be able to start those again soon.
Clare & I traveled to Washington in the Spring for Erin's Bridal Shower!
Seth's Grandfather Corny passed away.
We bought our first home and moved from Long Island!
Seth finished Residency! 4 great years!
We enjoyed the summer in our new home visiting with friends and family. Enojoying Lake George with Seth's new practice & visits to Nana & Poppi's pool.
Clare turned 2 and we had a great celebration for moving & her birthday!
Clare started a 2 year old class at a local preschool and is loving it!
We had a great trip to Lake Geneva visiting Ted & Angelica, Chicago & Denver for Jeff & Erika's wedding in September!
Clare was a Care Bear for Halloween & I started working.
November Clare & I traveled to Washington to visit family while Seth was taking a course for his boards and then soaked up some sun on Oahu with my parent's, John & Risa!
Our first Thanksgiving in our new home & Seth & my first 5K at the Troy Turkey Trot!
It's been a great year & we're so excited for our first Christmas here! I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and Happy 2011!

Summer Time

We have had an exciting summer. Moving, new house, Seth's new job, and great weather. Clare is growing so quickly and saying new words everyday. Sometimes I look at her and wonder "where did the baby go". This summer she has really enjoyed the weather and outdoors. I've loved taking her to the park and watching her on the slide and also our days outside. She loves helping me garden and on the hot days she is perfectly content playing with the hose. She has an incredible ability to not get cold even in cold water. She is an amazing little girl and Seth and I are enjoying watching her growing.
Seth has been busy with work. He's loving it. The staff is great and we're so happy that he has been busy. He's also very busy around the house. Recently he finished and painted the walls (& ceiling) and sealed the floor of our 3 car garage. Along with painting the front door and hanging some pictures. It's getting to be a little more homey here but we have a lot of wall space to go.
I've been busy with Clare and when I get to the gym I have been loving an aqua class. At the end of the day I'm so tired and didn't realize the true meaning of an arm workout!
We still have a lot to do, but it's coming along. Here's some pictures of a great summer!

Moving Day!

It has been a whirlwind. Where have the last few months gone. We're all packed up. Tomorrow the movers come and then we're on our way to our new home. Mom has been here helping us with Clare. It's so great to have her here. I don't know how it would happen without her support.
I don't know the words to describe how proud I am of Seth. He's put in countless hours; weekends, nights and very early mornings to residency. I can't say I miss the pager going off in the middle of the night!
We've had events or plans almost everyday for the past 2 weeks. Clare enjoyed running the halls of the Marriot during graduation and had a little blister from all the excitement. It's such an exciting time and I'm trying to enjoy every minute.
I feel so lucky. The past four years have been so wonderful. I've had a great time here and have made some wonderful friends. I will miss them all so much. For Seth and I this was where we started our life together. Before moving here we were not able to live in the same location- or state! So the past 4 years our marriage has changed and I treasure this time we've had here. It will always be our first home.
Tomorrow is a busy day and I'm so excited to start the next part of our life.

Welcome Spring!

With the whirlwind of last month Clare & I were able to go to Washington for a visit. It was such a great trip. I wish the airpline experience was easier for single parent travelers but Clare adapted well.
I feel well rested now and can't wait for our next trip. It was definately Spring in Washington when we were visiting. Great weather, clear skies, easter lilies and dafodills blooming. It took a few weeks after we got back but Long Island has caught up. 89 degrees today! Clare is loving the outdoors and being more independent. She loves playing at the park and with her friends. Her recent love is for tricycles and she always finds a way to try out a lone tricycle for a few moments. Something I can't wait to get for her in the next few months.
Clare had her 18 month well check-up yesterday and is doing great. She is now 27.9 lbs and 50% in height. She hit a growth spurt the last 2 weeks and is looking great in her 24 month and some 2T outfits.
Easter was a big deal for her. She loves her basket and finding the "ball" ie easter eggs. Also, it was her 1st day of church. She was adorable in her Easter dress. We spent the majority of the service in the lobby. Although it wasn't our best outing but she loved the people and music.
Seth & I have been hammering away at putting together everything for buying a home near where he will be practicing. It has been going well and it feels like we're getting there. Closing won't be until June when he finishes so we have some time to spare. It's a great place and we are so excited to have a home for our family. Our apartment here seems to be slowly falling apart day after day. With last weeks record rains we had two leaks. It really scares me after the mold problem we had in Clare's closet 2 months ago. They need to do some serious maintenance in all the apartments and it is so sad to talk to some of my neighbors about their problems. Only about 2 more months to go!!
The pictures are Aunt Patty, Clare & I at a dinner at my parent's, John, Risa & Clare at Frye cove park, and some of the girl cousins at Erin's shower we're missing about 5 of us (girls) but in the picture (Amy, Liela, Rachel, Liz, Misty, Tristin, Erin, Annie, Andrea, Clare & I).

Family

March is kind of a blur. Exciting things are happening for us, but also life has a way of bringing you right back to reality. While our lifes have been busy getting things in order to move we were also faced with losing Seth's Grandfather. Life has so many amazing gifts and we treasure that Clare was able to meet her Great Grandfather Corny. He was an amazing hardworking man who loved his family very much. This was a picture taken last August at a family party. We will always treasure these moments.
http://www.legacy.com/thedailystar/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=141044242

Snow, Snow, Snow!

February is coming to an end but I'm not sure when winter will. It snowed again last night and our Feb storm should last until tomorrow morning. I measured outside, areas of 8 inches and in the grassy areas 15 inches! It looks like it is slowing down a little now. Clare enjoyed a fun morning playing with our friends Darlene & Damien. Damien celebrated his 3rd birthday last week and was enjoying a snow day from nursery school.
We had a very busy week of swimming, library class and trying out a music class at a local play area. She loved them all & I'm hoping we can go to more.
It's been an exciting month... Seth signed his contract! The end of residency is in sight. Only a few more months. We'll be sad to leave but so excited for the next step.
Last weekend we took a trip to Burlington, Vermont to visit Josh. Seth & Josh were roommates and classmates in dental school. We had a great trip. It had been to long since we had seen Josh and it was fun to catch up. We were able to have a ski day and Mount Stowe on Saturday. Our first time skiing since Clare. Our last ski trip was to Lake Tahoe 2 years ago!! It was good to get back on skiis but next year I need some new boots, I think my feet changed with pregnancy and I felt it for the next day in my right foot=) Everything is going well and we're looking forward to Spring and our trip to Washington.

Things we're excited for...

How is it that January is almost over! We have had an exciting month. The feeling I think of to best describe it is ... anticipation! We're right on the cusp of big changes & it's very exciting. Seth's contract will hopefully be finalized in the next few weeks and then finding a place to live, moving, etc. Last weekend we bought a new, used car. I love having a SUV again. Lots of things to come=)

Holidays

Wow... it's been a while since I've updated our blog! The holidays were so much fun for us. Clare is beginning to communicate more & has quite a personality. She loved visiting family in Washington for Thanksgiving and it was really great to see her eyes light up with Christmas. She was interested in everything... bows, wrapping paper, the tree, ornaments, and all the decorations. For our tree this year we bought a live potted tree. We're hoping it will live outside until spring and then be planted near our apartment, but I'm not quite sure it will make it through the winter we're having. November was an extremely busy month for our family. Seth traveled to Colombia with Healing the Children to help with children needing surgery for cleft lip & palate deformities. He had an amazing experience and we're hoping to continue a relationship with the organization after he's completed residency. After returning Seth's mother had surgery. She looks great and we're hoping this surgery works well for her.
Thanksgiving was a flight to Washington state, going out for the Tower crawl with my brother, his girlfriend, one of my favorite cousins- Tara, Jake, and lots of friends. Seth & I haven't been out in quite a while so it was a lot of fun. Centralia has changed a lot and it was fun to run into my old neighborhood friends- the Garrison's, and a few more. Lots of good memories John & I had forgotten about. Unfortunately Clare & my mother had a bad cold after Thanksgiving and we weren't able to make it to my Grandparent's on Saturday to celebrate Michael's graduation & exciting prospects of law school. He's a smart cookie & I'm sure he'll do great!
Christmas was an exciting time for us & we were very blessed to see both of our parents. It's hard with distance & we were so excited to have my parents out for the week of Christmas. I cheated this year and ordered the turkey dinner from Zorn's =). Our kitchen is shrinking by the minute and even though I love to cook it was nice to order this year. On Christmas day we had a great morning with cinnamon rolls & presents in pajamas before my parents set off to the airport and we started our drive upstate to Ballston Spa. It was a really nice drive & we had a great weekend with family & friends. Clare is loving all the gifts she received & loved seeing her cousins, Gavin & Aislynn.
Now it's January- Almost one month away from my 30th birthday. My New Years Resolution has been going great. I've been having a great time working out at the gym and now I'm trying to eat a little better =). Seth & I have a lot of exciting things going on in the next few months; Seth's contract, finding a different car, finding a place to live, Seth's graduation & moving in the next 6 months- kind of overwhelming when I list them out. 2010 will be a very exciting year!