The Williams Family

Greetings from Pittsburgh!

2009-07-14T18:47:00.001-07:00

I am very aware of the fact that I am not a very good blogger and you all have quite possibly given up on me, so if for no other reason than keeping track of our own life, here is a Williams family update.

we had a rough month of illness that began the day after my last post, but did manage to sell our house again! After six weeks of no viable prospective buyers we decided to attempt to sell it on our own. I created a little website, sent an email out to our network in Roanoke and had a buyer the very next morning! This all happened a week before our scheduled move!

With the support of many dear friends (who I already miss dearly) we were able to get our house packed up, and hired a moving company to do the really hard work. we arrived in pittsburgh on wednesday night, July 8th and began the challenging process of settling into a new home and city with a toddler and a budding toddler in the mix. Add to this another round of sickness - stomach viruses this time, and we feel a little bit in over our heads. As of now, grimes and susannah are the only victims, and we pray that Evan and I can stay healthy because this is a particularly nasty one.

The little bit of exploring we have done has been fantastic - we love our location (very diverse neighborhood of squirrel hill) have great access to two huge parks with more playgrounds than we could ever play on, pools, skating rinks, and miles and miles of hiking trails. we already feel like this spot is a great fit - not to mention we can walk EVERYWHERE! Evan and I were at the grocery store today picking up sick person food and there were stollers pouring into the grocery store!

we are hoping to have a few days of "at home" vacation once everyone recovers and before I start working (more on that later) and grimes starts work and school. we will hopefully take lots of pictures and show you more of this neat city. for now, here are two recent (kind of) pictures of the kids.

long time no talk

2009-05-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long silence. life has been pretty busy. we are in the process of moving to pittsburgh. the kids are great. here are a few pictures from the last few months. we got a new computer and it took a while to figure out how to upload our pictures.

we were scheduled to move july 1st, but found out tonight that our buyers defualted on the contract so we don't know what that means.

we'll keep you posted. . .

January

2009-01-13T11:02:00.001-08:00

susannah loves her brother. sometimes a little more than he appreciates. this is just one example of her struggling to give Evan his space - she climbed into the tub with him!

Evan's first hike in the backpack.

DC Trip highlights

2009-01-13T10:53:00.000-08:00

make your own pizza at generous george's

this is the first time susannah actually requested that her picture be taken and attemted her biggest smile. notice all the pizza she ate - as we were driving into DC she started complaining that her "belly button" hurt. then she wanted to go home and use the bathroom, meaning she thought she was going to throw up. I guess it was good pizza.

grimes and I decided to take our chances and head into the city. the kids had a great time visiting the national tree and a number of the monuments at night. susannah insisted we run the whole way too!

Christmas

2009-01-13T10:45:00.000-08:00

here are some shots from around christmas time - a little late, as usual : )

snuggling in susannah's crib

2008-12-27T06:05:00.000-08:00

this was a very very sweet moment.

the days before christmas

2008-12-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

picking out just the right tree.

enjoying the triming of tree festivities

sibling love

examining each and every ornament

grimes and the kids

thanksgiving

2008-12-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

we had a wonderful thanksgiving with my whole family in town. I am a little overwhelmed by the quantity of pictures taken so here just a few from the ones I've looked through so far.

the kids had a blast running through the halls at the hotel.

posing with cousins by one of the tree displays

playing in the leaves

evan hamming it up with mimi

family picture

2008-11-13T17:24:00.000-08:00

trick-or-treat

2008-11-13T17:20:00.000-08:00

two year molars coming in, not candy stuck in the teeth - promise.

susannah was a duck (again) for halloween this year and evan was a pumpkin. susannah went trick-or-treating to the houses on our street and had a great time. she is still saying "trick treat thank you" several weeks later.

pumpkin carving

2008-11-13T17:13:00.001-08:00

pumpkin carving was an interesting event for us. I was expecting susannah to be very curious about what the inside of the pumpkin looked like after admiring the outside for several weeks. when grimes cut the top open and reached inside susannah literally screamed and lept into my arms. she eventually warmed up to the whole experience, but never really wanted to get her hands dirty.

siblings

2008-10-29T11:57:00.001-07:00

susannah loves evan and we are so thankful for that. she wants to help with everything and continues to shower him with kisses. here is a picture of her "holding" evan.

our little snoozer

2008-10-29T11:52:00.001-07:00

Evan is quite the snoozer. he's actually more accurately known as the snack n' snoozer. he likes to eat a little sleep a little . . . and then repeat. grimes and I finally figured out that the little guy has the worst case of jet lag possible to man. he came from the womb which is pretty timeless into the world, where his parents would like him to sleep during this thing called night. he would rather continue to run on his own clock of getting up every hour or so to eat. a friend put me onto a plan to keep him awake more during the day and see if we can't kick this habbit. let's hope it works!

visit from auntie

2008-10-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

Aunt Michele came to visit last weekend and we had a great time. here are some pictures from the pumpkin festival that we went to. we walked through the corn maze, let susannah pick out a few little pumpkins to complete her collection and drank hot apple cider. Evan slept the whole time.

loving being a big sister

2008-10-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

susannah is taking very well to her new role as a big sister. the first word out of her mouth this morning was Evan. Here she is snuggling with him and examining his tiny little fingers.

projects around the house

2008-10-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

Susannah has taken her love for art to the next level. she got some new art supplies for her birthday and has a number of projects going at any one time. The cute apron was a birthday gift made for her by her friend - thanks Wendy, what perfect timing!

helping dad sand the toy chest he is making for her and evan.

Baby Care

2008-10-15T17:48:00.001-07:00

Susannah has taken her baby care to the next level. grimes even saw her burping her baby the other day.

life with two kids

2008-10-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

Susannah is very interested in Evan and is constantly looking after him. he probably gets ten to twenty kisses an hour and lots of hugs too. I have to say that it is exhausting not only taking care of both kids very different needs, but also protecting Evan from his often well meaning sister.

question for those who have multiple children - did you come home with your second child to discover that your first had experienced a massive growth spurt while you were gone? I always thought susannah was so little and she seems huge now - especially when she is leaning over Evan to give him a kiss.

September 28th

2008-10-07T19:22:00.001-07:00

September 28th was a wonderful day. I had been experiencing "latent labor" for about a month, but this morning I woke up feeling a little bit different. I suggested to grimes that we go ahead and celebrate susannah's birthday since I had a feeling we wouldn't be able to celebrate on the 29th. susannah got to choose the breakfast menu and ordered eggs. she opened a present at breakfast and then got to celebrate with her nursery friends at church. we had these great plans to take susannah to the kids fest at the civic center after her nap where she would meet elmo, and had invited some friends over for dinner and cake. I was so excited about the day, but fortunately didn't tell susannah all that was in store.

susannah woke up a little early from her nap and I was anxious to get going. grimes wanted to see if she'd fall back asleep. I think I knew that we were running out of time even though true labor had not yet begun. grimes went ahead and got susannah up and dressed while I called our friends who were going to keep susannah to let them know they'd have an overnight guest and we'd drop her off after her party. ten minutes later I call again and say we are on our way over.

we timed our first contraction of the pregnancy at 3:36 pm and Evan was born at 6:03 pm, right about when we were planning to have susannah's birthday dinner. needless to say, labor was short but sweet, and we made it to the hospital 18 minutes before Evan's birth. the doctor did make it to the delivery (after running up 6 flights of stairs due to a broken elevator), but Grimes caught Evan - it was an amazing day for all of us.

Susannah got to meet her little brother on her real birthday and had been enamored with him ever since.

celebrating her birthday on Sunday morning.

home from the hospital.

Evan with his big sister's "kiki".

It's a BOY!!!

2008-09-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Evan Harrison Williams

born at 6:03 pm on

September 28, 2008

8lbs 1oz

20 3/4 inches

40 weeks and still pregnant

2008-09-24T17:50:00.001-07:00

So, today is my due date, and still no baby. I thought for sure this baby was coming early has I have been having "pre-labor" for over a month now. susannah was born on her due date and I guess I kind of expected the same punctuality from Beanie. I have to say it does feel like things are happening finally, but I'll believe it when I see the baby. we are so excited to meet this little person. susannah runs to the baby's room at least once a day yelling, "baby, where are you."

so while we continue to wait we take every chance we can to enjoy the last days as a family of three. here are some recent pictures . . .

susannah on her swing in the backyard.

susannah sporting an outfit that I used to wear as a baby (yes, susannah is now about the size that I was at a year).

dressing up in daddy's fleece vest. she reminded me of one of those ghosts from the old packman video games the way she seemingly "floated" through the house.

tennis

2008-09-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

we discovered a new love this weekend - susannah and tennis. we were watching a little of the US Open and grimes decided to take susannah out for the real deal. She LOVED it! not to mention got tons of exercise racing from one side of the court to another.

nesting

2008-08-31T02:53:00.001-07:00

Well, the Williamses have officially started nesting. I have to admit, this is a little scary since it it is very out of character and didn't happen at all before susannah was born. yesterday we washed and detailed both cars. we were talking about washing the car and susannah chimmed in "for beanie." I thought that was cute. the second picture is grimes and susannah cleaning up the backyard and planting grass. I don't have a picture, but last week's project was steam cleaning our carpets!?! Clutter has been driving me crazy and I actually had a fleeting thought of boxing up all of susannah's toys (cruel, I know - I wouldn't actually do this). we are a little more than 3 weeks out from my due date, and all the signs indicate that things are quickly moving in one direction. we are all so excited and can't wait to meet our little beanie!

field trip to the firehouse

2008-08-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took a field trip to the local firehouse with susannah's friend sammy and his family. the kids had a blast looking at the trucks and all the equipment. I love this first picture - susannah was having some teething issues and we couldn't get her to take her fingers out of her mouth for the picture. sammy, being the fine gentleman that he is, put his hand in his mouth too to take some of the pressure off.

susannah loves holding sammy's hand. this is a sweet picture of the two of them.

playing at the park afterwards . . .

a cookout/picnic in our backyard to top off a great day.

in the garden

2008-08-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

here are some pictures that I found on our camera when I went looking to see if there was anything post worthy. two of grimes' many hobbies are gardening and photography, and I thought these pictures were really cool. the first is a shot that both looks through the window of our garage to our neighbor's yard while at the same time reflecting back our own yard. the next shots are of a beautiful monarch butterfly enjoying our zinnias.

ball game

2008-07-29T11:23:00.001-07:00

believe it or not, we have a minor league baseball team in town. last night was dollar admission so we took susannah out for her first game. she had a great time seeing all the sights and cheering with the fans. we lasted about two innings (long enough to see our team hit a home run) and made it home just an hour late for curfew (bedtime). the luxury of small town living . . .

maine highlights . . .

2008-07-26T17:12:00.001-07:00

many nights of beautiful sunsets

time with grampy

and mimi

wearing her life jacket - even when she didn't need to : )

hanging out with new friend, beanie

boat ride

2008-07-26T17:09:00.001-07:00

another Maine highlight . . . taking a boat ride to go pick up lobsters for dinner - yum!

Picnic in Maine

2008-07-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of our time in maine was going out to a picnic on an island. This has been a favorite summer activity all my life, so it was great fun to see susannah enjoying herself - eating hotdogs, playing in the tidal pools and swimming in the ocean.

visit with auntie

2008-07-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

Aunt Michele came to visit in early July and boy did we have fun. Michele is an amazing cook and the Fresh Market happens to be one of her favorite places to shop - so every time she comes to Roanoke, she cooks us a wonderful meal. Here she is shopping with Susannah.

the swimmer

2008-07-26T13:10:00.001-07:00

susannah has become quite the swimmer this summer. she loves the water and has even started jumping independently from the side of the pool. She would love to go off the diving board, but I think we'll save that one for next year.

dress-up

2008-07-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

Susannah discovered some of her cousin's hand-me-down dress up clothes that were put away in her "big girl" room. Here she is dressed as Tinkerbell (she's not allowed to be cinderella until she is at least 3 years old!).

She found her halloween costume as we were cleaning out her old room and insisted on putting it on - despite the 90 degree weather.

fun in the sprinkler

2008-07-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

going BPA Free

2008-06-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

I just spent this morning at Toys R Us swapping out old baby bottles. With all the recent attention to the dangers of BPA in plastics, it might be worth the research to see if your child's bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers etc. are considered safe. there are a number of blogs on the topic, but I found the most accessible reference to be http://safemama.com/. This site provides lists of BPA free products.

Also worth noting is that Toys R Us and Babies R Us will take any bottles/sippy cups/eating utensils (they must carry the item to accept it) that contain BPA and let you pick out BPA free products up to the value of what you brought in. You do not need a receipt, and it does not matter how used the items are. If you decide to do this I would recommend calling first to be sure your store is participating.

saturday fun

2008-06-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

we finally decided to get susannah a sandbox - and a peace has settled on our flower gardens - at least for the moment. she has focused all of her outdoor energy on transferring as much sand from the box to other parts of the yard. she has actually created a small beach in one spot.

another favorite outdoor activity is swimming. susannah woke up at 5:53 this morning and asked to go to the pool. How do you help a toddler understand that the pool doesn't open until 11:00? whoever decided that 11am is a good time for a pool to open, obviously doesn't have a toddler. needless to say, the pool is keeping us sane and cool in this crazy hot weather.

Icecream

2008-06-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

on saturday we took susannah out for her first icecream cone. it was 96 degrees at 6:30 when we went! This first picture is susannah qualifying for her free baby cone and the rest speak for themselves. the cones melted fast, but we were all very satisfied customers.

making muffins

2008-06-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

yesterday, susannah helped me make muffins. we decided on bran, which would make a healthy snack. don't worry about little hands getting caught in the mixer - it is unplugged and there is plenty of supervision during the actual mixing.

one of the requirements for being a toddler is that you have to touch EVERYTHING.

and taste . . .

having a snack so that mom can actually get something done (and add the eggs)

cleaning up.

all in all it was a good experience and we both learned a lot - including that susannah doesn't need anymore fiber in her diet. I will spare you the story. . .

another great saturday

2008-06-04T09:32:00.001-07:00

Susie's Scoops - susannah likes to sell icecream at the park down the street. It is so good, but not filling, so you can eat lots of it!

we spent a good part of the day working on the house - there is always stuff to be done. one of the great benefits of toddlerhood is that they like to do whatever mom and dad are doing. here are some pictures of susannah helping out with cleaning the front porch.

a perfect saturday

2008-05-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

this past saturday was a delightful day of doing things we love as a family. we started the day walking to our local coffee shop and getting coffee and muffins to take to the park. susannah loved this first picture of the car parked outside the coffee shop with the dog "driving."

next, we hung out at a local park and watched the start of the 5K race that was going through our neighborhood. susannah cheered the runners on, but then got back to the busy toddler business of play. like a good mommy, she let baby have the first turn on the slide.

then, she had her turns - many of them! she has overcome her fear of slides : )

enjoying the beautiful day, crisp breeze and beauty all around.

a perfect saturday . . . continued

2008-05-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

grimes finished my mother's day present - a beautiful, hand-crafted adirondack chair! I just love that one of his hobbies is woodworking as we are slowing building a collection of family heirlooms. grimes reminds me that this is lawn furniture and not of heirloom quality, but I am blessed and impressed nonetheless!

looks like I have a little competition for my new chair - susannah likes it too! She actually helped grimes make it. I went outside one evening and she was holding her own piece of sandpaper and sanding alongside daddy. I love seeing her fondness for working alongside daddy as it brings back happy memories from my own childhood.

later in the afternoon we went out to the nursery to pick out some flowers and planted our window boxes - and various other projects around the yard.

and lastly, susannah enjoying her swing.

first set of wheels

2008-05-18T09:59:00.001-07:00

spoiled rotten

2008-05-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

Susannah was just spoiled rotten by a nice visit from MiMi and Grampy. As you can see from the picture above she knows how to be charming. We had a great visit with my parents and even managed to get away to Wilmington for the weekend, which was delightful - a babymoon I guess you could call it.

This picture below is susannah sitting in my chair in my new office downstairs.

a rough road for susannah

2008-05-01T17:39:00.001-07:00

I would post a picture, but poor susannah is a bit unsightly right now. She just had her 3rd visit to the doctor in the last two weeks and turns out she seems to have a penicillin allergy (she was given amoxicillin to combat the ear infection that came along with the roseola). Anyway, a few days after the roseola rash cleared up she broke out in a new rash that has progressed into hives that cover her body if you catch her at a particularly bad moment. the poor dear is having quite a rough time right now - not to mention that the antibiotics didn't clear out her ear infection. So, she is taking a nice cocktail of benedryl and tylenol and now has drops to numb her ear pain. It is amazing that she has any spunk left in her, but she still managed to jump on the table with all the crinkly paper at the doctor's office - she loves doing that!

In more fun news, we had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday and beanie looks great! A little chunkier than susannah was at 20 weeks - perhaps a boy???? we left that a surprise for late september : )

Sunday Dress

2008-04-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that it is dress season again! Susannah has so many cute hand me down dresses from her cousin abby - including this blue one, which is a favorite of mine. what you can't tell from the picture was just how much we struggled to keep her on the path and get her into the car - she would have loved to get really dirty - dress and all : )

Spring!

2008-04-26T05:31:00.000-07:00

We are loving this spring weather and playing outside every chance we get.

Poor Susannah had Roseola last weekend. She was spiking fevers close to 104 all weekend and then Monday the rash appeared. This was her first real fever and I have to say it was a bit scary. She is fine now and back to her old self : )

Growing . . .

2008-04-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

Susannah's not the only one growing these days. As you can see from the baby bump in the pictures below, I have been very busy growing baby williams #2 (aka "beanie"). we learned quickly that "new baby" wasn't the best of nicknames, so "beanie" it is. I'm around 18 weeks and due September 27th. We're hoping for an on-time delivery or Susannah may have to share her Sept 29th b-day. Come July I guess I will be eating both ice chips and my words about never having another summer pregnancy : )

Splish Splash Susannah's Back in the Bath!

2008-04-08T16:10:00.001-07:00

Susannah finally got her cast off today! The doctor said she might limp for a few weeks while she adjusts to using her leg again. Instead she ran out of the doctor's office and back to the car. We celebrated this big event by letting her get extra dirty in the garden and then a big long bath with extra splashing allowed.

susannah has gotten really good at building towers.

no, it is not time to send susannah off to school (though I know that time will come sooner than we like) she has just really taken a liking to the backpack her cousin Abby gave her. the basket was for susannah to collect all the treasures she found on her way around the block. sorry Mr. Black, we'll get those rocks back to you.

Excuses Excuses Excuses

2008-03-29T08:13:00.001-07:00

I am very aware of the fact that another month has passed without any news. that is not because there wasn't news, we've just been a little crazy. As you can see from the first post, Susannah has her leg in a cast. Parents beware: those little feet catch easily when riding down slides. I was even being so careful because I know two other toddlers who have had this same injury. Two trips to the ER and one orthopedist later, susannah is sporting a beautiful bright pink cast. she has what is called a "toddler's fracture" - I guess it's pretty common. she has figured out how to walk, run, dance and jump, so bathing is the only difficulty.

These past few days we have been "suffering" greatly from SPRING FEVER. It has been so nice here. the daffodils are out and the bradford pears are in full bloom. Below is Susannah enjoying a late afternoon swing on our porch swing.

tromping through the neighborhood. For several months now a part of our daily routine includes a walk around the block. Susannah insists on walking the whole way herself so this can take a while when we have to stop to examine each and every stone.

Enjoying breakfast at one of the parks in our neighborhood. Susannah is trying to hand daddy his sippy cup. she loves to be helpful : )

Finally,breakfast at the cafe at Ukrops

Construction Zone

2008-03-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

our second excuse is that our house is currently a construction zone. you can't really tell from the pictures, but we are adding a half bath on our first floor off the kitchen. Just in time for potty training : ) it looks really great so far and we can't wait for it to be finished - and to have our house back!

Chicago

2008-03-29T08:04:00.001-07:00

Susannah and I just returned from a visit to the Healings in Chicago and boy did we have fun. Some of the highlights were going to the nature museum, a real (sorry Roanoke) zoo, and playing with her cousins. Here are some pictures from our visit to the zoo.

we're back!

2008-02-25T16:16:00.000-08:00

we've been sick - note the pathetic picture of me and susannah laying on the couch. really, we haven't been up to much this past month.

here a few more pictures just to make up for some lost time.

taking baby horseback riding.

showing off her swimsuit before a trip to the Y during daddy-daughter weekend.

getting swaddled for old time sake. susannah was instinctively wrapping her baby in a blanket, so we let her in on some swaddling secrets.

Mommy's Little Helper

2008-01-18T08:42:00.000-08:00

Susannah has really taken a love to vacuuming. I have actually been able to teach her to hit the corners and along the baseboards with that wand to collect the dust kitties. she has become quite territorial about this chore and won't let me help her anymore, so we just hope for the best and I finish the job when she goes down for a nap.

Christmas Highlights

2008-01-01T13:59:00.001-08:00

Christmas in Maine was just as you would dream - a beautiful winter wonderland. We all got to play in the snow - from sledding, to snowshoeing - even susannah enjoyed it (though she didn't much care for her boots).

playing the piano with uncle dave.

giving MiMi a high five.

decorating christmas cookies and then eating them.

reading with cousins josh and abby.

Winter Wonderland

2008-01-01T13:52:00.001-08:00

a fun date

2007-12-21T05:16:00.000-08:00

last night, grimes took susannah and I out on a date. we got some burgers and then went on a "tour of lights." there were an alarming number of tacky displays to gawk at. a extra fun part of the evening was that susannah learned a new word, wow. she also learned that she could vary the intensity of the wow. so, when the display was really spectacular she could say wooooooooooow. the other words she has accumulated over the last couple of months:

1. dada and mama (of course)
2: chuice (juice)
3. tee (tree)
4. ba (ball)
5. shoe
6. fish (grimes sees it as a good sign that fish made the top ten)
7. ut-oooooooo (sammy taught her this sound but forgot to teach her the meaning)
8. wow

Christmas Dress

2007-12-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

I tried to get a shot of susannah facing forward in her christmas dress, but this was the best I could do. each morning when she comes downstairs we have a tree lighting. I cannot get enough of the awe and wonder this inspires day after day.

our beautiful tree

2007-12-04T18:00:00.001-08:00

Grimes and I just finished decorating our Christmas tree. rather than hanging our stockings by the chimney with care and having visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads - I was drafting in my head an essay that I will most likely end up writing - it's titled "why families with toddlers don't get christmas trees". I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow when susannah wakes up to discover a "tee" in her house.

Back off Boys

2007-12-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a rather gross picture of susannah eating spaghetti. we have a collection of such pictures that we plan to use to ward off potential boyfriends (until she is of an appropriate age, of course). she is really losing that baby look - I hate that!

Christmas Tree

2007-12-02T17:01:00.000-08:00

Today we ventured into the country of southwest virginia with some dear friends in search of the perfect Christmas tree. It was a cold winter day (finally!) and susannah got to wear her snowsuit for the first time.

Riding the hay wagon out into hills.

looking for that perfect tree.

measuring in at 2 ft 6 inches.

2007-11-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

Susannah loves wearing hats! mostly because she loves being outside and she communicates her desire to go outside by bringing me her hat and making a very cute attempt to put it on herself.

feeling like a big girl in her rocking chair.

A trip to the zoo

2007-11-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

Susannah loves animals. About a month ago she start "barking" at all the dogs we would come across in our neighborhood. now, she is not so discriminating and "barks" at just about anything that moves but isn't human.

many tears are shed when it is time to leave.

this baby goat (or whatever it is) took a special liking to susannah.

posing with the legendary "Ruby" the tiger.

Fall Play Day

2007-11-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

Fall is my favorite time of year and is just now reaching us in Roanoke. This past weekend we got together with some friends to play and enjoy the beautiful weather. Susannah got to "jump" in her first leaf pile. Here are some highlights . . .

Fall is my favorite time of year and is just know reaching us in Roanoke. This past weekend we got together with some friends to play and enjoy the beautiful weather. Susannah got to "jump" in her first leaf pile. Here are some highlights . . .

"Boo" or rather "Quack"

2007-11-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

Susannah didn't take well to the news that she wasn't going trick-or-treating.

the great big world

2007-10-25T20:11:00.001-07:00

susannah has started to take a great interest in the world beyond her backyard. the other day we were out hiking on a trail near our house when she started screaming as if in pain. we took her out of the backpack in an attempt to discern the problem. the moment her feet hit the ground she gave her little "oh" and started walking - I wish I had my camera - a tiny little person in a great big forest. needless to say we very slowly made our way home.

a big hug from friend sammy

2007-10-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

when sammy came over yesterday he walked right over to susannah and gave her a big hug and something that looked like a kiss on the cheek - it was the cutest thing ever!

Life with Susannah

2007-10-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

It is such a joy to spend each day with Susannah and watch her little (or big) personality emerge. She does everything with such exuberance - here are some of her favorite activities:

unfortunately eating isn't her favorite activity but it is during mealtimes that she is equipped to make the biggest mess - that she enjoys.

swinging.

dancing.

driving around in her car. she especially enjoys parking illegally. her daddy (who also has a long history of illegal parking) enjoys for once being the one to GIVE parking tickets.

Happy Birthday Susannah!

2007-10-04T11:08:00.001-07:00

Susannah just celebrated her 1st birthday this past Saturday. She was a little under the weather so we had to cancel her "party" but her Auntie Michele came all the way from Gulf Shores to help her celebrate.

Here is Susannah right after she flung her birthday cake onto the floor - without even tasting it!

Susannah liked opening presents!

pretty new birthday dress - thanks Aunt Michele!

Day two - feeling a little better and ready to try some cake.

First Steps

2007-09-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

Susannah took her first steps today! This picture was a reenactment : )

Eating continues to be a messy endeavor - note the spaghetti noodle on her face

Highlights from Maine

2007-08-30T12:06:00.001-07:00

Susannah just had her first trip up to Maine to visit MiMi and Grampy. She wasn't a huge fan of boating (or at least the law requiring her to wear a life jacket) but there's plenty of time to change her mind about that. Here are some highlights.

Susannah loved playing with her cousin Abby!

And going for wagon rides with the big kids.

And watching the big kids make cookies with MiMi - yum!

Watching a movie with Abby.

And . . . she got to meet her Aunt Claire and Uncle Bill for the first time!

Happy Birthday Sammy!

2007-08-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

Sammy just turned one. He had a birthday party today at one of our neighborhood parks.

Susannah clapped for Sammy the whole time he ate his birthday cake.

new foods

2007-08-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

Susannah has become quite the picky eater. she prefers to just eat food off the floor (which there is a lot of these days). I'm tempted to just spread new foods all over the floor and watch her eagerly sample them - somehow that seems like a step in the wrong direction so I'll resist the urge.

Susannah learning how to slurp a noodle.

10 Months Old!

2007-07-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

Well, our little baby is ten months old and won't be a baby much longer! She continues to woe us with her charm - it's a little scary how skilled she is at this.

Major developments - she cut her third tooth, is about to take those first steps and has just started saying "what's this" (though we don't think intentionally).

Bananna Banna

2007-07-31T19:04:00.001-07:00

Banna is what we sometimes call Susannah - don't know how we started calling her this but it seems to fit. Here is a picture of our little Banna after she rubbed bananna in her hair during lunch. She seems to discover new things to do with food every day. sometimes we ALL end up needing a shower!

helping in the kitchen

2007-07-31T18:59:00.001-07:00

Susannah loves to help out in the kitchen. She recently discovered that in order to completely empty the cabinents she has to actually climb inside. Needless to say clean-up takes a little longer than it used to.

Susannah Stew!

Roaring Run

2007-07-18T11:54:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we went on a fabulous hike with some friends. Susannah had a great time and even tried a little rock climbing herself.

Visit from Ranger

2007-07-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

Susannah's newest friend is a furry house guest named Ranger. Ranger is a service dog in training who is currently being trained by an inmate at a local prison. He will stay with us for a week as part of his socialization training. Susannah is having a grand time following him around

and vice versa. Grimes and I are glad that Susannah cannot yet articulate "daddy, can we get a puppy?"

2007-07-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

Susannah has entered into a bit of a shy stage - which means lots of extra snuggles for mom and dad : ) The picture of Susannah on the couch with Grimes was one of these treasured moments.

Smith Mountain Lake

2007-07-10T17:27:00.001-07:00

We recently went to visit the Verms at Smith Mountain Lake. Susannah got to meet a new friend, Drew, born just four days after her.

Sara Beth and I had the same due date so it was fun to continue comparing notes.

Nine Months Old!

2007-06-29T08:30:00.001-07:00

Susannah is nine month old today. I can't believe it. She is a delightful young lady - full of joy, laughter and enthusiasm.

First Car

2007-06-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

Susannah had a friend over the other day who is a little older so we took her car out to play with. She loved it!

no more pictures dad!

2007-06-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

It's hard being so cute and having parents with a digital camera!

walker

2007-06-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Susannah is determined to walk and has taken to pushing things (like chairs) and walking behind them. Yesterday she discovered that she could "walk" behind a flour canister.

Helping Auntie Move

2007-06-12T06:44:00.001-07:00

One of the things we did as part of our trip was drive a truck of furniture from Raleigh to Gulf Shores. Susannah was a great mover. she didn't do any heavy lifting but maintained a fairly positive attitude.

Stay in Atlanta

2007-06-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

The drive down to Gulf Shores was so long that we decided to stay over with cousin Charlie in Atlanta. Susannah made friends with Sally and the two of them enjoyed playing ball. Sally would gently toss the ball against Susannah's chest and it would roll back to her. Susannah loved it of course!

Visit to Gulf Shores

2007-06-12T06:27:00.000-07:00

We Just got back from our trip down to visit Michele. It was a LONG drive, but we had a blast. Susannah really enjoyed the water as you can see from the pictures.

We're off to Gulf Shores

2007-06-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

We leave tomorrow to drive down to Gulf Shores Alamaba to visit Aunt Michele. It should be an adventure to say the least!

meal time

2007-06-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

Life with Susannah . . .

2007-06-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

constantly wrestling our posessions out of her tiny but swift and powerful grip. Grimes' glasses are a constant target.

Early Morning Hike

2007-06-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

Susannah is an early riser and Grimes and I have finally surrendered our lazy Saturday mornings. This past Saturday we took an early morning hike down to a neighborhood cafe for breakfast - it was delightful way to spend those first few hours of the day!

she can stand!

2007-05-23T07:09:00.000-07:00

This first picture was how grimes and I found susannah this morning - standing up in her crib!

She's not wasting any time. Sunday she cut her first tooth, she's starting to crawl and is now able to pull herself up.

as you can see in the picture of her grabbing the remote - she's getting into everything and keeping mom very busy.

church picnic

2007-05-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

here are some pictures from a church picnic on this family's farm. Susannah LOVES animals and was able to pet a number of friendly farm animals. she had her first (conscious) trip to the zoo last week and had a blast. Her favorite animals were the monkeys - she giggled and squealed at them.

Hair

2007-05-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Susannah's hair is finally starting to grow! I can't resist an occasional bow.

playing with friend sammy

2007-05-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

Susannah loves playing with her friend sammy. they both get so excited when they see each other - it's fun to watch!

Early May

2007-05-23T06:35:00.000-07:00