Happy Easter

Not to be outdone by the pumpkin bellies of two years ago, the girls decided to do Easter Bellies! Hard to believe they are all due within days of each other and yes that was unplanned. The countdown has begun and no one knows who is having a boy or a girl. It will be a very special May provided everyone makes it that far (knock on wood).





We all gathered at Lisa, Ryan, and Colins house. The girls left the kids with the dads and went to get pedicures. The guys, well we all hung out downstairs in the bar with the kids, we drank beers, watched basketball, and let the kids do what they want while the moms were not around. So much fun.




We got home pretty late, Charlotte fell asleep in the car. Of course she was exhausted because she didn't nap on the ride there as we had planned. Instead of napping she sang her little lungs out in the backseat to the soundtrack of Annie. Yes, she knows the words to virtually every song and her favorite is The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow. Over and over and over and over we listen to that CD. If she doesnt know the words she fakes it and sings along anyways. She will pick up the little plastic microphone and just belt out a tune. Watch out in 15 years American Idol.

Not only does she sing Annie, but lately it's been the Alphabet. She can even identify some of her letters A,B,C,I,E,G,H,J,M,O,P,S,T,U,W,V. We are impressed none the less with her alphabet skills. Counting? Well 1 - 20 is a breeze. Dad even had her doing 1 - 10 in spanish. And her vocabulary is picking up speed every day. Stringing lots of words together to make sentences. I think we counted 8 word sentences the other day. Her favorite phrases are "I love it!" and "I'm so sorry". Too cute.

But I digress. Today is Easter. This kid must have been dreaming about the Easter bunny all night long since it was the first thing out of her mouth. Charlotte awoke telling mom about the Easter Bunny, Candy, and Eggs. We went down stairs and Charlotte quickly scoffed up all the plastic Easter Eggs, leading her to an Easter basket packed full of arts and crafts. Amazingly not much candy (thank you Easter bunny!). Today dad is cooking a leg of lamb and corned beef and cabbage for the family (lamb for Charlotte and I, corned beef for mom and the dogs). She at lamb last year, hopefully she still likes it.


Ok, enough writing. You want pictures. Here is Charlottes latest runway fashion shoot done in the living room on Saturday. She is a ham and loves to pose for the camera.







http://pinksandbluesgirls.wordpress.com/2008/03/19/blogger_baby_bump_watch_2008/



















*** Just a side note. We put some of these details about her letters etc b/c this is our baby book for Charlotte and our way to remember what and when milestones occured. It's not a brag book it's our baby book.

Enough Already!

8:00Am: This winter is never ending. Saturday morning we awoke to snow falling. Another 3 inches on top of all the existing snow was not what we needed. At least the new fresh white snow is hiding all the disgusting brown snow underneath.

Today is the town's annual Easter Bonnet Contest. In case you forgot, we are reigning champions from last year and dad has mustered ever ounce of creativity in his mind to ensure we win again. Hours of planning, cutting ribbon, and hot gluing items are sure to bring in win number 2. However the competition is fierce in the Easter Bonnet Competition. Everyone in town wants the coveted title and dad is sure the towns women have been plodding and planning the take over for months.


Update 11:00am. The Easter Bonnet Contest had a record number of entrants. Instead of the usual age group of 3 and under they expanded it to age 4 and under, thus increasing the number of competitors. Walking into the town gymnasium and seeing all of the kids with their spectacular bonnets, dressed to the hilt in their Easter best, dad knew this would be a tough contest to win. Of course everyone was eyeing us as we strolled in, knowing who the family to beat to take over the champion title of Cutest Easter Bonnet.

To make matters worse Charlotte was a little fussy at keeping the bonnet on her head. It could have been the giant Easter bunny that was waving to her that threw her off. Surely she was a little rattled. Dad began to think the competition was doing it on purpose, just to throw her off.


They announced the parade would start and mom and Charlotte jumped up into line to waltz around the gym. The table of judges in the middle looking at all of the contestants walk by. Charlotte pulled away from mom and stood there, staring at the judges. They smiled. Charlotte smiled back. Dad saw it all from the sidelines. There were so many amazing bonnets. Some decorated with flowers, others with bunnies, the little girls in their beautiful dresses. Waiving and smiling. All the kids lined up in front of the table for the final judgement.


Who would win? The girl in all red with the feather boa and gloves up to her elbows? The little girl pushing the stroller full of baby bunnies? Or could it be Charlotte with the Easter eggs dangling from the brim of her bonnet.

Then they announce, "And the winner of the Cutest Easter Bonnet Contest is......the little girl with the eggs dangling from her bonnet!!" It was Charlotte!! She won!!! Two years in a row!! Dad was so proud of her.

Yes she will be in the paper again. The interview went very well and she was well spoken. Of course she said the competition was fierce and that she looks forward to the opportunity to compete again next year.

Growing Up

It is so hard to believe our child used to be a little baby, helpless, relying on us to do everything for her. It's as if we are living our lives in warp speed, milestones are flying by left and right. The seasons come and go as do birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Instead of life slowing down as she gets older, its getting faster and faster. Our baby has become a little girl, one who is striving to do things on her own, to be independent and prove to us how she is now a "big girl". Dad's not buying the "big girl" notion, at least not until she learns to go on the potty.

Charlotte had her first dentist appointment. Dad took her to his dentist, the same one he has been going to year after year since he was 13. Dad sat there in the chair, with his daughter in his lap opening her mouth wide to be examined. They counted her teeth. They even got a chance to polish them. Of course Charlotte loved holding the suction tube in her mouth especially since it made funny noises against the inside of her mouth and lips. She did great and loved the trip to the dentist. Although his dentist was a little taken back when she realized how long she had been practicing.




Saturday afternoon we all went to go see one of Charlottes favorite bands
Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players. She had a blast dancing and singing along. Then of course running up and down the isle while the band played on the stage. She loved it and kept telling us the whole car ride there we were going to see Justin Roberts.



She was so excited when she heard her favorite song "Our Imaginary Rhino" that she probably peed her diaper. We have a groupie on our hands at 2 years old. Great. Dad's really in for it when she turns 13 and wants to see the new boy band of the day.



Sunday dad and Charlotte went grocery shopping. She wanted to bad to help dad. So he let her pick all of the vegetables out of the bins and put them in the plastic bags, then into the cart. She did amazingly well with the exception of the lemon bin. Pulling the one at the bottom of the pile causing most of them to tumble onto the floor. We laughed. Clean up in isle 7 please! Highlight of the trip was Charlotte in the checkout line putting all the food on the moving belt. She loved it. She is becoming such a big helper.

We are doing everything possible to enjoy every single second together as a family. It's going by fast and baby number two will be here before we know it. Life isn't going to slow down for us so we decided to hop on and enjoy the ride.

"Happy to me to you Dadddy"

Happy 35th Birthday Daddy...oopps was I not suppose to say how old you are???
We hope you enjoy your day. We all love you very much! Thank you for being the best Daddy ever.







Mommy and I tried to get some party hats for you but they didnt' have any at Walgreens, I really wanted you to have elmo ones and blowers..sorry, maybe next year:)

City and Snow

This week dad was on a whirlwind tour of the country. Sunday he flew to Boise, Idaho for a traning at his new job. Wednesday night he flew back into Boston at 1am. Of course it was snowing. He made it to NH in 2 hours. At 3am he arrived home. His head hit the pillow and it was up again to drive 5 hours to Long Island NY. We left Charlotte with auntie Tiff, uncle Ian, and cousins Liam and Chase.< We hopped on a train and headed into NYC to enjoy the wedding of Matty B and Lila, now officially Lila B. It truly was planes, trains, and automobiles for dad.



Spending time in New York City was nice. Mom and Dad got some quality time alone. Of course the city is the city, and staying in time square you really do see it all. Case in point was meeting two women while eating lunch who were healers that told us God needed to talk to us and pray for us. Yes the four of us held hands in the middle of Carmines while the gypsy prayed for safety and money for dad and health and patience for mom, and of course told us our unborn child is a boy. It was kooky but at the same time we will take anyones prayers at anytime. We have learned to take all the help we can get especially from God. Yes it's a true story. And yes it would probably only happen in New York City.



Matty and Lila's wedding was very cool. They got married at the Foundry which is in Long Island City, just over the 59th street bridge. However, our cab driver didn't seem to know where that was and was asking us for directions. Despite the language barrier we got to the destination in time for the cermony. The place was beautiful and the ceromony was completely Matty and Lila. We are so happy they are married, they are a great couple.








Here are a few shots of NYC. What do you know? Chris Gilbert (a lifelong family friend of the Sanders) was up on one of the billboards for his show 10 Items or Less. If you haven't seen the show you really should. It is hysterical.



Here is mom in the middle of it all.

So our trip was over and we headed home. As we drove further and further away from the city there was more and more snow. When we finally arrived home we could not believe how much snow we had. This winter has been brutal in terms of snowfall. I keep telling people we have six feet of snow and they dont believe me. Here are the pictures to prove it. Notice the snow going half way up the tree in our front yard. That is not a snow bank people, its snow. Lets hope it SLOWLY melts to prevent any flooding like the last couple of years.




And what do you do with a two year old with all that snow? Well you teach her to ride horses of course. Mini plastic horses. Yes Charlotte is a cowgirl.

The good life

Mom, Dad, and Charlotte just returned from 10 days on sunny Marco Island Florida. Ahhhh Sun, yes Sun. Sun that is warm enough to make you sweat. Sun that stays out until 7pm. Sun that makes you think it is summer, not the middle of February. Sun that at noon is directly above your head requiring you to put sunscreen in your thinning hair to prevent your scalp from burning.

The house was a beautiful Floridian style home. Complete with screened courtyard with spa and heated pool. A dock out back to fish and watch the manatees (yes we saw them frolicing in the water). Walking distance to the beach. And a giant screened back porch as long as the house. What do we come home to? 8 feet of snow topped with a 3 inch thick layer of ice on our house. Newly installed gutters that builds up ice causing any melting to reak havoc on our house by freezing back into our celings and walls. Yes we are so excited to be back home where the sun shines all day and doesnt melt the snow, where the sun sets at 3:30, where dads tan immediately faded to pastey white in a matter of hours. But most of you share in our misery so lets talk about Florida again.

Sun. Did I mention the sun? Isn't it beautiful?

You are probably thinking, "Wow, that is some sunset!" Unfortunately it's not the sunset. It is the sunrise. And dad got to see it every single morning because Charlotte wanted to wake up around 5am every day. We tried putting her to bed later, earlier, skipping naps, putting her in our bed in the morning. Nothing worked. Maybe she didnt like sleeping in the pack and play or that she was sleeping in a walk in closet, or that she just wanted to get up early to go to the beach. Who knows. But when is the last time you got to see a sunrise like that? It made it worth it. Ok not really but it was still nice to see.

Charlotte loved the beach. Marco Island doesnt have the typical new england sandy beach, rather a beach made up of shells. Some big shells. Some little shells. Some tiny broken bits of shell. We had fun looking for the perfect shell to bring home. Unfortunately most of the elderly people hit the beach at sunrise and take all the good ones to sell them to the shell shops (at least that is what dad thinks). He was able to find a couple of good ones and smuggled them home in his suitcase.

Charlotte and cousin Liam played very well at the beach. Only a few minor squabbles over the watering bucket or truck, other than that they had a blast chasing each other and just running, digging, and playing.


Charlotte loved the sun as much as mom and dad. Although we made her wear her surfer girl outfit to preven the sand from getting in her cracks and crevasses.

Ahh the pool and spa back at the house. The kids loved it because it was hot and because they could stand up on the seats. Mom being pregnant was forbidden by dad from getting into the HOT tub. So we shut the heater off for a while and she was able to get in when it reached a cozy 90 degrees. Hopefully we didnt cook baby Cornealius.

Mom found the screened in bug free porch that overlooked the water to be very relaxing.

Dad fishing for manatees. Actually he stopped fishing when he saw that there really were manatees in the water. A whole pod of them? Gang of them? Who knows, but there were at least 7 or 8 that paid us a visit. They are very cute.

We really didnt take the above picture, but thats what they look like Nanny in case you are wondering.

All in all the trip was great. We had a blast and Charlotte was very sad to leave Nanny, Beepa, Uncle Ian, Auntie Tiffany, Liam, and last but not least Baby Chase.

The things Dad loves

Coming home after a long day to have you run up to me to give me a big hug and lay your head on my shoulder.

You behaved perfectly the whole car ride. It helped that I stopped at Dunkin Donuts for you. They didn't have any "black munchkins" that you keep asking for, so I bought you six white ones and a black donut. You ate almost all of them and managed to keep the glaze out of your hair. Your face was a different story. But I handed you a wet wipe while driving (yes mom I can do that) and you wiped your face and hands. You are growing up before my eyes.

As we drove into Boston you kept asking to go through the tunnels (under the bridges). Then we really went into a tunnel and you loved it. You kept looking at all the tall buildings and were so excited. We parked, you jumped into your stroller and we headed to the New England Aquarium. Your eyes lit up when you saw the seals outside being fed. You laughed and kept saying "hello seal!" over and over again. You could have spent all day outside, but being the father I am you were poorly dressed for the weather so we headed inside.



First stop was the penguins. They were also being fed. They flipped and flapped in the water and you laughed hysterically. You loved watching them. The rest of the aquarium was a blur. We went from exhibit to exhibit, you watching all the fish, the frogs, the turtles, even a snake. However, you were a little scared at the giant tank with the sharks and divers in it. You were petrified at the divers for some reason.You jumped into my arms and I held you there protecting you from them behind 3 foot thick glass.



You were a little hesitant about reaching you hands into the tidal pool to touch the horseshoe crab and starfish. I did it first to show you they were not going to hurt you. Soon after you slowly dipped your hands in, then started petting the starfish. The next thing I know you had picked the whole starfish out of the water. Then you grabbed the spider crab and did the same. You love learning about creatures and didn't want to leave even though you hands were freezing.



After the Aquarium we had a lunch date at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was your naptime so you didnt eat too much. But you behaved very well and I was so proud to be out with you at lunch.


Sunday morning you woke me up a little too early. 5am to be exact. I stumbled downstairs while you were crying, made you some milk, put you back in your crib and tried to go back to sleep. You slept, I didnt. So at 6am when you woke up again I brought you into bed with me and we hung out and watched television.

We got dressed then dad surprised you with tickets to see Finding Nemo on Ice at the Verizon Center in Manchester. Even though I bought you your own seat, you sat on my lap the whole first half. After intermission you were a little more brazen and sat in your own seat. Then stood for the rest of the show, clapping and dancing in delight of Nemo and all his friends.

Mom had fun with her girlfriends in Boston while we had our own special weekend.



One that I will not forget anytime soon.