The Way Life Should Be

Memorial Day in Chambersburg

2009-06-05T05:07:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, we had a lovely time in Chambersburg over Memorial Day weekend. Graham was very well-behaved on the (LONG) drive down. We enjoyed our first summer-like weather over the weekend, which was long overdue! It was wonderful to relax at Ohma and Pap Jr.'s lovely home, see the ducks, bunnies, and sheep, and enjoy each other's company.

Graham relaxing on the deck in Ohma's rocking chair

Jumping in the kiddie pool

Stephen poses with the Falling Spring

Graham checks out the flowers

Helping Ohma with the watering

Walking with Ohma

Checking out the ducks with Daddy

Feeding the ducks with Daddy

Rudy likes the stream, too!

Visit with Great-Grandma Jane

Weekend fun

2009-06-02T05:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like I grabbed the wrong memory card today, so I can't post pictures of our Memorial Day weekend in Chambersburg yet. We had a lovely, relaxing long weekend for Memorial Day at Ohma and Pap Jr.'s house. Graham loved chasing the ducks, seeing bunnies, and dipping his feet in the stream. We got to see a lot of people, including the Masons and their little ones, Aunt Weesa and Uncle Dave, and Uncle Todd and Laura. We also visited Grandma Jane in her new room at Penn Hall. Graham wowed all of the residents with his big smile and sparkly eyes :-)

We then left Graham in Chambersburg for a few days of "camp" with Ohma and Pap Jr and drove up to Maine for a few days of grown-up time. Stephen and I got to go out to dinner and enjoy the quiet...even as we desperately missed Graham.

Graham got home on Thursday, and on Friday Stephen and I headed down to Boston for Matt and Jan's wedding. We enjoyed hitting some of our old haunts, including Anna's Taqueria and Baptiste Power Yoga in Cambridge. Matt and Jan got married at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square on a lovely late spring evening. It was fun to get together with old friends for the happy event.

We were excited to get home and see Graham on Sunday and start on yet more yard work. I'll get some pics of our latest projects as they develop and post them here soon! Below are a few pictures from this weekend. Stay tuned for Chambersburg pictures...

The happy couple

The other happy couple

Graham's first corn on the cob of the season

Graham likes to help with the watering-but mostly likes to water his truck!

my lovely iris! These were originally planted at my grandmother's house, then transplanted to my mom's, then brought out to Maine in my mom's suitcase the year we bought the house to plant here.

First Haircut

2009-05-17T15:45:00.001-07:00

We bit the bullet today and took Graham to Snip-Its, a children's salon, for his first haircut. While we LOVE his beautiful curls, they were getting a little crazy! Without leave-in conditioner, painful combing, and styling product, he was getting dreadlocks! So we asked Keri, the stylist (who happens to work part-time at Graham's daycare) to leave his fluffy curls but just make it a little more manageable. Graham was not a fan of the experience (and we stupidly brought him right at nap time)...but he emerged unscathed, and looking adorable--if not a bit too much like a big boy!

Spring Update

2009-05-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

Whew, I'm a horrible blogger! Does anyone even look at this anymore?? It's been a busy spring. My work has gotten really busy and my schedule is filling with new patients. Every day is a challenge, but I'm getting more comfortable and actually feel like I know what I am talking about every so often! Stephen and I went on a wonderful trip to Belize in February. We are grateful to Ohma and Pap Jr. for babysitting for us so we could enjoy a week away! Stephen is not only working like crazy and travelling for his job, but is also doing the grad school thing: a Master's Degree in Structural Engineering with Norwich University. I'm so proud of him!

Snorkeling in Belize!

on top of our roof in Belize...sunset in paradise!

on top of Mayan ruin at Lamanai, Belize

Graham is even busier still. He is learning new words daily, and is starting to string them together. It is so fun to hear him chatter away in his crib every morning as he wakes up...and once he's awake, he never stops talking! He knows his animals (and their sounds) incredibly well, is making a lot of progress on his colors, and can even count to three. He loves to talk about all of his little friends at daycare and the various dogs and cats in the neighborhood. It is exciting to see his personality continue to develop and hear about his interests. He loves animals, tools, and dirt...isn't as interested in cars and trucks as many little boys.

And no, I haven't cut his hair yet. I just can't bring myself to do it! He is so adorable with his blond ringlets, although I know it's getting a little out of control. Any opinions on the subject are welcome!

Big boy at swimming lessons

Easter egg hunt with cousin Calvin

My boys at Higgins Beach

It's beginning to look a lot like...

2008-12-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

Whew! Where has the time gone? It seems that I managed to finally accept that summer was over and fall here; suddenly it's 3 days til Christmas!!! We're very much looking forward to Graham's 2nd Christmas. I'm hoping he'll get excited about opening some presents--I know he'll have fun playing with some of them (or so Santa told me). He has really been enjoying the Christmas tree, and loves having the lights turned on every morning. This will be our first Christmas in Maine....first Christmas since I've graduated from high school that I'm NOT travelling for this holiday. There are definitely some mixed feelings here...while I'll miss our families horribly (Christmas always makes me homesick), we're looking forward to relaxing, not dealing with crazy airports and traffic, and starting some of our own little family traditions.

We're fortunate that my brother, Jen, and Calvin will be coming to visit the day after Christmas. Stephen's parents then arrive a few days later to celebrate New Year's.

I'll post a few pictures of the little squirt here...more to come after Christmas!

Walking

2008-09-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

Watch out, world--Graham can walk! He actually took his first steps back in July, but it took a while for him to catch on to walking-he can just crawl so darn quickly. Apparently he has been walking at daycare for weeks, but he really just started going everywhere on his two legs at home over the past week. He very proud of himself, and of course, so are we! He enjoyed a few trips to the beach over the past week--the videos will speak for themselves!

Dinnertime Fun

2008-08-25T08:10:00.000-07:00

As Graham moves in to his toddler phase (sniffle sniffle) he is definitely having his ups and downs with eating. Sometimes he seems like a bottomless pit; other times he prefers to throw his food everywhere and refuse to eat--especially things that were his favorite only days before.

Some things, however, are certain: he always loves corn on the cob and broccoli. He has recently learned to eat the corn on the cob by holding it himself and is so proud. Check out some cute shots of his dinner hour!

Walkway completed!

2008-08-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

Stephen was able to put the finishing touches on the walkway last week. He did a great job, and the project has certainly spruced the house up a great deal! I can hardly remember the days of our nasty, broken concrete walk...

BUBBLES!

2008-08-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

I am sure you will all be shocked when I tell you this, but Graham is SO ADVANCED! He came home from Ohma and Pap Jr.'s a couple of weeks ago with a new vocabulary word: bubbles. He gets so excited if he sees a bottle of bubble solution or a bubble wand...he laughs and squeals and says "bubbles!" So, naturally, we get them out as much as possible because this is so darn cute. We even broke out the bubble generator that Graham got from his friend Spencer for his birthday. Check out his excitement!!!

Beach Bums

2008-08-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

Graham has developed quite a love of the beach! And before our forty days and forty nights of rain began (OK, 2 weeks of rain) we got out to Crescent Beach several times. This is a great beach for kiddos as it has a stream running down the beach and into the ocean. The water is shallow and warm and perfect for splashing! Graham is also overcoming his fear of the ocean, recently hopping up and down and squealing in delight when Daddy brought him in to wade in the waves.

White Wedding

2008-08-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

...a wedding in the White Mountains, that is! Last weekend we traveled to Jackson, NH to attend Dan and Lucie's wedding. Steve and I took advantage of the location to do some hiking on the morning of the wedding at Tuckerman's Ravine. Alas, I forgot to bring the camera so have no proof of the lovely but challenging terrain.

The wedding ceremony and reception were held at the Eagle Mountain Resort, a large inn with charm galore and wonderful views to boot. The bride was beautiful in a simple ivory lace gown, and both members of the happy couple seemed absolutely thrilled. We had a terrific time catching up with friends, dancing, and relaxing.

We got up early the day after the wedding because we were dying to get home and see our baby boy--it had been a week!

Visit with the Arbetters

2008-08-03T07:29:00.000-07:00

The weekend before last, we drove down to New Rochelle, NY to visit with Lou and Yo and their little ones, Mikey and Sasha (and pooch Tito). The weather in New York was steamy, but the Arbetters' house is armed with air conditioning and a fabulous kiddie pool out back. We had a great visit, and their house also served as the hand-off point for Ohma and Pap Jr to come pick up Graham. They took him back to Chambersburg for an entire week! There were some tears when they took him away, but we dried them off and headed into the city with Lou and Yo for a grownups' night out at a happening Mexican restaurant in Manhattan.

On Sunday it was back to Maine in a quiet car...and time to get ready for my first day of work as a Nurse Practitioner! Yikes!

Walkway update

2008-07-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

While I was in Marquette, Stephen made more progress on the walkway. Check it out! What a hubby I have :-)

Marquette

2008-07-17T06:16:00.000-07:00

Graham and I flew out to my hometown of Marquette, Michigan last week to see Grandma and Grandpa. It was my first time flying alone with Graham since he was a newborn that slept all of the time, so I was a bit nervous. However, he was a champ and really charmed everyone on our flights! Graham had a fun time in Marquette--some activities included a tractor ride from Grandpa, a big walk with auntie Nikki Tweedie, hitting the beach with Carole and her family, more beach time with Grandma and Grandpa, a trip to the Lower Harbor park to play, and lots of crawling around the yard picking Grandma's flowers. Graham also had his first professional photo shoot at Christine Garceau's. I can't wait to see the proofs! The weather was typical U.P.--hot one day, and pretty chilly the next. All in all, we had a great time and were sad to leave--Graham loves getting spoiled by his grandparents!!!!

on Grandpa's riding mower

The Marquette Lighthouse

Braving Lake Superior with Grandpa

Playing on the swings with Grandma and Grandpa

Wow! The swing was sponsored by my high school class!

Mama and Graham at the park

Stopping to smell the flowers

A visit from Aunt Bonnie and Pete

2008-07-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

Stephen's aunt Bonnie is in town for Pete's Navy reunion. They have a jam-packed schedule of sight seeing, lobster boils and the like, but managed to drop by for happy hour yesterday. It was wonderful to see them and catch up, as well as hear some funny stories from Steve's childhood. We were feeling merry with the news of my success on the NP boards, so a great time was had by all.

FNP-C

2008-07-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my official new title! I took my certification exam yesterday, and it lets you know the results at the end (can't beat computerized testing)! I did pass, as did my pals Jen and Michelle, who also took the exam yesterday. YIPPPEEEEEEEEE--the last big hurdle. Oh wait, now I have to start working...
If anyone is wondering what exactly a Nurse Practitioner is...check out the faqs

Summer Fun

2008-07-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

Our holiday weekend fun continued on Sunday with a trip to the beach with my fave born-and-bred Maine-iac, Vanessa, and her adorable stepson, 7-year-old Julian. The Fernandez-Greenes are in town for a little R&R and it is always great to have a chance to see them. I still laugh when I remember that Vanessa was the first person that I ever met from Maine--it sounded so exotic to a Midwesterner like myself back in our Kalamazoo College roommate days. And now here I am living in Maine, while she currently makes her home in Minnesota.
I digress...it was a foggy day at the beach, but we found this to be a welcome respite from the hot sun here at the house. As you will see in the pics, Graham begged Vanessa for her yogurt, and he is too cute to resist. Steve also ate Vanessa's sandwich, so I'm afraid we deprived her of her packed lunch! The boys all played together, digging in the sand, hunting for crabs, and checking out the ocean.

After the beach, Graham played a lot in the backyard--check out his big smile in his new "Fred Flinstone car" that Ohma and Pap Jr. got him for his first birthday.

Later that night, Vanessa, Juan, and Julian came over for a dinner of mussels with wine--made with big handfuls of fresh herbs from my garden. We had a great time. Check out Vanessa's blog for pics of the evening.

Summer Fun

2008-07-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

I digress...it was a foggy day at the beach, but we found this to be a welcome respite from the hot sun here at the house. As you will see in the pics, Graham begged Vanessa for her yogurt, and he is too cute to resist. Steve also ate Vanessa's sandwich, so I'm afraid we deprived her of her packed lunch! The boys all played together, digging in the sand, hunting for crabs, and checking out the ocean.

After the beach, Graham played a lot in the backyard--check out his big smile in his new "Fred Flinstone car" that Ohma and Pap Jr. got him for his first birthday.

Walkway progress

2008-07-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

Steve's latest project is completing a new brick walkway. He dug up the nasty concrete one a few weeks ago, and has been hard at work laying layers of sand gravel, and now brick. The corners are especially challenging, requiring brick cutting and lots of precision! Check out his progress here. We are so excited about the walkway; it is really going to spruce up the place!!!

4th of July

2008-07-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

A long weekend for the 4th of July--whoo hoo! We had a great day yesterday--jam packed with activities. First, Stephen and I got up early to drive up to Freeport for the LL Bean 4th of July 10k road race. A big thanks to Aunt Jenny for getting out of bed and coming over to babysit the G-man! The weather was perfect for running, although the hilly course was a little tough on those of us that train on the bike path! We did both finish strong and enjoyed the race.

Next, it was off to Crescent Beach! It was nice and sunny and Graham had a great time playing in the little stream and digging in the sand. Luckily, we have discovered swim diapers--they make things so much easier.

Finally, we hit a BBQ at our neighbors' house. Graham played in the kiddie pool with Andrew and had a ton of fun until his bedtime, when we turned into pumpkins and skedaddled home.

Beach Time

2008-07-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

We have finally had some beach days here in Maine. Graham has long enjoyed walks on the beach in his backpack, but is now also learning to love playing in the sand. He is a little bit afraid of the ocean, but had fun playing in the little stream on Crescent Beach yesterday. He did eat some sand a couple of days ago...for you curious souls out there, yes, he did have a couple of sand poops!

Everything's in Bloom

2008-07-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

After a bone-dry May and early June, we have had a few weeks of frequent rain. Coupled with some nice hot weather, the rain has really helped my garden. Well, I suppose I don't really have a garden, but I am terribly proud of my little tomato and herb patches as well as my flowers. Check out some pictures here.

After a 1-year Hiatus...

2008-07-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

I'm back on Blogger! OK, OK, I'm sure no one looks at this page anymore--but if you'll give us another chance I promise to provide lots of fun posts. If anyone is interested in the year in a nutshell, here goes...Graham grew from adorable newborn (I became a little misty-eyed when looking at these posts from one year ago) to gorgeous, funny, extremely advanced, mischievious one-year-old. He learned to sleep through the night, crawl, say ma-ma, and has a mouthful of teeth. I finished my master's degree and am here blogging to avoid studying for my certification exam. I take said exam next week and will begin work at the end of July as a Family Nurse Practitioner for Mercy Hospital. Stephen is still with Altec and has been working hard both at his job and on the house. Stay tuned for pics of his latest projects.

Coming next--pictures of gardening, Graham, graduation, new walkway and more! Thanks for visiting us!

Grandparents!

2007-07-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to have all 4 of Graham's grandparents visit following his birth. Steve's parents, Ed & Susy, were actually here when he was born. It was great to be able to share the special day with them....and to have all of their help once we returned home! Ed is a painter extraordinaire and Susy a great cook and baby whisperer. My parents arrived the week after Graham's birth. They too were delighted with their new grandson and were a big help to us here. Mom taught us many tricks, such as how to bathe a baby and calming a fusser, while making some of her signature strawberry pies. Dad helped Steve build new steps for the porch, replacing the rotten ones that were just waiting for someone to crash through them.

Here are some pictures from both visits...you can see Ohma and Pap Jr at the hospital just following Graham's birth, Janet bathing the baby, and Gary's new steps.

Our Tiny Miracle

2007-06-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

Graham Edwin Sponseller was born to us on Saturday, June 16, at 8:52 p.m. at Maine Medical Center. He weighed 7 lbs 6 oz at birth and is 20.5 inches long.

I went into labor in the wee hours of Saturday morning, and my water broke in the front yard around 9 a.m., witnessed by our neighbor Tiffany. We got ourselves to the hospital quickly where things progressed throughout the day. Unfortunately, the baby showed signs of distress for several hours during labor, so a c-section was necessary. I was bummed out by the need for surgery, but those feelings were forgotten as soon as I got my first look at little Graham. He is perfectly healthy, and beautiful to boot!

Field Trip

2007-06-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

Today, my Health Policy class took a trip to the state capital of Augusta. We sat in on state House and Senate legislative meetings. The highlight of the day was a press conference held by The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine. The Alliance released a report on their studies of harmful chemicals found in everyday household products that many of us use, such as water bottles, cosmetics, cookware, and cleaning supplies. If you are interested in their findings, check out www.cleanandhealthyme.org. The Alliance is urging the Maine legislature to support comprehensive chemical regulation. In the meantime, think twice before heating up leftovers in plastic containers, allowing your baby to chew on plastic toys, or filling up your trusty Nalgene bottle. Use glass alternatives for food and water containers.

I meant to take a photo of our group in front of the State House. Unfortunately, my instructor sent me home before the end of the day when she discovered that I had been having contractions for the past 6 hours. Unfortunately, the contractions have died off for now...not looking as promising for baby action tonight! Oh well--time for another walk around the block.

A Dog's Life

2007-06-11T04:02:00.000-07:00

Rudy got to have some fun yesterday, too--we took a break from painting mid-afternoon to take her to Hinckley Park, a dog-friendly establishment featuring 2 ponds and hiking trails through the woods. She chased sticks and some ducks, too. The first picture shows the ducks frantically trying to escape her as she splashes through the water; the second picture shows her calmly guarding the yard after she has burned off some energy!

House Painting

2007-06-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

Stephen woke up this morning with a nasty summer cold. However, after a little TLC from the wife (application of Vicks Rub, dosing with Ibuprofen, and a trip to the store for the famous Russian Tea ingredients), he is back at the house painting project. Our hope is to at least have the front of the house painted by the time the baby arrives. Most of you know that we were clever enough to buy a house with fantastic turquoise trim...the transition to a lovely dark red trim is finally happening! Steve is certainly making a name for himself as the hardest working hubby on the block--it's a tough job, with intensive scraping, priming, and then painting. I may even pick up a brush myself today to do parts of the porch that don't require getting up on a ladder.

Below are morning and afternoon photos of his progress.

The Waiting Game

2007-06-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

We are in the home stretch of the pregnancy...only 9 days until the magic due date! However, I for one am ready to get on with things! We are sticking close to home, wondering if every twinge could be a contraction, etc. I am ready to try the old wives' tale of macaroni and cheese and steak sauce for inducing labor. Hmmmm--Sunday dinner tomorrow, perhaps? We are hoping for a June 13th birthday--the 5th anniversary of our first date. Fingers crossed that the little fella decides to make an appearance sooner rather than later!

Yesterday, we went for a beautiful walk on the beach in the early morning. Rudy chased sticks and the sandpipers.