Go Steelers!

Enough Said!

Maryland Snow 2011

2011 didn't even compare to 2010 in the amount of snow we received. But when we did get about 6 to 8 inches it was beautiful and the kids made the most of it.
A very large snowman created by Matt and the kids.

A snow day isn't complete without a little bit of sledding.....Matt and the kids really made the most of it and went sledding about 3 days in a row. Here are some videos.

Happy Birthday Daddy and Jason

For the last 4 years there has been a double celebration on January 15th....in 2008 Jason was born on Matt's 40th birthday. This year we celebrated Matt's 43rd and Jason's 3rd birthdays. It was a Saturday, Grammy and Grandpa were here, and we went out to eat at Outback. Here Matt and Jason pose with their cake.
Prior to going out to eat, we spent some time opening presents. Madison is just about to realize that none of these presents are for her. But she is excited to give her brother a present that she helped pick out.

Jason is eager to get started.

Daddy takes some time to read his card....kids patiently waiting.

And he reads yet another card....made by Madison.

Daddy receives the Hines Ward jersey....and Madison holds up Jason's new jersey.

I was more than happy to wear Matt's "old" jersey for the night....Troy Polamalu. After all, it was also the evening of a playoff game between the Steelers and the Ravens....fortuneately the Steelers pulled out a victory.

The kids enjoy decorating the dining room with all the balloons.

Jason is very happy with his new trucks.

Both boys got to open their birthday presents from Grammy and Grandpa....new Diego bikes with training wheels.

And they enjoyed trying them out in the living room.

A little Happy Birthday video....taken at Outback.

Our Little Getaway!

Matt and I were blessed to be able to take a trip out west over Labor Day weekend. It all started when we realized we had an abundance of airline miles that would expire once we cancelled our credit cards attached to them. We decided it would be better to take a trip before the baby rather than after. I called mom to see if her and dad would be able to come to Maryland to watch the kids then we started thinking about where we would like to go. We chose Arizona because Matt had never been there and I hadn't been there since I was very young. We were gone for 4 full days and 3 nights. We flew into Phoenix, rented a car, and drove north to the Grand Canyon to begin.

We stayed at a hotel right outside the park entrance...close enough to go there the afternoon that we arrived and then back the next day.

I took this picture the first night we went to the Grand Canyon. Matt would've loved to go down on this ledge but we were being a little cautious that first night. The pictures really don't capture the beauty of it all.

A nice family took this picture for us.

The next morning we headed back to the park after a nice breakfast and enjoyed all the sites before heading on a little hike. We realized the squirrels were very aggressive and this one was climbing onto our backpack trying to get our snacks.

Another shot of the view.

Matt stops to pose with the canyon behind him.

And later climbs down a few ledges so I can capture a picture.

On the way out of the park he stopped to pose with Smokey the Bear.

We then headed south so Sedona. We had heard about this area from a number of people so we made reservations for 2 nights there...figuring there's really only so much a pregnant woman can do at the Grand Canyon.

The red rock formations were beautiful and it was a wonderful little town to be at for a couple days. Great little shops and restaurants to enjoy.

This picture was taken at a lookout just prior to arriving at the airport for our helicopter ride.

Yes, we decided to go on a helicopter ride. It was pretty inexpensive once we traded a couple hours of our time to go and look at a timeshare property. Somehow I got the front seat and Matt was in the back with a lady and her daughter. It was pretty cool being able to see everything from that vantage point.

After the ride we captured a picture of us in front of the helicopter.

We stayed at a lovely hotel that had a wonderful pool area which we enjoyed the first day we arrived.

This little sitting area was located right outside our sliding glass door.

On our last day we stopped at the Chapel of the Hills for a quick look before heading back to Phoenix. It offered some great views of the rocks and of a very nice house.

The front of the Chapel of the Hills.

We then headed back to Phoenix to catch our flight back to Maryland. Our trip was a relaxing time and although we missed the kids our time went by so fast.

Our Baby Turns Two

On January 15th we celebrated two birthdays....Matt's and Jason's. Matt got his birthday cake (cheesecake) Thursday night for caregroup and Jason got his monkey cake Friday night after dinner. Initially I couldn't decide what cake to make for him but when I saw the monkey cake my decision was easy....he's such a little monkey as he climbs and scales everything.

So here is the finished product.
Opening a few presents.

A big train book....he loves trains.

A present bigger than him...a very large tonka recycling truck. Carson is very much in love with this toy.

We went to Outback for an early dinner, releasing me from cooking and cleaning up....it was much easier to leave the mess at Outback. After dinner, the staff brought our cake out with candles and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jason. He was happy initially but then a little unsure of the entire event....but very excited to blow out the candles.

The final present we gave him was....well, take a look below.

He was a little apprehensive but has developed a liking for his new friend; however, the monkey can be found most nights in Madison's bed....she's really liking this toy.

5 Year Anniversary Trip

Matt and I were blessed to be able to get away for a short anniversary trip on Friday. We were able to go back to Gramercy Mansion...the place we stayed 5 years ago on our wedding night. Matt was able to book the exact same room so that was really special. Although we knew a huge snowstorm was headed our way we went ahead with our plans. Here are a few pictures outside the mansion prior to any snow falling.

After arriving we got all dressed up and headed to a lovely dinner at the Milton Inn...a large old home turned into a restaurant. Unfortuneately the picture of us taken by the Christmas tree turned out very blurry. Here is the lovely dessert (apple cobbler) we shared and how they blessed us with a little message written in chocolate.

We arrived back to our room to find it filled with rose petals and candles.

By 10 pm it had not begun to snow yet but we knew it was coming. Both Matt and I woke up around 4 am and peeked out the windows to find a few inches already on the ground. We finally got up around 6:30....nervousness of the ride home kept us from sleeping in. We snapped a few pictures from the little balconies off our room.

Here I am reading the journal that the guests of this room can choose to write in...5 years ago I wrote in it so I added a short note this time as well.

The little snow-covered patio off of our room which would be lovely in the summer as well.

One last picture before heading out and braving the snow-covered roads.

Our trip home wasn't too bad. We took it slow while we watched others going to fast and spinning out in the conditions. We stopped about half way home, got a Starbucks and actually went into the mall, which was a ghost town with many stores not even open. We made it home by noon, 4 hours before we had intended to, but Sandra who was watching our kids needed to get home as well.

We can't wait to go back here again sometime.

Matt and Sam are Baptized

This past Sunday, November 22nd, Matt and Sam were both baptized at our church, Covenant Life Church. While Matt had been baptized as an infant, he had never been baptized since becoming a Christian in 2000. Sam recently accepted Jesus as her Savior in August and was also baptized. They both gave short testimonies but I haven't had a chance to download those yet. Here are the videos of the actual baptisms.

Perhaps a Pool Membership Next Year?

This little pool just doesn't give Matt the opportuntity to do laps that a larger pool may allow in the future. However, Madison sure does love the tidal waves that Daddy creates. She gets carried around in his wake and she loves it.

The Pier Band

A few months ago I posted about our marching band. Now Matt has joined the band and it's a family affair. Enjoy.

Happy Birthdays!

Hard to believe but one year ago our youngest, Jason was born and to top it all off he was born on Daddy's 40th birthday! He is such a joy in our home. His laughter is contagious. He is into everything, just like his sister and brother, and he is constantly on the go! At his doctor visit today he weighed 23 pounds (54%) and measured 31 inches (84%). Yesterday we celebrated both Jason's and Daddy's birthdays. Enjoy the pictures.
Jason's birthday cake....my first heavy duty try at decorating. It was fun, I was happy with how it turned out, but wow what a task...mixing the colors, filling decorating bags, changing tips, cleaning up the big mess, whew...Carson will be getting a football cake for his birthday as we'll celebrate on Super Bowl Sunday!
Jason and Carson had Matt and I up numerous times during the night as they have both been sick, but we started the morning off by presenting Jason with his giant Pooh singing balloon.

Present time...as you can see Madison and Carson understand the concept a bit more than Jason!

Jason is excited about one of his new toys!

Daddy's turn for a gift....Troy Polamalu jersey (Pittsburgh Steelers). Matt is a huge Steelers fan and has been for a long time. We all love watching Polamalu play so I was delighted to get Matt his first Steeler jersey!

A gift from Grammy...an alphabet train. Once again, Carson and Madison help out!

Time for singing and cake!

Jason being cautious before digging in...it was as if he kept looking to me for approval to get messy!

It was a big hit...as you can see he had no problem finishing it all!

When done with cake....eat plate.

Or...play peek-a-boo....where'd he go?

Peek-a-boo!

Now, for Daddy's turn...Matt loves cheesecake so I made a homemade cheesecake for him!

Wow...2 birthdays in one day...I can't even imagine if I had actually thrown parties!...I'm exhausted!