I'm Sarah and I Approve This Message

3 1/2 and minimal prompting needed. She is coming in the voting booth on Tuesday!

Maxwell Update

Maxwell was placed in a new home. They have 2 other doggies, a big house, a big fenced in yard and a summer house on the lake. My boy has hit the motherload! Good for him. We miss him but know he is livin' it up!!

That is it for this post. Gotta get back to work and the people that pay me.....

Pump Up the Pumpkins

Another Chickpeas outing had Chris, Sarah and Sophie picking pumpkins at Heaven Hill Farm today. (I had 2 conference calls so I was stuck home!) The girls were well-behaved as they went on a hayride, visited the animals, went through the corn maze, played on the swings and picked the most perfect pumpkins.

Here are our gorgeous girls and their friends...

Sophie Checking In

I always see Mommy & Daddy sitting on the computer "blogging" so I figured I'd see what all the fuss is about. While Daddy is out working & Mommy is watching 'Go Diego Go' with Sarah, I crawled out of the crib, down the stairs and into the office. Climbing into the chair was a little tricky because it's on wheels- but I managed.

So here are a few things you should know about me...

• I am 10 1/2 months old now and I weight 22 lbs.
• I am about 30 inches tall or so, but if I am standing on my tippy-toes I can pull down most things from tables and shelves.
• I like to get into mischief. I crawl up the stairs when no one is looking and pull things apart just for kicks. I am giving them a run for their money!!!
• I have 8 teeth with 1 more 1/2 the way in and another just peeking through my gums. More teeth = more food, and man do I like to eat!!
• My curly blonde hair and blue eyes still makes people wonder who I look most like because it's not Mommy or Daddy.
• I am cruising quite a bit now, holding onto chairs and tables while I walk. I can stand all by myself, but only for a while until I fall on my heiny. (no worries- I am fully cushioned there)
• I love to eat paper, dustballs, string, plastic, shoes, and just about everything else I shouldn't. Mommy & Daddy get a little freaked out and try to Heimlich me all the time. They need to relax...paper is a good source of fiber.
• I am loving my daycare now. I go Tuesdays & Wednesdays and love my new friends. Big Sister Sarah is there too, so she always soothes me when I get cranky.
• I am starting to shimmy and dance a bit and get very happy when the Dora Theme Song comes on. I love that Salsa sound!
• And lastly, I am a happy baby. My family loves me and shows me everyday. And I love them right back....they have the love-bites to prove it.

Peace out my peeps!

Sophie

Maxwell Has Left the Building

Maxwell left to go live with Donna and her 3 dogs and 2 cats until a new home is found for him. Although we love and miss the litle guy a lot, he needs a place where he can run around and be with other dogs. Our life and schedule has changed so much that he spent most of his time alone or crated. This energetic bundle of joy deserves more than that. This situation was perfect for all of us, since he did not have to go to a shelter. He will be fostered by someone I know until the perfect fit is found for him.

Donna will keep us up-to-date on how he is doing so that will we be assured he is still well.

Red Sox Nation

These days, Red Sox baseball in October is something that seems to be a forgone conclusion . Beckett, Tek, Youk and the boys just seem to keep getting better and better. This year has been a wild roller coaster ride as we expected to battle the Yankees (Evil Empire) for supremacy in the American League East. Little did we realize the Yankee dynasty would crumble, with their overpaid , over the hill superstars. Yankee Dynasty? Yankee Pride? They are now desolate just like there old worn out stadium.

The real battle this year was against the Rays of Tampa, who seems to be on their own Cinderella ride. As mentioned this year we have seen it all: Dice-K dominating with a 18-3 record , Pedroia -all 5ft 8 of him proving skeptics wrong and being an MVP candidate, and Manny Ramirez on May 14th making a spectacular catch and high-fiving a fan like only Manny can do. There was also the emotional moment of John Lester beating the odds of cancer and on May 19th throwing the 18th no-hitter in Red Sox history. Boy, we have really seen it all this year.

Speaking of Manny- as sad as I am to see him go, we didn’t miss a beat getting Jason Bay . I will admit I was very skeptical thinking this Pirate would be able to add anything to the mix, but he plays hard with a quiet confidence and that’s all you can expect from him.

We are now the underdogs again facing the Angels in the playoffs, but I have no doubt with the steady hand of Terry Francona we will pull through and be in the American League Championship series. World Champions 2004, 2007, and 2008?? Only time will tell, but I expect Papelbon will be doing his Riverdance again when it’s all over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu43lbTrvOQ&feature=email

Here are me and Sarah getting ready to watch the playoffs!!

Showing Off

Just showing off some misc. photos from the past few days of our wonderful girls. Don't they just get cuter every day?? Sophie is turning into a strawberry blonde curly top and Sarah is growing into a beautiful little girl. Love them!!! xoxoxoxox

Library

On Saturday the 4th, Chris and I took Sarah and Sophie for their first trip to the library. After Sarah's dance class and our weekly trip to BK for an after-class snack, we decided to add-on another activity to our Saturday routine and figured a cheap alternative would be our local public library.

We managed to kill about an hour and a half there. Not too bad. Next week the library starts its free make-your-own crafts sessions which means we could kill almost 2 whole hours there. Nice!! Free books, free DVDs, free toys, free crafts, happy and worn down kids, maybe a nap for all once we get home (fingers crossed) ....love it!!!

Here is a picture to commemorate the day.

Sarah's First Trip to NYC

On Sunday September 21, Sarah, Aaron, Tina and I hopped the train to NYC to see the Laurie Berkner Band at Lincoln Center. The kids had their first train and taxi rides, first major concert, and their first visit to the gigantic Toys R Us store in Times Square.

They were both so well behaved (thanks to their incredible parents who raised them to be civil and well-adjusted toddlers) We had an awesome time. I think I bopped along to the music as much as Sarah did!

Here are some pics of our great day!!

Congratulations to Mom

On Saturday September 20th, we had the opportunity to celebrate Mom (Cheryl) in all her nursing glory. Mom had the honor of being presented with a special award from the New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association in recognition of her work in the ER. I (Chris) would like to take credit here, since as a very sickly child with asthma I gave her a lot of practice and sleepless nights. LOL

This was a big night out for the wife and I without our 2 girls so we took full advantage. The ceremony was held at the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa in Kerhonkson, NY . We feasted on a nice 4 course meal of salad, pasta fagioli, chicken marsala and a nice strawberry shortcake to top it all off. The meal was decent- nothing like Romolos or Zana D, but we were there for Mom and not the meal. (This was also to be my last supper, which I will explain next time.)

Onto the ceremony, which was very well done with many thoughtful and emotional moments to reflect on. Mom got a well deserved standing ovation for not only excelling in the nursing field, but for persevering as a cancer survivor. Needless to say tears came to my eyes, (Where are my dark sunglasses when I need them?). The night ended with a few drinks and congratulations all around.

It made me feel great for Mom to receive her recognition in nursing excellence. In addition to the award she received this night, she also received similar awards back in May, and earlier in September (NYS Department of Health’s Emergency Medical Services award for Nurse of the Year). Not too shabby!!

I will also present my Mom with another award right now, The Best Mom Award. Here is a poem I found that sums it up a lot better than I could. (by Karl Fuchs)

For all the things I didn't say,About how I felt along the way--

For the love you give and the work you've done,Here's appreciation from your admiring son.
You cared for me as a little tot,When all I did was cry a lot, And as I grew your work did too--

I ran and fell and got black and blue.
I grew some more and it didn't stop. Now you had to become a cop To worry about mistakes I'd make.

You kept me in line for my own sake.
I got older, and the story repeated; You were always there whenever I needed.

You guided me and wished me the best, I became wiser and knew I was blessed.
So, for all the times I didn't say, The love I felt for you each day,

Mom, read this so you can always see Just how much you mean to me.