Go Out. Be Great.

I'm not one to to normally share my feelings or show my emotions (unless I'm watching a sappy movie). My sister told me this story of a family who lost their little boy in a tragic accident at the lake. I was immediately heart broken and my eyes well up with tears every time I think of this little boy and his family. I think about them often. I don't know them, but I cannot imagine what they are going through and I find myself praying for them everyday. They have shown incredible faith and strength and have touched the hearts of so many. The story surfaced all of my worst fears and my heart aches. I read their blog and facebook page and the family's quest to share Nate's story and I'm inspired to be a better person, not take the little things for granted and to be the best wife, mother and friend I can possibly be. Their motto is simple: Go Out. Be Great. (Great words to live by) If you are able, pls read their story and make a contribution to the playground they are builidng at his elementary school in Nate's memory. http://nathanchrisbaker.wordpress.com/

1st Day of School & 1st Tooth!

We celebrated a lot of "firsts" this month. Carson is still in the Goddard School, but started a new class and was super excited for the first day of school. Colin started 1st grade at Rockburn Elementary and has Ms. Barker as a teacher. The first time getting on the bus is the hardest for him, but he seems to be adjusting well. Ms. Corynne finally got her first tooth @ 13 months!

Happy Swiss Independence Day!

We celebrated Switzerland's Independence Day on Aug. 1st. I came home and the kids were festive in their swiss flag shirts and Ms. Anita made a delicious swiss meal and it came complete with swiss napkins, placemats and swiss flag candle holders. The set-up was so cute and the whole thing was a pleasant surprise by Ms. Anita.

Swim Test

We are so proud of Carson for passing the swim test at our pool this summer. He had to swim the entire length of the pool and then tread water for 1 minute. The lifeguards said he was the first 3 year-old to attempt and pass the test. He had a lot of people cheering him on and he was so excited to be able to go off the diving board and sliding board like his big brother.

Corynne's 1st Birthday

Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet baby Corynne!! Where has the year gone? She's getting too big, too fast..(sniff sniff), but there is not a day that goes by that I don't thank God for this little blessing in our lives. She's absoultely amazing and I tell her every day how beautiful she is. She is a ray of sunshine and we all adore her to pieces. We were supposed to have her birthday party at our swim club, but the rain had us change it last minute to our house. Corynne turned one without a single tooth and she started walking at about 11 months. She is pure sweetness and loves to cuddle. She is always able to find a nook just for her in John's arms. Corynne is very outspoken and tells us how she feels. The boys anxiously await for her to wake up every morning and climb into her crib at the first noise they hear from her. It's these little moments that I feel so blessed to have such amazing children.

Sandra Vists

We couldn't go on vacation without somebody coming to watch our kids for a week.. so, we are lucky enough that Sandra wanted to come. Between Sandra and Ms. Anita they had the routine down to a science. Made lunches for school, made 3 meals a day, got baths done, got the kids to school, took them to the pool, went for walks, played outside, build-a-bear, shopping, made cookies, had Madi and Ave spend the night, the list goes on and on... exhausting! We can't thank them enough as John and I don't trust many people with the kids, but all went well and the kids hardly missed us ;-)Some candid shots from their week.

Happy 10yr Anniversary

John and I celebrated our 10yr wedding anniversary in June!! We took a delayed trip (July) to Punta Cana and stayed at an awesome (adult only!) all inclusive resort... and it was AWESOME!! The food was great, the staff was great and we met a lot of great people. It was definatley a R&R type of vacation and we did absoultely NOTHING!!! We didn't do any excursions and stayed at the beach most of the day, visited the pool bar, had a nice massage and ate great food. Just what we have been needing. It was hard leaving the kids, but with technology these days, we were able to see them and talk to them every night via Face Time/Skype. Can't wait for what the next 10yrs bring! Happy Anniversary!!

4th of July

Corynne and Ms. Anita's 1st US 4th of July! Thank you Mr. Haynes for taking us out on the boat and a tour of the Baltimore harbour. It was a great night and the fireworks were spectacular! Carson and Corynne were not big fans of the loud fireworks. God Bless America!

Corynne's Baptism

We were so blessed to have so many people be part of Corynne's Baptism. It really meant a lot to us to have her godparents there all the way from Colorado.

OBX 2012

The whole gang together again for our annual OBX trip. Always great memories and too many pictures to post in the blog. The house we had was awesome and the pool/view was spectacular. So good to see the cousins from Colorado and have the kids together for memories that last a lifetime. We are so fortunate that we are able to do this every year. This was Corynne's first OBX trip and she was great. We can't wait to go again next summer... let the countdown begin!

5K

My friend and I did the app Couch-to-5K and started training in March to run our first 5K. I was very motivated to accomplish this goal and would run after working long hours and putting the kids to bed, but I was determined... and I thank my husband for pushing me to do it. So, in June, I ran my first 5K. I would love to run a 10K next, but I actually haven't run since then :-(

Grandmother

Grandmother/Great-Mother passed away peacefully in her sleep on Memorial Day. She was 91 years old and was married for over 70 years. We miss her dearly. My mom said it best in the eulogy that you haven't lived until you have lived a love story like my grandparents. My grandparents were the foundation of our family and we have so many special memories and traditions to tell our kids. Great-Mother was a big part of my life growing up and I'm so happy my 3 kids were blessed to meet her. Baby Corynne will carry on her name. We love you Grandmother.