Some Progress

We are still working hard decorating, painting and doing projects. However, it's finally starting to come together and feel like a home. We are going to tile and paint the upstairs bathrooms over Christmas break. I guess a home is never truly finished. Here are some shots of our progress...

The dining room





The entry way and family room















The kitchen...a work in progress!

The formal living room and hall way

Our Master Bedroom

The girl's rooms

Letter to Santa

Here is Lily's letter to Santa Claus, per her own words....

German Christmas Cookies

Thanks for the recipe Diana!

Cinnamon Stars: Zimtsterne

These are a classic German Christmas cookie; you'll find them in most every household as soon as St. Nicholas' Day (December 6) rolls around. These gluten-free cookies are kind of like a cross between a macaroon and a meringue, with a hint of nutty spiciness. They're designed to keep for a long time; they'll get chewier as time passes.

2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling
15 ounces sliced almonds, with skin (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Sift the confectioners' sugar. Put 1/2 cup of the sifted confectioners' sugar, 10 ounces (3 heaping cups) of the almonds and all the cinnamon in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground, with just a few larger pieces. Whip the egg whites in a large, clean bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining confectioners' sugar while whipping, until the whites are thick, creamy and somewhat stiff, about 2 minutes more. Set aside 2/3 cup of this meringue for topping the cookies. Fold the ground almond mixture and the lemon zest into the remaining meringue to make a stiff dough. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Lay a sheet of parchment or waxed paper on the work surface and lightly dust with confectioners' sugar. Turn the dough out onto the dusted paper, flatten and dust with more sugar as needed, and then lay another sheet of parchment or waxed paper on top. Roll the dough between the papers until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Flip the dough over and gently peel off a sheet of the paper. For ease when cutting, lay the paper back on the dough, flip again and gently pull off the other side of the paper so that the dough is fully released from it. Cut cookies with a 3-inch star cutter and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (Excess dough can be rerolled.) Use a small spoon, brush or offset spatula to spread the reserved meringue over the top of each cookie, taking care not to let the meringue drip over the sides. Press or sprinkle remaining sliced almonds in a decorative pattern into the meringue. Bake cookies until bottoms are light golden brown and meringue is set and crisp, about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door to release heat and dry cookies out in the oven for 10 more minutes.

Busy baker's tips: The dough can be frozen between the sheets of paper for up to 2 weeks. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

Congratulations Linda!

From Jeff's Mom who participates nationally in dog showing and dog agility:

Hi!
Just thought you’d all like to know that Tucker finished his AKC Championship today at the Fitchburg show. He is now AKC Champion Buff Cap Sterling…. We’re SO proud.
Love,
US

Congratulations Linda, we know how hard you've been working!!

Fun November Candids

Play Date with Jack and Sylvie at the Jumping Monkey

Having fun with some new friends!

Having fun and dancing with Daddy!Bed time books with Kimmie and LarryA Mommy's Girl

Rub-a-dub-dub, two sisters in a tub

Lily's Thoughts of the Day

As we were getting dressed this morning:

Me: Lily, it's time to get dressed
Lily: I don't want to get dressed
Me: You have to get dressed Lily
Lily: So we can go bye-bye?
Me: Where do you want to go?
Lily: Germany

As we were having lunch:

Me: Is your lunch good?
Lily: (Nod) Do you know what is my favorite part of lunch?
Me: What?
Lily: chocolate pudding (we were eating mac and cheese)

Lily also has a joke that I taught her and can excute it quite well:

Lily: Why did the chicken cross the road?
Me: Why did the chicken cross the road?
Lily: To get to the other side (big laugh)

Emma is 6 Months!

A Look at 6 Months

Babbling and talking (dadadada, bababa and bubble blowing)
Big smiles and laughter
Two bottom teeth
Mama’s girl
Size 6-9 clothes, size 3 diapers
Loves all solid foods so far
Eating rice cereal, fruits and veggies
Takes 2-3 naps, morning is the long one
Is a very happy baby
Hit or miss sleeping through the night
Loves when Lily jumps and dances
Can army crawl everywhere and get up on all fours
Loves Peek-a-boo
Can move objects from one hand to the other
Wants to do what her big sister is doing
Loves her toys, Exersaucer, Baby Einstein videos and bouncing on the ball
Blue eyes, pink rosy lips and cheeks and brown hair (it’s finally growing)
Can sit up for a few seconds, but still needs help
Still nursing
Has some stranger anxiety
Is very ticklish
Has the cutest toothy grin ever!

Waking up to Emma's big toothy smile every morning is the best feeling ever!! She really has quite the little personality these days. She is the happiest baby and makes us feel like a complete family. We love you so much Emma. Can't believe you are half way to a year already.

Here are her 6 Month Stats: 17lbs, 3oz, 26.5 inches. Doc said she is really healthy and the "red birth mark" on her forehead should start fading by a year.

Guess Who Turned 50?

Happy 5-0 Dad!! We hope you had a great day!! We love you!

Thanksgiving at Pop Pop's

On Wednesday, November 21st, we packed our rental Jeep Liberty (the van was in the shop) to the brim with suitcases, baby supplies, food and Kastor. We drove 7 hours to McConnellsburg, PA, to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with Jeff's grandfather. The drive was long and filled with holiday traffic, but when we arrived in McConnellsburg around 6:15p.m. we were so happy to be with Pop Pop. Jeff's parents arrived on Thursday and we all settled in quickly. We had our Thanksgiving dinner on Friday due to Lee and Linda driving down on Thursday.

Friday we spent the day cooking, doing yard work and projects. The kids loved being with Grammie, Grampie and Pop Pop. Lily especially loved Pop Pop. She loved his cane and quickly named him "Pop Pop Crank". Although she can articulate "cane" perfectly, crank came out first and she just stuck with it. Lily followed "Pop Pop Crank" every where and gave him lots of hugs. One probably lasted ten minutes. We think she could tell Pop Pop needed some extra hugs and attention! Jeff was in charge of making the turkey and potatoes and Linda and I handled the rest. It was a real team effort. The menu: turkey, stuffing, potatoes, butternut squash, sugar snap peas, green beans with almonds, cranberry sauce and crescent rolls. Other than my green beans and almonds getting a little burnt, the meal was DELICIOUS! We also enjoyed some wine that we brought back from Italy and some apple pie and chocolate cake for dessert.
We also celebrated Lee and Linda's birthday a few weeks early, hence the chocolate cake!

The rest of the weekend we relaxed, did some projects around the house and spent quality time as a family. Unfortunately Jeff caught a little bug on Saturday, but was back to himself on Sunday. We feel so blessed to have a Thanksgiving with family. It is the first one we have celebrated in three years. Thanks so much to Pop Pop for having us. It was truly a Thanksgiving to remember!

Kelly's Visit

Our really good friend Kelly came for a visit on the weekend of November 10th. We hadn't seen her for over a year and a half so it was wonderful to have her come to Virginia Beach for a visit. We had a nice weekend catching up and hanging out with the kids. Kelly and I even snuck out for some shopping and dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Lily loved spending time with her Godmother and Kelly was finally able to meet Emma. Thanks so much for making the trip Kel, we had a blast!! Can't wait for our visit this summer.

Thirty things that change when you have a baby

From Baby Center....

What changes when you have a baby?
A better question may be: What doesn't change?
Here, writer and mom Rebecca Woolf lists her most notable post-baby observations. Then scroll down to read our favorite comments from readers about how their babies changed their lives.

1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.
2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.
3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.
4. You respect your body ... finally.
5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.
6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.
7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.
8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.
9. Your heart breaks much more easily.
10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.
11. Every day is a surprise.
12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)
13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.
14. You become a morning person.
15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

And from our readers...
1. "You discover how much there is to say about one tooth." — Ashley's mom
2. "You finally realize that true joy doesn't come from material wealth." — Anonymous
3. "You now know where the sun comes from." — Charlotte
4. "You'd rather buy a plastic tricycle than those shoes that you've been dying to have." — Sophie's mom
5. "You realize that although sticky, lollipops have magical powers." — Roxanne
6. "You don't mind going to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday night." — Kellye
7. "Silence? What's that?" — Anonymous
8. "You realize that the 15 pounds you can't seem to get rid of are totally worth having." — Brenda
9. "You discover an inner strength you never thought you had." — Ronin and Brookie's mom
10. "You no longer rely on a clock — your baby now sets your schedule." — Thomas' mom
11. "You give parents with a screaming child an 'I-know-the-feeling' look instead of a 'Can't-they-shut-him-up?' one." — Jaidyn's mom
12. "Your dog — who used to be your 'baby' — becomes just a dog." — Kara
13. "You take the time for one more hug and kiss even if it means you'll be late." — Tracey
14. "You learn that taking a shower is a luxury." — Jayden's mom
15. "You realize that you can love a complete stranger." — Dezarae's mom

Congratulations Braun Family!

Alasdair Douglas
7 pounds 11 ounces
20 1/3 inches long
7:50 am
11/21/07

What a wonderful Thanksgiving treat!! Congratulations!

Look...

TWO TEETH!!

Such a Daddy's Girl

All dressed up and heading to a birthday party with Daddy!

Cute Emma Videos

Here are a few videos of Emma and Lily hanging at home. Pause the music to hear the sound.

Sesame Street Live

On Saturday November 4th, we packed up Lily and Emma and headed out to the Sesame Street Live show in Norfolk. Our friend, Shannon and her daughter Caleigh came with us to enjoy the fun filled morning.

The show was held at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk. It was a great venue and our seats were perfect for viewing all the Sesame Street gang. The show was a little under 2 hours and the girls LOVED it. Lily was absolutely awe-struck and Emma watched with such intensity she fell asleep. Jeff and I even enjoyed the singing, dancing and light show. It was great to share such a fun family experience with the girls. We especially loved seeing their faces as Elmo, Big Bird and the others sang and danced to old classics. We are so lucky to have so many child/family activities in our area.

After the show we met up with Shannon's husband and son for some burgers and fries at Kelly's in Ghent. It was truly a great day. Here are some pictures and videos from the show...enjoy!

Sesame St. Live Videos

Back to My Roots!

Something new and a little easier to manage with 2 kids. I guess it was about time I embraced my straight hair and brown roots.

Mom 2 my Girls

Have you met the greatest mom in the world? She is the most beautiful woman who keeps an impeccable household, teaches our girls everything they know, plays with them, feeds them, changes them, and still has time to give me all of the love and attention that makes me feel so special to be a part of this family. So I guess that makes her the greatest mom AND greatest wife in the world. I love you honey!!

Organizing Candy

Pause the music before watching videos!

Trick or Treating

Welcome Elena Angel!

Congratulations to our friends Maritza, Bryan and Nathanael! They welcomed a beautiful baby girl to their family yesterday. Here is the email from the very proud Daddy:

"Elena Angel Jennings
Elena arrived this morning at 7:22 a.m. She weighed in at 7 lbs 6 oz and is 19
inches long. Maritza and Elena are both doing well and Nathanael is
ecstatic to be a BIG bother.

Elena's middle name, Angel, is to honor Maritza's great Aunt Angel.
Angel is the matriarch of an extended Armenian family that stretches
from coast to coast. Angel is an amazing woman that has done and
seen so much. We can only hope that Elena gets just some of the
fortitude and spirit of her namesake, Angel."

Emma's First Tooth

Emma has been fussy for a few days and we suspected it was teething. Lily's first tooth popped out a week before she was 5 months, so we guessed Emma might be on the same time line. Yesterday the bottom right tooth finally broke the surface. As you can imagine, Emma is less than thrilled. You can just barely see the top of the tooth, but it's definitely there. Teething is my least favorite part of infancy. I just hate that there is nothing I can do for her. I will post a picture once it comes up a little more and you can see a toothy grin.

Halloween 2007

Here are some of my favorite pictures from last night. I'll send out a snapfish link to all the pics soon. We had a great time trick or treating in our new neighborhood. Our friend Emmanuelle and her two girls, Alexandra and Emily, came over for dinner and helped us celebrate Halloween.

Lily was an absolute doll. She went excitedly from house to house and screamed "trick or treat!" She loved being a pirate and really played the part. Emma slept through most of the evening, but woke at the end of the night for a few pictures.

Our neighborhood was a blast!! Everyone was out and about with fire pits blazing, BBQ food, decorations and candy. We are so lucky to be in such a kid friendly neighborhood. We met a lot more of our neighbors and Lily and Alexandra just had a ball running around the neighborhood. Now, does anyone have any advice as to what to do with a bag full of candy? Lily will be awake for weeks straight if I let her eat it all. Oh well...this Halloween was definitely a night to remember!