Little Rochies

A little eye candy

2009-03-27T20:58:00.008-05:00

Because apparently a few people are still reading this

2009-03-27T20:20:00.004-05:00

Been away for a while, but we got busy? Dog ate our blog? I think it would be easier to bring you up to speed if I really put some effort into it, but I just spent over an hour working on a slide show to put on here but UGH foiled again!! Ugh. Instead of taking extra chemistry classes as electives...why didn't I study web design or computers?? Eh, bye-gones.

Anyway. Since last posting in November so much has happened. I will try to keep it quasi chronological and then upload a a couple updated photos of the kiddos and then try, try, try to keep it up to date moving forward. [I promise.]

Jeremy and I caught a football game at Notre Dame and experienced the ultimate in tailgating.
We hosted a nice Thanksgiving at home with a full house and PUMPKIN ROLLS!!!
Claire busted her mouth, BAD. Complete with two fractured front teeth and an intruded incisor that has since dropped back down from below her gum line. This prompted a series of questions and several discussions regarding the frequency in which she trips over and into things she ought to be able to see her way around. Enter the A Ha Moment: Maybe she can't see! And that is how Claire came to have glasses at 2 years old.
We celebrated a wonderful, wonderful Christmas at home. Jack got ROCKED, ravaged and leveled by the stomach flu, starting on the 23rd and finally calling it a wrap on Christmas morning, poor little man. We had Nana and both Papas over to share the holiday. Each year with the kids is more and more fun. Jack was happy to explain to anyone that would listen that Christmas is "Da Baby Jesus' birthday and I get my blue sword with the red button." He got his blue light-saber, no worries. Claire asked EVERY single mall and Salvation Army Santa for a "Pink kitty cat named Livia". She got that too.
Our beloved dog Tika lost her battle with cancer and we had to say a very tearful goodbye on New Year's Eve. We must have cried every single day for 2 months. Claire says her prayers each night before bed and asks "Jesus take care my Tika." And tells anyone who will listen about her Tika in Heaven with Jesus. Heartbreaking.
We finally accepted that we needed a puppy/dog to liven our spirits and adopted an instantly loved boxer we named Ruby. She is a sweety and has brought happiness back to our other dog/large cat Bailey who had been rather depressed after Tika passed. Bailey is genetically a dog but is only a litter box short of actually being a cat.
We had a case conference regarding Jack's progress in school and whether he was moving on to kindergarten [he is], but at that conference they gave us his file which listed his anticipated graduation: May of 2022 Ha, ha, ha....that means we are all old.
I lost my job a couple weeks ago, not so funny...but we are dealing with it and I am in the hunt for a new one along with a TON of other people. Apparently, despite years of my parents telling me so, I am not special but am in fact like a lot of other people.
It is time for some Spring Break fun!! I promise to chronicle our week! Stay tuned!

Thanks

2008-11-19T19:28:00.004-05:00

Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching, so Jack's preschool class has been discussing what it means to be thankful. Each student was asked to make a list of the things for which they are thankful. Jack's list is as follows [Please note who took the number 1 spot]:

1) Mommy
2) Daddy
3) Sissy (Claire bear)
4) Nana
5) Papa Chip & Papa Fred (apparently a combo)
6) Papa Jimmy (Jeremy's Uncle who loves to rough house and give them candy)
7)Sharks
8) Food
9 Tika & Bailey (our dogs)
10) Jonas & Robert (two of his classmates)
11) Jesus
12) Mrs. Eaton & Mrs. Fleak (his teachers)
13) Our House
14) "Mans" (action figures)
15) Breakfast Corndogs (corndogs, but made of pancake and sausage)
16) Human Torch costume
17) Mr. Fantastic (super hero)

Back and Throwing 7 different kinds of smoke!

2008-11-12T19:51:00.018-05:00

Maybe I first!!

2008-07-06T19:48:00.003-05:00

Jack has this thing with starting every sentence with either Maybe or Because. Maybe we can have ice cream. Maybe I need to go to the bathroom. Because why did you do that? And so on.

He has another issue with being first or being the leader. No I am the leader. He has to get out of the car first (before Sissy) he has to walk ahead of her, etc. Maybe they will end up track stars, because don't think for a minute that Claire isn't ALWAYS trying to do whatever it is that Jack has in mind. She will counter with No, Jack, I first. And so it begins.

Our Girl...

2008-07-06T18:28:00.005-05:00

Claire-bear turned two.

If you call her Claire, Sissy, Hey You, etc... She will promptly correct you and tell you "No [insert name], I Care Bear", so now you know.

Her latest thing is playing Simon Says. In the effort to keep her from touching all uncharted surfaces of a public toilet, I distracted her with the game...that was 2 weeks ago and she hasn't stopped playing since.

It is do or die, we have given her a two week window to adjust to the idea of pony tails (she calls them princesses) or we will be cutting back the Canadian passport; mullet; her golden camaro hair; the ol' yep nope; hockey hair...... because she is all business in the front and party in the back, but the party has come and gone. Time for pony tails or a trim, her call.

She spent the morning of her party in the ER with Daddy. She had dislocated her radius at the elbow, apparently more commonly known as a "milk maid's elbow" commonly to who? Dairy farmers, I dunno. This was probably just the start of trips to the ER with this one. Jack, so cautious... "Mommy, can I jump off this?" Claire- "YEAH!!! [as she jumps]. All is well, and the doctor taught Jeremy how to pop it back into place.

She loves her baby. She was nice enough to teach baby to crawl over the weekend, albeit face down on a tennis court. That lucky baby got scuffed up one side of the court and down the other. Baby enjoys rousing games of Simon Says, jogs in the stroller, and a taste of every beverage and meal.

She has already started lying about her age. She tells everyone she is five.

Claire likes for Mommy to cradle her in her arms and sing Rock-a-bye Baby to her twice before bed, this being the only time Mommy is permitted to sing...EVER. Likewise, Claire enjoys singing to her babies, Rock a Baby in treetop, as well as Happy birfday, and Tinkle Tinkle little Star.

Our girly girl is the greatest thing her un-fancy family could EVER hope for!!

Happy Birthday, Claire Bear.

Love, Mama, Daddy, and Jack

Claire turns TERRIBLE two

2008-07-06T17:30:00.014-05:00

We had originally planned to be out of town for Claire's birthday, but had to make a call at the last minute not to go, long story. BUT, we did not want to let Claire's birthday pass without some pomp and circumstance. Additionally it was the Nana's 60th birthday. I give you Super Cupcake III and Super Cupcake IV, in honor of these two fine ladies. (Note: we finally painted the dining room and finished the wood trim, so yes that is our house).

Nana and Claire-bear enjoyed a wonderful party together on Nana's birthday, incidentally on our 6th Wedding Anniversary, June 29th. We had a nice family lunch full of presents, food, and cake. Claire was a lucky girl and got a dollhouse, Cool Bake Magic Oven (like an easy bake oven but uses "cool technology" instead of heat from a light bulb), My little ponies, doll house accessories, a super hero memory game (guess who picked that out!), a baby doll.....and on and on. We were very happy to have Papa Fred feeling up to coming over as well. I think the promise of cake is always a great motivator! Claire bear had a "Costume Change" mid party. She is a girly, girl full of girlish ideas, if I hadn't been present at her birth I would question the authenticity of my maternity! She had to change into her "pincess skirt" in order to take her baby for a walk in her stroller..or maybe I should say a RUN in her stroller. I could hardly track her with the camera at the pace she takes her babies burning through the yard!

Summer Lovin'

2008-07-06T17:07:00.011-05:00

Summer is flying by in a blur of trips to the park and pool. Both of the kids took swim lessons. Claire, our dare-devil, immediately tried to jump in and took to it with gusto. Jack was reduced to tears, but won the heart of Rebecca, one of the two swim instructors. Thanks to Rebecca, Jack now loves swimming and the pool; a modern day miracle. We haven't forgotten that long winter and have enjoyed getting outside as much as possible. But the midwest was hit with an unbelievable amount of rain and days outside were few and far between for a while. Enjoy the pictures from swim class and the park.

Super Cupcake II

2008-05-18T21:26:00.008-05:00

The Jack Rochford 4th Birthday Extravaganza began on Thursday and didn't wind down until Saturday. We gave him waffles with strawberries for breakfast (his request) and let him unwrap presents to start his day. At school, they partied some more. It was his snack day (he has to bring the snack for his class). He got to pick and decided on Oreo Cakesters and Goldfish Crackers, yum. Usually it is Kashi granola bars and fruit- brain food.

I had taken the kids out on Monday while J played basketball to pick up a cake pan for Jack's big day. He wanted the "Super Cupcake". I think Williams and Sonoma calls it the Giant Cupcake, whatever...it is a big frickin' cupcake right. So I think, I can do this and I give it a try on Tuesday...FAILURE, complete and utter failure. Had to scrape the ginormous cupcake out of the pan kicking and screaming. Try, try again... I give you: Super Cupcake II

We took Jack out for the night to Bounce Zone on Thursday and jumped, bounced, dove, ran, slid, and climbed for as long as his attention span could take it. (roughly an hour) and then we were off to play the arcade games. We headed out of bounce zone to meet Nana B for dinner and then home to crash.

Friday was another celebration at Betsy's with his friends and then out on the town with Mommy, Daddy, and Claire-bear. Saturday was Jack's special day of fun out with Mommy and Daddy. We took him to lunch, walkin' around, and to see Iron Man. Now before you tsk, tsk and cluck, cluck too much. We kinda went back and forth as to whether or not he was ready for it or not... and decided we would leave if it got bad. Jack gave the movie... ** (two stars) which translates to "Can we go home now?" but the action sequences got **** he loved watching Iron Man fly!!! His favorite present was the talking Iron Man action figure that Nana B and Papa Fred got him. On Saturday the whole family came over to celebrate with pizza and a super cupcake. Papa Chip, Mommy, Daddy, Claire-bear, Uncle Riley, Aunt Missi, Cousin Xander, Nana B, and Papa Fred all came over for the festivities. We had an amazing weekend full of fun and CAKE. Gotta run!

The Paparazzi's got nothing on me!!!!

2008-05-18T21:10:00.011-05:00

Pictures as far as the eye can see.

2008-03-30T21:12:00.004-05:00

The Rundown in Bulleted Points

2008-03-30T21:00:00.002-05:00

It has been a while (yet again) since I last filled you in on the latest with the little Rochies.

-Claire now sleeps in a "big girls bed", it is a toddler bed about 6 inches off the
floor. She rolled off the bed the first night, but not again since.

-Jack has began saying "Are you kidding me?" Complete with a sardonic tone. He
learned that from Mommy. From Daddy he has learned "Focus."

-Jack has a favorite pew at church. Last week he asked a gentleman to move down,
albeit politely, so we could assume our usual seats.

-Claire has been melting our hearts with her "ur welcome", "love you", and "no
barking, puppies". I can't quite describe it, but she is so incredibly funny.

Just a few of the many reasons they will later be annoyed with us.

2008-03-30T20:46:00.005-05:00

Claire has been very potty focused lately. She is an artist and it is her medium. She does it with all of her clothes on, with all of her clothes off. She reads on the potty, sings on the potty. She likes all potties. Her pink potty, the big potty, and most of all public potties, eeeww. Jack on the otherhand constantly likes to see just how close he can cut it. He doesn't want to go potty now when it is available and waiting, he would prefer going after you get out of the house and down the road about a mile, funny how that works.

For your viewing pleasure

2008-02-03T22:30:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay, now back to the program

2008-02-03T22:18:00.001-05:00

So the blog was a little behind, now it is about back up to speed, phew. Things are going well. Jack is doing well in speech therapy, so well he is trying his hand at talking back. We don't care for it just yet, because our satire is lost on him. Still loves to throw a ball. Wants to throw the ball inside, outside, at school, at home, throwing the ball.

Claire is battling her second round of pneumonia this year. She is usually so happy and easy going, you only notice she is sick if you know her well. She just isn't quite herself and will occassionally let out a terrible cough. But she is wheezy and a little less happy than usual. She is taking breathing treatments and some meds and will hopefully be on the mend soon. She constantly wants to sit on the potty and is talking about the potty, we'll see. Because although she is spending some good quality time in there, she isn't actually going potty. She is talking more and more every day. Good fun! She is so stubborn! She wants to do everything herself, our little independent child. My mom just chuckles quietly to herself. I suppose she has earned the right to do that after years with me.

Claire is no longer the baby of the family! My brother and sister in law adopted a baby boy!! His name is Xander Riley Smith (that is pronounced Zander). He is adorable! So cute and so tiny! I forgot they start out that small! What a blessing!! Our family needed that influx of joy!

Enjoy the pictures!

Christmas

2008-02-03T21:41:00.000-05:00

We had a big family dinner on Christmas Eve. We had Papa Fred, Nana Brinda, Papa Chip, Uncle Riley, and all the Rochies together for a big dinner. Yum. We had been reading the story Santa is Stuck, which is a story about Santa eating too many yummy treats and then getting stuck when he tries to fit back up the chimney. So when we put the cookies out for Santa, the kids both wanted to eat them because "Santa stuck, Mommy!" so we got the kids ready for bed, put out the cookies and walked Uncle Riley out, I turn around and find Claire bear sitting in the middle of the dining room table, guzzling Santa's milk and nibbling his cookies! It took her only a matter of ten seconds to scale the table and start in on the goodies!

The kiddos made out like little bandits and were so much fun! They loved all the paper and the gifts were just what they wanted! For Jack a digital camera, a smart cycle (a bicycle game that hooks up to the tv and you pedal and steer to play different learning games), cars, and toys, oh my. Claire got a pink vacuum like mommy's, BABIES and more BABIES, a new talking kitchen, a tea set, and a pink barbie laptop! Alot of fun and I am excited to see what next year will bring!

Time for a good sense of humor

2008-02-03T20:57:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks before Christmas my Dad went to the emergency room because he was in unbearable pain. For those of you who don't know my Dad, he is Chuck Norris. He doesn't know pain, he causes pain (wink), but he most certainly never admits to being in pain. I am gonna go ahead and bypass retelling what we had to go through to get him from the ER to being admitted for more tests. It was really bad, he was not receiving an adequate level of care, they were not taking his pain seriously, and apparently my mom was afraid I was going to get myself arrested if those two things didn't change. Luckily, Riley (my older bro) came to join us, and play the good cop.

After days of tests we had our answer. Multiple myeloma (a blood cancer that plants itself in the marrow and specifically attacks platelets) with a 5 by 10 centimeter tumor on his tailbone, thus the excruciating pain.

Dad and I have been getting by, doing what we do, joking around. Mom, not such a fan of all the joking jokes and laughing. This is cancer and dammit people, it will be taken seriously.

Dad did 15 radiation treatments trying to shrink the tumor and make him more comfortable, but the tumor didn't respond as the doc had hoped. So, now instead of a hoagie, he has a hot dog bun on his tailbone. He and I had a better schtick to use if they could get it down to the size of a golf ball, but no luck.

Now he is doing some intense chemo. His age makes him inelligible for a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. The docs tailor the chemo down to the DNA level. Amazing.

He has a great attitude and is ready for a fight. The hardest things are managing the pain, not just the tumor, but apparently cancer just hurts. All the pain and medicine are messing with his short term memory, he forgets things he just heard and that is really hard to see. My brilliant Daddy can't remember what you just told him, but can tell you the atomic weight of Boron. Ha!

He is hanging tough and will do the chemo for nearly a year. He gets 2 weeks off between each block. I will keep you posted. This is really hard, my Daddy is my favorite.

Decking the halls...

2008-02-03T20:32:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving in Chicago

2008-02-03T19:15:00.000-05:00

We spent the holiday in Chicago with Aunt Jenny and her mom (Judi~ but I have to will myself to call her Judi instead of Mrs. Gibson, seems naughty). This was Jenny's first time making the big Turkey Extravaganza, affectionately referred to as "only the most stressful meal of the year!" By both of our mothers! Jenny and I made every side dish, every dessert, all of it. This was my first time making honest to goodness home-made stuffing, Mrs. Gibson provided brilliant technical support and I will never go back to stove-top. We worked so well together in the kitchen, you would think we did it all the time. None of the typical stress that comes with the holiday, we set no schedule for ourselves, we planned to eat when we managed to get it all cooked. It was yummy. The kids had a great time! They love their aunt Jenny. Mrs. Gibson and I went to the American Girl Place to pick up Claire-bear's present from mommy and daddy, a set of twin baby dolls, ahhhhhh. We plan to go back for Thanksgiving next year for Jenny's first holiday in her new condo.
We were so busy having fun, I forgot to take pictures, but here is a picture of one of our little Turkeys just before Thanksgiving break from school, he is still very proud of his turkey hat. He always says "I made 'dis!!"

Trick-or Treat

2007-11-03T10:20:00.000-05:00

Halloween night looked like it was straight off a movie set at MGM. It was a boo-tiful (aha, see what I did there!) autumn night. A crisp breeze, the smell of fireplaces and leaves in the air. The sky was lit with a beautiful moon and you could see the silhouette of the falling leaves flying across the sky. It was such a gorgeous night it made me giggle because I could hardly remember a more perfect autumn night. Jack was Buzz Light Year (from the movie toy story) he played the part quite well saying "to infinity and beyond" at every turn. Claire was a chicken. She later fought hard not to be separated from her costume, I think she wanted to sleep in the little fleece chicken legs. Nana B worked the candy bowl while we took the kids around to some neighbors. Then we headed over to Jack's school at our parish and enjoyed the Halloween Bash- caught a light supper there, before heading over to Trick-or-Treat Papa Chip. Oh, what a dream. At Papa's house, you can eat ALL the candy you want!!! You get to play with the remote!!! Did I mention that at Papa's house you get ALL of the candy you want!!! Chocolate candy and chewy candy and more candy!! Papa's house is the greatest place there EVER was for a Space Ranger and a Chicken.

Where the Redsox Reign Supreme

2007-11-03T09:28:00.000-05:00

After much anticipation, the ladies (Claire, Nana B, and Mommy) headed for the east coast. When booking the tickets for this trip, I did the math. I dared to dream, only in hushed whispers, that our trip might coincide with destiny. The BoSox did it again. Yahooooo!!!!

It was a wonderful trip to see my family. Typically when we head east we spend the bulk of our time with the "Smurphs" the Smith/Murphy section (my cousin Donna's crew), who are just our speed. This trip was to visit with my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin Diane and her son. We had a great time and even managed to sneak in a visit with the Smurphs. Hi guys!! I hope there will be no hard feeling after the big game on Sunday!! (wink, wink).

Claire-bear fell hard and fast for my Uncle. I think she would have been happy to stay with them. Diane was the cousin I followed around step by step. If she stopped walking I would run into her, so it was really cute to see Claire following her son around...everywhere!!!

Claire loved the Dunkin' Donuts pit stops, sweeping pine needles, watching the ocean and all of the love and attention from family!! Enjoy the pics from our trip and please welcome our newest member of the family, the Black Dog ("puppy"). A neat place: http://www.theblackdog.com/

South Cape Beach
Claire and Diane at the Beach

Sweeping the deck

Claire and her new BFF, my Uncle Arvin

Claire and "puppy" taking a stroll in Falmouth (below) and Claire watching the waves (above)

I really sick.

2007-10-07T21:00:00.000-05:00

Man, I just lost the entire thing I wrote about Jack. eeehhhhhhh (whining). I can't write a whole thing about Claire and then not write one about Pipper. Darn... ok then... where was I...

Little man is still obsessed with baseball. We aren't officially ready to call him a southpaw yet. But if he is still cramming his glove on the wrong hand and throwing lefty. We may need to special order a glove for him from the man in the red suit.

Jack has been sick all weekend. He reminds us every 30-odd seconds that "I really sick [insert parent name]." I'm just taking a break until it is my turn in the trenches.

School is going really well for him and so is his speech therapy. His teacher is slowly going from "Mrs Leak" to her actualy name, Mrs. Fleak. We had to focus on "F" words last week. Yep, we both reacted like juveniles to that as well and got a little giggle out of it. Tired, must go. Enjoy his first day of school pictures, the only thing larger than his backpack is his head.

Claire- brought to you by Oreo

2007-10-07T14:40:00.000-05:00

Took the kids to a ball game, Claire's first. She was really just into her
adoring fans and the Food. She is our little eater, whereas Jack continues to see exactly how little he can eat and continue his rapid growth.

It has been quite a while since I updated the blog,before I know it the dizzying spiral towards the holidays will begin and I will be seriously behind. Claire is a busy, busy girl. She loves her "woobie", her "Nanny" (Nana Brinda), the puppies, and tormenting her brother. If he is doing something she wants to try it, if he is eating something she wants half, if he is sitting somewhere then he'd better move over.

When we went up north to sift through decades of life at Jeremy's family home, preparing to put it on the market, we came across Jeremy's beloved (albeit CREEPY) monkey "George" that he loved as a child. Like father like daughter.

The two are no longer content to share an arm chair, so Claire has her own now. We let them sit at their little bistro table and watch cartoons in the morning over breakfast- Smurfs being their favorite.

She is saying more and more every day. She can hardly say anything and she already is one of the funniest people I know, better buckle up I suppose.

Claire discovered the Oreo cookie last week and my oh my does she love it!! She is an "opener". She opens the cookie and licks off the frosting, then finishes off the cookie. These being the orange frosted ones for Halloween.

Our Dear Girl

2007-08-11T14:47:00.000-05:00

I was only seconds away from publishing a thoughtful little post all filled with love and thoughtful things about our little Claire-bear, but she is wicked smart and very, very curious and well.. she deleted it. I know, that is right up there with my dog ate my homework, but it happened. Really, it did. At any rate, that little bit of touchy-feely mush took alot out of me. Time is running slim, we have a birthday party to get to so I will give you a little run down of fun facts about the Sissy- boo.

People of her inner circle refer to her as either Claire-bear or Sissy-boo, Sissy for short.
She has a deep wheezy laugh, that eerily reminds me of Beavis and Butt-head.
She is a non-discriminate eater. She will try anything you give her. This week she discovered the lima bean and the chocolate chip cookie. But, when in doubt she will eat a little of whatever Jeremy and I have on our plates.
She snores.
She is wicked smart.
She lavishes more love and affection on the dogs than anyone else in the family.
She has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen.
She has an unwavering devotion to her woobie (her blankie).
She will dance whenever there is a song in the air.
Like her brother before her, she does NOT like my singing.
and she has already started to take things from her brother...usually food.

Happy Birthday, Claire - Bear

2007-08-11T14:37:00.000-05:00

Mapquest this!

2007-08-05T21:06:00.000-05:00

We loaded up the van and headed west! YEAH.... We went to Milwaukee, WI for our first stop so we could meet our friend Sharla and her sweet baby girl, Piper for breakfast at the IHOP to catch up. Then we wound our way west. We took our time, enjoying the trip and the time together.

My friend, Morty (that is her nickname in our trio and I will keep it at that, because I didn't ask her before putting her picture on here) got married in the most amazing weekend wedding! Wow, it was perfect. The setting, the people, the food.... Morty was a beautiful bride!

We did it all: the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, Wall Drug, Devils Tower, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons. I won't go into it all, because I don't even know if anyone really reads this!

I will share what will probably be one of my favorite memories. We were staying at the Old Faithful Snowlodge on our last night at Yellowstone park. I was sitting on the window seat working on my postcards when I look out the window and it was snowing!! This beautiful snow was falling over the old faithful geyser basin, in JUNE. I couldn't believe it, it seemed magical or out of a movie or something. I told Jack it was snowing and he just kep saying "Oh, really!?!!!"

A dream vacation, even with the kids along

2007-08-05T19:57:00.000-05:00

This was the main house of the resort my friend Morty was married at: Chico Hotsprings Resort and dayspa. AWESOME.

This picture of Jack was taken at the Wall Drug ( the biggest drug store on the planet in Wall, South Dakota). Jack was playing in the water play area and was drenched. We bought him a new shirt and he was stripped down to his skivvies. Isn't that when you would choose to take a wagon ride? He had so much fun playing there, if you have the chance, don't miss it!

Jack loved the badlands, running along the paths and seeing ALL of the rocks, did I mention that there were rocks, just sitting among the other rocks? "Hey Mom! Look, rocks!" Claire is lounging at the pool at Chico's natural hotspring fed pool. Ahhh, the most relaxing thing ever.

It was actually rather cold in Yellowstone with a winter storm warning and everything. When I was out there the last time in... around a decade ago, I did not bring enough warm stuff, this time I was prepared.

This is just a little embarrassing picture of sissy in the car watching a movie and PICKING her nose!

This is a picture of the grand canyon of the yellowstone. We hiked down to the bottom on this path that was all switch backs through trees. I bet it was beautiful, I was seeing spots from the exertion! Okay, well I wasn't seeing spots, but it was a workout! The kids weigh nearly the same and got heavy, fast! Please note, this picture was taken by Jeremy.

Sissy and mommy taking a hiking break

The whole family taking a break heading to the bottom.

The beatuful couple, Mrs. and Mr. Webb.

Devils Tower- beautiful!!!

The Badlands

The making of a Superhero

2007-07-04T13:47:00.000-05:00

Blogger and I are NOT getting along. If I rewrite this...again it will be the third time. I am too frickin' exhausted by this techno-bunk day that I am not even going to try to come up with some kind of witty little snippet to go with this! We signed Jack up for a Gymnastics class--termed "Gym Class" in our house, but do not be fooled it was gymnastics--which would have only confused our tough guy fathers...so Gym Class, ok? For his final class, actually on his birthday, he went as his alter ego...Spiderman.

Jack LOVED gym class, especially the rings. However, not much of a future in the sport for him. If he keeps going at this rate, his feet would drag while hanging from the rings...oh, wait, they already do! Tall and skinny is still the perfect description of Pip. But I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, eh?

A little of this and a little of that...

2007-07-04T13:21:00.000-05:00

Claire-bear's newest hobby is being a food critic. She has quite a discerning palette, and tends to lean more toward non-tradtional foods. She really loves Yats- Cajun Creole and dives right in, begging like a baby bird for spoonful, after spoonful! If she doesn't care for the food, boy does she let them know it. She will daintily drop ALL of it on the floor, a pinch at a time. Squeezing a small morsel in her hand then leaning as far as she can over the side of her high chair and -BOMBS AWAY. She waits for each clump to hit the floor before selecting her next.

Over the first weekend of May we took the kids for their first trip in an airplane! They far exceeded our expectations and both were quite happy to fly and buzz through the airport. Jack would chime in with "Ding!" after we landed-imitating the seatbelt sign turning off. We flew to Boston for a weekend out on the Cape with family and got to attend the much talked about "Derby Party". There were hats, mint julips, off-track betting, food, and drinks in the heart of Redsox Nation. What a great time!!! It was quite a whirlwind weekend can't wait to get back out there, possibly an October trip! This stroller was quite the life-saver when getting through the airport-- the security check was a NIGHTMARE--they thought about taking away the diaper rash ointment...yeh, maybe from my cold, dead hands. We made it through without losing anything other than our sanity!

Jack- Attack turns THREE

2007-07-04T12:59:00.000-05:00

Jack had an awesome time turning the big 3. Had a pirate themed party at a play-place to end all play-places. He is still quite the camera shy boy, always turning to look away whenever a camera comes out, but we did manage to snap a few pictures of him. We toiled through the night to make "pirate cupcakes" that Jack wanted to eat for breakfast! His presents all seemed to be in some way spider man related. His favorite things are: spiderman, his woobie (blankie), chocolate chip cookies, Nana B, flying in the sky, and playing with his aqua doodle. He fancies himself as quite the big boy, often refusing to hold our hands because he wants to walk--as though by being attached to us in some way means he is not walking. He is quite stubborn, but he seems to come by the naturally.

Wishing you a Happy Wednesday!

2007-04-11T21:50:00.000-05:00

Easter Morning

2007-04-11T21:44:00.000-05:00

Rochford Egg Dying Eggstravaganza 2007

2007-04-11T21:37:00.000-05:00

For Your Viewing Pleasure and because good oral hygiene is essential.

2007-04-11T21:25:00.000-05:00

The Three Amigos enjoying their new tent.

He played in this brown paper sack for about an hour!

Why do all kids seem to love playing in laundry baskets??

Claire-bear fell asleep playing in her excer-saucer, but never let go of the tag.

The Three B's in March- Baths, Books, and Bowling

2007-04-11T21:04:00.000-05:00

March passed us by in a blur. The kids started taking their baths together, boy is that a timesaver. Claire-bear throws the biggest tantrum when you take her out of the tub. She would sit and splash until she turned into a prune if we'd let her.

March also brought us books and more books. Claire quite literally developed a taste for them and we have had to really watch what she gets her hands on. She can gobble down a sheet of paper quicker than you can imagine! She loves books though and will sit transfixed listening to a story being read. She will sit with a basket of books and just sort through them. Future librarian like Aunt Kris and Aunt Lindsey I suppose? Jack discovered There is an alligator under my bed and we read this about 5 or 6 times a day, minimum.

We also had the chance to go bowling for the birthday of one of Jack's little girlfriends. Duckpin bowling with miniature lanes, balls, and pins. He was TOTALLY into it for about 2 frames. Then something shining in the distance (the arcade) caught his eye and we were off to drop a fortune on games! A great time though and we will definitely take him back when he is older. The girls at the party are all 2 years older and have sharper attention spans, so they really had some fun!

Bringing you up to speed for February

2007-04-11T20:45:00.000-05:00

When we last left our super heroes, they were debating about buying a van. Well... that was until they test drove the Dodge Grandcaravan Limited Edition. They debated no longer. Yes that's right, the Limited Edition (so, maybe only 1 million were made!). Check it out!

The day after we got it we were BURIED in snow, again. Due to the snow, our Valentines Date at Mackey arena was postponed until the 15th. We headed north in the new cruiser for the game. Geez, next time remind me to take along some extra Boilermakers, because I was surrounded by Hoosiers! We had a great time and we both agreed, our best Valentine's Day gift to ourselves yet!

It's a marshmallow world in the winter

2007-02-07T18:10:00.000-05:00

It's a marshmallow world in the winter when the snow comes to cover the ground. It's the time for play, it's a whip cream day. I wait for it the whole year round.~ says one of my favorite winter songs. I like the version put on by Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald. Ella is my favorite. In fact, one of the names I had selected for a girl was Ella Fitzgerald Rochford. Jeremy opted to veto that one although I am not sure why- doesn't it just roll off your tongue?

Enjoy our whip cream day! HR

Let me off this thing!!!

2007-02-03T17:23:00.000-05:00

This ride is too fast. Claire is 7 months old!!! HUH??? How did that happen. Where did the time go? Nonetheless, she is now saying Mama (ok, an occasional Dada too!) and threatening to crawl away. The time is flying by, aided greatly by the demands of career and family. It is a constant struggle for balance between the two.

Papa Chip has been doing fabulous!! Jeremy had mentioned to him that it had been months since he had seen him walk. Chip threw back the covers and the two went for a walk around the facility. He is moving quite well with the help of his walker. He has been working so hard. I believe that if anyone can bounce back from this it will be him. He can reside at this facility until mid-April (according to Medicare), but I honestly think he will be ready sooner! He did suffer a bit of the stomach flu this week, but doesn't seem worse for the wear. We are planning on taking him for his first outing since this all began back in November. We are going out for a steak dinner this weekend as long as he isn't too down from his stomach bug. I will be sure to take some pictures of him, I haven't had the nerve while he has been in the hospital.

Jack is going to be getting assessed in the next few weeks for possible developmental delay in speech and speech comprehension. Don't get me wrong, often he knows EXACTLY what you are saying and chooses to ignore you with an audible groan accented by an eye roll. But at other times he seems to just not get it. He was delayed in crawling and there has been some correlation between delayed crawling and learning disabilities. BUT as science continues to show:correltation does not mean causation. We figure it doesn't hurt to get him checked out so that we can make sure he is getting the best start that he can. On that note, we are beginning to check out different pre-Ks. So many things to consider: pre-k then K, then elementary and junior high, high school. Somehow I need to mellow and realize I am choosing a pre-k, not his high school and thereby influencing his college placement!!!

Go Colts!!

Worst Blogger in the World

2007-01-10T21:00:00.000-05:00

The votes have been counted...... (drumroll)....... and I am the worst blogger in the world. Sorry, this doesn't pay the bills and we have been busy living life. A career that involves sitting in front of a computer all day and sometimes part of the night does not leave you chomping at the bit to sit back down again.

We have been busy, busy since Christmas, join the club right?. Jeremy's mom is back in FL for the month of January, so team Rochford is a man down. Jeremy has spent more time over at RHI (Rehabilitation Hospital of Indianapolis) making things slightly more hectic around the house. But, I know many of you ask after Papa Chip and I am happy to report he is working hard at rehab and is improving everyday!! He is actually being transferred on Saturday to a facility just up the street to continue his care and physical therapy. This will be awesome because it is about 25 miles closer to us and he can leave to come over for dinner or just hang out for the weekend. Medicare says he has to be back by midnight if he leaves- How much fun are we going to have enforcing a curfew!! He is walking more and more and gaining a bit of weight and regaining strength. Today he walked 250 ft with the use of his walker. Next step will be to leave there for our house and continue his physical therapy during the day. Then we will see where things go- he will either sun himself by a pool in FL or sun himself by a pool in Indiana for the summer. We will be sure to keep you all posted. But the Rochfords have officially left Kouts for good.

The kids are doing great! Claire had her 6 month check up yesterday and weighs in at 16 lbs 10 oz and is 28" long. She is a sweet, sweet girl- make note that I said that! One day we will be arguing about make-up and skirts that are too short. My mom had it easy and didn't even know it!!

Jack, Jack, Jack....where do I start? What an adventure!! He is a funny little man and seems to be developing a taste for music that does not include my vocal stylings. He actually Shh's me and covers my mouth and Says "Mommy, no sing.". Kid doesn't know a good thing, I tell ya!

Jack is teaching Claire to have an appreciation for the arts (Disney!). They are two peas in a pod!! Jack cracked his head open last Tuesday at daycare when he got overly excited about waffles. No lie, I saw it with my own eyes, it is not a cover story. On our way to see a man about some stitches he lost it because we were not taking Claire-bear along. He screamed "NOOOOO, Sissy!!! Sissy!!!!! Get Sissy!!!!" I explained she was going to stay and play. So then he needed to hug and kiss her good bye!! Awww, they are sweet together, for now. I know what comes later. I have brothers, so do not feel the need to educate me on the ways of siblings. Oh, no stitches by the way, just a fancy band-aid he promptly ripped off.

Hope all is well with all of you and that Santa brought you everything you ever wanted!! Next time you hear from me, I will probably be driving a minivan. Don't try to talk me out of it. My Jetta is no longer far-fig-nugen. It is cramped and my entire trunk is consumed with a stroller! Take care.

A Rochford Family Christmas

2007-01-10T18:51:00.000-05:00

This year Christmas came a little early with the Rochford side of the family. Davey, Jenna, and the girls came to town to visit with Chip in the hospital and enjoy an early holiday with us. I was sick the week leading up to Christmas and had not gotten all of the things done that I needed to. By need, I actually mean need. I am not talking about vacuuming the basement or tidying up in the minibarn. I mean buy milk and bread, etc.. So we kept it low key. Christmas Eve morning was spent with Davey, Jenna, the girls, Nona Debi (J's mommy), and us exchanging gifts over breakfast. It was really great to see everyone to kick off the holiday.

Just before noon they all headed to Tennessee for the remainder of the holiday, Davey and Jenna got the girls home and finished their last minute tasks before their own family celebrations and Deb to her Mom's (Grandma Esther) before catching her flight to FL out of Nashville the day after Christmas. Jeremy and I hit Midnight Mass with little Claire Bear and left Jack snoozing at home with Nana B (my mom). We got home and Santa had not yet visited. I don't think Santa was finished up until about 2:30 am. Poor fella had a hard night of work at our place because the kids made out like bandits!!

Highlights included a train table for Jack, a baby doll crib (complete with Baby) for Claire, and a kitchen for them both.

Funnier moments included Jack dressing in the Superman outfit we got him for the ENTIRE day. As well as the shock and wonder at the first glimpse he took through his View finder at his Thomas the train slides, yes they still make view finders!! Who knew??!!? Claire was adorable. Jack made her a penguin at build-a-bear and as soon as it was presented to her she grabbed and hugged it before trying to eat it.

My family came over for Christmas morning and we had a grand old time. Claire surprised Jeremy and I by sleeping in, so when my family arrived, they woke us out of a dead sleep. I don't quite function staright out of bed, so we got off to a bit of a slow start. My Dad, straight through the door, "Do you have coffee made?". My reply,"Who am I? Don't you know me at all?" The coffee is made before the diapers are changed, OK? That is how I roll. We had a great time and look forward to next year when Claire will be more willing to participate.

What we are most thankful for this year

2006-11-24T08:23:00.000-05:00

The Smith family is nothing if not predictable. Each Thanksgiving we would belly up to the table, say grace, and then while passing the yams and deviled eggs, take turns sharing what we were most thankful for, this year's list follows:

For two beautiful children, when many have none.

For food to eat, when others are hungry.

For family (even if we are all dysfunctional), when others are alone.

For friends that will share their family and home with you for the holiday.

For a happy marriage to my best friend.

For Rachel's Chocolate Chip Cookies in times of crisis (she made a batch just for Jeremy and brought them by before he left town again, Thanks Rach!)

For another birthday, when many did not get to see one.

For a job where I am fortunate to work for and with friends that have become a part of my family.

For Lynn's speedy recovery.

For my brother Riley's continued friendship and for bringing Missy into our family.

I could go on and on. This holiday season and every other day, please try to remember the words of Mother Teresa which are relevant everyday:

On the last day, Jesus will say to those on His right hand, "Come, enter the Kingdom. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was sick and you visited me." Then Jesus will turn to those on His left hand and say, "Depart from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you did not give me to drink, I was sick and you did not visit me." These will ask Him, "When did we see You hungry, or thirsty or sick and did not come to Your help?" And Jesus will answer them, "Whatever you neglected to do unto one of the least of these, you neglected to do unto Me!" ~Given at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC Thur, 3 Feb 94.

Please remember to put the needs of others before your own this holiday season. Give to a charity and teach your children to give as well.

A Day of Thanksgiving

2006-11-24T07:28:00.000-05:00

I have always looked more at Thanksgiving as just that, a day set aside to give thanks for what I have and have never focused too much on the historical inaccuracies behind the holiday. Don't get me started, Pilgrims and Indians, not all pumpkin pie and yams.

This year has been no different. We have had alot going on the last couple of weeks. Papa Chip (Jeremy's dad) had a nasty fall and several more that followed. He is still in the hospital with weeks of rehabilitation ahead of him. This is MS related not age related, so no broken hip or anything. We appreciate all the prayers and good vibes sent his way.

The kids and I joined my family here in Indy for an early breakfast before my brother Riley and his wife Missy hit the road for a Turkey day trot to North Carolina. We had originally planned to fly to San Diego for the holiday to see Jeremy's sister Sandy, brother John, and nephew Holden. We have opted to make a Happy St. Patrick's Day trip or something similar instead; they are Irish, so it works. After b-fast the kids and I attempted to take a happy little Christmas picture of the two of them together, but no such luck. Jack was not interested in sitting still and happily posing with Claire. But I got some cute pictures of the two of them apart.

We spent the day at home vegging out and watching Finding Nemo and playing Ring-O-Round the Rosie. We accepted an invitation from my friend Lindsey and her family for the holiday and headed up to Fishers in the afternoon. It was SUCH a wonderful dinner, prepared entirely by Josh, with his mother as the assistant chef. Delicious. We discovered the "ham ball" it is a meatball type thing made entirely of ham and various other pork products baked in a sweet glaze. Yummo. The kids had a great time and Claire impressed everyone with her happy nature. She may look EXACTLY like me (only prettier), but she has her Daddy's temperament.

Perhaps it was all the turkey in the air, but Claire Bear nodded off in Lindsey's arms and slept soundly, so mommy got to enjoy her coffee and pumpkin cheesecake in peace (except when Jack came begging like a baby bird for a bite). Jack and Zoe were adamant about sitting next to each other for the feast. Jack likes his older women! The two are both in the throes of potty training and Zoe raised an eyebrow at Jack's "approach" to the potty. He faces the potty rather than away like she does. I left that for her Mommy and Daddy to explain! The two of them are doing excellent with #1, but BOTH are sneaky and go off and hide to do the dos. Zoe notifies those who are olfactory challenged by starting off with "Don't be mad". Jack just denies, denies, denies- "No, I no stinky" when everyone within the zip code can beg to differ.

Jack ate mostly ham ball and not much else as part of his continuing experiment: How little can a two year old consume while still maintaining a high energy level. Thank you to the Russell Family for sharing their holiday with us! Jeremy made it home before the kids bedtime for a much needed cuddle with each of them. They have missed Daddy while he as been away.

In the interest of brevity, I give you October:

2006-11-23T21:49:00.000-05:00

When you last left the Rochfords, we were surviving off microwaveable meals and eating off paper plates. Rather than leave our public in suspense, we wanted to share the good news..... (drumroll).....The Great Rochford Kitchen Remodel of 2006 has since been completed. The BIG stuff by that I mean $$$$, has been completed. Now for the fine tuning (new light fixtures, back splash, etc. etc.). Things have been busy, busy. We took a bonsai trip to Myrtle Beach for a weekend, we liked it, but for the money I gotta go with the Cape. Jack was not excited about the ocean this time. In fact in this picture he is actually screaming at the top of his lungs "NO LIKE IT!!!"

Claire-bear, however, was happy as a clam.

And did meet her (frog) Prince on our trip. He has not left her side since. My favorite part of the trip was the drive. It was BEE-U-TI-FUL!!!!! Check it out!!!!

This beautiful fall foliage was just outside Gatlinburg, I would have probably pushed to just stop there and call it a day and do some hiking, but I had secretly arranged for Jeremy's Mom, known as Nona to the kids, to join us in Myrtle Beach as a surprise to J and to give her a chance to meet little Claire Bear.

This was the view from our hotel in TN our first night. It was pitch black and pouring rain when we stopped. At about 6am, sissy and I snuck out of the room for a little complimentary breakfast and I had to pick my jaw up off the floor; I mean LOOK AT THE VIEW.

This next one was at a rest stop! A rest stop, People!

We had a good time and needed the vacation although short lived.

This is Claire, Nona, J and little J on our hotel balcony.

I will share photos of the new-fangled kitchen when she is ALL done. Not a moment sooner. She is quite a beauty though.

2006-09-16T08:11:00.000-05:00

Chaos is the word of the day...

With our kitchen in shambles all around us we are finding ways to adapt. Either we sit on the floor in the dining room at Jack's table (our dining table is covered by our dishes that no longer have a home) or we go out to eat. I now have a better appreciation for what it means to have counters, a sink, and even an underperforming dishwasher.

We never lack for entertainment with Jack around.

Claire is a dollbaby and is known as the more mellow of the two, if you can't already tell by her more than wild expression she always displays for pictures.

The kids are both doing great and so is Tika. Claire will hate me for this one....

But I am hardly at my best either.

2006-08-22T22:11:00.000-05:00

Just an observation, nothing more.

These pajamas are the same jammies as these:

Observe that Jack weighs the same in each photo, but has grown nearly a FOOT in between. Normal? I think not. Giants. I will be surrounded by giants.

Meanwhile, Claire is gorgeous.

She has started winning hearts on the Eastside [said as gangsta] with her newest trick

Cheers, HR

2006-08-10T20:50:00.000-05:00

Party like it's 1999...

Had some fun this last week. Jack's best bud Owen came over to play, the two pretended to nap. They were really more about having fun! Both LOVE cars, cars, cars.

Claire was introduced to some of Mommy's dearest friends and former Purdue roommates at a Friday night party. Claire did very well, at Jack's first party with them he slept through the whole thing sitting next to a speaker blasting Beatie Boys. Claire was no exception, but did peek out for a little while to show off her beautiful baby blues.

I guess it was a big week for parties because we followed Friday night up with a Tuesday birthday party with our buddy Cooper. It was at this place that sells swingsets etc. They rent out their showroom for parties. Check out this mad man:

Jack and Mackey had a great time on the swings. I must have taken a dozen pictures before getting one where they were both looking at the camera.

Claire got down with her bad self too!

(Note: No infants were physically harmed in the making of this photo. We are merely trying to provide each of them with an ample supply of things to gripe about later!)

And Happy, Happy Birthday Cooper! It sure has been fun watching you grow "Dash". Love ya!

2006-08-01T14:26:00.000-05:00

A new day

We have lift off!!! Yeah. New camera is up and running and WOW, I now can load directly from the camera to the computer or straight to the web!! Yowza! We could never do that with our old camera!! Maybe Jack did us a favor by putting it down. Whenever I wanted to take images from the camera and do anything, it involved a trip to the local CVS to stand and load the images to a Kodak picture cd. Well not any more!

I do want to give a "holla back" to my in-laws. They gave us the camera as we were awaiting the arrival of Jack and it was a modern marvel, especially to me, a member of the technologically challenged. The only problem with our new camera is that it is wicked small by comparison and sometimes I feel like I am bumbling around with a tiny toy camera, whereas the old one wouldn't fit in a pocket. The new one also provides over twice the image quality, but I am sure it will be obsolete by next wednesday.

We went to dinner on Sunday evening where Jack was able to continue his love affair with ketchup. He asks for it on his waffles these days; which after careful consideration I still say no to, but I do consider it. We have gotten to the point where we have to ration it out or he will just throw caution to the wind and eat ketchup by the handful.

In other Jack related news, we have finally found something that will hold his attention other than the little creature referred to as a fictional, red tree sloth who refuses to use pronouns by my favorite blogger (check her out at www.dooce.com-- warning: may contain strong language and content). The boy actually sits still to watch baseball!! If you turn the channel during commercial he gets absolutely militant as though you created the commercial break just to get his dander up. He even watches it the same way I do, head cocked to the side, mouth slightly agape with no link to the outside world. He doesn't hear you when you talk to him either!!

I am attempting to phase he who shall not be named out. Wish me luck. Hope all is well with all of you. Claire is doing wonderfully. Eat, sleep, poop [repeat]. Although sometimes it is Eat, poop, sleep [repeat]. (Note the above picture was taken as Manny was hitting a rocket over the green monster.)

Hasta, HR

2006-07-24T13:44:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful baby... is it yours?

Our wonderful friend Nicole Wallen took pictures of the kids to mark Jack turning 2 and for birth announcements. Relax, you probably haven't been forgotten. The announcements are on order and we plan to mail them as soon as we get them back. Anyway, here are a couple of the pictures...

Don't the kids look gorgeous?? I can hardly believe they are ours? Well, then again Jack does have my abnormally large skull and poor attitude when tired, so that is a dead give away that he is mine. For that matter, when he and Jeremy are together it is downright creepy how much they look alike, yep definitely ours! Claire looks sooo much like Jack, I will confess...I put a bonnet on him last night to get a Claire preview and found "her" to be stunning! We made our first solo trip to the Children's museum on Friday. Claire was an angel and slept the ENTIRE 4 hours we were there! Man, did I luck out with this one! Jack had a grand ol' time and Jeremy was able to get away and meet us for lunch.

We have a full schedule for the week. Jack's buddy Owen came over for a play date today, tomorrow Jack goes to daycare to hangout with his ladies, Wednesday to the pool with some friends, Thursday to the museum again, and Friday for a day at the park. We are enjoying some beautiful weather and don't want to miss a moment! Take care! HR

2006-07-19T21:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, okay, okay... we know. We should call more, write more, and share more pictures. It has been about a week since our last post, but the Rochford family has been dealing with some digital camera issues, starting with Jack spiking our "old" camera like a football just before we left the hospital with a steady progression to "Memory Stick Issues" with our new camera. It is all getting worked out due to the wonderful manager at HH Gregg. He agrees that we aren't idiots and it is the camera, so we get a free upgrade to a different model tomorrow. We have managed a few pictures though, such as this one of Claire as a burrito wrapped in her favorite blankey from Nana B and Jack showing off his new mohawk .

Jack is my little helper (he helped with Claire's 1st bath) and when he feels like it, helps me care for Claire. Please remember he is VERY much a two year old with all the idiosyncracies that come along with the age. He is enjoying the exploration of cause and effect (example, if I ignore my mother's pleas, what effect will that have????) We have been suffering through dueling evening revelry cries from Jack and Claire. Claire, I get...she eats every couple of hours or so, but Jack has us confused and EXHAUSTED. I took him to the mall today because it was raining and I wanted him to stretch his legs a bit. I swear it was like I was watching his Uncle Trent run the 400. He ran lap after lap after LAP, and I could swear I saw him lean on the turns. Anyway, he lost the battle today and is still napping. Hope all is well. When we get our new new camera, we will post a ton of pictures.
Jack is working hard on his first post and we will publish that later in the week. Have a good one. Love from all. HR

2006-07-03T22:51:00.000-05:00

More pictures...!

2006-07-03T16:59:00.000-05:00

Hello all,

Jack would like to introduce you to his new baby sister...Claire Catherine Rochford. She was born on Saturday, July 1st at 11:59am. Heather went all natural yet again...she is a trooper and did a wonderful job! We were scheduled to be induced at 6am that morning, but Claire decided that she didn't want to wait that long and H. went into labor just after 4am. She labored on her own until 10:30am when the doctor broke her water at 8cm and Claire was born at 11:59am. As Jack looked just like his Daddy, I think Claire looks more like her Mommy. I have included some pictures below. I hope that you enjoy them! We hope to introduce you all to Claire very soon!

Jack's website is "under construction" and I wanted to get pictures posted for everyone across the world to see, so I am giving this blog a try. If it doesn't work, we will figure something else out!!!