And MORE News!

Hello dear loved ones!

Oh my - it's been a lull in our blog world. Not because of a lack of adventures but moreso from a lack of spare time. So, I think I can highlight for you what we've been up to since our last posting....




1. Hampton announces he will be a big brother (sibling due in October) as Hampton and I ventured with the O'Connells to the Carribean! Sadly, Eric had to miss out a week-long excursion on a beautiful 120ft yacht (thanks again for inviting us, Kate and Ian!) because of work conflicts. Hampton and I had a ball - Hampton went on his first (of many that week) boat ride. And, finally HH got the hang of playing in the sand by the third day. It was an awesome break from reality. Impeccable beaches. Amazing weather. Great company.






2. Renovations, renovations, renovations! We have an official start date of May 15! We've spent most of the winter and into the spring planning...selecting appliances, cabinets, countertops, flooring....and now we finally are within grasp of having a gutted first and second floor. Can't wait for our updated rooms, especially the kitchen and master bath!

3. Reilly/Knight ski trip! Following Hampton and I's trip to St. Thomas and surrounding islands, Eric scooped Hampton and I up from the airport and we went straight to Vermont for a weekend of skiing with the Reillys. Okay, the "heat wave" and downpouring rain made less than desirable ski conditions, but we did manage to put Hampton on skiis and a sled! I still think Deacon liked the snow more than Hampton. I guarantee you that will change next year!

4. Easter Weekend! We spent Saturday in Charlestown and Sunday on the Cape to celebrate Easter. Hampton didn't necessarily get the hang of the "hunting" aspect for Easter Eggs but he sure loved the Easter Bunny's basket - who can beat a book of Lightening McQueen and a play Airplane!

5. Ask Hampton whether he wants a little brother or sister? His response, "Pizza!" Brotherly love already.

6. Mother-daughter weekend in Florida! Fortunately, I was able to tack on a weekend stay in Florida following our firm's annual Risk, Compliance and IT Conference. The best part of weekend, sharing Eric and I's news that we are expecting another grandchild for my mom over dinner (yes, in person!). We had an amazing dinner at Victoria and Alberts (Disney property). The only thing missing was a bottle glass of champagne to celebrate! We made up for it in fine food and wonderful laughs.

7. Project Management 101. If anyone needs tips with how to renovate your home on a budget, contact Eric. He has done an impeccable job searching for all the right stuff (fixtures, appliances, tiles, etc) and managing our contractor. So, it goes without saying, Eric has been round-the-clock managing, monitoring and mitigating all the work that goes into this effort....and demo hasn't started yet!

8. For the love of the BIKE! Now that we've had a post-cabin-fever outlet (e.g., the local parks), Hampton has discovered his love for his bike. We love it too. And, Hampton has also discovered his love for trains, busses, helicopters, cars and back-hoes. We walk to / from Day Care every day and usually we're guaranteed to see a few of the above. And, Hampton is so tickled if he sees a construction vehicle (especially the back-hoe) that he merely POPS with joy. A true boy.

9. Gymnastics! Hampton took gymnastics classes at Flips and Giggles this past winter too. Watch out for his somersaults! He LOVES to do those. And, JUMP! Me too...althought, I can't imagine ever doing gymnastics again..my inflexibility and lack of strength are a killer in the gym!

10. Talk, talk, talk....probably the most noticable event for us is Hampton's ever growing vocabulary! If you ask him what he sang at school, he responds with "Lots of them". If he hears a toilet flush, he says who's on the potty. He'll inform his classmates that "mommy has baby in belly". And, he'll discuss the weather too. He still loves to sing and play his guitars...including "Life is a Highway" (Yes, from the movie, Cars). Moral of the past few months - watch what you say because he's certain to repeat it!

Hope everyone is healthy and happy! We'll keep you posted on Baby 2 and Renovations!

Trip to Colorado

We made our annual trip out to Colorado to see Collin, Greg and Abby and as expected had an awesome time! It was so much fun to watch Hampton and Abby play together...they got along (and shared!) very well.

On Saturday, Valentines Day, the wives were generous enough to let Eric and Greg head up to Winter Park for a day of skiing in great conditions. Collin and I stayed home and played with the kids and had a great time. On Sunday, Greg and Collin gave us an awesome day to ourselves and Eric and I took the ski train from downtown Denver to Winter Park to ski for the day...we hadn't skied together since Hampton's birth, so it was a real treat and the conditions were amazing! If you ever have the opportunity to take the ski train, do it. It's the easiest way to go and they have great food and a full bar. Good times.

Our camera wasn't working properly on this trip, but Collin took some great pics and we'll post those soon.

Hampton's "ABC's"

We know that we have been very bad at updating this in 2009. It has been a very busy year so far! We went to FL to see Gigi for Christmas, I went to Key West Race Week (and we won!) and Marin and I have both had our noses to the grindstone at work.

We have a few fun trips planned in February. We are all headed to Colorado to visit Collin, Greg and Abby and we also plan to get some skiing in while we're there. Then, Marin and Hampton are headed down to St. Thomas for a week with the O'Connell's. Then from there (I am literally picking them up at the airport and we're leaving) we are headed up to Sugarbush, VT with the Reilly's! So....lot's of pics to come.

Merry Christmas...and a Happy New Year!

Between Halloween and the "Holiday Season", we've been going fast and furious! Plenty to update and I promise to do that this weekend (errr...my New Year's resolution perhaps!). Amidst the economic roller coaster, we managed to sneak in some fun!

In November, we travelled to Wake for my 10-year reunion. We also had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend on the Cape with Eric's family. Here's a cute picture of HH enjoying the beach in November!

December came and went...we just returned home last night after a few sunny days at the other Cape (Cape Canaveral) where we celebrated Christmas! After juggling the stressors with work and the recession, we finally had a long overdue chance to relax. The weather was impeccable - mid-80s and perfect for Hampton to play with Gigi at the beach or in the pool!

Needless to say, the holiday spirit was geared around Hampton and spending time with family. I think that's what Christmas is all about anyway! We'll post some pictures (as promised above!) but until then...have a great NEW YEAR!

And, in the meantime, enjoy the picture of Hampton (and me) with Santa! All he could say was "Up! Up! Up!"....

Halloween (yes, it's late)

OK, so we're only two weeks behind the eight ball. Here are some photos from Halloween. Hampton was a pirate (Arrrrrrrrr). We had our second annual pre-parade Halloween party for the Charlestown kids (and Hampton's friends that don't live in Charlestown).

Every year there is a parade around the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. Literally hundreds of kids from the neighborhood participate. Marin went at this alone last year because I was at J105 North Americans, so I had no idea how much of an ordeal this was in Charlestown. Pretty cool!

At first, Hampton was a little on the shy side when everyone started rolling in our house. Here he's giving CC a big hug. I bet she hated that.....


The group of Charlestown moms from the Charlestown Mother's Associate. Almost all of these babies were born July 2007

The Reilly's came up from Norwell to Join the fun. Hampton and Dad at the parade

The Band!

Hampton wanted to walk in the parade and push the stroller and walk Deacon.

He finally let me push him in his stroller

No idea who these people are, we just liked their costumes. Just 4 days before we had to suck it up and wait 4 years!

Just a pic of the scene at the base of Bunker Hill