Spring in the Air

We are so happy that spring is here and the snow is done (knock on wood). The forsythia has bloomed and is starting to turn green - sure sign of spring in Medfield. We've been working hard in the yard - cleaning it up, mulching and planting bulbs and perennials. And for Mother's Day this year I've asked my beloved for a raised garden bed. Zoe loves to plant things so I thought it would be a fun mother/daughter thing to do. I'll let you know how it goes....fingers and toes crossed I don't kill anything.

Wayne came to visit us last week. We had a nice time taking him to Newport, RI, the whaling museum in New Bedford, MA and having him help us plant VERY young trees (literally sticks in the ground). Thanks for visiting us Wayne!

We are also excited to announce the newest addition to the Lewis family - Evan Mark Lewis was born to Mark and Jill in April! Parents and big brother Owen are all doing well. Congrats again!

I've uploaded a few pictures from the month of April. To see more click here and email me if you need the password.

Happy 5th Birthday to Our Sweet Zoe!

She's five!

Steven and I were reminiscing about the day she was born. Steven thinks it was a lifetime ago. I feel like it was just yesterday. She was born in the morning on a snowy, New England day in Boston, MA. We were still living in Southie and we brought her home to our little cozy condo in the city.

Over the years she has matured into an independent, imaginative, creative and nurturing little girl. We are very proud of her and love her deeply.

Just born and one week old.

Zoe at one year

Zoe at two.

Zoe at three.

Zoe at four.

Merry Everything & Happy New Year & Happy Anniversary to Us!

The whirlwind of the holidays has come to an end. Tired...yes. Pants got a little tighter....yes. Enjoyed the spirit of the holiday and the joy on our kids' faces....yes. Worth it.....absolutely!

We had a great time in AZ for Chirstmas...although it was much colder than I was expecting. Some days Boston was warmer than Phoenix...go figure. Pictures to come.

Along with the new year we celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. We celebrated by a having a nice dinner out at Capital Grille. We had a delicious dinner and reminisced about our first dates: dinner at Barcode, dessert at J.P. Licks, walking and chatting along Newbury St., lunch at Kashmir, dinner at Top of the Hub (burnt cookies) and our date at the Museum of Fine Arts.

Steven came across this timely article today, "Dating 101: Seven Things No One Tells You About Marriage." It's a great short article that speaks honestly about the challenges and enlightening truths of marriage. It really spoke to me and I encourage anyone in any type of relationship or committment to read it. Just click on the title link.

Ok, so now I'm focusing on my New Year's resolution list. My list this year:

• Lose the holiday weight
• Eat more wholesome foods
• Getting stronger (mind, body & spirit)
• Being a better wife and mother (more patience, understanding and fun)
• Getting my house more organized
• Less time on the computer
• Getting my weekday more scheduled and not so open ended - a schedule with flexibility (oxymoron?)
• Being more "green" (ecofriendly)
• Not putting so much pressure on myself to accomplish all these things.

Here's to a happy and prosperous new year!

The Merry Chirstmas Letter

Hello Family & Friends,

We hope you and your families are staying healthy, safe and happy (and warm) this holiday season. We also want to take a moment to send good wishes to you all and update you on our family.

Lily

Lily is 15 months old now and has quite the personality. She's happy, sociable, affectionate and fiesty. We can count on Lily to makes us smile, laugh and tell us how she REALLY feels about things. Lily started walking a week after she turned one and has been non-stop since. She loves to give kisses, chase the cat, climb, read books, play with buckles and has recently discovered crayons and markers (thank goodness they're washable!). Lily will be continuing a music class she loves and starting a gym class this January. She says a few words: mama, dada, nana (which has multiple meanings), "oof" (dog), "ish" (this), "zzzz" (Zoe or sissy) and she signs "more," "eat," and "all done." Lily loves her big sister Zoe. The other morning the girls were on the couch and Lily was rubbing Zoe's back and saying, "ahhhhh." So sweet.

Zoe
Zoe is growing up so beautifully and is such a wonderful little girl. She is smart, mature, creative, imaginative, thoughtful and fiercely independent. She makes us feel so proud with all her accomplishments, helps us out with many things and entertains us with her real and made up songs and dance. She is in preschool three days a week and participates in a combo gymnastics/dance class once a week which she really loves. Her teacher has been so impressed with her progress there. Zoe will start kindergarten this coming Fall. It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone. She is certainly ready for it and it will be so fun (and a little sad) to see her hit that milestone.

Steven

Steven is a wonderful husband and father. He entertains Nicole with his humor and his girls with hand puppets (each have a very distinctive voice), scary voices with chasing, and piggy back rides. The girls love this and egg him on for more. Steven is approaching his one year anniversary with his job at IQInvision. He has been making his mark there as Director of Business Development. We are grateful that his company hasn't been negatively affected by the economy. Steven still continues to make music with his band (Crabby Appletin) of 25 years. Home improvement projects have slowed down but Steven added a new stone patio to the side of the house this past summer.

Nicole

Nicole has been very busy with her photography business, Nicole Lewis Photography. It really took off this year with repeat clients and a wave of new clientele. She also took on some new unique projects. Her photos made the covers of two local magazine/newsletters. Her goals this year include re-doing her website and honing in on some techinical skills. She also attempts to keep up with blogging (http://www.nikskicks.blogspot.com/) and facebooking. Nicole also keeps busy as "mom" and "wife." She enjoys snuggling with her family and watching her daughters accomplish new things.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Hottie Hubby!

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband who is only getting better with age. I love you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

In case, I don't get a chance to say it tomorrow....HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We hope you and your families enjoy the day with each other. I'm so thankful for my wonderful family and friends!

Quick catch up.....we've been getting over yucky coughs and ear infections over here. Glad we're almost done with them before Thanksgiving. We are hosting Thanksgiving this year and looking forward to it. Zoe is so excited and wants to help this year. YES!

Lily is practically running around the house these days. It cracks me up. She walks around with authority - like she runs the joint. Maybe in her mind she does. She also cut two massive molars last week - bring on the beef jerky (kidding)!

Steven is taking this whole week off. AHHHH, so nice. He finished raking the leaves this week and has been spending loads of time with his girls. It's been great.

We wish you a wonderful holiday. Hopefully, I'll post some pics soon.

Ciao for now.

Catchin Up (again) & Halloween

Catching up for the past few months....

Lily turned one in September and a week later was walking. She's practically running these days. It's been so much fun watching her toddle around....I love it when they first learn to walk!

Zoe is doing very well in preschool. This is her last year before kindergarten and she's part of an enrichment program through her preschool. She has been doing SOOOO well and is probably ready for kindergarten now.

Friday we headed to the Kerwin's for some Halloween fun, food and trick-o-treating. Zoe decided to be Cinderella up until the week before Halloween. Then she decided she wanted to be Snow White. She definitely looks more like Snow White. Lily was an apple (to go with the Snow White theme). Steven and I also decided to get in on the fun. I dressed as the evil queen from Snow White and Steven was a pirate (totally unrelated to Snow White but he made an awesome pirate).

Below are the links to photos from the past few months. There are a lot of them since I've neglected them for so long. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy the pics. Let me know if you need the password.

Photos from September 2008
Photos from October 2008