Recent Happenings

I haven't posted for awhile, but we've been keeping pretty busy lately. Here are a few pictures from the last couple weeks.

This is Anna's birthday present from Aunt Christyn. Anna wasn't sure about the cold water at first, but she loved it after a minute or so.

Samantha had her first taste of cotton candy at Paul's work "Organization Day." All of the families were invited for a small festival at work. The Natick Soldier Center where Paul works is situated on a big lake and is surrounded by trees. There is a big playground and lots of open area with picnic tables, etc. Pretty cool. Samantha LOVED riding the pony. She was very upset when she had to go home and couldn't ride the pony. It's amazing how far she's come with animals. She was afraid of every animal before we moved to Mass, and we've really worked with her since. I'm so glad she's feeling more comfortable now.
I was watching Samantha's friend Clare last week. I went upstairs to put Anna down for a nap and came down to this. Kids are funny.
My parents came to visit last week and just left yesterday. We had a great time with them! This picture was taken at Plimouth Plantation. Anna was asleep in the stroller. If you wonder what it's like in Massachusetts, this picture gives you an idea.
Anna has just discovered the piano, and she and Samantha enjoy playing it together. I'm sure they'll be playing many more duets together in the future.

Anna's Birthday!

Wow! Has it really been a year since Anna was born? Holy cow - time flies! A lot of you know my labor experience. If you don't, let me just say it wasn't ideal. Here's a quick recap - first I was induced (which really wasn't that bad), she came fast once the doctor broke my water, no anesthesiologist available (which means no epidural), the nurse barely walked in in time to deliver Anna (yep - no doctor in the room), the cord was wrapped around her neck 3 times, which equals a very blue baby (Paul didn't think she was alive). Other than that, the experience was great! And of course we received the most beautiful blue-eyed baby with the happiest temperament!

Anna is a wonderful baby. She's happy the majority of the time. She will let anyone hold her. She smiles and waves at everyone. She eats everything (food or not). She sleeps great. She is curious about everything. Her favorite things to play with are books, legos, puzzles, and anything Samantha is holding. She loves the wind. She's extremely ticklish. She didn't learn to crawl till she was 11 months - which was great for Mommy. She is noisy when she's happy and noisy when she's sad. She gets oohed and ahhed at wherever we go. She doesn't cry at the doctor. Her feet and toes are constantly wiggling - no exaggeration. She often gets so excited about things that she clenches every muscle in her body and shakes. Really - the list goes on and on.

Basically we adore her. She and Samantha are the best of friends. I feel so blessed to have two wonderful daughters in my family and home.

4th of July with Grandma & Grandpa Carpenter

We just had a great visit with Paul's parents this past week. We were able to visit a lot of fun historical places as well as relax at home. The girls absolutely LOVED having them here and took no time warming up and getting reaquainted. Above are some of the pictures we took while they were here. We went to Minuteman National Park, which is where Paul Revere's Ride took place. The picture on the bridge is North Bridge, the famous site of the "shot heard around the world", which was the start of the Revolutionary War. It's less than 30 minutes away from our house. We also toured the USS Constitution in Boston Harbor and went to Bunker Hill. It was very interesting. I definitely need to read more history books!

We went to Acton, Mass to see a concert and fireworks. The Air Force band played while 3 female singers sang a bunch of old-time music. I loved it, and more importantly the girls loved it. They also loved the fireworks, as you can see in the pictures - they were mesmerized. It ended up being a late night, with crazy traffic. It actually took over a half hour to just walk out of the park to our car. The girls fell asleep in the stroller, so Paul and I walked next to the car while his parents drove it out of the parking lot.