The Life of the Rigbys

Our Newest Addition

2011-08-08T22:22:00.005-04:00

On Wednesday, August 3rd at 7:44am we welcomed our second beautiful daughter into the world! Gwyndelyn Fiona Rigby weighed in at 8 lbs, 13 oz and was 20 inches long. Another big girl :)

Lillian is smitten with her and is such an amazing big sister. She is always asking to hold the baby and gives her kisses all day long! Both Mom and baby are healthy and were able to come home quickly. We are very excited to start our new adventure together as a family of four!

Family Update

2011-07-29T05:22:00.002-04:00

I know it's been a long time since I've updated our blog and I apologize ahead of time that there are no photos in this post! Big changes ahead for our family...

Ryan took a job in NC and has been there for 2 months. He is absolutely loving it! While he's been hard at work in NC, I've been hard at work here in NY getting our house on the market and getting ready to have this baby! I will be delivering here in NY, so this transition time has been quite challenging not having our family together.

We get to meet our sweet baby girl this coming Wednesday! We feel so blessed by her already and can't wait to begin this new chapter of our lives as a southern family of 4!

More updates (and photos) to come when our girl arrives!!

It's A Girl!!

2011-04-03T16:51:00.003-04:00

We are excited to have found out that we will be adding another beautiful baby girl to our family in August!! Lilli is going to be such an amazing big sister and we hope that our girls are the best of friends.

Here We Grow....Again!!

2011-01-05T13:13:00.003-05:00

Most of you probably already know by now (via FB, of course...) that we're excitedly expecting a little brother or sister for Miss Lilli!! We are thrilled to be preparing to welcome baby #2 to the Rigby family this August!!

We will be sure to post updates to the blog as our new baby grows, so check back with us often!

Happy 1st Birthday, Lillian!!

2010-10-24T19:47:00.002-04:00

This past Friday (October 22) we celebrated our beautiful girl's very 1st birthday! We enjoyed a nice quiet day at home on Friday and then had a party on Saturday at Tim's Pumpkin Patch in Skaneateles. The weather was gorgeous (55 and sunny...considering it's snowed this early in years past, we were very grateful for the weather we had)! The party was lots of fun and Lilli received many girly gifts as well as a few very special gifts, including a quilt from Grammy and Poppy Rigby (which was comprised of quilt blocks from my grandmother's unfinished trunk of quilts) and a beautifully framed photo of Lilli's feet at birth from her Auntie Moo, Uncle Terry, Emma & Tyler. It was such a wonderful weekend of celebration and it's hard for us to believe that a year has gone by already!!

P.S. Aunt Ca and Auntie Nee (and your families, of course) - We missed you all very much and wish you could have been here to celebrate with us! Hopefully we will get to visit with you soon!! We love you!!

Photo Shoot - Year One

2010-10-16T20:26:00.001-04:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Lilli's 3/4 Birthday

2010-07-22T19:38:00.003-04:00

Today Lilli turns 3/4 of a year old! It's hard to believe that I'm already planning her first birthday party, knowing that it's just around the corner. Our baby is getting so big!

8 Months

2010-06-23T09:32:00.002-04:00

WOW! 8 months!

Month 7 was full of milestones. I feel like I say that every month, but this past month seemed the biggest by far. Lilli cut her two bottom teeth in one week, mastered her army crawl and quickly went into a full crawl, mastered pulling herself up and walking along the edges of the furniture, and is still making great strides at standing on her own. She's also learned to clap by herself (of which she is most proud), mastered her pincer grip, is feeding herself snacks, and has even climbed stairs (yes, we quickly remedied that with more gates). We're so proud of our big girl and how quickly she is learning things! She is such a little sponge! I'm sure that month 8 will be just as amazing and that in her 9 month post I'll be saying..."Month 8 was full of milestones" yet again!!

Ocean City, MD

2010-06-03T19:56:00.003-04:00

Over the long holiday weekend, Lilli and I took a girls trip to Ocean City, MD. A few of my girlfriends and one other baby went along for the trip as well. We rented a beautiful condo right on the Boardwalk in Downtown Ocean City. The location was perfect and very family friendly! Lilli loved every minute of the trip, right down to the sand and splashing around in the pool! She was such a good girl! My girlfriends and I decided to take a nanny along so we could also go out and play, which was such a great idea!

Also while we were gone, Lilli had her first tooth cut through, which was very exciting. She is now also budding her second bottom tooth! Ryan stayed behind and was able to get a lot of the house projects finished or nearly finished, so it was nice to come home to some much needed changes. We're happy to be back home with Daddy and enjoyed our first trip to the beach!

7 Months

2010-05-24T20:48:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that Lilli's first year has officially tipped past the halfway point! I don't care to talk about it a lot, because it means that our girl is getting so big and that makes me very sad...but it's been such an amazing ride so far and we're very proud of all the things she's accomplished in her short 7 months!! She sits up like a pro, babbles "dada", "mama", "baba" and "lala" in long and amusing strings, is intrigued by her Daddy's silly face (and copies by making her own, as you can see) and, oh yeah, did I mention she's CRAWLING?!?! She's officially mastered the army crawl and while she does get up on all fours and wiggles herself around, we've found that she's not really a fan of crawling while she's on all fours. She also managed to stand on her own for a solid 20 seconds just prior to her 7 month birthday, so I'm afraid we may have an early walker on our hands. Every day Lilli wakes up with a new trick up her sleeve and we are enjoying every moment of it! And I suppose now that we're on the downhill slide to the 1st birthday, I better start planning!

Lilli's Half Birthday!

2010-04-29T19:53:00.002-04:00

Big news! Lilli is now a half of a year old! WOW! Time goes by so quickly. I do have some new photos to post, but am late on getting this post up as it is (it's now the 29th and Lilli turned 6 months on the 22nd...oops). More to come... :-)

All Fours!

2010-04-19T21:37:00.003-04:00

This week has been full of accomplishments for Lilli (just in time for her half-year birthday this coming Thursday)! She's mastered getting on all fours and even pulled herself up to a standing position in her crib over the weekend (yikes)! While we're not quite ready for the standing/walking yet, we are excited to see Lilli prepare to crawl. I'll be spending the next few days crawling around the house myself and doing some extra baby proofing!

Five Months

2010-03-23T01:55:00.005-04:00

Today Lilli celebrated her 5 month birthday (or should I say yesterday...it is 2am)! Month 4 was full of milestones...starting solids (she does great with cereal and pears, but still isn't loving any veggies - I hope it isn't the way I'm preparing them, because it takes a bit of work to make your own baby food!), scooching, and sitting up on her own for brief periods of time! We're very proud of our girl! The weather is also starting to get nicer, so Lilli has been able to experience a bit of the outdoor world without the shield of the BundleMe and layers of clothing. Soon we'll be able to go out and sit in the grass. We're looking forward to seeing her reaction to all of the new textures the outdoor world will provide her with. Here's to new adventures!

Adventures in Cereal

2010-02-23T20:41:00.002-05:00

Now that Lilli is a big 4 month old, we decided to dive into cereal (with a spoon)! We have been mixing some rice cereal with breastmilk in bottles at night for a while now to help with her acid reflux, but we thought it was time to see how she did with utensils. She does an awesome job of mashing the cereal with her tongue and got the hang of it very quickly. It was a messy adventure, but definitely a fun one! (sorry the quality is grainy - we didn't think about how dark it was in the room when we captured this!)

4 Months

2010-02-22T14:15:00.002-05:00

Wow...time is flying! Lilli is 4 months old today!

Reading already?!

2010-01-25T12:17:00.003-05:00

Well...not really, but Lilli just loves her soft play book from her friend Nathan! She especially enjoys the page with all of the fishies. They're so colorful and really capture her attention. This girl will be reading in no time the way she's growing! But for now, we can't get enough of these adorable moments!

Three Months

2010-01-23T21:04:00.004-05:00

Wow! Our baby girl is three months old already! This month we successfully rolled over, started grasping things like rattles and small toys, and babbling like crazy! It's been a fun month! We are eager to see if Lilli will sit up on her own in month four as she's been working very hard at it!

Ocean Wonders

2009-12-27T12:50:00.002-05:00

For Christmas, my parents got Lilli a really neat projector that plays water sounds and music, as well as displays an ocean scene on the wall or ceiling. Last night after story time, I put Lilli on my knees and projected the image up on the ceiling. This was her reaction...(she's never "talked" so much in one sitting)!

2009-12-25T23:17:00.002-05:00

We've been trying very hard to capture Lilli's smiles on film, but she seems to put them away whenever the camera comes out. It has made for some other funny videos, however. She makes some pretty cute faces and has started "talking" back to us, which is so much fun (ask me if I think that when she's 16 and talking back!). Hopefully soon we'll have some smiles to share!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T20:41:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas! We hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating Jesus' birthday!

Two Months!

2009-12-23T21:44:00.002-05:00

Lilli celebrated her two month "birthday" yesterday! How exciting! Time is going so quickly (I'm sure I'll say that every time she is another month older)! She's still working hard on her neck control and recently has started rolling onto her side from her belly. We're hoping for a full tummy-to-back roll any day now! She's also been really good about staying awake during the day and sleeping a full 8 hours at night. Ryan and I are very thankful for this change, although she's admittedly never been a terrible sleeper. We're looking forward to month three and can't wait to see what new things she learns!

Playtime!

2009-12-09T20:22:00.003-05:00

We have so much fun with this stacker that I just had to take video. Today she was "dancing" and giving us lots of smiles while playing with her toy! We're very thankful to Emma and Tyler for passing this toy down to their baby cousin!

Tummy Time

2009-12-01T16:15:00.003-05:00

Lillian has been spending a lot of time working on her neck strength lately, and I've been able to capture some video. This isn't the best one, but all of the great video I captured is too lengthy to post on Blogger and Facebook. Nonetheless, we hope you enjoy this one!

Lilli's First Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T19:21:00.003-05:00

This week we got to celebrate our first big holiday with Lillian...Thanksgiving! We enjoyed a delicious prime rib dinner Thanksgiving Eve with Ryan's dad before sending him off to Florida to be with the rest of the family, and then spent Thanksgiving day with my family. We had a great time with everyone! We hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving and have many things to be thankful for this year! We certainly know that we have been blessed!

One Month!!

2009-11-22T20:14:00.002-05:00

Today Lilli is celebrating her one month birthday! This time as flown by so quickly! We're enjoying every inch of our beautiful little girl and are loving parenthood. It is somewhat bittersweet that's she's already outgrown most of her newborn clothes and has moved up to size 1 diapers, but at the same time we knew it wouldn't last long when she started out at nearly 9 pounds! We didn't have too many milestones this month other than growing from sponge baths to an infant tub...and she absolutely loves bath time! She's sleeping very well (about a 4 to 5 hour stretch every night now) which Ryan and I are grateful for. We can't wait to see what new things month 2 brings!

2009-10-23T17:03:00.005-04:00

After spending several days in the hospital, our little girl has finally arrived! Lillian Claire was welcomed to the world on 10/22/09 at 9:38pm. She weighed in at 8lbs 15 oz. I had a bit of a rough labor and ended up with a c-section but in the end, the result was our beautiful baby girl! We can't wait to get her home and start our parenting adventure!

Getting Ready for Baby

2009-09-07T13:17:00.003-04:00

Over the long Labor Day weekend (and in preparation for labor - ha!) I decided to put together the furniture for the nursery! Everything looks adorable and I can't wait for our little girl to arrive and enjoy her new room! The crib quilt is being delivered soon and is my birthday gift from Ryan's parents! It was so nice of them and I can't wait to add it to the crib! We also received a beautiful glider rocker from my parents at my shower last weekend and we'll be putting that together soon. For now, though, I thought I'd post some photos of the crib, curtains and changing table. There will be more updates once the chair, bookshelf and a few other things are put into place. Let the countdown begin!

Nursery Update

2009-07-18T19:41:00.003-04:00

The nursery is painted! We went with a soft yellow that matches the color in the curtain panels we ordered for the room and Lowe's did a fantastic job matching the color. I finished the final coat of paint tonight and now it only needs a few touch-ups on the trim/doors! We'll add more photos as we start to furnish and decorate our peanut's room!

Our closet has flooring!

2009-07-18T19:37:00.002-04:00

Thanks to the hard work of my husband and father-in-law, we FINALLY have flooring down in our dressing room! It's still a bit dusty and we need to finish painting the room, but I feel like we're making progress! More photos to follow as we get the room completed.

Our First Baby Shower

2009-06-13T20:29:00.002-04:00

This past Thursday, Ryan's mom and sisters threw me a beautiful baby shower. We still have quite a while until baby girl gets here, but since the family was all here from Florida, it was the perfect time! We had a delicious cake and received many wonderful gifts! Ryan and I are even more excited to welcome our little bean now that she has a closet full of clothes...and a travel system to ride around in! Thank you all so much for the wonderful evening! We love you!

IT'S A GIRL!

2009-06-02T19:07:00.003-04:00

Yup...that's right! We're having a baby girl! She's 20 wks, 12 ounces, and has all of her necessary parts to be strong and healthy!

16 Weeks

2009-05-09T18:50:00.003-04:00

We're still growing!! I feel as though I've had significant belly growth since my last photo 4 weeks ago, but my measurements show only 3/4" and 2.4 lbs. It will be interesting to see how big this belly gets!! Oh well - I'm enjoying every minute of it :-)

Amy's Baby Shower!

2009-05-09T17:36:00.003-04:00

My dearest friend Amy is expecting her first child on June 1st (so soon)! I've posted some pictures to share. Her shower was wonderful and she received so many nice gifts! It made me very excited for my own showers to come! I got to spend this past Thursday with Amy visiting, seeing her nursery, taking a last minute trip to Buy Buy Baby and then, of course, out to Cold Stone for ice cream! We had a great day and I'm so excited to meet Baby Boy Quonce in the near future!

Ryan's New Toy

2009-05-09T17:24:00.003-04:00

Ryan finally broke down and bought a new lawn mower last weekend...and he hasn't come inside since!! Last year it took every ounce of pleading I had to get my husband to mow the lawn, but now, I'm afraid he'll never come in for supper!! Here he is enjoying his new toy. He picked up a Troy-Bilt XP 7.75 Torque 21" Cut Self-Propelled Gas Mower. Our yard is just the perfect size to push mow, so Ryan was a little disappointed that he couldn't get himself a nice John Deere rider! Ha! I'm glad that he now has something he enjoys using to keep our yard looking beautiful!

Nursery

2009-05-09T17:10:00.004-04:00

We started working on the nursery this weekend! No room pictures yet (mostly because the room is gutted and not very pretty right now), but we did want to share some of our decorating choices! We decided on the "All Creatures Great and Small" bedding set from The Land Of Nod (http://www.landofnod.com/family.aspx?c=167&f=4157&pc=67). We received the crib bumper, valance and window panel already and they are just perfect! The quality is more than we expected and we're very happy with our choice. The walls will be done in a soft yellow tone. I ventured to Lowe's alone to pick out the carpet today, and was successful! I chose a very soft, kid-friendly, earth-friendly low cut pile in Sahara Tan. We decided to go with carpet in the nursery to help with the acoustics since the room seems to have quite an echo. It will be strange since there's no carpet in the remainder of the house, except the finished basement area (I hope I remember how to vacuum! Just kidding!). As the room progresses we will be sure to post photos, but for now you can at least check out the bedding and let us know what you think! We can't wait for our little one to arrive and start making up bedtime stories with the characters on the quilt! Should be lots of fun!

...let the countdown begin

2009-04-10T21:48:00.001-04:00

Pregnancy Tickers from WiddlyTinks.com

Two became three...

2009-03-12T21:39:00.002-04:00

We did it (no pun intended)! We're having a baby! This has been the most exciting 8 weeks of our lives and we are thrilled to have found out we're adding to our little family! The pets are great, but we're ready for little life to shape and mold! Our little peanut is due to arrive on October 20th, but you all know how that goes! We're very excited and will keep better updates on the blog now that it has a focus! Can't wait to share more photos with you!

Living Room

2009-02-08T18:47:00.002-05:00

In house news...we've moved on to the living room. This is not to say that our other projects are complete, because they are definitely not. However, the living room is where we entertain those who come to visit us and it currently is less than welcoming in all of its white-wash glory. This weekend to spackled and sanded down the walls and marked off for the chair rail. Then it was on to painting! The two tones we have chosen are Vanilla Bean (a very pale, creamy yellow) and Sesame (a light silvery-brown). Both of these colors are the same as the stitching in our cranberry silk window treatments, so I think they will really compliment the room. I'm also very excited about the chair rail and am hoping it gives some depth to this otherwise boring area of our house. It's taking a TON of work, though, because all of the baseboard needs to be redone, along with the ceiling, crown moulding and window trim. We're looking forward to having this room done so I can finally find a matching living room furniture set and feel proud to entertain!! We'll keep you updated on the progress!

Sparta, NJ

2009-02-08T18:33:00.002-05:00

This past Thursday and Friday, Ryan had to travel Marypaul Labs in Sparta, NJ for work. I decided to take some time off and join him for the ride. We boarded Phoebe for the first time, and we hear that she wasn't too thrilled with our decision. I spent my time shopping at Olde Lafayette Village to take advantage of their being no sales tax on clothing (it's 8.25% here in Syracuse) and got some excellent deals. The shopping outlet was very quaint and wasn't very busy (since most people were working). They had this great little place called The Village Barkery, so I picked up some homemade doggie treats in hopes that Phoebe wouldn't be quite so angry with us for leaving her behind! It was so nice to have a few days to relax and not think about the work that was waiting for me back at home...and the work Ryan went to do only took him a few hours, so we got to spend some "quiet time" together without worrying about animals to feed and dishes to pick up!

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2009-02-02T19:10:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated Ryan's birthday! We had a really great and relaxing day. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to come up with the 4 rechargeable batteries necessary for camera function, so the only pictures I have are on my phone (and they're not great, so I'm not posting them). We enjoyed a great dinner at Ichiban with the Pops and also had a fun night on Saturday with our friends, Nick and Mary. I had gotten Ryan a drum set that he really wanted, but once it arrived, he decided it was "too frivolous"...so he returned it for some more "practical" video games and a new set of hair clippers (please contain your excitement)!

GO GATORS!

2009-01-08T07:48:00.002-05:00

Just a reminder to everyone to make sure you watch the big game tonight! Go Gators!

Sleepy Heads

2008-12-29T20:49:00.003-05:00

Just thought I'd share this photo because I find it pretty hilarious! This is how I found Ryan and two of our "girls" when I got out of my shower this morning. So sleepy! No one was ready for the week to start!

A few more Christmas photos...

2008-12-29T20:43:00.002-05:00

Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T20:25:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year in our new home! It was so memorable to put up our tree, spend a lovely Christmas Eve meal with family and then wake up Christmas morning and open presents in our own home for once (usually we're waking up with family and in our 4 Christmases together, we have yet to have a Christmas morning of our own). We spent the rest of our Christmas day traveling to both families. We enjoyed lunch with the Rigby side and then headed over to the Smith side for dinner and gifts with my niece and nephew. What a blessed day we had! As for gifts, our favorites were....my KitchenAid (I've been wanting one for years) and for Ryan it was a new pair of fleece comfy pants from Eddie Bauer (the only place with pants long enough for my giant!!) We also got a new waffle iron, which was much needed since our last one died, and Ryan got a great jigsaw from my parents which he immediately came home and started using!

We missed all of our Florida family, but we hear that everyone had a great day and for that we are thankful! On to another New Year now with so many excellent and exciting things to come! Stay tuned for our "year in review" post!

P.S. The Vera Bradley bag was a huge hit with my sister...I'm so happy she was thrilled! I thought I would get a few tears, but no such luck. Lynee - you still win out on making people cry with their gifts this year!

Enough is enough

2008-12-22T15:55:00.005-05:00

We fully understand as Upstate NY'ers that winter is never going to be easy. However, since Saturday, we have gotten nearly 2 feet of snow...and yes, it's STILL snowing outside. These are a few pictures from early on in the storm (one of many shoveling attempts!). We've had enough, so if anyone in a warm climate has an extra room, we're moving in!! Also, we're taking donations for our snowblower fund :-)

P.S. If anyone is wondering, you should not drive a Camaro in a snowstorm. Ryan barely made it up the hill into our driveway. Once he finally did, it was just far enough inside the driveway so the plow wouldn't hit it!

SEC CHAMPS!

2008-12-06T20:53:00.003-05:00

The Gators have prevailed yet again! The big SEC Championship game against Alabama was tonight, and it was an amazing game! Since we've been married, Ryan has turned me into a huge ators fan and we and now watch the games almost religiously. We've always worn our Gators gear on game day and today we decided that it was Phoebe's turn!! We took an older shirt that doesn't fit me anymore and put it on our sweet puppy. She was so annoyed! You can see the look in her eyes that says "What are these people doing to me?". She has no idea that she's in for the shirt during every game now!! Haha! GO GATORS!

NYC

2008-12-06T17:14:00.002-05:00

On Friday, I traveled to NYC for a business meeting with one of my hotel accounts, Morgan's Hotel Group (www.morganshotelgroup.com). Morgan's is a luxury boutique hotel company that sells experience and atmosphere, rather than rooms. They day was amazing and the properties I visited were unbelievable. My drive down to the Croton-Harmon station was dry, which I was very thankful for because they were calling for lots of snow. I then enjoyed a relaxing train ride into Manhattan's Penn Station. It was great to see the city decorated for the holidays and my meeting went very well. Overall it was a successful trip, albeit one whirlwind of day! I can't wait to go back again!

Our Tree!

2008-12-04T19:52:00.001-05:00

This is our first tree in the house...very exciting!!

Say It Ain't Snow

2008-11-21T20:17:00.003-05:00

It's finally here...the much-dreaded snow season!! Boo!! We're currently under a lake effect warning for the next three, yes three, days! This is just the start of what's sure to be a very long, cold and snowy weekend. Phoebe is really enjoying the fluffy stuff and can't stop running around in it! She also loves to eat the snow and get her nose right into it. It really is quite amusing (except the part about one of us always having to stand outside in the snow with her when she wants to go out).

And the winners are...

2008-11-02T18:47:00.005-05:00

Well, barring any "special order" glitches...the paisley print wins out for the panel curtains and we will use the striped fabric for our accent pillows!! Thanks everyone for helping us make up our mind!!

more house stuff...

2008-11-02T18:20:00.003-05:00

Today we rolled out the carpet in our dressing room/closet. It's a berber and in excellent shape (thank you to the previous homeowner who just left it here, brand new, still in plastic!). We are very excited to put it down! The room is coming together nicely - walls are almost done being painted, the ceiling is done, light fixture is in and gorgeous (see night/day photos), and the roman shades for the windows arrived this week. So far only one has been installed "temporarily" because I'm still trying to choose fabrics for the overlaying panels as well as window seat cushions and decorative pillows. Lots to do...but we're getting there! I'll post some of the fabrics I'm choosing from...I need help deciding!

Decorating - Master Bedroom

2008-11-01T20:05:00.003-04:00

As you know, we've been working very hard on turning our house into a home. Little by little we are completing projects, and things are really starting to come together. This weekend I've focused my attention on sewing projects (since my sweet mother-in-law is soon to be wintering in Florida and I will not have access to her amazing talents for a while!). Here are the fabrics I've chosen for our bedroom window treatments. I'm so excited - they're beautiful and I can't wait to see the room come together. The wall color is "Northern Sky" from the Pottery Barn collection and it couldn't match more perfectly with the blue in my fabric choice. The pattern we'll be using is the top right corner...the accent valance will be the paisley pattern and the shade will be the stripes with cream ribbon ties. I'll post some photos when the finished product is here!

Dressed to Impress

2008-11-01T19:50:00.002-04:00

Today Phoebe got her first article of clothing...a sporty pink hoodie!! She's definitely going to need it now that the cold weather is setting in. She looks adorable and I don't think we're going to be able to get it off of her...she really likes it!

2008-10-22T23:38:00.002-04:00

Here are some photos of recent house work. We've got the hardware on the cabinets, freshly painted stairway and the much-needed rehupolstered chairs! These chairs have been in the family much too long without a facelift, so I decided it was time. They look (and feel) so much more clean and crisp! I've found that I've had lots of "extra" time on my hands with Ryan in Houston. He commented to me before he left that he should go away more often as it seems to motivate me to work on our projects!

Construction Update

2008-10-16T20:48:00.003-04:00

The work continues...this past weekend we focused on getting some of the door trim replaced because the people who lived here before us had apparently never heard of a level. Everything is off by just the slightest bit, but it's enough to drive you crazy! Ryan worked very hard on his projects and I'm so thankful that he's handy!

Fall Decorating

2008-10-16T12:24:00.003-04:00

This past Tuesday, Ryan and I took the day off to spend some quality time together before he leaves for Houston. We ended up working on the house most of the day, but did make it out to Tim's Pumpkin Patch to pick up some pumpkins, corn stalks and mums to decorate the outside of the house with! It was lots of fun. Even Phoebe went and had a great time! I'm hoping that the decorations will distract people from focusing on the paint job that our house desperately requires!

Habitat for Humanity

2008-10-03T16:59:00.003-04:00

Each year, The Hartford allows their employees to take a free day for volunteer work. This year, I participated in the Habitat for Humanity build here in Syracuse. There are so many new HFH homes going up in the "bad" sections of the city and it seems to be a real success. I was very happy to participate and hopefully my hard work will have made a difference in someone's life. My only gripe...next year I'm volunteering in the summer so it's not 50 and rainy and muddy!! I suppose, however, it isn't fair of me to complain since I had a nice hot shower and warm home to return to at the end of the day! I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to do a build with this great Christian organization.

2008-09-26T22:59:00.002-04:00

Fun Times

2008-09-26T22:52:00.002-04:00

Tonight we have the great pleasure of having our first overnight guests...Kalli and Luke!! We had these big plans to do late night mini-golf, but today's forecast was looking grim. It poured most of the day, but around 7:30pm we noticed that the rain had stopped and the chill was leaving the air. We took advantage of the opportunity and hit the putt-putt course!! We had a great time! The game started out serious and then around the 8th hole or so, we turned it into a crazy game and just goofed off!!

Kalli and Luke are here!!

2008-09-24T20:54:00.003-04:00

We are so excited that Kalli and Luke are here visiting this week!! We spent the evening hanging out at Grammy & Poppy's playing with the puppy, shooting hoops and just enjoying the beautiful weather! We're really looking forward to the kids coming to spend the night Friday and so thankful that Jason and Lynee sent the kids up to spend some time with us!

Playing with Poppy

2008-09-24T20:35:00.002-04:00

Napping

2008-09-23T11:57:00.001-04:00

My new favorite place to sleep...

Playtime with the kitties (well, one of them!)

2008-09-23T11:53:00.003-04:00

Today was a work-from-home day for me, and I think it's been helpful for the puppy to feel more comfortable in her new home! She was being quite bold and getting closer to our little kitty today. These are just a few of the moments I captured while they were checking each other out.

Settling In

2008-09-20T18:31:00.002-04:00

Phoebe has had a great day today! She has enjoyed lots of outdoor play time and is getting a little more frisky with the kitties! Of course, as evidenced by this photo, she LOVES to sleep on the couch! Phoebe also got to meet her cousins Kalli and Luke today, and also her Grammy and Pop! She was a little protective of us when Pop came around, but warmed up quickly. Looks like she'll be a great guard dog for me when Ryan travels to Houston next month. That's all for now...we'll keep the updates coming!

D-Day (aka "Dog Day")!!

2008-09-19T20:27:00.002-04:00

Today we picked up Phoebe from the SPCA!! She was so excited to come home, but a little nervous. She "hugged" Ryan the entire ride home and was shaking like a leaf! As soon as we got home, she was just fine, running around in the yard and getting to know her knew surroundings. She's adjusting well and the cats seem to be showing her that they're in charge. So far we haven't had any scuffles and NO ACCIDENTS!! I'm most excited about that : ) Phoebe has done very well with letting us know when she needs to go out, and she responds to "sit" which we didn't expect! All in all, it's been a great first day and we hope all of the updates are just as good as this one!

Getting there...

2008-09-17T12:12:00.006-04:00

Now that I'm working from home two days a week, it seems as though I've found that I have enough time in my day to get some things done around the house! We've been here since February 26th and still have bare walls...yikes! I recently got tired of the blank white walls when you walk in to our house. We have this great little corner where we keep our shoes, hats, etc. and I had some great items to hang...so I finally did! We now have a coat rack, a great piece of art from Aunt Christy (shoes - how appropriate!) and another great wall hanging that I received as a birthday gift from my wonderful mother-in-law a few years ago. Now when you walk in, it says "welcome to our home" rather than "this is our basement"! Can't wait for you all to come visit soon!

Delivery!

2008-09-17T12:12:00.005-04:00

Today I received my long-awaited package from Anna William! I was so excited! If you're not familiar with Anna William, it is a custom fabrics company that makes bags, purses, baby items (blankets, diaper bags), home items (napkins, tablecloths), etc. It's similar to Vera Bradley, but you design and purchase your items through consultants. I've been looking into becoming a consultant, but wanted to design a few of my own items first to make sure I really liked the product. So today in the mail, I received my wristlet clutch and my cosmetic bag! They look so great and it's awesome to know that I selected and designed every single fabric pattern, zipper, ribbon...all they did was sew it together for me! I wanted to share some of the photos of the items I ordered so when I'm ready to order my consultant kit, you can each be ready to place your order! You can also check out the website at www.annawilliam.com to design your own or even order pre-made items!

Oh The Places You'll Find....your cats!

2008-09-17T12:12:00.002-04:00

Since our house is under construction, it's become quite the playground for our cats. They haven't really had a chance to find their favorite sleeping areas since we keep moving things around on them, but this weekend we found them in some of the most precarious places! Big Kitty was found in a dresser drawer and Little Girl perched herself (like the princess that she is) on the top of a ladder. She may find herself up on that ladder a lot once our puppy comes home...only 2 days!!

That's one hot dog!

2008-09-15T17:29:00.000-04:00

Ryan and I were shopping in Target the other day picking up some new things, when I discovered this hilarious pet costume! I suppose I should provide the back story...My friend Mary and I had recently been looking at the silly Halloween costumes they've come up with for kids, and couldn't believe that someone would actually put their child in a hot dog suit, so when I saw this hot dog pet costume, I just HAD to buy it for her! This her maltese/poodle, Caleb, donning his new look...and thinking "what is this crazy lady doing to me?!"

"Meg & Ryan Go To Chick-Fil-A"

2008-09-13T17:33:00.002-04:00

Today we decided to have our very own "Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle" trip to the nearest Chick-Fil-A. Lucky for us, it was 3 hours away...perfect road trip! We hopped in the car around 9:45am and hit Interstate 81! Just like clockwork, we hit the Schuylkill Mall in Frackville, PA right at 12:45pm and were SO excited...and hungry (we forfeited breakfast and all food until we reached our destination)!
Fueling up before our big run!
In Binghamton, about 2 hours away from our destination!
Getting closer!
Surprise! There was construction in PA!
It's our exit and our mouths were watering!
Here's the mall that is home to the Frackville Chick-Fil-A!

Aaaaahhh!!! We made it!
Best meal ever!
Heading home with our milkshake and extra waffle fries for the road. What a great day!

Meet Phoebe!

2008-09-13T17:27:00.000-04:00

We have another new addition to our family...and for those of you have been waiting for the past 4 years, sorry - it's not a baby!! We are frequent visitors of the FLSPCA and that's where we adopted our two beautiful kitties. About a week or so ago, we thought we'd stop in and see what they had for puppy adoption now that we have a house and yard for the puppy to play in. This little girl stole my heart the minute I saw her. They call her "Morgan" and she hasn't had the best life. She was found tied up to a bench outside the SPCA a few days prior to our visit, was very malnourished and her little ribs were sticking out like you wouldn't believe. Our research leads us to believe that she is a boxer-terrior mix. We knew right away that she needed a good loving home...and a new name to start her life over! So, this coming Friday we will be going to pick up "Phoebe" to share our home with her and give her lots of love. We'll update you on how the kitties react - it should be interesting!!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

2008-09-07T21:46:00.000-04:00

Ryan was nice enough to plan a girls night out for me this Saturday. His friend Shaun from work and his wife Jess had us over for supper. Then Jess, myself and my friend Mary (she was really hungry - see photo! haha!) went to a girls only (no husbands, no kids) party. We had a great time and it was so nice to spend some time with other married women and just cut loose! I'm looking forward to the next night out!

End of Summer

2008-09-07T21:34:00.000-04:00

The end of summer has arrived here in NY. It was pretty chilly today, but Ryan got one more ride in on the lake. I stayed on the dock, as per usual, and was freezing!! I didn't get the greatest pictures, but it's better than nothing! I think I had more fun sitting on the dock taking random scenery photos.

Naptime

2008-09-06T14:15:00.000-04:00

I was cleaning the kitchen this morning when I noticed that it was very quiet around our house. I walked into the living room to find Ryan and our big kitty napping on the couch, so I had to sneak a picture! They looked so cute!

Fun with Uncle Ryan!

2008-08-31T21:15:00.000-04:00

My nephew LOVES his Uncle Ryan and when he was at our house tonight, it was no different! Tonight Uncle Ryan did his very best to teach Tyler how to throw a frisbee. It took a lot of patience and while he didn't really catch on (since he is only 3), he had a great time trying to learn! I'm so glad that Ryan enjoys playing and I can't wait to have our own children some day so he can teach them all of his tricks!!

Our Week of Celebrations

2008-08-31T21:08:00.000-04:00

This week we celebrated two big events...my dad's 55th birthday and Ryan's parents 34th anniversary! Both events were, of course, celebrated with wonderful meals and fun! We're so blessed to have such wonderful families that are great examples of how to live a long, loving, and meaningful life!

Something about Mary

2008-08-29T20:28:00.001-04:00

For all of you who hear me tell stories about my "cubicle mate", Mary...here she is! We went out tonight with Ryan to Coleman's for dinner and drinks, and we had a great time!! I love having Mary to spend time with...she's a blast!! And she doesn't mind waking up really early on Saturday mornings to go the market with me for fresh veggies and a day of shopping! Who could ask for a better girlfriend! Oh...and by the way, for anyone who's wondering - yes that is a fleece jacket in August! Gotta love NY!

Mini-Golf Mania!

2008-08-21T13:25:00.000-04:00

Just a few fun photos from our putt-putt pandemonium! Note to self: never take a 3 yr old mini-golfing after 9:00pm. You may be struck by a club!

Happy Birthday, Meg!

2008-08-21T12:35:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I celebrated my 26th birthday and had a great day! My family came out for dinner to Quaker Steak and Lube and then we enjoyed a fun game of mini-golf!

Jeepers Creepers...where'd you get those peepers?!

2008-08-17T14:16:00.000-04:00

When I got to my parent's house on Saturday, I was walking up the sidewalk to the door when I noticed a peeper resting on a leaf. Since I knew the kids were inside, I picked the peeper up and cupped it in my hands and went inside. The kids LOVED it!! We took it back outside and created a temporary habitat for it using a bowl and some outdoor elements (leaves, sticks, rocks, etc.). We had so much fun showing all our friends and family and the band concert that night, and then after getting home, we let the peeper back out into the world!

Summer Nights in Fair Haven

2008-08-17T14:10:00.000-04:00

Saturday night I went out to see my family in Fair Haven. It was band concert night, so I got a chance to see a lot of local people that I haven't seen in a very long time. My cousin Kristin and her husband Russell were also in from Virginia, so it was great to see them! They're expecting their first child in January and we're all very excited! As you can see, I had TONS of fun with my niece and nephew (big surprise, I know!)

Joe's Pasta Garage

2008-08-17T14:05:00.000-04:00

(I loved the light fixture at our table!)

We enjoyed a nice dinner out Thursday at Joe's Pasta Garage in Skaneateles. It was a fun evening and the atmosphere of the restaurant was great!

The Camaro

2008-08-06T20:30:00.001-04:00

As most of you probably know, last year for our anniversary we drove to Pennsylvania and bought a camaro. This was certainly nothing we had planned, but Ryan has always wanted a car to work on as a project and this was a great opportunity for him! We had a blast on the trip and after waiting through a very long NY winter, we've finally been able to work on the car ! I'm going to leave all of the detailed posts to Ryan, but here are some fun photos of us with our toy!

Dinner at Mom and Dad's

2008-08-06T20:24:00.000-04:00

Tonight we got to spend some time with Erica, Chase and Olivia...and enjoy a good meal! It was great to finally meet Olivia after all these months of only seeing pictures, and Chase has grown so much! We hope we don't have to wait another 8 months to see everyone again!

Our girls

2008-08-05T21:35:00.000-04:00

Ryan got some great video of the cats napping on the porch today. They woke up after a few moments and realized there was something odd in their face, so they kept reaching up for the lens like "what is that thing?"

Fun with Food!

2008-08-03T19:54:00.001-04:00

I went to the Regional Market yesterday morning and bought some peaches from The Doyle's, and I've been trying to come up with a great recipe other than cobbler, since Ryan and I don't like that! I was searching online and found a recipe for grilled peaches with raspberry sauce and it sounded soooo yummy! So for fun tonight, we tried it! I would highly recommend everyone make this at least once - it's made with fresh fruits, so it's definitely a healthy sweet treat! I made it extra special and Ryan helped me whip up some fresh whipped cream. We thought we'd share a little dessert with each of you...I'm very proud of my "presentation" shot! : )

Jason's Visit

2008-08-03T15:03:00.000-04:00

Today we enjoyed a great lunch with Jason when he arrived in NY! I was sure to prepare a "man's feast" for him since I heard from a little birdie that he was missing some foods you can only get here! We had some Hoffman hot dogs and coneys, homemade chili (for chili dogs, of course!), sweet corn from the Regional Market, chicken wings marinated in Spiedie sauce, and we managed to throw in some veggies (green and red peppers and some baby carrots)! Jason had also requested magic cookie bars for his family lunch, so his favorite mother-in-law brought those along! It was a beautiful day here today - sunny and breezy, and only about 75 - so we ate out in yard and had a wonderful time! We also had the chance to give Jason the "grand tour" of our house since this was the first time he has seen it since we moved in February. Overall, it was a great day! If only the rest of the family was here to enjoy it with us!!

You know what they say about NY weather...

2008-08-03T08:35:00.001-04:00

On our way home from Rochester, the weather couldn't really make up it's mind. It would be pouring buckets one minute and beautifully sunny the next. We were able to get some really great cloud shots and Ryan also captured a beautiful rainbow while we were heading down the Thruway. It was a great end to a great day!

2008-08-03T08:30:00.000-04:00

Together Again

2008-08-03T08:21:00.000-04:00

On Saturday we made our way out to Rochester for a "family reunion" with my friend Amy and the rest of the Hill family! It was so nice that we were all able to attend and see how much each family has grown! My niece and nephew had a great time playing with Amy's niece, Hannah, who is the same age as Tyler. We enjoyed a great barbeque (thanks to Chef Tony!) and lots of games! We played ladderball (or ladder golf - I've heard it both ways), washers, whiffle ball and just hung out in Amy and Jon's back yard! It was a blast and we can't wait to get together with everyone again soon!

Everything's Coming Up....Sunflowers!

2008-08-01T19:32:00.001-04:00

Today while we were at Gillie Lake, we noticed HUGE fields of sunflowers growing all around us. They had a sunflower maze that you could go through and also allowed you to "cut your own sunflower" for $1 each! We had so much fun choosing which sunflowers to cut down and bring home!

More Gillie Lake photos

2008-08-01T19:24:00.000-04:00

It was such a beautiful day here and there was no one but us at the lake, so I took lots of pictures!! Here are some more for you to enjoy!

Gillie Lake

2008-08-01T19:12:00.001-04:00

Today after we work we took a much deserved break to Gillie Lake. It's amazing that, in the hustle and bustle of Syracuse and its surrounding suburbs, we have such a beautiful retreat. Gillie Lake is situated between Camillus and Warners about 5 minutes from our house. We picked up Ryan's cousin Christopher and headed out for some relaxing and fishing! While the fishing wasn't so great...mostly because of the algae that's resulted from our hot weather, we still had a great time! It was so relaxing to spend some time together in the sun and beauty of God's beautiful earth! We are thankful every day for all that we have and the time that we have together!

Nothing much...

2008-07-27T20:07:00.000-04:00

We don't have much news to share since our last post. Things have been pretty quiet here - just the usual work routine. We hope to have some new house updates in the coming weeks! In the meantime, please keep posting on your blogs so we actually have something to look forward to when we come home from work! Haha!

4th of July

2008-07-14T20:41:00.000-04:00

Well, everyone had great posts about their exciting parties they attended during the 4th of July holiday and we were feeling a bit left out. So here we go...our exciting 4th of July tale!!

From the time we got out of work on Thursday, we painted and sanded and drilled and painted and cleaned...and did I mention we painted?! Before we knew it, it was Saturday night and almost time for the famed Fair Haven fireworks. And where was Meg? On her hands and knees scrubbing and oiling that beautiful hardwood floor you see in our prior post! We stopped for but a moment to attempt watching the State Fair fireworks from an upstairs bedroom window, only to be disappointed by a rather large tree that was directly in our line of sight. So...back to work we went! Painting and scrubbing and sanding and, well you know the rest! There you have it...our most exciting 4th of July ever! Is this what we have to look forward to as homeowners for the rest of our lives??

**P.S. - It was so lame that I had to find a sample photo of fireworks because I didn't get any of my own pictures to post! Haha!

Family Fun - Part Two

2008-07-14T20:37:00.001-04:00

Next it was off to the Rigby-Vitale party! Micah was home from Chicago and it was great to visit with him. He, of course, managed to get in on a game of ping pong! It was pretty rainy outside, so no bocce ball this time around. Oh well! It was a fun day!

Family Fun - Part One

2008-07-14T20:28:00.000-04:00

Sunday was a busy day for us! We had three parties to go to, but only ended up successfully attending two! Oh well - they were the two most important! These are some pictures from my cousin Kaylie's grad party. She's heading off to the Air Force soon, so it was really important to spend some quality time together. Tyler loves his cousin so much...I love the shot I got of him with Kaylie! Emma also discovered a new talent at the party (yes, there's more this girl can do!!). She is apparently quite the ladder golf player! She won the game for the girls team!

I almost forgot....

2008-07-08T18:44:00.000-04:00

Sorry - I know whoever is reading this is probably tired of my 4 posts on one day! TOO BAD! I've got lots to share since it's been a month! Look what we found under our carpet upstairs in the bedrooms!! There are beautifully finished hardwoods that we've brought back to life. It took some elbow grease and lots of Murphy's Oil Soap, but they look fantastic and it really brightens up the rooms! We can't wait for you all to come visit and see our hard work!

Work Hard...Play Hard!

2008-07-08T18:40:00.000-04:00

Emma and Gwynn in all their glory!

These are the "Kung Fu Panda" girls being crazy!

After all the hard work we've been putting in to the house, I took advantage of my vacation time to play! The Hartford offers each employee volunteer hours during the year, so this year I used some of that time to go help out at my old elementary school. I'm sure you all know that's where my mom and sister both teach, and Emma attends school I went during what was supposed to be field days, but it was a little rainy so they had the class talent shows instead. Emma's class did a cute dance to "Monster Mash" and she had her hair all teased and her face painted! Here she is with some of her friends just being silly! It was so great to play and be a kid again for a day!

Everything Old Is New Again...well, almost

2008-07-08T18:36:00.000-04:00

YUCK! I can't believe how ugly this kitchen was!

Here's what we've done with the kitchen to date...cabinets are nearly all painted and we're beginning to install the hardware. The floor remains undone and we need some new lighting fixtures and counter tops, but other than that we're making great progress! And I've even managed to keep it clean enough to keep cooking and entertaining in! I'm quite proud of that! My curtains still don't match, but I'm hoping my wonderful mother-in-law will help me with that soon!