Oh no, too much snow!!

Well, we have been hit by one of the worst storms in a couple centuries! It sure didn't seem like it was not going to stop. When we woke up this morning, we had about 12-14 inches and when it was finally done, around 8pm, we had about 20-24 inches!! Hard to believe that some people live like this year round!! (I don't want to live in Alaska, just a side note). Tom braved the storm in the morning and was out shoveling snow with our neighbors, each helping the other clear driveways and making paths from one yard to the other. He came in several times to dethaw and dry off.
The neighborhood all got together for some chili and cornbread and while the kids played, the adults also played some board games. We had a great time and are so happy that we have such great neighbors!!
Tomorrow looks like lots of playing in the snow and hot coca!!

Let it snow, let it snow!!!

Hope you all stocked up on milk, bread and TP, because there are non left in Virginia! (Virginians tend to panic at the first whiff of snow) hehe. We are getting a pretty good snow storm here, we are supposed to get almost 20 inches, but we'll see. We are all prepped and ready to go in our house, PJs are on and we had soup and sandwiches for dinner!! Yummy. And my two boys are all snuggled up in their beds!!
But, we plan on playing tomorrow and building a snowman!! Well, at least mommy will while Beau tries to walk in the snow!! Our last snow storm, he did alot of crawling, he couldn't quite lift his foot high enough to clear the snow. But, he didn't seem to mind the cold or wet, he just loves being outside.

I just love this time of year!! Especially the way Christmas lights look under new snow. Hope we get a white Christmas.

Thanksgiving and a dance party!!

We had a great Thankgiving this year!! Beau and mommy watched the parade while daddy went hunting and got a deer!! YEA!! We all look forward to filling our freezer and enjoying a good meal. We made our way over to Aimee's house and helped finish all the preparations for the "feast"!! We ate, we were stuffed and then we all sat around in a turkey coma and rubbing our turkey baby bellies!! It was great. We watched a cute movie, UP. But I think the best part of the day was having Kevin and Terri Bell with us this year!! They drove down from CT and spent some time with us. That is what a holiday is all about, family and food!!
By the end of the night, we had all 5 grandbabies upstairs in PJ's having a dance party in Bailey's room!! I think they had a good time, they all slept really well that night. The boys didn't even mind that they were listening to Hannah Montana! I wish we could keep them as cute as they are now!! I loved watching Dylan and Beau, they just love their big cousins. I must say, Beau does have some rhythem!!

So long ol' pal

We have officially outgrown our pacifier. Beau has moved on and up. We have been trying to wean him off for a while, but I think that now as he is a "big boy", he no longer needs it. He has really done well without it, going to bed has been a little struggle, but no crying. He just has a harder time settling down. So we have increased the night time book reading to four, not two. This seems to help and he loves to look at the pictures and practice counting. He has really become more interested in alot more things. Now that he has conquered walking,(YEA) he has more time to concentrate on other things.
We also have returned to wearing glasses and his eye patch. He seems less and less bothered by them and really seems to be seeing better, who would have though it!!
His personality is really starting to come alive! He is such a sweet boy. We had our "team" of therapists here on Friday and as each of them said hello to him, he proceeded to give each of them a kiss!! It was soo cute! Such a lover!

Beau has wheels!!!

Beau is now totally mobile!! Look out everyone!! He now has a walker and is doing great with it!! I got it about a week ago, and right from the start, he knew what he was doing. He did have a bit of trouble with bumps and grooves in the road, but is learning how to lift it up and over.
He did have a fight with the asphalt on Friday, and unfortunately lost the fight. He ended up with a HUGE fat lip, some scrapes, lots of bleeding and even a bit of a black eye. Mommy felt sooo bad, but knew this was the first of many to come.

Going to visit Daddy!!

The first weekend in October Beau and mommy were lucky enough to be able to go see Tom in Florida where he has been spending ALOT of time! We flew down on Thursday, then on Friday, Beau and mommy spent the day together while daddy worked. We took some walks and got into the pool where we were staying, it was nice to jump in the pool in October!! We went to the dock and saw all the big boats and watched the lizards crawl around. They have lizards ALL over the place,like little bugs here! Kinda neat.
We were able to meet most of the people Tom works with, and some friends that he has made down there. We went to the shop where he spends most of his time and checked out the huge machines he works on! It was very nice to put faces with names and see where Tom has been spending most of his time.
On Saturday, we got the "tour" of Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach, we went to Ponce deLeon lighthouse and spent some time playing at the beach!! I was surprised to see how clear and warm the water was!! It was also neat because you could also drive onto the beach and park right there, so Beau and mommy played while daddy watched.
Beau and mommy flew back on Sunday. It was a short trip, but really nice to get to see Tom and know what he has been doing while he is down there.

Ok, ok, I am finally getting to this!!

It seems like forever, I know, and I know you are all dying to know what has been going on here!! Well, our biggest news is that Beau has decided to join the land of the two legged people!! He has discovered how the world looks from a more vertical perspective and loves it!! We had come back from the beach, that Sunday and he just stood up on his own and started taking steps between Mommy and Daddy!! We were just blown away!! We cheered and mommy cried and he kept at it!! Mark the calanders, it was August 9, 2009. Ever since then, Beau has been loving walking, he still needs help when he is outside or for long distances, but he can get a good 5-8 steps on his own. He is still a bit wobbly, but getting better. He will get new braces soon and possibly a walker to keep him on all twos. He really just does things on his own time, but when he wants something, watch out!!

Tom and I have been busy keeping up with Beau, he likes to hold our finger while walking, and even comes over and pulls on our hands to get us to help him. Tom has been working hard, spending alot of time in Florida. September seemed to fly by and we are trying hard to keep up!! Sorry for this being so late!!

Gonna miss the beach

Well, our week is winding down here at the beach. We spent yesterday at the beach again and got a whopper of a storm in the afternoon. So, mommy took advantage of the clouds and went shopping!! Got a lot of cute things that I really don't need, but when I am able to take somethings home that remind me of the beach, I don't miss it as much.
Today, we spent the day here at the house, mommy got to lay out by the pool while the boys napped. Then, Beau joined mommy in the pool for lots of splashing and playing. He really likes to be independant and not be in a floaty. He likes to climb up and down the stairs and get in and out of the pool. He is getting very brave, and scaring mommy!
We are pretty much packed up, sorry to go, but we know we can come back! And we will. But I am sure our Gracie is missing us. Just wish we could have the ocean in our backyard!

Shore is Fun!!

We are still enjoying all of our free time here in OBX! We have spent the past two days at the beach in Oregon Inlet, which is a beach axcessed only by four-wheel drive. It is great because you can take all of your stuff with you and park right where you are going to be at the beach. Alot of people fish down there. We just had fun and played in the water and got sand ALL over!! Beau really seemed to enjoy being outside, he didn't seem to be bothered by the sand until it got in his mouth! He loved the water, and only ate a wave twice!! He loved crawling all over the sand and checked out everyone's tires! He loves trucks. We had music playing and he even joined in for a dance once in a while.
We have also been enjoying all of the friends here at our house, it is very noisey, especially around 8am!! All the little ones get up and start playing with the toys, makes a good alarm clock! We have been eating most of our meals here, each taking turns for cooking and cleaning. All in all, we have really spread out in the house, making ourselves comfortable!

We are on Vacation!!

We are so luck to be spending a whole week in the Outer Banks in North Carolina!! We went in with a bunch of people/family/friends and got a wonderful house here. In all we have about 15 people here. It is loud and chaotic, but soo much fun!~ We got here yesterday and settled in. Today, the Sargents took it easy and rested in the am while everyone else went to the beach. When Beau woke up from his nap, we got ALL of our stuff together to go to the beach and as soon as we got there, first step into the sand, it started raining and thundering so we had to leave... so much for our first day. But, no worries, we are playing games and hanging out at the house. But, you never realize how much stuff you bring to the beach for such a little person!! I used to go to the beach by myself with just a chair and a towel, but not now. Poor Beau didn't even get to set foot into the sand. But, there is always tomorrow!

July 4th, 2009

Well, we had a great fourth of July!! We were able to spend the entire day with family, eating and playing in the pool!! We went to Aimee's sister-in-law's house and ate crabs, burgers and lots of desserts!! Yummy!! The kids had a great time in the pool and even the adults acted like kids and a huge water fight ensued!! It was quite a refreshing afternoon!! An all American day!!
Afterwards, we came back home and watched and lit off some of our own fireworks along with most of our neighbors!! We had a very good show all through the night!! Beau didn't last much past nine, but I'm sure he heard it all!

Let me back up a bit...

It has been a very busy month of July!! We got to have Grandma and Grandpa Bell for a while at the end of June, beginning of July... and we didn't want to let them go!!! It was so nice to have them here. They just ooozz with love from every hug and kiss.
While GnG we in Conn. visiting the other Bells, our family celebrated the fourth a bit early and enjoyed fireworks at the Spotsy Courthouse. They had a great little fair with food and rides for the kids and Mamo even found an ancient "toy" from the bowels of the garage. I'm sure they stopped making this because someone lost a finger along the way. The object is to balance a bouy of some type between two people, all the time each other are trying to keep it away from their side... a good arm workout, but it could cost you!! It was fun trying to beat each other and teach the little ones how to play. I think they enjoyed the train ride and fireworks better!!

Just eat it!!

Well, as many as you may know, Beau is not the best eater. He has his select favorite foods, cheetos, fruit loops, yogurt, mac-n-cheese, doritos and whole milk. These are always in stock in the Sargent house. But here are a couple pictures to show some foods that we have been trying. Spagetti, which he liked and corn on the cob, which he had to warm up to. After butter and salt of course. We have discovered that Beau really likes strong tasting and crunchy foods. After talking with other preemie moms, it seems to be the norm for these little guys. We also think that he still has some oral adversion from being on the ventilator. We are still working with our speech therapist and trying to sound out words for Beau to try. You never realize how important communication is until your baby can't do it. We are also still working on signing, which is a work in progress. He knows more, and stop really well. I don't know, everyone else tells me not to teach him to talk because he'll use it against me when he is a teenager!!

Father's Day Weekend

We had a nice weekend and did something different. We went camping, something daddy has been asking to do for a while. We packed up the truck, alot of stuff for three people and only two days, but it's always better to be prepared. This was Beau's first camping trip and all in all, he did pretty well. We went to a site just outside of Williamsburg, we had been there before. Tom made a nice little play spot for Beau so he wouldn't get too dirty. It was pretty hot, so we spent alot of time at the pool. I know, a pool isn't really camping, but it was mommy's only request! We ate hotdogs, icecream and smores, and loved being outside! Next camping trip, maybe Beau and daddy can do some more fishing.

Walk like a man..or at least a boy!!

Not much going on around here, we had a nice weekend with some birthday parties to go to and rest to catch up on. Beau is enjoying his birthday presents and mommy and daddy are thinking of investing in earplugs!
Beau seems to be taking the "terrible twos" with stride. Although he has his moments, he is such a sweet boy. He seems to be picking new things up quickly. He discovered that under the couch is a good hiding place for toys. And then gets angry when he can't reach the things he has put under there. We are all working on walking with him. He likes to hold our hands and help him walk, I think he enjoys the new view! We are working with his physical therapist once a week during the summer to see if we can jumpstart his walking, and hopefully by the end of the year he'll be on his own.
We also celebrated Dylan's second birthday!! It's still hard to beleive that Beau is actually older by one week when you put them side by side. But, Beau will catch up!! They are good friends and love playing with one another. Dylan always likes to give Beau a huge hug and kiss! It is so nice to be so close to family, and I am glad the cousins will grow up together.
(The last picture is one from last year)