Round 3

We are happy to announce that we are expecting our third child in February! Our little baby gave us a scare today when the doctor couldn't find a heartbeat, but the ultrasould revealed an active fetus with a strong heartbeat.

Kjell and I will soon be out-numbered....

More McCords

Besides having the cousins visit, my sister-in-law Julie (my hero for flying with 3 kids by herself!) was here as well as my mother-in-law Ruby, Grandma Nordmark (Ruby's mom) and Joshua (Kjell's brother).

Julie (photo 1) and I had snippits of conversation between running around after kids and I've decided next summer Kjell and Per should take the boys camping so we can have more time together! Still, it was enlightening to observe such a patient and dedicated mommy.

Ruby joined me for a quick trip to D.I. with 2 very tired childen. It was worth it! My big find was an 8x10 Pottery Barn Rug for $10. Along those lines, Ruby and I headed to the garage sales on Saturday morning and filled the car to the brim (and more...we had to go back with our trailer later). After 3 years, Kjell's finally decided his office needs a little sprucing up and I only needed to be told once! I bought a bunch of decor at fantastic prices of course. Ruby found a couple of treasures herself and braved my crazy "oh look there's a yard sale" driving.

Joshua's staying with us for a few days while he looks for an apartment and job. It's nice to have family in the area again!

Cousins!

How fun it was to have the cousins visit from North Carolina! Kurt(4), Ansel(2), and Lars (9 months) brought lots of energy into our home the last couple of days. Marcus hasn't stopped talking about them, although he definitely struggled in the toy sharing department! The boys played with toys, ate at the kid-sized picnic table, braved the 100 degree weather in the backyard with Uncle Kjell, visited the dinosaur museum, went on a picnic, and ran around everywhere!

Photos 1, 2, & 3 - At the Dinosaur Museum

Photo 4 - Grandma came to visit! Here she is with all 5 of her grandsons (L-R: Marcus, Kurt, Holden, Grandma, Lars, Ansel). Can anyone tell why Marcus is the odd-man-out? And does anyone else think Holden looks like his Grandma?

Photo 5 - Grandma McCord reading stories to the boys.

Back from Connecticut

I only got my camera out a handful of times while we visited Connecticut and Long Island from July 4 to the 13.

We arrived in Norwalk just in time to make the annual Norwalk Yacht Club Lobster Bake (photo 1), which tasted particularly delicious this year after snacking on plane food all day! After dinner, we went on the boat to watch the spectacular fireworks.

Photo 2 - Marcus was finally old enough this year to really enjoy the water and the boats. He even had a sleep-over aboard Maramor with Grandma and Grandpa and loved wearing his lifejacket!

Photo 3 - Holden asleep in the shower of Maramor during one of our day trips.

Photo 4 - This little beach is a short walk from my parents new house. Marcus enjoyed swimming out to the "square". Notice Kjell swimming near the dock.

Other highlights of our trip: Jill and Josh Clegg traveled from NYC to spend the day with us when we first arrived (Jill is our sister-in-law Julie's sister). After a short boat ride, we swam to an island, dodging jellyfish along the way, and explored it for a while.

Kjell spent many hours helping my dad move a few things from the old house. I helped my mom sort through a few boxes and figure out where the furniture should go.

I caught a virus that wiped me out for a day, which I then passed on to my dad...and then to my mom (sorry!).

Kjell and I went on dates, played tennis, and even went kayaking sans Marcus and Holden. Thanks for the babysitting!

Mom and I got to go shopping for a morning with no kids! Dad gave Kjell sailing lessons on an Ideal 18.

The day we left, Uncle Bill and Aunt Sandy were visiting my parents from California and it was wonderful to catch up with them for a few hours (and bring them on a coffee run:)

We spent a day in Cutchogue visiting Aunt Darcy, Richard, Uncle Tom, cousin Tom and Marianne. It was a day filled with chatting, eating, relaxing, kayaking, and entertaining two little boys I know. This is a day I look forward to every year!