Saturday, December 27, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Christmas Morning
A few pictures from our Christmas here at our house and a few from Christmas with my side of the family at my Moms.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Christmas Eve
After we got home from Laurel's Uncle's House, we had our own little Christmas Eve reading the scriptures of Jesus' birth and watching a little TV together. Then it was time for little ones to get to bed, so we got carrots for santa's reindeer and lemonade (the kids decided it would be a nice change for santa) and cookies for Santa and the kiddos made their way to bed.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Time Flies...Look Whose 6
Gosh, December got so busy that it's taken me a while to catch up on posts. I figured I'd better get this one up as Miss 6 year old Olivia was very, very excited about her birthday this year, and rightfully so....6 is a great year! Here's some pictures of birthday party #2 (#1 was at school the day of her birthday) which was at Grandma Jane's house with us and the two Grandmas...more to come as we have a family birthday on Sunday the 4th and a friend birthday party on January 10th. Happy Birthday Livy. We love you sooo much!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Let It Snow!
Yes, winter is here in a big way in Vermont. On Friday we had about a foot of snow and we are getting another foot or so today/tonight. Guess we will have a white Christmas this year! Here's a few pictures of what we've been up to this weekend. We've also done some baking and wrapping Christmas presents. The girls are holding out for a snow day tomorrow!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Christmas #1
On December 13th, we had Christmas with Laurel's Mom's side of the family. This is a long-standing tradition that we have a gathering at Grandma Jane's house and her Mom and her five sisters and their families attend. We usually have about 50-60 people. Sadly, this was the 2nd year without Grandma Trieb (Darlin). We all miss her so much. She definitely was the spirit of Christmas. However, we all know that she would want us to carry on and have Christmas anyway, so that's what we did. We had a great time with good company, food and fun. We even had a pinata this year...maybe it will be a new tradition. Thanks to Katie for bringing that. We all enjoyed spending time with our extended family.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Snow Day
Yes, it's winter in Vermont now! The girls didn't have school today, so here's a picture of them heading out to sled....the snow is beautiful and picture perfect, just not all that fun to drive in!
Merry Christmas from Amelia!
So, Amelia was hamming it up pretty good the other night when we finished decorating the house for Christmas. I made a little video of my silly girl! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas from the Sanborns
Dear Family and Friends,
Once again, another year has almost come to a close. As 2008 ends, our family thinks back upon the past year and remembers the joys we have felt, the challenges we have faced and the experiences that have helped us grow.
Amelia, almost 8, is now a second grader. Amelia continues to do well at school and enjoys her interactions with her peers. She continues to excel academically and teaches all of us many things that she’s learned. Amelia continues to play piano and has enjoyed taking lessons from her school music teacher since the summer. She played t-ball again in the spring and soccer again in the fall. She’s also just started playing youth basketball and seems to do quite well with sports. She took ski lessons at Cochrans this past winter and really enjoyed it. It was fun for Laurel to ski again after not having done it since the girls were born and it’s a nice sport for her and Amelia to do together. One of Amelia’s big achievements this summer was learning how to swim. She also was very brave and spent a whole week away at sleep away girl-scout camp in August. We’re very proud of her. Amelia enjoys art and is always drawing or writing a story about spending time with her family and friends. Amelia is turning into a wonderful young woman and is looking forward to being baptized in February when she turns 8. Olivia, who will turn 6 soon has had another busy year. She is a big kindergartener now and loving every minute of it. She is very social and has a wonderful group of friends to enjoy school with. We continue to be grateful for all of those special folks that help her out in so many ways. Olivia is doing well academically. She continues to enjoy and enthusiastically participates in all of her therapies. Olivia participated in the TOP Soccer Program again this fall as well as the local REC league. She and her sister kept us very busy this fall with that. Olivia had a short stint of playing the violin this fall, and has now decided that she’d like to do piano like her big sister. She was able to go to a camp for children with hearing impairment at the Austine School for the Deaf this summer. The most wonderful part was that her best buddy, Ava, was able to meet her there from Connecticut and they enjoyed a wonderful week together (their Moms enjoyed it too!) We continue to be amazed at Olivia’s zest for life and how she handles situations. Despite several surgeries this past year (a hearing aid surgery and a surprise tonsillectomy), she takes it all in stride and she continues to be happy and enjoys life to the fullest.
Mark continues his employment at IBM and is now the Ward Financial Clerk at church. Mark is now working nights, which makes us miss him more, but we are grateful that he’s able to be home with us for 3 or 4 nights a week. He keeps very busy working and keeping things going around the house. Olivia was very happy to have her Dad as her soccer coach this fall and Amelia enjoys having him take her to basketball. He’s a great husband and Dad and does his best at what he sets out to do.
Laurel is same old same old, still working part-time for the Town of Huntington as a Bookkeeper. She is teaching the 7 & 8 year olds at church as well as in charge of mid-week activities for the 8-11 year old girls. She helps with Amelia's girl scout troop and also she and Mark also teach 4 Winds (a nature program) at school once a month in each of the girl's classes. This fall she has been working on her “to do” list that never seems to end and has felt some accomplishment in getting things organized as the girls get older. She enjoys taking pictures of the girls and also communicating with other Moms (and Dads) who have children with craniofacial conditions.
Coco has had a good year. He went to overnight doggy daycare for the first time in June for a week. He had a good time despite the kennel cough he picked up there. Being with other dogs has given him the incentive to “roam” a bit more than he used to (much to our dismay), but overall he’s a happy boy who is a great addition to our family.
Our family has had many fun times together this year including our trip to Santa’s Village and Storyland, the Hill Cumorah Pageant, and a wonderful, memorable trip to Myrtle Beach in June for the Children’s Craniofacial Association Retreat. What a wonderful time we had meeting with old friends and new and enjoying the feeling of just being a “normal” family with many other children with craniofacial challenges around us. The most special thing about the trip to all of us was that Grandma Jane was able to come with us. We had a really fun time with her and are glad that she was able to put up with us all for a week! (especially the 24 hours in the car with the kids!).
Now, for the forth year in a row, our family had the wonderful opportunity of having our “Fresh Air” daughter, Stefanie, stay in our home for two weeks. Once again this year, she came in August, just before school started. As always, we kept busy and enjoyed the time she was here. This year, more than ever, it went by way too quick! As soon as she left, the girls were already planning and looking forward to her visit next summer.
Many of you know that the culminating vacation as a family came this October when we were able to go on Olivia‘s Make-A-Wish Disney Cruise. This was an absolutely amazing vacation. We feel so blessed to each and every person who gives their time, talent and donations to Make-A-Wish. This cruise was a very happy time for all of us and helped us all “heal“ some of the hard times of the past years and help us to begin to look towards Olivia‘s big midface surgery next April. Some of the highlights of our trip were:
Meeting Cinderella Swimming in the Mickey pool
Once again, another year has almost come to a close. As 2008 ends, our family thinks back upon the past year and remembers the joys we have felt, the challenges we have faced and the experiences that have helped us grow.
Amelia, almost 8, is now a second grader. Amelia continues to do well at school and enjoys her interactions with her peers. She continues to excel academically and teaches all of us many things that she’s learned. Amelia continues to play piano and has enjoyed taking lessons from her school music teacher since the summer. She played t-ball again in the spring and soccer again in the fall. She’s also just started playing youth basketball and seems to do quite well with sports. She took ski lessons at Cochrans this past winter and really enjoyed it. It was fun for Laurel to ski again after not having done it since the girls were born and it’s a nice sport for her and Amelia to do together. One of Amelia’s big achievements this summer was learning how to swim. She also was very brave and spent a whole week away at sleep away girl-scout camp in August. We’re very proud of her. Amelia enjoys art and is always drawing or writing a story about spending time with her family and friends. Amelia is turning into a wonderful young woman and is looking forward to being baptized in February when she turns 8. Olivia, who will turn 6 soon has had another busy year. She is a big kindergartener now and loving every minute of it. She is very social and has a wonderful group of friends to enjoy school with. We continue to be grateful for all of those special folks that help her out in so many ways. Olivia is doing well academically. She continues to enjoy and enthusiastically participates in all of her therapies. Olivia participated in the TOP Soccer Program again this fall as well as the local REC league. She and her sister kept us very busy this fall with that. Olivia had a short stint of playing the violin this fall, and has now decided that she’d like to do piano like her big sister. She was able to go to a camp for children with hearing impairment at the Austine School for the Deaf this summer. The most wonderful part was that her best buddy, Ava, was able to meet her there from Connecticut and they enjoyed a wonderful week together (their Moms enjoyed it too!) We continue to be amazed at Olivia’s zest for life and how she handles situations. Despite several surgeries this past year (a hearing aid surgery and a surprise tonsillectomy), she takes it all in stride and she continues to be happy and enjoys life to the fullest.
Mark continues his employment at IBM and is now the Ward Financial Clerk at church. Mark is now working nights, which makes us miss him more, but we are grateful that he’s able to be home with us for 3 or 4 nights a week. He keeps very busy working and keeping things going around the house. Olivia was very happy to have her Dad as her soccer coach this fall and Amelia enjoys having him take her to basketball. He’s a great husband and Dad and does his best at what he sets out to do.
Laurel is same old same old, still working part-time for the Town of Huntington as a Bookkeeper. She is teaching the 7 & 8 year olds at church as well as in charge of mid-week activities for the 8-11 year old girls. She helps with Amelia's girl scout troop and also she and Mark also teach 4 Winds (a nature program) at school once a month in each of the girl's classes. This fall she has been working on her “to do” list that never seems to end and has felt some accomplishment in getting things organized as the girls get older. She enjoys taking pictures of the girls and also communicating with other Moms (and Dads) who have children with craniofacial conditions.
Coco has had a good year. He went to overnight doggy daycare for the first time in June for a week. He had a good time despite the kennel cough he picked up there. Being with other dogs has given him the incentive to “roam” a bit more than he used to (much to our dismay), but overall he’s a happy boy who is a great addition to our family.
Our family has had many fun times together this year including our trip to Santa’s Village and Storyland, the Hill Cumorah Pageant, and a wonderful, memorable trip to Myrtle Beach in June for the Children’s Craniofacial Association Retreat. What a wonderful time we had meeting with old friends and new and enjoying the feeling of just being a “normal” family with many other children with craniofacial challenges around us. The most special thing about the trip to all of us was that Grandma Jane was able to come with us. We had a really fun time with her and are glad that she was able to put up with us all for a week! (especially the 24 hours in the car with the kids!).
Now, for the forth year in a row, our family had the wonderful opportunity of having our “Fresh Air” daughter, Stefanie, stay in our home for two weeks. Once again this year, she came in August, just before school started. As always, we kept busy and enjoyed the time she was here. This year, more than ever, it went by way too quick! As soon as she left, the girls were already planning and looking forward to her visit next summer.
Many of you know that the culminating vacation as a family came this October when we were able to go on Olivia‘s Make-A-Wish Disney Cruise. This was an absolutely amazing vacation. We feel so blessed to each and every person who gives their time, talent and donations to Make-A-Wish. This cruise was a very happy time for all of us and helped us all “heal“ some of the hard times of the past years and help us to begin to look towards Olivia‘s big midface surgery next April. Some of the highlights of our trip were:
Meeting Cinderella Swimming in the Mickey pool
Spending time in the “kids only” Oceaneer Club making cookies, learning to be a princess, making butter, learning to draw Mickey Mouse, and learning to be a solider with the guys from Toy Story
All of the food! From fabulous fare in the fancy restaurants to all-you-can eat ice cream by the pool to hot dogs and fries to your heart’s desire
A wake-up call every morning from Mickey ending with “see ya real soon”
Broadway quality shows every evening in the Walt Disney Theatre
Having breakfast with all of Cinderella’s friends like Mickey and Minnie,Chip and Dale, and Goofy and Pluto
Visiting a butterfly farm on St. Maartin
Dressing up like princesses for formal night
Having fun with our waiters, who served us dinner every evening of the cruise
The pirate party and Captain Hook
Swimming in the Caribbean
Seeing coral reefs and fish through a glass bottom boat
Making new friends and hanging out with them in the pool and hot tub
Shopping!
Disney TV, all day and nightS
taying up late
Coming back to our room each night and seeing the towels made into all kinds of different animals with our sunglasses on them!
This was a wonderful family vacation and one thing that made it special is that it was for the whole family. When a child has an illness or medical condition, that child has the condition, but the whole family is a part of it. The child has the surgeries or medical treatments, but it affects the siblings and the parents in many different ways as well. So, on this trip, the whole family learned that “Dreams Really Do Come True”.
As we anticipate the holidays this season, we think of all of our family and friends…those here with us in person, those who have gone on before us, those who live across the miles and those we see every day. We wish you and yours a magical holiday season with much love, joy and the desires of your hearts.
Much Love, Mark, Laurel, Amelia, Olivia and Coco
This was a wonderful family vacation and one thing that made it special is that it was for the whole family. When a child has an illness or medical condition, that child has the condition, but the whole family is a part of it. The child has the surgeries or medical treatments, but it affects the siblings and the parents in many different ways as well. So, on this trip, the whole family learned that “Dreams Really Do Come True”.
As we anticipate the holidays this season, we think of all of our family and friends…those here with us in person, those who have gone on before us, those who live across the miles and those we see every day. We wish you and yours a magical holiday season with much love, joy and the desires of your hearts.
Much Love, Mark, Laurel, Amelia, Olivia and Coco
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Nutcracker Holiday Fun
After a month and half of Olivia talking nonstop about the Kindergarten Nutcracker performance, it FINALLY happened on Thursday evening the 4th of December. It was a fabulous show and we all enjoyed it a lot. She was so cute...and loved every single minute of it before during and after. Mom (Laurel) was a little extra proud because she was drafted to create headbands for the snowflakes, and after 7 years in storage, she dragged her sewing machine out and had a good time making the headbands (as modeled by Olivia and the other snowflakes!) Now our other job is to find the pictures from Amelia's performance 2 years ago when she was a mouse in the performance. Here's a few photos from the evening.
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