Lake Cabin 2015

After leaving the FDR Presidential Library, we high-tailed it to Dairy Queen for lunch and got back on the road. We drove to Albany and stayed the night before heading to the Lake Cabin near Dartmouth we rented for a couple days before Jarrett's conference. The cabin was located on Otter Pond in New Hampshire, situated next Lake Sunapee, a 30 minute drive to the university. 

Welcome to New Hampshire

Welcome to Massachusetts

I tried to get a picture of the Vermont sign, but was too slow..LOL.

Our little cabin was a two-bedroom cutie, and the girls were so excited to see the fake flowers in the window boxes... the cabin name was called the "Ladyslipper". LOL.

After running all over the place (glad to be out of the car) they took dibs on their beds. Outside the window is the pond, and they had fun laying on the bed together and looking at the water.

As soon as they saw the water what did the girls want to do? GO SWIMMING! It was amazingly clear and pretty warm.

After making some hot dogs for dinner, we roasted marshmallows in the "back yard" of the cabin...

Here's the "back yard"... basically a patch of dirt and a dock! It was so peaceful and serene looking out over the water in the evenings.

During the girls naptime, J and I sat would sit on the screened in porch and just talk. How nice is it to be able to talk to your best friend in the whole world with a view like this....

The next day we went to Lake Sunapee State beach and the girls declared they like lakes better than beaches. When I asked why, they said, "No big waves and you can see to the bottom!" I think I like them better because there are no sharks or jelly fish. LOL

The girls have made huge progress in swimming this summer, mainly because they've gone almost everyday! Both girls are pretty confident swimming with floaties, and we have been progressing to one floatie/ then no floaties!

SWIMMING!!

Madison was feeling pretty confident and took off swimming back to shore by herself...LOL

I have no pictures for this (I wish I did!), but the cabin we rented had a big two-seat canoe that they let guests use. The girls REALLY wanted to go, and so did Jarrett and I. I was a little nervous, mainly because i've never canoed and I was nearing 8 months pregnant. LOL. Jarrett secured the canoe as I got in first and sat in front, then he handed me Lindsay, who was squealing because she realized she was in a boat and it was rocking and could possibly tip over (both girls had floaties on). Then he handed me Madison who decided she was with Lindsay and wanted no part of a rocking boat. After Jarrett climbed in we were off and looked pretty silly in the early morning hours getting a hang of canoeing with two kids who were squealing, "Let's go back to the dock!!" Jarrett informed me that I had to steer the canoe since I was up front, which I was fine with, but with Maddie positioned between my legs, my giant baby bump and a paddle, well, let's just say I wasn't at the top of my game coordination-wise ;) Jarrett was the motor that paddled us ladies around...haha. After a few minutes and we all calmed down, we could appreciate the beauty of the lake and trying something new as a family! It was a sweet, sweet memory and we had so much fun, we woke up again the next day and went canoeing again!

What else better to eat after a hard day playing at the lake...Reid Tacos!!

Maddie Gracie loving dinner!

We visited downtown Lake Sunapee Harbor and saw all the gorgeous boats parked in the marina. The girls saw some ducks and had to say hello...

Snapped a picture of my beautiful, big girl five year old... going to Kindergarten in just a few weeks!!

We visited a farm, ok, well a Dairy/Creamery that claimed to have the best ice cream in Vermont. So knowing our affinity for ice cream, we had to pay a visit. They had animals that the kids could pet and Madison LOVED it...

Maddie named this doneky "Don-key-a"...LOL. 

Our last day at the cabin we went back to the Sunapee Harbor and took a sight-seeing boat around the lake. We were worried about a pending thunderstorm (check out those clouds!) but were so lucky we didn't get rained out!

Here's the boat we cruised on... I can't remember why Lindsay was grumpy, but it makes for a funny picture. 

We sat inside on the bottom level of the boat (in case of rain!) and it was perfect. 

I was three shades of red when the captain asked me jokingly, "I can drive a boat, but have no experience delivering babies... you won't be having this baby anytime soon I hope?!"  No sir. LOL.

Lighthouse in the lake, one of two!

We drove by TONS of amazing lake houses, and we had to take a picture of this one with a WATER SLIDE!! 

Beautiful!

Here's our friend the Captain who gave children on board the opportunity to drive the boat. Guess who volunteered first? LOL.

Driving the boat was serious business.

He offered Lindsay the chance to drive too, but she was feeling a little embarrassed and didn't want to wear the hat so she politely declined.

We climbed to this gazebo on a hill overlooking the lake and the girls put on a dance-show for us.

We were sad to leave the lake, but enjoyed the hotel Jarrett picked for the conference: one with a POOL! I bet you can guess what we did while poor Daddy was at his conference...

Dartmouth University

Sweet girls in downtown Hanover

Family Selfie...Fisher Family Vacation 2015! 

After the conference we drove home (a whopping 7 hours!!) Most of the traffic we caught was around NYC at 5pm on a Friday, otherwise it wouldn't have been so bad. We drove through a total of 6 states in one day... that might be a record for us! Can't do that on the West Coast. We had an amazing time, and it was so relaxing. It was a fantastic last hurrah before baby is born and we are home-bound for several months. It is crazy to think the next Fisher Family Selfie with have another face in it... Baby Brother!

FDR Presidential Library & Vanderbilt Estate in Hyde Park

Fisher Family Vacation 2015... We began our vacation by road tripping through New York State on our way to New Hampshire! Jarrett had a conference at Dartmouth, so the family decided to tag along and so some sight-seeing along the way! We made it to Hyde Park within 2.5 hrs from leaving our house in NJ, and that included a stop at Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast. First stop was the Vanderbilt Estate in Hyde Park on the Hudson River.

Jarrett and the girls in front of one of the Vanderbilt's more modest homes...LOL.

During the tour we discovered we had already visited 2 of the Vanderbilt's other homes.. Biltmore Estate in NC (2012) and Marblehead in RI (2010?). We missed touring it with our fellow architecture aficionados, Auntie Sarah & Uncle Peter ;)   

The interiors were beautiful, and I was surprised how much the girls enjoyed seeing the artwork, statues and tapestries in this Gilded Age treasure. The girls each picked out the room they want to live in (haha!).

Overlooking the Hudson with the little ladies.

Literally right down the street is the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Mansion, which my presidential-obsessed husband was all in for! We recently watched a PBS special on the Roosevelt's and it was awesome to get a glimpse into the life one of the most fascinating and important US presidents. 

Jarrett in front of FDR's home

One of the coolest things we discovered inside FDR's home was his elevator. It was a pulley system, and he would pull himself in his wheel chair with a rope upstairs every day/night. He feared if his elevator was electric he might get stuck inside and couldn't escape a fire. Talk about upper body strength!!

The girls had fun running through FDR's mother's rose garden and smelling flowers...

Lindsay 5.5 yrs, Madison 3.5 yrs

We toured the Library rather quickly (girls were getting hungry) but there was SO MUCH to see. Jarrett's favorite was an exact replica of FDR's desk in the White House, just as he left it. There was a ton of stuff on it, which made since because he was such a collector of things. LOL.

More fun times ahead on our vacation part deux...

30 Weeks (well, closer to 33 weeks now that I've gotten around to posting)

A couple of profile shots... a couple days shy of 30 weeks...

 A few people have commented on how I look like I am "carrying like a boy". Basketball or watermelon?

35 weeks with Lindsay

32 weeks with Madison

30 weeks with Andrew

Cravings: Watermelon, Bacon, Burgers, Meat
Aversions: Not many... gained 8lbs last month...whoops!

Andrew's been moving and squirming up a storm! He likes to stretch out and it makes me jump when he is pushing on my ribs and bladder simultaneously...LOL. He moves and moves when he hears me reading to the girls, and when Jarrett is talking. He is most active in the evenings around 9pm, and pretty much anytime before/after I eat :) His heartbeat has been consistently between 145-150 bpm, and my blood pressure has been nice and low. Overall I am good on my total weight gain for the pregnancy, but have been enjoying summer vacation eating... BBQ, Ice Cream... PIE! I haven't been swelling too much (especially for a summer pregnancy!), but did have to retire the wedding ring for the next few weeks... I hope I will be able to wear it soon after he is born ;) We can't wait to meet you sweet boy! xo

Andrew's Nursery

A few weeks ago Jarrett and I got busy working on the nursery. Yes, all things considered it was a bit early, but we had some new obstacles this time around. First, we transitioned not just a guest room into a baby room, but did a room merry-go-round. It was only suppose to take a weekend, but knowing me I think Jarrett knew it would be longer...haha.

There was some talk of putting the girls both in Lindsay's room, but we would have to purchase bunk beds or two twin beds, and it just wasn't cost effective, plus they weren't too excited about giving up their individual spaces. 

We ultimately decided to use Lindsay's furniture (turning her headboard back into a crib) and re-using her dresser and the rocking chair in Andrew's room. Next, Lindsay needed a new headboard and dresser, so we purchased that at a really awesome discount furniture store. For Madison, we moved her into the guest room across the hall by Lindsay's room. We kept the same paint and transistioned her toddler bed into a big girl bed with a full mattress. She felt pretty special to get to pick out her own bedding ;) With both girls's rooms settled, we were able to put together Andrew's room at last (which was a mess of furniture and boxes for a few weeks, and was driving me nuts).  

Daddy putting together the crib (again!) We got the parts out of the garage and it looked brand new!

He had two little "helpers" to pass him his tools...

Lindsay and Madison were so excited, all of a sudden it was real that they were going to have a baby in the house!

Here's the tour... 

We reused a ton of our old Pepperdine nautical themed stuff, including the navy panels and artwork.

After we re-painted the room from light blue to beige, I found these oars at Homegoods and boating flag sign and just had to have them for our preppy boy nursery! Our sailboat picture found a new home above the rocker, and we kept the lamp from Maddie's room. Thank you Grammie for the plaid and star bedding... adorable!!

I also found a home for our painted lighthouse sign, and got a whale frame which we will soon fill with a picture of his sweet face ;)

Thankfully, I hadn't gotten rid of my diaper genie, wipe warmer and changing pad yet, so we pulled it out of the garage and recycled them as well! All in all, it came together pretty quickly, within a few weeks. I am so glad it is done, although I still have a ton of washing and stuff to do, which I will begin to do in September. I can't believe it is August, and this summer has turned out to be really busy for us, with me babysitting June and July, August proves to be just as busy preparing for Lindsay to head to Kindergarten!

And the name is...

Our little guy finally has a name...

Andrew Brooks Fisher arriving near October 6, 2015! 

What?! No "N" name to complete the J-K-L-M? We tried REALLY hard to agree on an "N" name, but found it super hard. Our nephew's name is Nathaniel, so that ruled out a ton of "N" names. We tried Noah, Nicholas, and ran out of options. We wanted a classic name, (I especially wanted a Biblical one) with options for nicknames. Jarrett was going through a list of President's names, and for those who know him well, know of his fascination with all things U.S. Presidents. When he said, "What about Andrew?" I said, "I like it. Andy or Drew?" Much better than "Abraham or Nixon" right? Why Brooks? We just liked the way it sounded and the initial "B". LOL. Jarrett and I agreed Andrew B. Fisher will look nice on a diploma, resume, and business card.

 It just so happens that my Grandfather on my Dad's side's middle name is Andrew, and his father, my Great Grandfather's name was Andrew Jackson Cross. Needless to say, I was so excited to use a family name that means, "Manly and Strong" and was also the name of an apostle, one of the first disciples called by Jesus in the New Testament and brother to Simon Peter. Very fitting for the first boy in our family ;)  

Our little pumpkin will be here just in time for fall, and his big sisters are getting so excited. Madison likes telling random strangers that her "Baby Brother will be born in the fall, when the yard has leaves and we carve pumpkins." Lindsay is very affectionate with her brother, sometimes running into the room just to give my belly a kiss and whisper, "I love you Baby Boy!" Thank you to my sister-in-law, Sarah who has so graciously passed down two giant boxes of Nate's clothes and toys. We have finished the nursery, and I will do another post this week with pictures! Can't wait to meet you sweet Andy B! 

Dance Recital 2015

The girls had their dance recital the last week of June, and did such a fantastic job! It was pretty serious business for each girl, since they had been practicing hard each week since January. Lindsay chose to take tap, and Madison has been taking a tap/ballet combo class, her very first dance experience! All the dance videos are from the dress rehearsal where they let us take video ;)  

Lindsay Diane, 5 years old 

Aren't these purple costumes just the cutest?! It is too precious how serious Lulu's face is during her dance... I could see a few times she was really getting into the 'shake it off' song and loving the fringe on her costume. She really enjoyed taking tap this year! Great job Lindsay!! 

Lindsay's Tap performance to "Shake it Off" by Taylor Swift. (She is the dancer 1 in from the left)

Madison Grace, 3 years old 

Our tater tot was the smallest kid in her class and the youngest, and being her first dance experience, I wasn't sure how she would like being on stage.  My fears were proven unfounded, because she marched her little self right on stage and danced her very best two times ;) 

Madison's Ballet performance to "Do you want to build a snowman?" from Frozen movie. (She is the dance on the end in both videos)

Madison's Tap Performance

After Madison completed her dances, her teacher Miss Amanda came up to me and told us she chose Maddie to get her Teacher's Choice award, for the student in her classes that did their best and had a lot of personality (That's our MG lol). We ended up staying to the end of the show (almost 3 hrs!!) for her moment in the spotlight ;)

Proud girl with her medal!! 

Great Job Lindsay and Madison at your recital... We are so proud of all your hard work!! Love you! xo

Father's Day 2015

Happy Father's Day Daddy Bear!! 

Lindsay made Daddy a pencil holder for his desk at work ;)

Daddy and his sweet girls!

We enjoyed Father's Day by eating BBQ and skyping with Papa! This year J requested homemade Chocolate Tiramisu for dessert!  We love you so much!! Love, All Your Girls and soon-to-be Baby Boy