The Hubs

That's my affectionate name for my Nic. The hubs. The hubby. The man. He is MY man. ;-)

Yesterday was a pretty exhausting day for me. We didn't do much more than errand running but I sure was wiped out! Nic and I had some cuddle time on the couch as we flipped channels. Needless to say, I passed out early. Nic was awesome. He fed the dogs, took them potty, finished the laundry I started and came back to snuggle each time. :-D He even put me to bed with as little waking up as possible. What an awesome hubby!

Last night wasn't a very restful sleep (it usually isn't these days) so I was semi conscious when his alarm started going off this morning. I pushed my body pillow aside and snuggled some more. Of course the belly gets in the way but I think he likes feeling the big belly during our snuggle time. That's when he told me that the little man was moving like crazy last night. Really? When? When we were snuggling on the couch. Oh...when I was sleeping? Yeah! Daddy got some good quality bonding time with the boy and mom didn't even know! I love little moments like that. :-D

Also last night, before snuggle time. He was rubbing my belly and shook it a little. Then came an emphatic "you have to come out now!" I just couldn't contain my giggles. I asked him if he were ready for an outside baby. With the look of an eager kid his response was, "uh huh!" I asked him if it were the kisses, hugs and snuggles that he wanted. He said, "well, all of it. I just want to see him." That man is too precious! I love it!

Speaking of my hubs. I just need to brag on him for a moment. As most of you know, we moved to Vermont for work. More specifically, his work. He's been building a 15,000 sq ft log cabin in the mountains of Vermont. This has been no small undertaking! He stepped foot on the job for full time work, the second week of May 2008. They started flying logs the next week. Now, less than 18 months later, the job is coming to a close. There will be a few landscaping things to take care of in the spring but for the most part, it should be done within a few short weeks. This is what the front of the cabin looks like now. :-) I'm so proud of my man and his many talents. He makes everything look so effortless.




Have a wonderful day!

Snowboarding...not me...them!

So this past weekend was a little bitter sweet. We finally got some snow. It felt like it took FOREVER for this winter to come. Weird, never ending rain and unseasonably high temps. Well that's all over now! We got a good dusting Saturday evening and through the night. When we woke up on Sunday morning, everything was covered and we had about 5 inches accumulated on the ground.

Nic and my dad decided on Saturday to head to the mountain for opening day. It was very limited since Okemo (at that point) had very little natural snow and had blown most of what they had on the trails. I tagged along to snap a few pictures of them headed out and to say Hi to a lot of people from last winter. It was a big bummer that I couldn't go out there with them but nice to be in the lodge too. As it turns out, Saturday was a bust for them. Since the trails that were open were so limited, the experience level was more of an intermediate to expert. Not exactly the day for dad to get on a snowboard for the first time. None the less, he was able to strap in, stand up and skate around a little bit. It got him familiar with the equipment, the feel of the board on snow and what the mountain looked like. All in all I think he was glad he at least got that much out of the morning.

Sunday was game day! With all the snow that we got the night before, the trails were well covered and there was more beginner level areas available for dad to practice. Just like my dad, he was worried about holding up Nic and that he would rather be out doing some real boarding. Nic isn't one to think like that but after several pointers dad convinced him to go take a couple runs while he continued to practice. They were gone from 8-2:30 and totally enjoyed themselves. Dad didn't fall as much as he had expected to and didn't come back with any bruises. :-) That's always a good thing! He made it very clear that he's eager to give it another shot and expressed how he could see how we got so into this sport. It's fun!

Sunday for me though was completely different. I stayed home. I got the pictures that I wanted the day before and knew that they would be out there a while. It wasn't a good day for me. I didn't realize how much I was going to miss being on a snowboard this winter. This was something that Nic and I enjoyed together and it was difficult seeing him go off and do it without me. By no means did I want to hold him back because I am pregnant but I couldn't help but throw myself a pity party. :-( I cried a bit...OK, a lot...but I got over it. It's hard being such an active person to 9 months of...you can't do that! I tried not to let it effect the guys because I knew they were really going to have some fun. Nic does his best not to rub it in and will stop talking about it if he sees that it's bothering me but there was no way I could hinder his excitement on his first day of the season. He really was like a kid on Christmas morning. He was talking about this boarding season before last season even ended and it continued through the summer. There was no way I was holding him back! So, I sucked it up, had coffee with them in the morning and turned into the mopey, snot face after they left to go have fun.

So, without further ado...here's the pictures that I managed to grab as the guys were getting ready for their trial run on Saturday.

Dad, ready to learn!


Almost looking the part. ;-) We need to work on some boarding pants that cover the boots.


Dad: Should we wait up for her?
Nic: Nah, she'll catch up!
Me: Thanks guys...I guess I'll just meet you up there with this backpack full of your mittens and scarves and whatnot!
HAHAHAHA!!!


They weren't really like that. Nic knows that I sometimes drop back to snap a few photos. ~Sigh~ He's used to me by now and rarely looks back because he knows I'm going to snap his picture.

It was a good thing that they talked to the person at the ticket counter about the conditions. This is where they discovered that it wasn't a good day for beginners. They decided to hold out on getting the tickets until after the 'First hour free' period.


Chomping at the bit.


Dad...


...getting last minute pointers.


I thought I was going to be able to get a few shots of them headed to the lifts but they fooled me and sat down!


Oh yeah. Tying the boots. That could be a little important.


He did get the pant leg over the boot but he still needs more water resistant pants!


It's amazing the men in my family know when they're getting their picture taken. I think it's because there are so many snap happy women that they just keep their head down!


My honey bunny! Be safe out there!

Cutting Down the Chritmas Tree

Last Saturday Nic and I took a trip to the farm to pick out a Christmas tree. Last year we had a great experience with 'Christmas Trees of Vermont' and decided to get our tree from them again this year. It was a short ride from our house and we were glad that we could include Mom and Dad DiOrio in the process. Mom is a HUGE Christmas nut and knew she'd enjoy doing it with us. The farm has many acres of Douglas Fir and they are VERY affordable. They provide saws to cut them down, hot cocoa, tractor rides to get them from way out in the farm and even bundle it for you so that transporting it to you home is easier. Top notch operation for sure! It was a beautiful day too! It was quite unexpected since the forecast was calling for a rain/snow mix and a 60% chance of precipitation. We didn't get a drop! How awesome is that!

Here come the pictures. Could I possibly do something this fun and not have a zillion photos to post about it?!

This is the barn. I couldn't resist. It was just postcard perfect. :-)

Here Gary's thinking, 'Here she goes with the camera'. Nic is already busy scanning the horizon for the perfect tree.


Still scanning. At least Dad has realized that it's just best to ignore me and let me do my thing. It's futile to resist.


Once I caught up with Nic, he announced, this is the one! Honestly, it was the first tree we found. He spotted it from at least a 100 yards away and made a bee line for it.


Mom and Dad agree and as you can see, Dad was eager to get cutting.


But of course, I thought we should check out a few others. I don't know why. It was perfect on all sides. Full to the very bottom. And tall!


But Nic informed me, 'You know you want it'.


And I did. We did venture a down the rows of trees to see if any compared and none were as perfect as this one. We quickly came back to make sure no one snatched our prize tree. This is one of my favorite shots of the day. I made sure all the settings were right on the camera and I handed it over to Dad to snap a few pictures of us. It's rare that Nic and I are actually in a photo together. (Unless I have my tripod with me...which reminds me...I need a better one!)


Then the boys got to cutting.


Look up and smile for the camera! I'm amazed that I actually got a smile. It's usually a half smirk and a look of 'seriously, I'm trying to do something here'.


Haha! Love that tush! Sorry guys and gals, I couldn't resist. Maybe next time I'll think twice about sharing it with my viewing public. ;-)


Way to go Dad! What a way to hold up that tree for him!


Dad just loved the way the fresh cut Fir smelled.


Of course he didn't like the fresh, wet saw dust stuck to his nose.


You'll think again next time. Wont you?!


Normally this is the part where we take a tractor ride to get the tree to the area where we pay and bundle it but we were so close to the main barn that the boys just decided to carry it. Last year, we were in the middle of no where and needed someone to bring us back. That was fun.


Aren't they handsome?!


Handing it off to get tied up. We got a little red tag so we didn't lose the tree we picked.


Nic and Dad actually had to do this part twice. We realized that we picked a tree slightly too big for our house. I don't think there will be room for a star on top this year. I'll see what I can do. ;-)


Oh ok. It fits...barely.


Dad think we did well! Everyone had fun!


I can just read his mind here...'oh you again and that dang camera!"


Nic as making sure it was positioned well on the the little mat that I set up. Since we just refinished the floor, we didn't want to risk water marks. I laid down some plastic and a towel over it to catch anything that might drip out while we water the tree. Not pretty but it works. You'll never be able to tell once I have the tree decorated and the skirt on it.


The hot water trick to make sure everything stayed open and flowing. It sure was hard getting that teapot empty.


Now comes the time for the unwinding. Thankfully it had only been bound for 30 minutes or less. We didn't have to let the branches fall before I could start doing lights. What a pleasant change. Now if only I could get my butt moving on finishing the lights. I already have 8 strands of lights on it and it looks like I may need 2 or 3 more. This sucker is BIG! Unfortunately, I have to go buy more. I think that's a project for today.


I just couldn't resist snapping a few pictures of this little angel. Her being on the couch is a new privilege and she thoroughly made herself comfortable within the pillows and blankets.


My sweet little darling Kaelyn


Well, those were our adventures Saturday to get the Christmas tree. I've asked Nic to take a few pictures of me decorating the tree and it's yet to happen. If nothing else, I'll be sure to post a few pictures of the finished product.

Stay tuned for a belly update soon. This thing is getting HUGE and I'm really wanting to take another picture. My self portrait spot is filled with baby stuff so I'm in search of a new location. It'll be coming soon though. :-)