Friday, December 19, 2008

Weiss Family Update - September through December

Wow it has been a long time since we have updated our Family Blog, there has been a lot going on in our busy lives.

Starting in September, Grandma Vegas came for a visit the first weekend to help mommy out with Lindsey. It was very nice to have her here. Lindesy had her 9 month visit with her doctor on Sept 18th, everything went great. She was just learning how to walk pushing other toys around the house. The doctor said she would be walking on her own by 11 months….oh my goodness I told him I was not ready for that yet. We also went away with our friends Cassidy, Tito and their little baby girl Vienna to Christopher Creek the last weekend of September. The weather was beautiful a high of 80's during the day and a low of 50's to 60's. It was a long weekend for all of us; Lindsey had a cold and was teething so we all did not get much sleep at all. We did some site seeing during the day, went for a hike.....I thought we were lost and started freaking out...but Rich said he knew exactly were we where going....ya right. At night we sat by the fire playing games and drinking wine...I know what a great combination. Overall we had a good weekend.

In the month of October Rich did some traveling to Washington, DC for business. It was a very long week for Lindsey and I but we made it through and it was so nice to have him home. We took a weekend trip to the beautiful town of Prescott, where we stayed in a small two bedroom cabin with Grandma Vegas and Grandpa Willie. It was absolutely beautiful; we were about 6 miles north of downtown Prescott in the woods. It was so nice and peaceful and got pretty chilly out at night but it was a nice change from the Chandler heat. We woke up to deer in the morning walking by our cabin as we sat out on the back porch, they were gorgeous. Lindsey was teething a little bit but we were able to have two good night sleeps unlike last month in Christopher Creek. Now we can't forget about Halloween...we dressed Lindsey up as a Pink Leopard and took her trick or treating with her cousins Elyssa, Kaylie, Madison and Aidan. We all went over to Aunt Michelle and Uncle David's house for dinner and then went Trick or Treating. It was a beautiful night, Lindsey did not collect any candy as she is too young to eat it and mommy and daddy did not want it. She made it through the whole night; once we got home she crash she was so tired.

November was an exciting month for us as we celebrated Rich's 30th birthday.....I know the BIG 30. I had been planning his birthday for over 6 months to ensure it was going to be memorable one. My plan was to surprise him on his actual birthday November 15th by blind folding him and taking him Sky Diving and then throwing him a big party with all of our family and friends. Everything was a secret to him; all he knew was that he had to be dressed up in a shirt with a tie, nice slacks and shoes with his ipod and a blind fold. I made all the arrangements with Sky Dive Arizona for him to jump at 11:00am on his birthday and for his party to start at 5:00pm that evening. So Friday night, we made Rich go to bed early while Sam, mom and I decorated for the party. We finally finished around 1:00am the next morning, and then off to bed we went. I woke up early Saturday morning to get ready for the big day, as we were just about to leave and put Rich in the car as he ware his blind fold, I got a call on my cell phone from the Sky Diving place letting me know that they had to cancel all jumps for the remainder of the day due to high winds....I went crazy I could not believe that we were ready to walk out the door and it got cancelled. I cried for like 2 hours I was so upset, I had no other plans until the party later on that day since the sky diving was going to take up most of the day. So we decided to go out for breakfast instead and just hang out with birthday boy. The party still went on and turned out great, it was nice to have all of our family and close friends come and celebrate Rich's big day. After all was said and done it the day turned out good. Rich said he had a really good time and that is what mattered. I did reschedule his jump from the first weekend of December. Now we can't forget about Thanksgiving, it was great. We went to Grandma Sara and Pop-Pop's house for the day. We had the traditional thanksgiving dinner turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, turnips, vegetables and of course we can't forget the stuffing too. Everything was delicious; we just hung out with the family and watched football all day.

Which now brings us into December; this too was a very exciting month for us. Rich finally got to go on his Sky Diving adventure on Sunday December 7th. It was so awesome, I never wanted to go Sky Diving but let me tell you after being their and watching him, Jonathan and our friend Jessica do it, it looked amazing. They all really had a good time and said they would do it again. Now we couldn't have Rich jump out of plane without video and photo's and I'm so glad we did because they are both really funny. Then on Sunday December 14th we had Lindsey's first birthday party at our house. We had lots of family and friends come and join in celebration of her first birthday. We had a nice barbeque with homemade burgers that Rich made...they were so yummy. Grandma Vegas and Grandpa Willie brought Lindsey's two tier birthday cake all the way from Vegas...we would like to thank Terri (mom's friend) for making Lindsey's cake...she did a fabulous job. I made Lindsey a special birthday cake; it was a little baby loaf cake with white frosting. She loved it....she dug right in and enjoyed the taste. Lindsey got a bunch of beautiful clothes, toys and books. We are very thankful for all the gifts that she received. Rich and I sang happy birthday with another small cake and candle on Lindsey’s actual birthday that was Tuesday December 16th. We can't believe out little baby girl is already 1 years old...this year has really gone by too fast. She is starting to walk on her own now, takes about 5 to 6 steps and then falls over. Last night was the first time she stood up on her own without holding onto something and then she took off, so we ran and got the video camera to tape her and she wouldn't do it again...grrrr. Why does that always happen, gotta love kids. We did take Lindsey the other day to go and visit with Santa for pictures at Chandler Mall. She was so funny, she kept staring at him and then she would turn and cry. We couldn’t help but laugh, I was able to take a few of my own pictures with Santa and we also took some video. We think she will be better next year as she gets older. We are staying here in town this year for Christmas. We are going to be spending Christmas Eve with our Friends Jessica and Brian and then going over to Michelle and David's house Christmas day to spend with the family. We are not sure what plans we have yet for New Years, we are thinking about taking a trip to Las Vegas but haven't made any final plans.

Well that is all for now, sorry it has been so long since we have updated you all on our family events. We miss and love you all very much and hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. I have also updated our photo website, which is located at the following link http://picasaweb.google.com/twytch111 We have recently created another website for home videos we have taken, we will updated the blog with that link for everyone to view as well as the link for Rich's sky diving video. We will be in touch after the holidays.

Lots of Love,
Chantelle, Richard, Lindsey and Cody
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Monday, August 25, 2008

New Update - July and Aug 2008

Well its that time again to fill you all in on our busy lives. It has been really busy but very exciting the last few months.

I must start off with Lindsey of course, she is the little Princess of the family. She is getting so big and starting to really become a kid now. She is crawling all over the place and getting into everything, including Cody's water bowl and food, trying to get figure out how the doggy door works, and of course playing with all of daddy's electronics....she is a monkey. She is also pulling her self up by the couch and coffee table. She had recently started taking a few steps to move back and forth, not yet walking but really trying. She is about 19 pounds now and is wearing about 9 month clothing. Her hair is starting to turn a little lighter but still brown. She has not gotten any more teeth since her first bottom two have come through. Lindsey is just getting over her first cold. She woke up last Thursday with a fever of 100.4 and a very runny nose, she was very congested and miserable. Her fever finally broke last Friday afternoon but the runny nose has seem to stay. We are going on day 5 and she is still sneezing a little, the doctor said baby colds can last as long as adults that have colds which can range from 5-7 days. She has been taking longer naps which is helping her get better faster. What can I say our little Lindsey is a trooper...and hoping she will be back to her little self soon.

Richard is doing awesome, he is still working for a Human Resources company and was recently promoted at his job to a Department Supervisor in IT. We are very excited for this promotion and has been a long time coming for Rich. He has worked very hard to get this and is doing a great job in his new role. He left today to fly out to Washington, DC with his boss to conduct some interviews to hire a new employee for his team. Lindsey and I are going crazy with out him. He is still working hard at the gym and preparing for his half marathon in January. We will keep you all posted on his progress.

As for me the "mommy" I'm still working at Honeywell from home and loving every minute of it. I'm currently working 6am to 10am during the week and then I have the whole day to hang out with my favorite little person peanut. I have started going back to the gym, with in the last few weeks. Rich introduced me to a cycle/spin class, well I have been hooked on it ever since my first workout. I absolutely love it, I go three day's a week for an hour each time and burn between 400-500 calories at a time. So as you can tell I'm exhausted by the time class is over but it's such a great work out. If your not familiar with a cycle class basically it's a class were you bike with an instructor for an hour, instead of being out in the heat you are in a building on a bike instead. Since taking the class and eating better I have lost about 14 pounds....so it seems to be working. I'm also working with my trainer to help with weights. I have also been very rapped up with the Olympics, since I'm home all day with Lindsey, her and I are huge fans watching the various sports and cheering on United States as well as CANADA. Cody is great too, he enjoys the quiet time when Lindsey is napping since she is all over him when she's awake.

Recent Trips:
We have been the travelling family the last few months to Las Vegas, Nevada. I went with Lindsey in June for Sam's High School graduation. Then Rich, Lindsey and I drove there in July for Bill's 50th birthday celebration and then we drove back there about two weeks ago to visit once again. This last visit was not only to see my parents again but to see My Aunt Deborah (Bill's sister) and her husband my Uncle John. They flew in from Vancouver, BC in Canada for a week so we decided to take a trip to see them and introduce our little princess Lindsey to them. We all really had a good time together, laughing and playing games as a family. It was worth the trip. Grandma Vegas is coming in this Friday through Monday to stay with us for a visit in Phoenix, AZ. Grandpa Willy is travelling and could not join as well as Uncle Sam who will be starting his first community college classes. We are very excited for grandma to come and visit......especially mommy.....I can't wait.


Well that is the latest and greatest news of the Weiss Family. I have also updated the blog pictures from our recent trips so please check them out. We love and miss you all very much and hope all is well with everyone. Take care and look out for our next family update.

Love,
The Weiss Family

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Back From Seattle!!

Well, as some of you might of known, I had to travel to Seattle this past Monday-Wednesday. What an amazing city, and to top it off we had beautiful weather for the three days I was there. About a high of 70 degrees and a low in the 50's, it was amazing. While I was there, I had to take advantage of the weather, so two co-workers/friends, Bill and Barry, went running with me in Seattle. We walked down Pike street to the water which was about a quarter of a mile from the hotel (We stayed at the Sheraton). Well we started to run along this wood planked boardwalk that turned into a paved running area that went for miles along the bay, it was just an incredible view. I will try to get pictures posted very soon on picasa so check back soon for that.

In regards to running, we did run twice, once 4 miles, and the other 4.5 miles. Now, up until this time, the most I have run was 3 miles at home so this was a great milestone, especially two days in a row. I can thank Bill and Barry for that because they kept me going and kept the pace up, thanks Bill!!!

I am also training for the half-marathon this up coming January. If you don't know, that is 13.1 miles. It is difficult thus far but with a lot of training and support, I know that I will be able to do it.

Well, this is it for now, I will write again soon!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Family Weiss Update

Lindsey is doing great; she is getting bigger and bigger every day. She started eating baby cereal and oatmeal, she prefers oatmeal. She has tried several different foods over the last month starting with fruits eating bananas, applesauce, peaches, and pears. She has also tried a variety of vegetables starting with Sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans and squash. She is not crazy about carrots, peas or green beans at all I would have to say those are her least favorite foods right now. Lindsey just turned 6 months as of last week; I can't get over how fast time is just flying by.

Rich, Lindsey, Howie, Pat, Cody, Puppet (Pat and Howie’s dog) and I went to Christopher Creek a few weekends ago, it is about 2 hours north of us. We rented a small cabin by the Creek. It was absolutely beautiful, the weather was awesome. It was in the high 80’s during the day and went down to the 50’s at night. We took our quads and went riding during the day, it was so much fun.

Lindsey and I took our first trip to Las Vegas to visit Grandma Vegas, Grandpa Willy and Uncle Sam for his High School graduation. Rich could not get the time off work so us girls took a plane to go visit. Lindsey was such an awesome baby to travel with. On our visit Aunt Rita felt Lindsey's tooth for the first time coming though on the bottom. Now both bottom teeth are through. We had a great time in Vegas; we are all very proud of Sam as he walked up and received his High School diploma. My little brother is all grown up now and moving on to the next phase of his life. Grandma Vegas and Grandpa Willy took turns watching Lindsey while mommy went out to play at the casino.......but I should of just stayed home I won a few dollars at the Strip and then ended up leaving a LOSER..... :-( but had fun. We left Saturday 6/14 at around 7:00pm that was a long flight home, Lindsey's gums were hurting as we arrived in Phoenix but otherwise she was the perfect baby to travel with.

For Rich's first Father's Day we drove to Phoenix and went to a place that had all boys toys, boats, quads, nice expensive cars and trucks, trailers, you name it they had it. Then we got free tickets to the Diamondbacks Baseball game which we went to as well for about an hour. Rich carried Lindsey around the whole day, his arms got bigger from just holding her. Then we went over to Grandma Pat and Grandpa Howie's house for dinner and dessert. It was a very nice day.

Rich is very busy with work and going to the gym, he is a hard working man who provides well for his family. I'm still working from home in the mornings for Honeywell taking customer calls. I'm in the processed of being trained on taking orders for customer, very excited about that. The weather hear sucks…to be honest. Today was 110 degrees it is very hot and gross and some day’s I’m not sure as to why I’m still living in Arizona. But I do love it here and don’t plan on moving any time soon.

I have also updated our online photo gallery on picasa. Please check out our newest pictures of Lindsey and our last couple of trips. We love and miss you all very much. Take care and talk with you soon.

Love,
Chantelle, Richard, Lindsey and Cody

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Family Update

The months of February and March have been very busy for our family, it seems like we are always up to something....but who isn't.

Grandma Vegas came out in the beginning of February for a visit, she came to spend time with all of us not realizing that she would be the one taking care of Lindsey and her very sick daughter. I came down with a really bad cold and was in bed all 4 day's mom came to visit, thank goodness she was here and helped us out. I was sick about two weeks earlier and I don't think it really ever went away and so the second time I caught it, it was really bad. Finally about two weeks later I was starting to feel better. Unfortunately while mom was in town for her visit, we did not have the time to hang out and shop like we wanted too but things happen what can you do. Thanks mom for all your help with Lindsey while you were here, we really appreciate it.

We spent Valentine's Day home this year and decided to celebrate as a family. Rich brought me home a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a very nice card. I got him two cards, one from me and one from Lindsey and Cody, it was so cute it said "Daddy" all over it. We took many pictures of our princess in a couple red outfits to match the occasion.

We had more visitors come and stay with us in March. It was the four loving crazy Canadians, Uncle Allan, Aunt Heather, and Cousins Lindsay and April. They first stopped into Vegas for a day and then ventured out to Arizona for an additional 5 day's. They left behind lots of snow and cold weather to be in the warm and sunny states. We all had an awesome time, laughing....we laughed so hard we made our selves cry, we played several games of boci ball in the backyard, as well as played Nintendo Wii each night...what a competitive bunch we all are. Uncle Allan watched Lindsey while us girls went out shopping at the Chandler Mall, what a guy he is and I must say he did a fabulous job taking care of her, she was all smiles when I got home. The week went by so fast, we could not believe it. We were sad to see them go, I cried dropping them off at the airport I wanted them to stay a few more day's it was so nice having them here.

Lindsey is doing great, she is getting so big. She is going to be 3 months old already as of tomorrow Sunday March 16th, it is so crazy how fast this time is going. She rolled over for the first time this past Tuesday evening from her back to her tummy all on her own. We were all sitting in the family room watching TV and she started rolling on her side, she was just hanging out on her side and decided she wanted to roll over and was very determine she was getting mad and making grunting noise when she could not do it and then finally a little while later she made the turn. We were so proud of her and of course mommy or daddy did not have the video camera ready for her big moment so we waited until she completed it again the second time and now we have it. She has been sleeping through the night now (about 10 - 12 hours) since she was about 7 wks old we are truly blessed. She is also making nosies as if she is trying to talk it's so cute and loves to smile. Lindsey enjoys using her swing for naps, loves playing on her floor mat, likes playing with her monkey's and frogs in her bouncer and enjoys sitting in her stroller for walks or just hanging out in the backyard. So over all she is a good kid....just kidding she is an AWESOME baby we are so lucky and thankful for her.

Rich is extremely busy with work, he has been working so much and keeping up with the gym that we hardly see him during the week. Our weekends are our family times together usually but even then we have been so busy doing things on the weekends that we are none stop but trying to enjoy the time we get with each other. Grandma Sara was nice enough to watch Lindsey, cousin Elyssa, Kaylie and Madison today while the parents my self, Rich, Michelle and David went and played with our toy's (riding on our ATVs), we all had a blast and was covered from head to toe in dirt including our teeth it was quit funny. I recently had my first root canal done, not proud of it but was not as bad as I thought, I'm going back to my dentist next week to get the crown put on. I'm also starting back to work on Monday from home, I'm excited to get back in the real world again.

Well that is all for now, we love and miss you all very much and will keep you all posted on future events. I have also updated our web album from the last several weeks so if you have time check it out. We hope all is well with everyone, take care!!!

Lots of Love,
Chantelle, Richard, Lindsey and Cody

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Lindsey's Update - Weeks 3 & 4

Our little angel Lindsey is doing great, we love having our new bundle of joy home. We are still adjusting to home life as a new family but loving every moment of it. It has been a hard time for Rich going back to work and not being with his new daughter every moment of the day, however he checks in several times a day and he can not get enough of her when he gets home. I think she is going to be a daddy's girl, she loves it when he sings to her, her face lights up with big smiles.

I have been getting better and a little stronger each day since my surgery, I have been trying to do light duty stuff around the house as well as take Lindsey and Cody for walks outside to get me out and about, which has really helped with my recovery. Lindsey and I had our first outing together on January 10th, we went to Grandma Sara and Pop-pops house for brunch along with uncle Marvin, uncle Michael, aunt Michelle, uncle David and cousin Madison. We then went to the Disney store in Gilbert to do a little shopping. Can you believe I bought little Miss Lindsey more outfits, what was I thinking.....she has so many but I could not help myself. Lindsey did great, she slept the whole time we were out. After going shopping we went and opened her first savings account at Arizona Federal and she was the center of attention that day.

We took Lindsey to get her first professional portraits done at Target for her one month pictures on Saturday January 12th. We dressed her up in purple....oh my gosh she was adorable. She was the best baby and did not cry once, she loved the camera. Can you believe that Lindsey is already a month old as of January 16th, it is crazy how fast time flys. We dressed her up in my favorite color yellow from head to toe, how cute is she.......

Rich and I went on our first date since having Lindsey on Friday January 18th, aunt Michelle watched the baby while Rich and I went out to P.F. Chang's (Chinese food) for dinner. I had my first alcoholic beverage which was a mojito since turning 25 in April of last year oh my goodness I could not hang like I use too I could not even finish my drink it was so strong but very good. Then Rich surprised me with tickets to go see two comedians in person, Collin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood from the show 'Who's Line Is It Anyway" in Phoenix. We had a great time, my abs were hurting so bad the next day from laughing so hard but it was a good feeling because we had so much fun. The next day I went out by myself to a baby shower, it was the first time leaving Lindsey with Rich. I was a little nervous but he did a great job, he really enjoyed bonding with his daughter.
Well that is all for now with the Weiss family. Here are some more updated pictures of Lindsey, click on the following link to view them: http://picasaweb.google.com/twytch111 We love and miss you all very much, take care and talk with you soon!!!!

After each entry there is a comment section, please feel free to add one if you would like.

All our love,
Chantelle, Richard, Lindsey and Cody

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Lindsey's Home: Weeks 1 & 2

Well first we hope everyone one had a wonderful holiday season, and we hope 2008 brings happiness and joy to all of your families. We are very excited to get 2008 off to a great start with our new family.

Well Lindsey and I were finally released from Chandler Hospital on Thursday December 20th, after spending 5 long day's being cooped up in a small room with a very uncomfortable bed it was wonderful to finally go home and start our new adventure. The ride home was some what of a bluer to me due to all the medication I was on, but Lindsey she loved the car ride home she was so quiet you would not even have known that she was in the car with us. Once we arrived home we introducted Cody to his new baby sister, he took a sniff and walked away that's how excited he was to meet her. The first night of sleep was rough, I was in such pain that I was not able to sleep in my own bed I ended up sleeping on our couch upstairs in our loft. We put Lindsey right in her new room in her crib, she did as well as expected for a new born.

Still settling in at home we waited for the arrival of our out of town guests. Dad and Cheryl arrived from Canada on Friday December 21st while Mom, Bill and Sam arrived on Monday December 24th. The Weiss hotel was full, we had people sleeping every where. It was the most special Christmas I have had since I can remember. It was so nice to have our new daughter spend her first Christmas with all of her Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. We spend Christmas morning at our house, then we went to Michelle and David's house for Christmas dinner and exchanging of gifts. After a long day we all came home got in our pj's and opened our families gifts around the tree. It was a very special day for all of us.

Rich and I would like to say a special thanks to Dad, Cheryl, Mom, Bill and Sam for all of their help with Lindsey, cooking and assisting us with house duties. We really appreciated all the help, so thank you very much, we love you all.

It was hard being home with a new baby after everyone left and Rich returned back to work, especially with me still recovering from surgery, I was limited to what I can do with the baby and round the house. I did have my follow up visit with my OBGYN doctor last week and she said my incision is healing very well and I am able to get around more, including driving and walking up and down the stairs, I was very excited about the news. I still need to take it easy since it's only been a few weeks since she was born, I'm taking one day at a time.

Lindsey had her new born appointment the day after we arrived home, she weighed in at 9 lbs 3 0z still under her birth weight, the doctor said Lindsey was looking great since being in the hospital. We then had a 1 week appointment which she gained 2 more oz back but still not at her birth weight, the doctor wanted for us to come back a week later to ensure she was gaining the correct amount of weight so Rich and I took her to the doctors last Friday and she gained 8 oz in one week which got her back to her birth weight of 9 lbs 13 oz. The doctor was very pleased her progress and she is now good for 2 months before she has to go back to see the doctor.

So that has been our like story for the past few weeks, it was been rather busy for us. We have also had several visitors stop by to see our new bundle of joy, so thank you for those of you who came to visit us, we have enjoyed your company. We have also taken several pictures over the last few weeks that have been posted on the following website: http://picasaweb.google.com/twytch111 so please check it out. There will be more pictures to come as I'm trying to take weekly photos of Lindsey so you can all see how she has changed. We all love and miss you very much.

Love, Chantelle Richard, Lindsey and Cody