Christmas 2011!

 We took Phaedra to the fancy Santa Claus at the Darien Sport Shop (not your average sport shop), and she didn't cry or get scared.  She simply pulled at his white beard, hair by hair and gave us all a very serious face.  It was very cute.

 Getting ready for church and very excited to go.

 For Christmas break, we went out to Utah to visit Corinne's sister McKell and extended family.  One of the days, we went to Hardware Ranch to see the Elk.  Phaedra enjoyed see the animals -- she mooooed at them.

 Christmas morning at McKell's awesome house. Phaedra got some wonderful gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Curtis, Aunt McKell and Uncle Mike (awesome clothes and a stuffed buck from Cabelas), and from Grandma and Grandpa Broadbent.

 She got the Little People Nativity from Peggy and Roger.

 And a cute little doll in a pea pod from Grandma Broadbent.

 Here she is playing with her new doll!

 Roger gave Peggy a really cool gift for Christmas -- 2 days in a professional recording studio!!!  Corinne and I sang and recorded two of her songs, which will soon be available on iTunes.

 Here is Corinne singing away...

 And Peggy recording at the piano.

During our time in Utah we went to see my Grandma Janet and also got to see my cousin Joy and her family.  It was great to see everyone!

Macys day parade...from times square!

A generous client (owner of mcdonalds on manhattan) set us up with VIP times square tickets to watch the parade from his mcdonalds that is on the parade route. They served us a mcdonalds breakfast and we could either watch the parade throughout the second story windows or go down and watch it on the street. The police had completely blocked off the sidewalk area where the mcdonalds was so we had our own viewing area! We had a great time. It was phenomenal.

Reunion with the Bali 5, now the Bussard 11!

Corinne and I spent a fabulous week with her best friends from her childhood town Spokane!  We stayed on a beautiful little lake, Bussard Lake, in a fantastic log cabin/lakehouse.  Phaedra had her first experience with her 4 adoring aunties, 3 lively dogs, lake swimming, and lots of exciting things to look at!

I'll try to get a few more photos...currently my computer is giving me issues! 

Birthday bash!

Holy cow, Corinne threw the most phenomenal party for my 30th!  She chose a carnival theme and went to town with food, decorations, and fun!  Thank you Corinne for a memorable and lively party.  It was a blast, and won't soon be forgotten.  Love you!

 Hit that pinata out of town!

 Man, there were enough goodies to feed the circus!

 Mmmmmm... pulled pork.

 Lovin the decorations.  Thanks to the Nelsons for hosting the party.

 The iPad was the 30 yr. old gift.

 Tiffany made an incredible veggie pizza.  Yum.

Holy cow, Corinne threw the most phenomenal party for my 30th!  She chose a carnival theme and went to town with food, decorations, and fun!  Thank you Corinne for a memorable and lively party.  It was a blast, and won't soon be forgotten.  Love you.

Phaedie baby week ???? Ok, we've already lost track...

 Bjorn'ing it.  Notice the reflector tape built in.  I don't think we'll brave a dark street, but thanks anyway!

 Que muchachita mas guapa!  Thanks to Colleen and Katie for the outfit.  She strutted her stuff at church.

 Can we say "ROUND FACE?!"

So Phaedra found her tongue last week and has had quite a fun time exploring different ways of chewing it. 

Spring lawn party!

The Martinez family of our old ward (Stamford 1st Ward) hosted a fabulous lawn party at Tod's Point in Greenwich, atop a beautiful knoll overlooking the Sound.  We busted out our new stroller and wore spring clothes...luckily we had extra coats in the car, because it turned out to be just a little chilly. The party was awesome - great company and great food.  And the beautiful setting was decidedly Connecticut.

 Here is our little renegade, who was thrilled with her sunglasses.  Those little blue eyes and bright sunshine don't mix.  Our friend Josh showed us how to actually use all of the awesome features on our camera, and this crazy cool picture is one of the results!

 Putting on the shades.

 Shades, binky, someone to hold you... does life get any better?!?!

 The Martinez family did an outstanding job with this party.  There were tables, decorated with centerpieces, a beautiful display of food, and lots of toys for the kids to play with.  The stone remnants you see here are remnants of the home that used to be in this spot (it was a mansion!).

 Can you beat that view?  Wow... I love this place!

Our stroller came in the mail (yay for online shopping) 3 days early, so we got to take it to the party.  It worked fabulously, and Phaedra loved it.

Phaedra's blessing day

On March 13, we blessed our little Phaedie.  She was dressed in a wonderful gown, handmade painstakingly by Corinne's mother Peggy.  My parents came from California for the occasion, and we had a very memorable weekend with all.  Here are some photos of her in her beautiful dress (thanks Jenn!) --  Much love to both our parents for joining us.