Day 4 w/ Campbell

Another good day at home w/ our new leading lady -- including our first family car-trip to pick up a new girl-friendly diaper bag and help give Santa some last minute suggestions for one of his newest arrivals.   Campbell also got to meet (while sleeping) Aunt Kelley for the first time and Aunt Kara for the second time!

Mommy (who's doing an awesome job) is hoping for a bit of a better night of sleep tonight!     Tomorrow (Thurs) holds a quick check-in with the pediatrician at Noon and then Christmas Eve and Santa's arrival!

Day 3 w/ Campbell

Another busy day -- we were discharged from the hospital at about 11am and were excited to bring Campbell home to meet her big brother Carter and see GM/GP Zagol again.    We had a great surprise when we pulled into the neighborhood...

Then, Campbell got to spend some quality time with her big brother, including our first official family shot....

For the rest of the afternoon, things were pretty smooth, all things considered.   Carter was very interested and engaged w/ Campbell; the entire family (minus Dad) took a nice mid-afternoon nap; and when Carter and Dad ran some late afternoon errands, Carter insisted on "No Target, let's go home to see Baby Campbell."   When we got home, Carter got in some good time on the floor with Campbell, sporting one of his big brother tees.

Finally, it was time to head off to bed for the little ones, but Carter wanted to get his first chance to hold "Baby Campbell." It was hard to pick one image here that was the best, so I am just posting all of them!

Can't wait to see what adventures Day 4 brings!

Our Last Week as a 3-Person Family

Last week was a big week -- for obvious reasons, it was our last week as a three-person family.   But, we also had CWL's Christmas concert and a trip out on Friday night to go visit Santa Claus.

Click here to view the full slideshow.

Day 2 w/ Campbell

We've had a pretty good day 2 with our new little girl -- Campbell.   She spent a few hours in the nursery last night while Mom and Dad caught up on some sleep, and went through all of the tests that she needed (weight, hearing, etc.)   She came back around 6 this morning and it's been a great day since then -- a visit from Grandma Z, some great meals and snacks with Mommy, moving room (I guess it's busy at the hospital pre-Christmas/pre-New Year's, so the team was moved from a labor/recovery room to what I can best describe as a hospital/hotel room.)

Barring any unexpected events, we'll be leaving tomorrow morning and Campbell will get to meet her big bro for the first time (b/c of concerns about H1N1, the hospital has limited visitors to 17+.)

Here's a pic of our little girl, just hanging out, about 30 hours old.

For those who were running an over/under...

.... Campbell came in 19 days early vs. a due-date of January 8, 2010.   Somewhere, our tax accountant is smiling!

It's a Girl!

We're excited to announce the arrival of Campbell Elizabeth Lange!   She picked the biggest December snowstorm in Philadelphia in over 100 years for the night of her arrival, which made for quite the treacherous drive to the hospital, but we got here in plenty of time and she came into our lives at 5:08 AM weighing in at 6lbs, 15oz, and measuring 20" in length.

From Campbell Elizabeth Lange

From Campbell Elizabeth Lange

Clearly our kids will lack a bit in the patience department as she joins older brother CWL on the early side of the arrival scale (he was 5.5 weeks early, she's 3 weeks early).    But, what a magical Christmas gift for our family.   Mom and Campbell are doing great and we can't wait for you to meet her.

CWL Received a Very Special Message from the North Pole!

Click here to see it for yourself!

Big Boy Room

CWL has been in his big boy room for almost a month and he loves it -- granted, it takes him about 90 minutes on average to fall asleep, but he loves it!

CWL Helping Mommy w/ Cookies

The little man just LOVES helping his mom with whatever her task of the moment is -- lately, it's been getting ready for holiday cookies. So, if you get a holiday cookie with an entire jar of jimmies this year, or a Christmas tree that looks a bit unbalanced, or a snowflake that looks a bit crushed in the middle -- then you'll know you've got a CWL special!

A Holiday Dance

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Are We Ready for #2?

Received a truly priceless email from SZL while at work one day this week -- here's a typical non-school day morning at home for Mom and son:

1. Carter wake up / diaper
2. George
3. Breakfast
4. Workout / Carter destroys basement
5. Changed a nasty poop and put outfit #1 on Carter
6. Christmas Card disaster with Carter's "help."
7. Cleaned up cup spill #1
8. More xmas cards
9. Cleaned up cup spill #2
10. More xmas cards
11. Spilled Cup #3 was on Carter
12. Changed Carter to outfit #2
13. More xmas cards
14. SPilled cup #4 - almost got xmas cards
15. Spilled cup #5 - on Carter's pants ... He took them off and ran upstairs
16. Went up after Carter - he was playing with gate and almost fell down
17. Decided to check email - Carter wanted privacy
18. Heard strange sounds in bathroom and found him naked in bath tub
- he managed to take off long-sleeve shirt, short-sleeve shirt, diaper
off.
19. PJs are back on
20. More xmas cards
21. Stopped Carter from ramming truck in back door
22. Just turned on max / ruby to get lunch ready

Maybe work isn't so bad sometimes!!

Setting Up the Lange Family Christmas Tree

First Weekend of December 2009

Busy weekend so far -- CWL visited Gigi for the annual visit from Santa at her community; we went out to Yaeger's to get the tree; and, we had our first snowfall of the year!

From Christmas Tree and First Snowfall 2009

Click here for the full album.

Thanksgiving 2009 (Parade Video)

North Pole Express - Part II (Video)

Last week, we took CWL to go see Santa, via train, at the "North Pole." The attached video gives you an idea of the trip.

Halloween (Long Overdue Video)

From Halloween fruit cups, to CWL's nursery school parade, to his big Halloween party at the house, it was a great Halloween 2009 all around!

Getting Our Christmas Tree (2009)

For the second year in a row, we went out to Yeager's Christmas Tree farm in Chester Springs, PA and found a great tree (8.5 feet this year.)

Catching Up on Some Old Videos

For whatever reason, I am always behind on putting up old videos, so apologies for the mass-uploading here.

Video #1 -- Recently CWL got to meet Aunt Kelley and Uncle Steve's new puppy -- Rockne.




Video #2 -- On the weekend before Halloween, I took CWL to the Philly Zoo for a special Halloween themed day, including some live bands that he got his dance on with.




Video #3 -- Riding the carousel at the Please Touch Museum





Video #4 -- CWL leading us through a corn-maze a few days before Halloween 2009.

CWL and Friends (Ethan/Violet) Ready for Some Lawn Mower Racing

As Mike Francesca would say, the weather on Sunday outside of Philly was UN-believable.   You couldn't ask for a nicer day for the Sunday after Thanksgiving.   We got a lot of work done in and around the house, including most of our exterior lumination.

CWL and friends thought it'd be fun to do some lawnmower racing...

North Pole Express

On Sunday, we took a drive to New Hope to visit the North Pole Express to go for a train ride on an old 1920's steam engine, visit with Santa, go to the "North Pole", and sing Christmas Carols and enjoy holiday treats along the way.     CWL loved it -- the train most especially.

Click here for the full album.

Thanksgiving 2009

We had a great Thanksgiving... We kicked the day off with a 515am wakeup call and got ready to head into the Philly Thanksgiving Day Parade.   We picked up Dunkin Donuts, and then went to SZL's parents house to pick up Grandpa, Aunt Kara, and SZL's cousin Kendria and her boyfriend Zach.   We made GREAT time into the city and parked near 20th and Market and then set up camp for the parade on JFK in between 18th and 19th.

The parade was a lot of fun, as the pictures attest (including Stacey getting interviewed for the wonderful hat you can see above), and the great part about being on the early part of the parade is that we were back at SZL's parents house by 1045 to "watch" the end of the parade on TV.   A great afternoon followed, as my parents and Aunt Jenny came down for dinner with the Zagols.   Great food; terrible football; some turkey-induced catnaps; and the 1st (of many I am sure) holiday showing of "A Boyfriend for Christmas" on the big-screen.





Click here for the full slideshow (if you can't see it below.)

SZL @ Week 32 -- Baby #2 is on its way soon!

Some Pics from Aunt Kelley and Uncle Steve's Wedding

SZL's sister got married on Saturday the 14th -- to a great guy (even if he's a Phils/ND fan... not to mention the politics!).   CWL's just thrilled to have Uncle Steve in his life!

Thanks to Tim O for the pics!

Halloween -- October 2009

We had a great Halloween 2009, CWL was a Pirate, who pretty much loved to say "Argh" any time he had the chance.

 

The pics below cover a few different days:

• Hayrides at Merrymead Farms
• Nursery School Costume Parade
• Carving Pumpkins
  
• CWL's Halloween Party with all of his neighborhood friends
• Trick or Treat

Enjoy!



Click here if the slideshow doesn't work -- http://tinyurl.com/yzblekv

CWL's Last Nite in His "Baby Room"

Wow -- how can it be time for this already?    Tomorrow nite (Sunday nite), we make the big move across the hall (pics to come).

Here's one last look at the little man, resting comfortably in the old pad.

CWL's Halloween Parade @ School

Catching Up on Some Old Videos - Part II

More terribly overdue videos continued --

Disney World Part I

Summer Weekend at SML w/ the Manuel's

Catching Up on Some Old Videos - Part I

I like to think I do a pretty good job of keeping up w/ pictures, but there is no doubt that I do a terrible job keeping up with the videos we take...  So, here's a few links, in no particular order.

Charlottesville - September 09


Carter Enjoying the Phillie Phanatic

CWL Mowing the Lawn with His Dad

Phoenixville 2009 Halloween Parade

Enjoy!

Disney World -- Animal Kingdom Pics

One of the parts of the trip to Disney that SZL and I were looking forward to the most was Animal Kingdom -- b/c neither of us had ever been there before.   The safari was a lot of fun -- obviously, not quite the same as 10 days in Krueger, but, fun all the same.

Click on the image below for some more pics --

Animal Kingdom Safari

Outer Banks 2009 (Part II)

We just got some great photos from SZL's cousin Sandi -- who we spent the week with in the Outer Banks back in late August / early September.    Considering the weather I can view from my office window at the moment, I think we'd all give anything for another week on the Beach.

 

A Halloween text message from carter

Hi Daddy - don't I look cute.

Walt Disney World -- Columbus Day Weekend

Last week, we decided to take CWL down to Disney and Orlando for one last 'hurrah' as an only child, considering that #2's arrival is getting closer and closer by the minute.    We flew down on a Thursday, spent a few days at the parks and had an overall awesome time.

Some of the highlights included:

• Dinner at T-Rex at the Disney Marketplace, which CWL just loved
• A full-day on Friday at Magic Kingdom, including going back at night for Mickey's "Not So Scary Halloween Party" with its own parade and fireworks show and trick or treating in the Magic Kingdom (with about 40% of folks in full-up costumes)
  
• Our first trip to Animal Kingdom -- safari and access to characters was pretty sweet.   He loved the Lion King show, but fell asleep during Nemo.
• A return visit to Magic Kingdom for the traditional parade -- including high fives from Goofy & Peter Pan, a point and blown kiss from Cinderella & a full smack on the cheek (with lipstick marks to prove it) from Snow White
• Every ride on "Mickey's train"
• A fun day at Sea World, including Shamu, and a special Halloween show w/ Elmo and Friends
• A nice hotel we just happened to stumble upon that had a full-sized Pirate Ship in the pool

Special thanks to one of my oldest friends Alicia A and to my friends at J3 for their help with the trip!

I'll post more highlights when we get the videos up, but the pictures are fantastic.    Click here to view the full slideshow.

CWL is ready for aunt Kelley's wedding!

Carter's ready for October baseball!

Carter Visits GM and GP Lange

Carter and I had a chance to visit my parents last weekend on Long Island... he had a lot of fun!

Stacey @ Week 25 and 26

Baby is Coming... Baby is Coming!

Stacey's doing great -- tired, but doing great. Here's a preview from Weeks 25 and 26.

Pumpkins / Apples / Raspberries & Stacey's Birthday

Busy weekend as we kickoff the month of October... In fact, it started last weekend (as you'll see some of the random pictures of Carter throwing beads.) While it may look like he's practicing for Mardi Gras, in fact, he's just enjoying some of the party favors from his Aunt Kelley's bridal shower weekend.

Fast forward to this weekend -- pumpkin picking @ Milky Way Farm in Chester Springs; followed by an early morning celebration of Stacey's birthday (including his poses for her favorite gift -- a Snuggie), then a trip out to Frecon Farms in Boyertown for PYO apple & raspberry picking with GP and GM Zagol.

Fun times all around!

September 2009

Generally, we've been slacking of late on the blog. September was a month that just flew by for all of us -- coming back from the OBX, heading to Charlottesville twice for two UVa football games (don't ask -- they were rough), Carter's first day of pre-school, plus a man-trip for Carter and his Dad to the Philadelphia Zoo.

Enjoy!

New Layout, New News...

With baby #2 on the way, we decided it was time for a little refresh... more to come in the next days and weeks. If you haven't seen it already, here's the video of CWL announcing the news to the world...

Outer Banks 2009 w/ Klose's

We had a fantastic time in the OBX --- the weather was a little crummy in the middle, but we had great days on the front and back ends of the week. Carter absolutely adored playing w/ Caitlin and Nicholas -- they were his new 'friends.'

Hope to go back in 2010...



Click here if the slideshow doesn't work -- http://tinyurl.com/mwo9pn

A Few Funny Moments

*Good news -- Carter's not allergic to bee-stings --> after he stepped on a bumble-bee at the pool over the weekend, we had the expected freak-out, but, everything ended up fine.

*As is pretty typical with a 2 1/2 year old, there are a few words that he says that are off by just a little bit. For example, bathing suit becomes "baby suit". So, a few times, I've said "Carter -- watch my lips" and then have tried to pronounce the words. All fine and good, until he decided to start correcting me.

"Daddy... watch my lips. BAAAAABEEEEEEE SUIT."

Priceless!

Some Funny Carter Mannerisms

During bath-time, "No Daddy, I'll clean myself."

Insisting (while laughing) that the color red is actually the color pink.

Insisting that "George" (from Curious George) is a color.

Associating food with everything:
Did we go to the baseball game? Yes, popcorn, pretzels, Ice Cream

"Put it, don't throw it." -- which we said to him once is now his guidance to us anytime we throw something he doesn't want us to throw.

Repeating EVERYTHING he hears -- including his mother calling his father a 'fuddy-duddy'.

Demanding that we "share Carter" when we have something that we aren't giving to him.

Carter Playing Putt Putt

Carter & Some Friends

Carter's had a chance to bond with friends of late --- the Kline's and the Curtis's.

Good times for all...

Carter's Head is in the Clouds

4th of July Trip to SML

Stacey and Carter took about 10 days down around the fourth, to hang out with the Foights, celebrate Jessica's birthday, and give Carter a great chance to play with his cousins.... A fun weekend for all..

Carter & His Friend Andrew @ The Dogwood Festival in Phoenixville (May 2009) - Part II

 

Carter & His Friend Andrew @ The Dogwood Festival in Phoenixville (May 2009) - Part I

May 2009

It's been a busy few weeks -- Aunt Jenny's graduation from Providence, Aunt Kelley's graduation from med school at Temple, a 105+ fever with strep throat, plus a trip to SML for Memorial Day Weekend.

Some Carter highlights of the moment:

-saying "Oh my goodness"
-after bath time reciting every body part he could think of (yes, every body part)
-"Awesome"
-"My Boat, Pa Pa's Boat"

The Lange Family at Jen's Graduation

--


---------------------------
Brian Lange
brian.lange@gmail.com

Pony Ride at the Zoo

Brad & Christa Wedding Weekend -- Videos

Brad & Christa Wedding Weekend -- Photos

Carter's First Home Run at a Phillies Game -- Chase Utley

Carter took his dad and Grandpa (Pa Pa Zagol) to the Phillies game a few weeks ago... this was his first official Major League Homerun (for the home team at least)...

Some April Videos

Click on the link below for some April videos (Easter, etc.):

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=FBD8406C80A02CC3

Easter Week 2009

Carter had a great Easter Week 2009....

Last weekend, we had our first of three Easter Egg Hunts at the Valley Forge Firehouse with his friend Ella, followed by a trip to the Helicopter Museum in West Chester, PA. Then, on Wednesday & Thursday, Grandma and Grandpa Lange came for a visit and had a great time with Carter.

On Saturday, we went with Carter's friend Andrew Seamons to a pretty unique Easter Egg Hunt on an old farm property in Bryn Mawr, PA, followed by Easter Egg dying at Grandma and Grandpa Zagol's house.

Then, on Sunday morning, we all went to Church, followed by Easter Dinner (and the Masters, of course) at the Zagols.

One picture to note is the last picture in the slideshow below -- Stacey's AWESOME Easter Bunny cake.

Great week all around!



If you can't see the slideshow above, click here.

Easter Bunny / Helicopter Museum / Visit w/ Grandma & Grandpa Lange

Spring Break 2009 (Tampa / Sanibel Island)

We just got back from a great trip to Florida for our annual "Spring Break" trip -- a short stop on both ends at Stacey's aunt & uncle's condo in Largo, and five days on Sanibel Island. What a trip!

Among the highlights:
*Carter's first trip to a Dog Track
*Rediscovering his love of the sand (and the gulf)
*First all-family bike rides
*Obsession with every form of transportation possible -- airplane, helicopter, elevator, boat, train, car
*"MY " (e.g. MY beach, MY shovel, MY towel, MY elevator...)
*A Dolphin Sighting
*Great Memories

If you can't see the slideshow below -- click here

Quick Trip to Cville

We took a quick trip to Cville for some of our favorites (Bodo's, White Spot) and to catch the last men's b-ball game of the Year...

Welcome to my zoo, I'm turning two!