Faraci Family

Pumpkins

2008-10-22T12:07:00.003-05:00

We carved pumpkins this past weekend. We made them out of pictures we took of ourselves.

This photo is of the three pumkins. Vin is a warewolf looking thing, Vance is cute, Angie is the witch on the end...as Vin says.
Looks like Angie eh?
Vin--scary...
Little guys Vance!

Finger Lake Trip

2008-08-16T08:23:00.008-05:00

Here we are begining the day and Shelly's dad's lake front with boats and dock. We had a blast that day just being at the waters edge and chatting with friends.

Here we are on the boat with the dogs--who would not stay at the beach when we all got in the boat. Vin is water skiing and Angie is holding the dogs, watching Vance, and taking pictures.

Sunday we headed to Roshcester to the Stong National Play Museum. It was so much fun for Vance and wore us all out. Here we are doing some of the many things there.

Vance 2nd Birthday Party

2008-08-04T08:52:00.004-05:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Vance-boy!

We had great weekend filled with family and friends. (It was so much fun to see Gary, Carolynn, and Kyle, and Grandma and Grandpa Codella--thanks so much for visiting and sharing the weekend with us. Vance, and us, loved every minute of it. )

We had the party on Sat with neighbors and friends. It was so much fun to watch Vance realize it was his day and the gifts and cake were for him. He was very excited all day and did well with all the comotion. He recieved lots of gifts and now has plenty to do and play with. Thanks everyone!!!

Here are some pictures of the party and all the fun.

Grandma Codella, MacKinsie and Vance hanging out in the chair.

Grandma and Grandpa Codella with Vance on the deck.

All the kiddies around the table eating the Elmo Cake.

Vance opening gifts--wooden tool box.

Vance getting money from Grandma and Grandpa Faraci--money!

Our family photo

July Summer Fun

2008-07-28T08:54:00.002-05:00

Here we are at Little Lake Hosmer getting ready to get in the boat.

Vance and daddy in the boat. Vance looks cool in his shades and life vest.

The kids at Echo on a rainy day last week.

Vance helping mommy hammer the table to redu this week.

Vance at Little Hosmer in the boat.

4th of July Slides

2008-07-10T18:02:00.003-05:00

I tried to post this on my blog...but the best I could do was link to site. Here is a slide show of us on the 4th. Mostly the fireworks, but one shot and Vance and mommy snuggling in the car under the blanket because it was the only way to keep him calm. Then the whole way home it was firwoeks this and fireworks that...he still talks about them! And the loves the pictures as well.

Sorry--I just had to resuce our fish from the hairbrush. Apperently Vance thinks the fish need a brush...ugh...

http://www.slide.com/r/3ir--uw16j8BsI4I4VSH1cEhw704lpoT?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

June pics 2008

2008-07-06T09:21:00.004-05:00

So here are some more pics of what we have been up to.

Vance hair cut with daddy:

Grandpa and Vance at the Echo checking out fish.

Vance in his new wagon

Vance and Grandma at Lake Champlain

Family photo at the Echo.

June 2008

2008-07-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to post some pictures of Vance, Grandma, and Grandpa on thier last visit. They were up two weeks ago and we had a blast at the Echo (kids discovery museum in B'ton) and Lake Elmore where we caught a sunfish and currenlty have as a pet.

Updates on New Blog

2007-07-12T17:39:00.000-05:00

For those of you who are still checking this blog and wondering what happened to my posts....I am blogging on my extended family blog.

Check it out...I have photos of July up and stories of life in VT. http://www.codella.info/blog

Nordic U16GP team photos

2007-07-03T14:59:00.000-05:00

Relay races for the soccer stars. Cone heads...

New blog site

2007-06-19T13:30:00.000-05:00

http://www.codella.info/blog/

Just wanted you all to know I moved my blog to the family blog page.

Please check it out there....

Uncle Lynn's Funeral

2007-05-14T13:52:00.000-05:00

We have just returned from Salt Lake City, Utah where we attended a funeral for my Uncle Lynn last week. (The services were actually in Richfield but our trip began and ended in Salt Lake at my brother Brian's house.)

The funeral services were so nice for my uncle. Everyone had such great things to say about him and his life. We heard some very funny stories and will miss the good times we had with him. He was a very nice person and we loved him and will miss him.

The ironic thing about the trip is that in death it brought the family together. We have not seen some of the people at the funeral for YEARS. Especially Vin and I...since we still live in the East. We had a great time seeing the family and friends of the family. Vance loved meeting everyone and playing with all the kiddies.

I will post some pictures of the events and the fun times with my family in my next blog.

For now--goodbye Uncle Lynn, we love you!

Vance walking?

2007-04-30T18:26:00.000-05:00

NO, Not yet. He just started to pull himself up on the edge of the sofa this weekend when I was in Boston coaching two soccer games. When I got back to VT, there he was...pulling himself up on the sofa and trying to slide around the edges. WOW. How fast does this kid learn new things? He just started to crawl a few weeks ago.

Vance and dad--gee can you tell he is Vin's kid? Good thing there is no doubt. I love those two! My two boys!

Goats and kids

2007-04-30T18:16:00.000-05:00

My friend Heidi and her daughter McKenzie (don't know how to spell it...oh no...sorry) were petting the goat kids. I also forgot all of the goat names...but know they were all named after trees. So Maple is always a good guess.

The goat resting away from the little kids...

These goats were not interested in us, more the food in the bucket. Poor Jada had to pet the goats tails...huh...

Vance and friends visit the goats...

2007-04-30T18:05:00.000-05:00

My friend Maria has goats and her goats had kids...so we took our kids to see the kids. Who's with me so far?
The kids are so cute...all of them. Vance and Jada fed the kids and tried not to scare them. If you scare them they faint--that's right. They are fainting goats. Their legs lock up and they cannot move. It is very funny to see, but not nice to the goats to keep doing it.

The goats also just like to hang out and climb on things...so here they are in the field trying to claim the tree stumps.

Vance and Mom play outside...

2007-04-30T17:58:00.000-05:00

Well--we are glad to see the last snow storm of the season GONE! Last week was actually great here with sunshine and warm weather. Vance and I got outside every day to rake, clean up the yard, and go for long hour walks. It was great. These photos are of us just chillin in the front yard...Vin was at work.

I love this picture...Vance was giving mommy a hug! Isn't he just the cutest (I guess I am allowed to think so...)

Vance has fans...

2007-04-30T17:33:00.000-05:00

Vance has had a busy few weeks and I have a lot of pictures to post...so just be prepared.
First--Nala and Reese needed some love the other night so Vance and I decided to feed them bacon (otherwise known as "doggie crack".) We had the dogs full attention and Vance got lots of kisses.

Second the neighbor girls were on school break last week and came over quite a bit. Either to rescue my dogs that ran away from our fence or to take a walk with Vance and me. It was fun to have them over and to help out a bit. They seem to love Vance and give him lots of kisses.

Third--Rachel and Heidi came over Friday night last week so Vin and Angie could go on a date. We went to our first movie in nine months. We saw "Shooter" if you are interested and enjoyed the action packed adventure. It was a good movie and fun to get out together. As you can see while we were gone Vance was turned into a Red Socks fan and was even watching a baseball game when we came home...or sleeping on Heidi's stomach. As far as I am concerned that is the only way to watch baseball--from the back of your eye lids...he he.

April 12th Snow storm

2007-04-12T13:47:00.000-05:00

Just in case you were thinking winter is over up north...it is NOT.

WE are getting 8-10 inches of fresh new snow with freezing rain--right NOW...this SUCKS!

The only person who is excited is Vin because he may ski Sat in April--whoohoo, who cares.

I have to drive to work tonight in this crap.

Excuse all my French, but I dislike very much living in the north country right now when it is April and there are no showers to bring May flowers--we still have snow!

8 Month pictures

2007-04-08T12:03:00.000-05:00

Okay--so I am just going to post pictures because they are just so CUTE!

Vance is just hanging out at home with mommy...

He is watching TV here...cartoons are his favorite.

Playing with Dads Nintendo controller...

And bouncing in the bouncy chair...

Vin's 35 and Vance is 8 Months

2007-04-04T13:35:00.000-05:00

My two boys are getting older...

We celebrated Vin's 35th birthday Monday night in style. Angie cooked crab legs and steak Florentine with asparagus, and plenty of butter and lemon. Vin opened some gifts: two shirts, two shorts and "The Indcredibles II--Rise of the Underminer" video game. And Vin had a big brownie cake with the #35 candle on top. No way was I lighting 35 single candles--we might have burned the house down. (he, he) We had a nice evening together as a family.

Vance turned 8 months old...on Friday he crawled across the room on his hands and knees. (Not the belly roll.) He now has discovered that he can crawl over to mom on the computer and play under her feet. We need to childproof the house better and soon because he is always moving somewhere. What is the next step--pulling himself up? I am sure it come before I know it. Vance is also breaking his first tooth and has been a very

brave boy--no fevers (that was associated with his cold last week) and not too much fuss. You can feel it now so it is breaking though. He eats like a monster--every few hours a bottle or solid food. He wakes at 4am for a bottle--UGH. I guess he is growing again!

Work is going fine for both Vin and Ang. The soccer club never has a dull moment and Vin's job is the same--winter injury repair.

Speaking of winter--It is snowing here today and will be for the next five days. That stinks! I am very ready for winter to go away and for the warm sun and blue skies to come out!

I am waiting for the sitter to come over so I can go to the gym--I hope the roads aren't too bad arleady...I really want to work out!

Hope all is well...till our next blogging!

St Patt's Day

2007-03-18T15:48:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to pass along some photos I took on St Patt's Day.

Vance and I hung out at home in the am so I could read my school books.

Vin went skiing in the fresh 12 inches of snow that fell Friday night. He had a great time and spent the entire day hiking with a friend to find fresh tracks in the trees. Apparently it was well worth it and he came home very tired.

We then went to a St. Pat's Day party where Vance was voted "most Irish" for his red hair and green leprechaun outfit. (He actually did look Irish and yes his hair has Angie's red highlights.)

Vance is rolling all over the floor and loves the TV unit. He pulls out the Nintendo every chance he gets and rolls up in the cords...fun for mom to unroll him. I guess I need to kid proof the house very soon.

Angie worked half day Sunday at soccer with Vance--he was the team mascot and was a very good boy. Vin is again skiing in the fresh 10 inches we got last night. He did call me at noon and say today was the best day of the year! So fun for him! He loves the snow...I am ready for 80 degree days and SUN myself.

We are well and loving Vance a ton...love ya

Family Day Out

2007-03-04T16:55:00.000-05:00

Our little family spend today playing in the fresh snow on the side of Stowe Pinnacle. The pinnacle is a popular hiking/snowshoeing spot near stowe. Angie had Vance on her back in the backpack and was on snowshoes, Vin acsended on his skis and skins so that he could ski on the way down.

Vin found some nice powder to ski and a small rock to jump off, but the snow was so deep he dissappeared on the landing......poooooooffffff, so deep, lots of fun.

Nala was with us a well and she is probably going to sleep for the next 2 days straight, the 3 legged wonder probably trippled out distance today....

Snow Storm of 2007

2007-02-23T16:52:00.000-05:00

So they say this storm was the biggest in 3 years for VT. The mountains say they received over 85 inches of snow in February alone. NICE.

The mound of snow that you see happens to be my car under three fee of snow. That was fun to dig out.

Vin has enjoyed skiing on a few great powder days. I have also been boarding and am really starting to enjoy it.

There is a pic of me on my snowboard...YEAH..what fun.

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T09:43:00.000-05:00

Vance would like to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day with his "Little Casanova" shirt and his first hair cut that mom gave him this am...

We are rushing around the house trying to get out to go skiing. We have a foot of snow on the ground already and another on the way. Vance is headed to our neighbors and we will brave the snow to hopefully have the best day of the year!

We hope you all enjoy your day...we love you!

Six months old!

2007-02-02T11:39:00.000-05:00

Vance is six months old--wow!
I just wanted to share some pictures and some thoughts with you today.

Hard to believe that my little guy is half a year.

Only goes to show how time really does fly by.

Three photos: Vance is with the dogs in his bouncer...this is an everyday occurrence. And Vance and mommy.

He has learned to roll from his back to his belly and today he just figured out how to go from his belly to his back.
So I call him a "floppy fish"...he just flops back and forth. It is very cool to see him reach his stages.

The dogs are doing great...Reese is healing and using her leg more often. They are very interested here because mom has cheese.

I am doing work--or trying to. I have a BUNCH of tournament work to do and typing for the soccer club. I decided to return to teaching in the fall and since that decision have been sleeping much better.

Vin is at work now and glad it is a Friday...enjoy the weekend every one!

Changes...

2007-01-24T12:35:00.000-05:00

It is completely amazing to look at Vance and see him change right before your eyes. Just today he woke up and looked different to me so I took some photos to share.

He is almost 6 months old now. On Jan 19th (at Grandmas) he rolled over onto his belly for the first time. He does it all the time now when you place him on his back. So no more leaving him on top of things or unattended.

When he is on his belly he tries to use his feet and knees to scoot. Oh NO! Next you tell me he will crawl...YIKES!.

We spent the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Codella--that was fun for Vance to have someone to play with and for the dogs to get long walks with grandpa. Vance also graduated to his next car seat. The bucket was too small so we had to get another seat--it is cool and takes up lots of room. Except now I have to carry him into stores and such...huh.

All is well. Vin returned from Colorado skiing with his buds...I will let him post and tell you about that. Reese is doing well with her new ACL. She tries to walk on her leg and gets to go on five minute walks in the yard. Nala--yes is still a spaz! Angie is working hard at Nordic trying to get things in order for the club. She has decided to return to teaching in the fall...coaching is one thing but running a club is another. It actually doesn't allow much time for Vance or Vin, so teaching will reduce the amount I work. HUH, who would have thought! In order to keep teaching Angie is taking another class she needs to get her health certificate--"Sexuality and Intamacy." Should be interesting...wonder what my homework will be... :)

My friend Maria and her three dogs are over today--great photo ops for the dogs and Vance. This dog is Bristol (10 month old Rotty 90 pounds--big boy)...he and Vance were visiting with each other..it was so cute!

Hope all is well...we'll keep you posted.

Cold Germs

2007-01-11T09:09:00.000-05:00

This might be the only time you will ever hear me wish for COLD weather!

I have been sick for over a week. No voice, head about to explode, ear aches, cough that just won't quit, body aches, and even eye goobers...that's right! I finally got so sick of not sleeping that I went to the doctor. She said: "Join the crowd. The cold bug is so bad this year that it lasts for two to four weeks because the weather has not been cold enough to kill the jerms." GREAT...just what you want your doc to say. She gave me some gels to swallow to keep the cough instinct at bay and some Codine in cough syrup--which is my favorite to help me sleep.

Vance has been sick as well but not nearly as bad as mommy. He has stuffy nose, eye goobers and a cough, but all are subsiding this week. Plus he is such a happy baby you would never know if he felt bad or not--I am not complaining.

Speaking of Vance--which we always do it seems :) He was given a jumper seat that hangs from a doorway--we rigged it to the beam in the living room--and he LOVES it. He jumps and swings his legs all over the place.

He likes it so much that a few times he even fell asleep in it. So cute! Doesn't look that comfortable though does it. Gives new meaning to "sleep like a baby". And NO I don't leave him there I move him to a comfy bed.

Our dogs are good. Reese had knee surgery on Monday and I picked her up on Tuesday. She has been great. She is on three legs--something we are used to around here.--but seems to have no problem with it. You can see her shaved leg and scar on her knee. "And for only 1500 dollars she now has a new knee..." Seems like a bargan! YIKES. We hope it works out for her and she can return to playing like a maniac with her sister Nala. The vet said 2-3 weeks on leash to go to the bathroom, then short walks on leash, then about 6-8 weeks she will be able to return to play. She does stairs, furniture and still pulls her leash...so not much can slow her down.

Other news around here--Angie has to decide to return to teaching or stay at home within the month...stay tuned...she has not figured that out yet.

Vin is headed to Colorado--where they keep getting dumped on--next week for his ski trip with the boys. He is pumped to say the least. He is not happy with me right now though because the last two day he woke with the dreaded sore throat. You should see him pop every cold remedy he can find--prevention he says. Anyway--we hope he avoids it. He has been the glue holding this family together for the last week doing night feedings with Vance and taking care of Angie. He has been great and deserves this little ski trip--we hope he has fun.

Take care, stay well! We'll keep you posted on happenings!

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T19:40:00.000-05:00

We have been up to a lot (a lot of traveling that is...) in the closing of the year.

We spent Saturday at Sugarbush mountain snowboarding and skiing with friends while Vance spent the day with a babysitter. We had a great time on the mountain and were actually surprised by 6 inches of fresh powder. It made things a lot softer for Angie when she crashed--Vin even had a yard sale as he hit some water bars too fast. So, besides being sore for the last few days it was great.

Sunday Vin decided to get up early and hit Smugg's for half day to get in shape for his trip to Colorado. He was sore too, but not nearly as bad as Angie. Not doing anything for a year, having a baby, and then starting off snowboarding introduces a whole new level of soreness...when even your forearms hurt, you know you are in trouble.

Sunday Angie and Vance decided to go on a walk to work out some of the soreness...Vance is in his snowsuit. We took the dogs, the jogging stroller and hit the snow covered roads. I think the next thing I will look for is some type of sled--the dogs just want to PULL! We had fun--and if you are wondering...Angie was still way sore after the walk.
Vance is so cute! Thanks Grandma Madeline for the suit.

For New Years we headed to Bristol VT and stayed overnight with some friends. We ate, chatted, chased kids, and played games--boy has New Year changed! We were in bed by 1:30am and up by 7:30am. (Babies just don't like to sleep in I guess.)
We then traveled to Williston and ate lunch with friends from Milton. (A daughter, Bailey, played for Angie a few years back and we keep in touch with the family--they are great people). We visited with them, ate a great meal at Zachary's pizza. They held Vance and tomorrow Bailey will return to warm/sunny Florida--I am jealous! We enjoyed the lunch guys!

Here is Vance and his official five month old picture. I have taken one each month and will do some type of scrap book page with all the 12 months. That is my contribution to his book--which I have not started yet...:) He has a little cold so you may see snots running from his nose, but that just adds to the photo. He loves his excer-saucer and plays in it all the time.

Happy New Year everyone...and keep checking the blog for updates.

(I am going to try to update it weekly---one of my resolutions for this year.)

Baby's First C'mas

2006-12-28T18:30:00.000-05:00

Vance's first Christmas with the Faraci family on Dec 23rd.

We traveled down to Roxbury, NY on Friday the 22nd to stay with Vin's family for a few days. Our trip down was uneventful--thankfully.

For the last 30 min of the trip however we were unlucky enough to get behind a VERY drunk driver. He was swerving all over the road and was lucky not to kill anyone. We watched helplessly as this driver swerved from ditch to ditch. Each time a car was coming at him he would drive into the headlights and barely missed four cars and a tractor-trailer. He was on the opposite side of the road more than he was on his own. He was in front of us and we kept our distance, but we were helpless--as no cell phones work down there. It wasn't until he finally came to a full stop in the road and turned off into a trailer park that we could get around him, take his license plate, and make of car, and then put as much distance between us as we could. We then stopped at Vin's brother's house and called the local sheriff. I have not idea what happened...it was very stressful to witness and you could say all of us on that road were very lucky that night!

Saturday we were surrounded by family from all over NY. Vin's sister, husband and two boys (Sue, Dan, Brian and Eric) were down from Oswego, both brothers and family (Thom, Lisa, Kenndey, and Matt) and (Gary, Carolynn, Shane, Kyle) as well as aunt Jean from Rochester. We had about 19 people and lots of food...Oh and gifts galore.
We made a trip out to see Grandma Cammer with all of us and had a great time. She met her great-grandson Vance for the first time. (that photo is above)
We ate four chickens--which by the way cannot be cooked in one pot, in one oven...we tried...it didn't work. We had lots of other food as well and deserts.
Opening packages with 19 people was a free-for-all. Vance received lots of gifts and love from everyone. We took the photo of Vance and Vin's baby picture to show the resemblance between the two. He is definitely a Faraci baby with the Codella cheeks! So CUTE!

On Sunday morning we decided to work off some of that food and played in the local school gym--Thom is the athletic director. Vin's family is full of athletes and we decided to play friendly dodge ball and kickball.
Let's just say by the time we were done, all the adults were tired, the kids worn out, Thom had a torn shirt by brother Vin from a tackle at 2nd base (since when is there tackling in kickball?) and I walked out (yes, walked out...) on a swollen knee and a sore back. We all acted like 12 year old, no matter what our age, but had a blast. Thank goodness for hot tubs and heat packs!

On Monday morning we stopped at each brothers house to check out their C'mas loot and then headed up to Nisky to stay with Angie's parents for a night. Vance received more gifts and love, and so did the pups. We ate a great turkey dinner, prepared by mom, and watched a few movies. On Tues we headed back to VT so Vin could return to work Wed.

That was Vance's first C'mas. He has lots of new clothes to wear and toys to play with.

Vin and I are back to work. I have a soccer tourney tomorrow from 10am-3pm. I will get my first experience with Vance on my belly for a day of soccer, we will see how well I can coach with a 4 month old helping... Then Sat we hired a sitter so Vin and I can go skiing/snowboarding. (I am not sure it is a good idea...because I have not been on my snowboard for over a year...yikes.) Then Sunday for New Years Eve we will head down to Bristol to spend it with friends.

Hope everyone had a great holiday...and happy new year...

Family Updates

2006-12-13T11:49:00.000-05:00

For those of you following the Faraci family blog here are some updates for this week:

1) Reese was going in for ACL surgery today but we cancelled. After talking to our friend, Maria, she convinced us to see a different Vet. So now Reese will go in for ACL knee surgery on Jan 8th--after the holidays.

2) This is an old picture but still nice. Vance has changed so much and I would like to think I look 10 pounds lighter myself.

3) Work is good for both Vin and Angie--just very busy...but who isn't busy with work?

4) Nala is great--can't leave her out. Both dogs love Vance and try to kiss him all the time and lay with him. It is very cute.

5) You won't believe this one...I actually did yard work today for an hour while Vance slept. That's right...I was raking my yard and clearing flower beds on Dec 13th. There is no snow, rain, and warm weather...WOW.

6) And you guessed it, Vin has skied only twice! He is very upset about the weather pattern...I hear him complain every day.

7) We are officially done with C'mas shopping--YEAH. Now we just have to wrap and ship.

8) And speaking of C'mas...my parents bought us a 20" flat screen computer monitor and I just LOVE it! It is the one thing I stare at all day for hours...it's great...we LOVE it--thanks. We even went high tech and made the house wireless so I can use my lap top on the internet from the couch if I wish...so cool! So those are all the techy updates.

That's it for now...updates later this week or next.

Four months old

2006-12-05T11:56:00.000-05:00

Vance is officially four months old. WOW...it goes by fast.
It is a lot of fun to see all of the changes he goes through. He gained about two pounds when we were gone in Vegas and Vin was so shocked to see how big he got when we came home.
He is quite the big boy. He likes to sit up. He likes to bounce in your arms. He likes to stand with help from mom and dad of course. He also likes to laugh at Dad and his funny faces/noises.
The two of them spent guys day together on Sunday setting up our new surround sound stereo system in the living room. They rocked out all day. It sounds great. Now I keep telling Vin to get me my LCD big TV I want...we'll see.
Vance seems to like all noises and motions on the TV too. I tell Vin he would love a big TV for Cmas...he he.
Vance is our cutie and has lots of hair. We are trying to figure out if we need to cut it or let it grow and see how long and shaggy it actually gets.

Things are busy at home. Angie is bogged down with lots of Nordic work and her class. Luckily the class ends Wed so she has one exam left! YEAH. Nordic however is ongoing and a lot of work...but she knew that.
Vin is doing great at work...he likes the hours and people there. We will see how well he handles the ski season though...he can't ski everyday like he used to.

Reese--our dog--is headed for knee surgery on Wed next week. Then we will have to care for her. but it is so sad to see her limp around that we just have to do this. SO rehab on the dog is next.

That's it...hope everyone is well. Happy holidays!

Las Vegas and back to VT

2006-12-05T11:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Las Vegas Thanksgiving...and back to Vermont.
Vance and I have returned to Vermont to find a new kitchen/dining room hardwood floor. Vinny was very busy and did a great job on the floor. Here is the picture of the kitchen table and new floor.

Next you will see a very funny photo of my nephew Dominic. We are on the trampoline in the backyard. It was a great hit with all the family...even Vance loved to bounce in my arms.

Vance and I found time each morning to walk in the 70 degree weather. Boy how I miss that now since it is snowing in VT.
My niece Elliana in the car...we did a lot of traveling around in the family Sequoia (like I can spell that one!)

And the last photo is for my mom. She bought the dogs a toy for Cmas and attached it to a pile of dog food cans. Wouldn't you know they found it and started to drag the food across the floor in order to get the toy. They are great dogs!

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T23:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving from LAs Vegas! Vance and Angie are having a great time with famliy.

The airplane ride was fine...not too many disturbances. Vance only cried twice because the pilot and attendents kept waking him up! How dare they.

Vance has loved getting attention from Vic and Pete and Ellie and Dom. Also with the addition of Brian, Mel, Carter, Luke and AJ there is never a dull moment in the house. Tomorrow we head to take a family photo of all the grandkids...I will let you know what happens.
Vance is here enjoying hte BIG screen TV. He is reclined and glued to this TV...I don't blame him...it's awesome!
Here is the Turkey centerpiece for the table. Mel had the assigment and I just helped. It became the project of the day! Once we finished we were so proud of Ted Turkey that we decided to let him run in the field. (Vic brother painting on the wall.) Looks real though eh?
Enjoy!

Vance at 3 months

2006-11-05T18:51:00.000-05:00

Okay, my official protest of dial-up is over. (It has only been one month since I was able to post pictures of Vance for all to see.)

Vance is in his car seat laughing and cooing. Vin's sister, Sue, was infront of home making noises and faces...no wonder Vance was laughing...he, he.

Vance next to the pumkin. HIs first Halloween and no costume, but he did pose behind the lit pumkin that Vin and our niece and nephew, Kennedy and Matt, helped us carve.
And the bath photo...doesn't every baby take a bath photo? In this one you would think we posed Vance, but no...he has his supermodel pose down all by himself. He loves baths, can you tell?

Dial-up SUCKS...

2006-10-12T15:17:00.000-05:00

Excuse my French...but nothing is slower than dial-up. My internet is slower than maple syrup! I have tried to post pictures but that would require me to start in the am and finish in the pm! UGH...

Luckily for us the cable guys were digging in the front yard just today...they can't work fast enough for me...

I want to post pictures of Julee's visit and the trip up the mountain...but again that would take a few days...and I don't have the patience for that right now.

Vin's Knee Surgery: The doc cleaned up a few cartilage tears and smoothed things out. So for now his knee is okay...he is walking on it now and just has to keep the swelling down. The doc will report more to Vin later on what is next.

Other than that...you will all have to wait until I get cable so I can post some more great pictures of little Vance. He is growing a lot. He has his two month shots on Monday and I am not looking forward to it. I think it may be worse on me than him.

Will keep you posted...

Weekend Visitor

2006-10-09T20:16:00.000-05:00

This past weekend one of my first students--Julee--came up to visit little Vance guy. It was great to have her here but she makes me feel very old. I began teaching the year she was on my soccer team...she has already graduated from college and is teaching!!! UGH...how old does that make me feel?

BUT I was very glad she made the trip north to see the little one. We even got Vance to giggle--just once---but that had to count for something.

It was a beautiful weekend here in VT with the leaves over peak, but still great. The sun was out and it was so nice. So we decided to take a Gondola ride up Stowe. Vin showed us all of the off-trail skiing he does...places like the Rock Garden, the Ktichen Wall, Deadman's Crevas--I made the last one up--but from the looks of it all of the trails he was talking about look very steep and dangerous. I told him to never show me again where he goes. I would rather not know!

2 Months

2006-10-06T18:26:00.000-05:00

Vance is over two months old...and learning to smile. Here are some photos that show his great, gummy smile. So cute, we think. This first photo he has his "Spit Happens" shirt on (thanks Kathy.) AND that is so true!

Things at home are never boring. One week ago Nala ended up at the emergency Vet becuase Reese body checked her into a tree. Some rib and hip soreness have kept her imoble for almost a week. Vin has carried her up and down stairs for about a week. She was also on some major pain pills--which made her froth at the mouth and wander. One time I found her staring at the baby crib--Vance wasn't even in there. Then she went into the bathroom and curled up by the toilet...huh...she was very hopped up on drugs...good for her. Nala is much better now--wagging tails and climbing stairs..

We took these pics on Vin's phone. We had fun trying to capture his small smile.

Vin is going to have knee surgery on the 12th. A little "dope and scope." Just to clean things up a bit. He decided this the other day...and due to the fact he works with the doctors he got in FAST. So we will see how I do taking care of my 'biggest baby'...actually Vin should only be down for a few days and back to work...we HOPE.

We are looking forward to his mom, dad and sister coming up next weekend. Can't wait for Sue to meet little Vance and for Helen and Charlie to see Vance much bigger. He is about 23 inches long now and 12 pounds. Yikes..

I am staying very, very, very, busy with Nordic soccer stuff and my nutrition class. Not to mention every day carting around Vance to meetins and errrands. This past week not only did I cart Vance, but I took the dogs to keep an eye on Nala. Very fun.
Vance is an honorary member of meetings and people always ask to hold him. So believe me, he will be a people person whether he likes it or not.
Well, I guess that's it...we are all doing well and life is rushing right at us...:)

Cool Vance with Dad

2006-09-23T19:49:00.000-05:00

Vin and Vance sitting on the sofa...who's the coolest of them all?

Vance of course in papa's sunglasses. Never too young to wear shades.

The last few weeks have been very eventful. I had my younger brother here with his three boys and wife, and my parents. WE had a great time and I was so glad they could visit.
I have been very busy with the administrative side of the soccer club. I cannot believe that I used to do this and teach...ugh...way too much to do and little time to do it in. Vin has been busy at work but loves the hours and weekends off. We have had a lot of family time together and really enjoy each other.

Vance has been great. He sleeps and eats plenty. I have been able to give him the bottle (of mom's milk) or the real thing...he doesn't care. He is just chill about things. He travels with me all over as well--to meetings and soccer events--he is a very relaxed baby.

At home he goes through outfits and outfits--so thanks for buying him clothes people! He pees right through everything. The other day he even pooped through his diaper, clothes, onto my arm, down my pant leg, and dripped onto the carpet. That was SO FUN...I had to rush him to the sink, keep the dogs from licking my pants and the carpet, and wipe poop on the light switches...apperantly it was all over the place. I keep asking Vin why Vance chooses to pee, puke or poop on mommy...Vin's answer..."He and Vance have a deal, only to do those things on mommy." Nice eh, the boys are already ganging up on mommy.

Vance has also started to hold his head up and smile. That is very fun to watch.
So all is well and we are doing fine...

Sorry it takes so long to change my blog...time just gets away from me! :)

Labor Day Weekend

2006-09-05T12:39:00.000-05:00

We had a couple of firsts this weekend for Vance and for Vin. Here they are...
One: On Friday Vin and I took Vance to his first soccer game at JSC. We figured we would visit our friends at JSC and see the men play vs Plattsburgh. (JSC lost 3-0 to 11 nationally ranked Platts-- not bad).
Plus is was a beautiful day outside. We dressed Vance in his sports gear and sneakers and off we went. We brought the dogs as well--who gave Vin a run for his money during the game because Nala thinks the soccer ball is hers! It was also fun for Vin to not have to work the game but actually watch it.
He also realized he was not going to have to work the whole weekend as JSC had games Friday, Sat and Sun. WOW a first Labor weekend Free with Vin! Here Vance is with Vin...and myself in his outfit and sneakers.

Two: On Saturday we went to hike Smugg's with the dogs and show Vance the mountain. Vin says Vance will be skiing by age 2... We also "had to" purchse Vin's ski pass for the season. Which he will hopefully use to its fullest this year--as Vin is predicting a good winter.
Sat night we were all so tired we went to sleep early. Vance and Nala went first. These are the cutest photos and I just had to post them. Vance and Nala curled in ball. They both slept for a while like this--it was so cute!

Three: On Sunday we did nothing but house stuff, clean, and Angie read her school nutrition info. Vin showed Vance his first ski movie as well. Vin was informing Vance of all the mountains they are going to ski, helicopters they are going to jump out of, and cliffs they are going to huck. Nice eh? It was great to have time as a family. Another series of firsts...time together!

Four: Monday we had a Labor Day party at the Monty's. (Members of Angie's previous soccer team at Nordic...a great group of people.) All the girls Angie coached are now juniors in college and most are playing soccer at some level. So we get together with the parents each year for fun. This year everyone wanted to meet Vance and gave generous baby gifts. (The clothes, books and items are great--thank you!)
We ate outside and hung out for quite a while. Vance was an angel and got held and suggled all day. We also had offers for babysitters from all those "empty nesters". Vin was practically passing around a sign-up for ski season babysitting.
Here is Vance with Pattie Mannino. He loves the attention...

So those were the four firsts for Vance and Vin this weekend.
We are looking forward to seeing Angie's brother and his family this coming week or next.
All is well...more photos to come...

Vance Visitors

2006-08-30T17:37:00.000-05:00

We have had a great time visiting with family and friends since the birth of Vance. To the left is a college friend Michelle (Babyak) and her son Peter..so cute!

We have loved having you all up here and would love to see more of our family and friends if you are up to it. Just let us know...we just want to show off Vance's cute curls on his head!

Here are some recent photos of all the visitors...
Grandpa Madeline and Grandma Pete with 1 week old Vance. At the house.

Grandma Faraci with cousin Kenndey in Stowe on our outing...Vance was really good as we shopped and ate ice cream! Vance is two weeks old here.

Gary, Carolynn and Kyle, plus Vin...I am taking the photo and Vance is sleeping on my chest in the belly pack. We went fishing and walking in the stream...it was really cold, but fun! Gary even caught a fish. Vance is 3 weeks old

College friend Monica chasing after her daughter Ashlynn.. we had one two year old, and two babies, plus sleeping Vance...boy did we have fun. At one point cereal went flying across the kitchen floor due to Justin's bowl fling...the dogs cleaned that up fast.

And finally...just Vance at 4 weeks old...cannot believe he is a month old already! Just love those socks. He is growing and eating like a champ. He loves riding in the car with mom to all her meetings and has slept through everyone so far. He also likes the long walks with the doggies...what a trooper.

Short and Sweet

2006-08-23T12:25:00.000-05:00

Vance at two weeks and his first house party...what a trooper.

All is well in the Faraci family.

FINALLY...... Vance Michael Faraci!!!!!!!!!!

2006-08-02T15:06:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!!!Well the day has finally come and Vance has arrived. He showed up finally on Aug 1 at 1:01 a.m. Angie went into labor on her own Sunday night but the decision had been made to induce her last week since she was approaching 42.5 weeks. So she got 2 doses of medication to induce labor at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. which was enough to get things moving along. After that she labored for a few hours and I tried to help out as I could.As things progress the doc finally decided that he wanted to speed the final stages up just a bit and put in an IV drip of pitosin. The next hour or so wasn't too much fun for anyone but it did the trick. Ang only spent about 45 minutes pushing and then Vance was born. I was able to catch him as he came out and cut the cord.Vance weighs in at 7 lbs. 5 oz and is 21 inches long with a lot of very thick brown hair. I'm happy to say the both are happy and healthy.

Almost August...

2006-07-29T11:06:00.000-05:00

Well, there is no definate news yet...baby is still comfortable inside Angie's belly.

But we are going to induce on Monday no matter what. So hopefully we will have a baby Vance by Tues at the latest. So be sure to check the blogsphere sometime then.

That's all the news...

Short and sweet---hopefully how the delivery will go :)

Doctor Appt. July 24th...

2006-07-24T16:57:00.000-05:00

So, the next doctors appointment has come and gone...and No baby yet.

Vance seems to be bound and determined to stay just where he is. The doc said I am just not ready to go yet. So we made a plan to induce labor on Monday the 31st...if I go that long. Vance could also decide to come out earlier and make everyone more happy...especially Mom.

The problem now is that my insurance switches August 1st. So it may not cover me on August 1st because this is a "pre-existing condition". If we induced July 31st, the baby would probably be born August 1st...so therein lies the problem. I carried the baby for nine months and now we have insurance issues...ugh...

So now we are in conversation with the inssurance people to make sure we are covered and then we must decide to have the baby this week or next.

Either way he has to be deliverd soon...

So keep your fingers crossed that he decides to come this week on his own...we are all fine and still in the holding pattern.

Actually today Vin and my Dad built Kayak storage in the shed so that kept them busy. (Vin is about to lose it I think...he doesn't like to be kept wating.)

I spent more than half the day on the computer doing Nordic work and my Mom helped me with typing and layout of flyers and handouts. Then we took a break to go to the local "Bucks Furniture" and buy a ktchen table set--which I love and will get in a few weeks. YEAH...my highlight of the day!

So anyway---if you are all wondering..that's what's up!

Take care...will keep you posted... Angie and Vin

The Due date has arrived...

2006-07-18T12:24:00.000-05:00

Well the baby due date has arrived and I feel will pass without baby Vance entering into the world...

He seems to be on his own clendar...so again we are in, what Vin calls, "The Holding Pattern."

I am still working from home doing all the Nordic soccer club items I can...I am the Director of Operations--nice official title. So I am working on advertising for tryouts and getting the administrative parts completed before the baby arrival. Vin is at home going stir crazy...he starts a new job Aug 1st as as the baby takes longer to get here he gets a bit more neverous that he cannot help as much as he should. Hopefully he just won't go to work completely exahusted, since I too still have responsiblities to the soccer club during baby arrival. Nothing like planning on our part.

We have been trying to stay cool here in VT. Believe it or not it is HOT. Very humid and muggy as well. Last night we slept in the basement--with two fans on us as well. It was 9 degrees cooler down there than the first floor, not to mention 13 cooler than the bedrooms. Don't worry, the basement is a finished room with small bed. The dogs even enjoyed the releif. It was so much cooler!

Yesterday Vin and I were so hot we went out and bought another kayak at noon. So now we each have a kayak. We went to the reservior and rowed for a bit...people laughing at me asking if my obstitritian makes boat calls. But I did not care...we rowed to the rock, docked the boats and swam for an hour. I actually floated...I seem to float very well right now! It was fun and very refreshing.

Nala and Reese have been staying home recently becuase Reese is hurt. We are not sure if it is her knee or ACL, or hip. BUT either way she is very ginger on her rear left leg. So we take them out once a week to get to the water and then she limps the rest of the time. We are sad, and trying to heal her if we can. She is on pain meds and muscle relaxors and "hippie tea" as Vin calls it. Some herbs that our dog friend suggested. We hope to give her lots of rest after the baby comes.

I have lots of pictures I would love to post, but my computer is on dial-up so that would take forever! I have pics of myself floating belly up in the water...and it is pretty funny!

Anyway...will keep you posted and hopefully the next time we write it will be with photos of baby Vance...

Angie

Vin's Race reports and a couple pics

2006-07-12T12:42:00.000-05:00

On June 24 I raced in the Tupper Lake Tinman 1/2 iron distance race 1.2 mi swim/56 mi bike/ 13.1 mi run. The day started off at around 7:00 with a dense fog that prevented seeing even the first buoy on the swim course. But within 45 minutes the fog lifted and it turned to a bluebird day. The water was a refreshing and wetsuit legal 72 deg. I was in the 3rd wave out with about 150 others in my wave. As the horn sounded all 150 swimmers stated a mad sprint to get into a space and get a rhythm started. I had a decent amount of body contact during the first 1/4 mile but after that it become a bit more spaced out and didn't really have much trouble with bumping into people until the fast swimmers from the waves behind me caught up. When that happens you tend to have people swimmng over the backs of your legs and stuff like that. It sounds alot worse than it is. Some people do kind of freak out when that happens but for me it is now just part of the day. I exited the water feeling pretty good with a 39:50 for 1.2 mi. Which is a bit slow for me. I need to learn how to swim faster and keep a straighter line. All the course corrections cost me some time.

I had a good transition and headed out on the bike. My goal for the bike was to keep it under 3 hours (~19 mph). For those that don't know where Tupper Lake is, it is in the Adirondacks of NY state. "Rolling terrain" is kind of an understatement since we aer in the Adirondacks after all. There were a few decent sized climbs but nothing too huge. I felt really good on the bike and immediately started passing many racers. At the turn around (28 mi) I was 1:20 into the ride averaging well over 20 mph. But as soon as we make the turn I realized there had been a light tailwind with us. I was thinking "I don't think I can hold this speed for another 28 mi with a headwind." But to my suprise I was only 3 minutes slower on the return and ended the bike with a 2:43(20.6 mph ave) for 56 miles. The bike felt easy to me, probably too easy.............

As I exited the second transition I was feeling pretty good. My goal was to run about a 8 min/mi pace. My first mile was a 7:45 mostly uphill, not bad but I decided this was still a bit too fast and slowed to my goal pace of 8:00 which I held for about the next 4-5 miles and then proceeded to blow up. I slowed to an 8:30 pace then 8:45 by mile 8. The last 5 miles were a struggle. I felt like my legs were going to fall off. I wasn't even breathing hard, I just had no gas left. By the end of the run my pace was well over 9min/mi and ended the run with a 1:58 (9:01/mi ave). My overall time of 5:24:07 was still within my goal range of 5- 5.5 hrs so I pretty happy with than and I'll chalk the explosion on the run up to a learning process. I think I could have gone slightly slower on the bike and not have lost quite so much time on the run. I also need to eat more on the bike. I probably only took in ~550-600 calories on the bike and I should have been closer to 750. I also need to learn how to swim faster and straighter.

Here's a pic of me at the finish
still managing a small but painful smile

But overall I am very happy with my performance and just glad to have achieved my goal of completeing a 1/2 iron race.

The following week, I entered a sprint tri, which got turned in to a duathlon due to the fact that the water in that part of Lake Champlain we were going to be swimming in was not fit for swimming....ick... So it turned into a run-bike-run format of 3.1mi-15mi-3.1 mi. I PR'd the first 5K run in a time of 20:38, had a pretty decent bike and then kind of slowed with a second run of ~23 min. I ended up with a sore hamstring from the second run that is still kind of nagging. But I was 18 overall with a time of ~1:29 and change

This past Sunday was yet again another race day for me. This time in Fairlee, VT. I raced there last year as well and it is such a nice lake and well organized race I decided to go back sore hammy and all. This is a slightly longer race, olympic distance. But this year it was shorter than last due to some poor road conditions on part of the bike course. Distances were .75S/17B/5R.
Yet again my typical race routine went into effect slow swim 238/600, fast bike 90/600, and ok on the run 168/600. I ended up 151/600 overall and about halfway up in my age group.

That's it for me I think until after the baby comes and I get to see exactly how tired I can really be.

Thanks for reading

Vin

What we Are up to...and baby updates

2006-07-03T10:14:00.000-05:00

Vin made shelves for the baby room. The first shelves, by the rocking chair, he had help from my dad and his dad. They did a great job building the unit and then Vin stained and finshed it. The other shelf unit, Vin designed on his own to fit the celing and wall...looks neat eh? He did a great job, baby Vance will be so proud of his dad!

My friend Kathy came up to visit with her two girls. It was fun to see her again. Here we are in the kitchen. My 37 weeks prego belly...nice. Notice she is in jeans and a sweater, while I am in a tank and shorts! Can you tell I am warm all of the time!
Reese has found a new spot to sleep when we work on the computer. We placed the toy chest uder the window for the baby, and Reese has found she loves to sit on it and look out the window. Then when she gets bored she lays down and looks at us. So CUTE!

Vin raced in his first 1/2 Ironman and has pictures yet to come. BUT last Wed night I headed down to Waterbury with him for a fun time-trial on his bike. I took the dogs and the truck and follwed the course. I would pull over periodically to cheer and take photos. This photo is of him climbing the last part of the course. He road 12.5 miles in 22.5 mph. So he did well and is getting faster on his bike.

I had another doctor apt today and nothing new. I am fine, baby is fine and still growing. We are all just wating on Vance now to decide to come! I am not having any contractions or very many Braxton Hicks for that matter. So we are just waiting...

Four weeks give or take...

2006-06-19T15:20:00.000-05:00

Let the countdown begin. I had my 36th week checkup today and all is well.
Last weekend my parents and Vin's were up to help us with the baby room set-up.
The picture on the left is me by the crib...if you couldn't tell. Puppy Dog theme and all.

The picture above is my mother and I by the rocking chair. More puppy dog themed items. (If you are wondering my mom did all the curtains, fabric choices, lamps, wall decor, and ect...thanks goodness for my MOM.) Below is the closet wall and dresser full of Vances clothes (the closet still has my clothes...ugh)

Then there is the happy Vincent and Nala and I in the rocker...Nala wanted to be loved too.

And last but not least...the two people who made the room all possible...Vin's mom Helen and my mom. Without those two I have no idea who would have gotten this room ready.
I had a great time having all four parents here and was so relieved they wanted to help with the baby room. It was an awesome weekend.
The men even built a shelf unit for the wall to hold all the baskets in. Vin finished it this week and it looks great.

We are gearing up for the big day...who know when that will be, but it could be any time. I am ready with this heat...I don't know how my sister-in-law did this in Vegas in July!!! I have one day at 95 and thought I would sweat away into vapor.

Anyway...those are the pics, that is the baby room, and I had my 36th week check-up today and all is well. Baby heart beat good, my stomach still growing, and I am feeling great. I have weekly check-ups now so things are about to get interesting.

Right now I am off to get my child seat installed as a permanent back-seat car fixture...so much for soccer balls...:)

Love to all...

Baby is Head down

2006-06-09T08:17:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to give you the latest update from the baby doctor...we had an appointment yesterday with 6 weeks left to go.

The doc said everything is fine, the heart beat was fine, the baby is growing at the right rate and so am I.

I aksed the doc if he could tell what position the baby was in and he said yes...then he showed Vin and I how to tell.

The baby's head is down already. The doc pushed really hard on my lower, lower belly and said here it is...his head. Then he let me feel and Vin. Then he felt out the back and shoulders and legs. So apperently the baby is head down and back curled to the right side of my belly, legs up and to the left. Which is probably why my tummy is lopsided at times.

The doc also said he did not think the baby would turn again, or move from the head down postition...so maybe we are getting closer.

Everything else is good...dogs are good but sick of more rain, Vin is sick of more rain because it interfers with his trianing in the sun, and I am sick of rain because soccer practices and games are not fun under umbrellas.

School is on its final weeks...two more to go. I have tons to do to get ready for my replacement teacher, but who worries about that? It's her job now...

This weekend Vin's parents and my parents are coming up to help around the house. It will be a fun weekend I am sure...we might even get to finish or begin the baby room. It is a mess and not ready for a baby yet. I will post some pics next week.

Love to all...

Prego updates...and Vin's Triathalon pics and JURY DUTY

2006-06-05T10:20:00.000-05:00

Yes that's right....Angie was selcted to sit on two trials the week of June 27th. Nice. I can't even get out of school and have a break. I have to go sit in an old, upstairs, un-air conditioned court room and listen to two separte trials on two spearte days. I guess the judge had no sympathy for my pregant belly. Can't wait to raise my hand and ask to go to the bathroom in front of the entire courtroom and on permanent court record!

We are at 33 weeks and growing. It was "Formal Friday" at school so I had Vin snap some pictures of me in my only dressy prego outfit. The flowers are out and the dogs were happy as could be to be outside. They each gave me impotmtu kisses.

The baby is doing fine and growing a lot. I never thought I could be bigger but YES here we go. He kicks and moves my entire belly now...which my soccer teams seems to love to watch.

My soccer teams both won the Vt State cup this weekend so they are off to Virginia Beach for Regionals again this year. Only difference is that I will not be going with them...bummer...I loved the beach last year. But the doc said I should not travel after July 1--the exact times my teams are in VB. Oh well...I will have to get phone call updates.

Vin raced yesterday in his sprint distace tri and did very well. Pics posted above with mine. He was 5th overall with a time of 1:11:12, he did a 9:06 500 M swim, a 39:30 13.7 mile bike, and a 22:36 m run. He was happy with his times and feels like doing another one on the 18th, then the 1/2 Ironman on the 24th. I say "more power to him!" And think he is psycho!!!

Right now enjoy the prego pics becuase they won't be around much longer...then they will be baby pics...YEAH :)

Sunny Side of things...

2006-05-30T10:33:00.000-05:00

Finally, here comes the sun. But let's not forget the thunderstorms that come with all the hot, humid weather as well. Just can't win here in VT...

I spent my weekend in Mass with my U15 soccer team playing games in the 90 degree weather. The girls were laughing at me because I was sweating more than they were...and they were playing a game. I guess that's what I get for being pregnant in summer.
The team begged me to hold a "team meeting" at the mall Sunday...so I did. And we all went shopping. At one point I was in Motherhood with 11 15year olds picking out outfits for me. A very funny scene. Something a male soccer coach will never experience...last year at this tourney I was told by an older male ref that" my team played very good for a woman coach..." Luckily that was not repeated this year. Younger refs maybe?

If you care, they played really well--tied 0-0 and only lost 1-0 to two teams who beat us 2-0 and 6-1 just last weekend. So major improvements.

Vin stayed home and painted the baby room doors, and knee wall doors. He also worked the medical tents at the Burlington Marathon on Sunday--the hottest day on record--and seemed to enjoy that.

Mon we were both home and I cleaned and vacuumed everything...for four hours. While Vin was off bike riding and running--training. Then we both did yard work outside for another three hours. Needless to say my back was very sore last night but isn't bad today.

My soccer team seems to enjoy a "rubbing" of the belly for luck. And the baby entertains them on the sidelines as it moves my entire stomach from side to side, or gets the hickups. Very interesting feelings inside...can't wait for the baby to be big enough to come out! 8 More weeks, or 48 days, but who's counting!!!

Rain Rain GO AWAY

2006-05-22T07:45:00.000-05:00

What happened to the day when the sun came out?

We are on day 16 here in VT with all rain and no sign of relief. Everything is flooded and the grasses are so long you would have to bushwhack through if you wanted to walk through the puddles.

Can you tell I am a bit upset about it. Thankfully this past weekend I headed down to Mass for 6 soccer games and it was sunny. We had to play on turf because all the Mass fields are under water, but at least they had that option. If you want to know my teams lost 2 games each, but played hard and tried.

The picture is from four weeks ago when we climed Mt Hunger...Nala was taking a rest on the mountain top.

News Bulletin: Vin wins husband of the year---when I returned last night from my weekend away at 10:30pm...he surprised me with having the baby room all set up. The crib assembled and all the furniture in the right spots. The guest bedroom is now officially part of the basement. I was so excited and very touched. It is fun to walk into a room full of baby furniture and baby stuff. Thanks so much Vin...(and Ben who gave up a Sunday to help Vin with all the assembly and moving.)

Hope all is well with all of you...keep reading the blogg...I see the baby doctor Monday--today. Will let you know the latest.

Baby doctor visit was great. All is fine, heart beat was fast and fun to hear, baby weight okay, mommy weight not looking anymore...but all good news. Now I go in every two weeks to see the doc...that means things are getting closer!

Back to work and HAPPY about it...

2006-05-11T14:06:00.000-05:00

The strike is over and all the teachers are back to work--thank goodness. Negotiations ended Tues night at midnight and we returned Wed am. I have never been so glad to be working. I really did miss teaching and the strike experience and stress related to it is something I hope I never have to do again.

I just read my bothers two bloggs and it is a wonder that people ever get anything done...Everyone is so busy these days...do you think that runs in our family?

The baby is doing fine. Besides using my bladder as a trampoline and trying to scratch its way out...he is doing fine. I have to take pee breaks in the middle of class, in the middle of practices, and in the middle of games. It is always fun to see a pregnant lady running for the bathroom, or port-a-pottie as luck might have it.

I placed pictures of my babies right now...Reese up top with her stuffed pig which used to OINK until she ate the device, and Nala and Vin resting on the sofa...spoiled doggies and husband. BUT got to LOVE them all.

Baby Shower Thanks

2006-05-08T09:36:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who attended my baby shower either in person or spirit. We had a great day of visiting, laughing, opening baby gifts, and eating great food.
I really appreciate everything you all gave for the baby and Vin and I. Thanks so much for your love and friendship. (Enough gushy stuff...) BUT thanks :)

Vin and I made it back to VT safely. You should have seen the truck..packed and overflowing with gifts and dogs. We had an uneventful drive back and even had time to grab Pizza Hut pizza...which Angie had a craving for!!!

Back in VT the Kitchen is full of baby gear because we have not set up the baby room and have no place for things just yet. I cannot believe all the stuff you need for such a little baby...interesting. Not like buying a dog where all you needed was the collar, a leash and food bowls with food. UGH...what's the difference? I wonder?

I am not back at work yet. My union is still on strike (day 3) and things don't look that good for a settlement. On Friday I even found myself on the front page of the Burlington Free Press holding my strike sign and walking the line...nice he? I have reached newspaper status I guess.

Today I have the late shift at strike head-quaters. So I report from 12:30pm t0 6pm to help with lunch and dinner and cleanup. I also have soccer from 5-9pm everynight this week except Thurs which is baby class with Vin. I hope we return to work soon because this strike stuff is way too stressful and full of more hours than my regular workday.

Anyway...baby is doing fine and growing even more. I still have two months left and I am getting bigger by the day. I cannot believe how this works...very interesting and fun to experience.

I am headed outside right now to clean my car--the local robin thinks it's fun to ram the windows and poop on all the doors--I think we may buy a beebee gun soon to show it who's boss.

Oh and I also got called the Jury Duty starting June 5th...I will let you know how that goes...

Anyway...take care, and thanks again for such great baby stuff!!!

Mt Hunger

2006-05-02T16:11:00.000-05:00

Mt Hunger...and no I am not talking about my appetite.
It was my bright idea on the 30th of April on a beautiful 70 degree Vt day to take a hike.
We decided on Mt Hunger because it is an easy 45 min hike to a great summit. Well, that's one trail.
We apperently took the other trail--2 hours straight up with a three legged dog and 7 month pregnant lady. Good choice.. :)
WE had a blast...the dogs loved it, I worked my ass off, literally, and Vin was just a trooper carrying and lifting the three legged dog and pregnant lady back down the mountain.
We climbed rocks, walked on ice and snow, and ate lunch with a beautiful view of the valleys. Sometimes you just can't beat VT. That evening however we were all fighting to see who was going to be more sore. Vin, the dogs, or Angie. We all tied...We were all just beat.

Since then however, our relaxing lifestyle has hit a few bumps. There is a strike in the near future for Angie's school. If no contract settlement by Wed 4pm, the teachers in my district go on strike. So that has been quite stressful for Angie's work atmosphere.
Then Angie's soccer club, Nordic, where she is to work starting September threw out the model she was going to be hired under and are in flux. So again Angie's job is up in the air.

Luckily the baby and I are doing fine. The doc says I am good to grow!!! And getting bigger every day. The baby gets stronger and kicks and moves with force now...wakes me up in the middle of the night and such. Very cool!

Well I guess that's it...I also think it's enough. Will keep you posted on work sagas and baby updates. Can't wait for my shower in NY...and see family and friends this weekend. I need a break!!!

Easter Weekend

2006-04-17T07:38:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, which happened to be Easter, we were visited by Angie's parents. They made the 4 hour trek on Friday and stayed until Sunday afternoon.

Saturday was fun: mom and Angie went to a stamping party all day Saturday and learned how to use stamps and make cards and scrap book pages. Angie also learned that stamping can get addictive and might have found a new hobby. Dad stayed home with the dogs and slept, watched movies, played with the dogs, and went for a doggie walk. While poor Vin had to work all day in the wind, sun and rain in good old Johnson, VT.

We ate Easter dinner Sat. night--which Angie fixed ham, yams, deviled eggs, pineapple, green beans, and such...YES she is trying to become domesticated before the baby arrives. (And of course mom helped.)

Sunday was uneventful...we all slept in, sat around and did nothing until lunch, then my parents got ready to leave and make their ride home to NY.
At which point Angie sat down and graded 3 hours worth of Drug research papers...and Vin went for a nine mile run. The dogs needless to say were with me and they sat at the table with me sniffing the papers I was grading and were bored...Probably as bored as I was grading the papers. (I failed 12 out of 24...nice eh. Apparently I am a mean teacher or the students handed in junk!)

Anyway...we hope all of you enjoyed your weekend, and we will keep you posted on the happenings in VT.

Angie is at week 26 now and growing. She is looking forward to the Baby shower in NY and hopes to see her friends. (Vin will come along as well)

Enjoy...

Angie update...Just thoughts :)

2006-04-06T13:42:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I was warned by my big bother that I had to keep adding to my blog.
The bummer is that I have nothing new to report. I am getting bigger by the minute it seems...and all of it is not baby! So I sport extra large clothes for the first time in my life and I am not loving it.
The only thing that gives me peace of mind is the movement of the baby in my belly...the baby moves a lot, and that I LOVE.

I have been receiving baby clothes from friends...as I unpackaged them and hold them up I can only wonder what the baby boy will look like in this little outfit or that one...I wonder if the baby will have Vin's dark hair and curls, or my blonde and straight...if the baby will look like his dad, or mom, how big will he be...and if he truly will be a boy or if the ultrasound was wrong...Just lots of wondering and longing for this to be over so I can discover the answers and get my own body back!

Vin and the dogs are all doing well. Vin weights about 40 lbs less than I do with all his training. He officially signed up for the Tupper Lake Tin Man 1/2 Ironman race for June 24th...so he has geared up his training. I thought men were supposed to gain sympathy weight when their wives were pregnant, not lose it!!!

I am biking and walking the dogs when I am not working soccer...that is fun but is wearing down my knee...a gentle reminder that I still need to fix that knee when I am cleared to have surgery. Can't wait to pull that off...

That's all the fun stuff I have to report now...Now my younger brother and some friends need to get blogging!!! That's right, I'm calling you all out...blogg away!

No News is Good Gnews...

2006-03-22T09:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, not much happening here on the home or baby front. All things are full speed ahead which is what they always seem to be.

Vin saw the doctor about his leg and found out that the rupture in his muscle fascia will stay that way, if not start to expand over time. If it becomes a problem he will have to get it operated on. So sign up a Faraci for another surgery...We seem to keep the OR in business. :)

I am doing great. My belie is sticking out and my belie button seems to want to join it! My first round of prego shirts are getting tight and I am feeling pregnant now. The baby kicks and squirms all the time, and even woke me up the other night with an OUCH...Vin asked is I was okay and then laughed at me.

I had a funny thing happen last night....I had a JSC athlete of mine drop off a baby gift--so cute--a snuggle blanket and outfit/bib...So cute! I opened up the blanket and dropped it with a screech....

(Now you might be wondering why did I drop it....Well those of you who know me closely know that I can't stand the touch of cotton...It squeaks and feels funny...Gives me the willies...UGH...Creepy crawlies, shivers. HOWEVER...Did you notice that all baby material is made of very soft, squishy, cotton!!! So I am having major issues with touching it.)

Back to the story...So as I dropped the blaket and squealed, my dogs attacked the blanket...NICE eh. Nala went right after the blanket and started pulling on it. Vin had to pull it away from them because I could not. Needless to say, no I have to desensitizing the dogs and make sure they don't attack when I have that reaction. I also have to work on my reaction to cotton, or I will be holding the baby and all the fuzzy, fluffy stuff with rubber gloves...
I know what you are thinking...Major OCD...I know...I am weird.

Anyway...It was funny, and the only fun story to tell about the baby...

AS Garry Gneu said: "No Gnews is Good Gnews"

There's an alien in my leg!!!!!! (Vin)

2006-03-11T08:22:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone this is Vin, Angie asked me to add a post to the blog about what is going on with me.
So last weeekend we got probably our biggest snow storm of the year in N. VT. Smuggs got close to 20 inches!! Needless to say I skied the whole day. In spots the snow was well over knee deep close to mid-thigh deep. For those of you that aren't skiers, that is a good thing. It would look something like this . That's me, for those of you that can't tell what I look like in my ski gear.

On Sunday I went to Jay Peak to ski with some friends. Jay Peak has the reputation for having the most snow of any east coast resort and they did not disappoint on Sunday. What was knee to thigh deep at Smuggs, was nearly waist deep at Jay. But on my second run of the morning as I was skiing in a gladed area (trees) I hit a submerged tree branch just above the top of my ski boot. OUCH!!! Had it been a 1/2 inch lower it would have hit my boot and not been a problem. But alas it was not. For about a half second or so I thought I broke my leg. I heard a snap, which turned out to be the tree branch breaking and some fairly intense pain where it hit. I just kind of lay there for a few minutes to let the pain pass before I moved. I also ended up in a tree well at the base of a pine tree and had to kind of dig my way out of that before I could get up. That is part of the stick in the right of the pic.

After finally getting out of the tree well and getting my skis back on and taking a few more minutes to collect myself from the injury we skied on for a few more runs until lunch. I really couldn't ski very well since any pressure on the front of my shin hurt pretty badly but the snow was sooooo deep that I did not want to stop so I suffered though another 3 or 4 runs. At lunch I was finally able to get a look at my leg and assess the damage. I was not surprised to find a sizable lump on my shin form the impact. After seeing that I called it quits and went home.

It has now been almost a week and the lump is somewhat smaller but is still there. I actually think that I may have rutputed the covering of the muscle (fascia). I can kind of stick my finger tip into the front of my leg where it should be firm. I can also kind of feel the rim of the hole when I feel around. The hole is letting fluid kind of bubble out when I bear weight on the leg. Nice.

The orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Huber, for my teams at JSC visits us on Tuesday so I'll see what he has to say about it then. He is the doc that did surgery on my ankle 2 summers ago and was going to do surgery on Angie's knee before we found out about the pregnancy. The injury probably just a comsmetic kind of thing and the bulge may be there for a while until I decide if I want to have it fixed. It really isn't quite as bad as it looks now that the inital pain is gone.

So far it has not really interfered with my triathlon training. For those of you that do not know, I'm training for a 1/2 ironman distance triathlon in late June. (1.2 mi. swim/56 mi. bike/13.1 mi. run) I can swim and bike without pain as long as I keep some compression on the area but I have not tried to run yet. I'm waiting to see
Dr. Huber on Tuesday before I try running.

Anyway so that is what is new with me.

Vin

What is the baby's sex???

2006-03-03T07:48:00.000-05:00

Okay, we had our ultrasound at the hospital yesterday am...and we found out what we are having...I know you are all excited to hear so I will keep the suspense up a bit longer, he he.

We got to see the baby's head, spine, kidney's, ribs, humerus, femur, arms, legs, feet, bladder, brain parts, heart...and we even got a picture of what the face looks like. (I will post when I get to work and can scan it in.) I tell you it was the coolest thing I have ever seen.

So as the nurse is looking around and showing us all of this on our baby she asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby...we did so she told us: "You have a very active (it was moving around the whole time she was trying to take pictures) baby boy on the way." She showed us his "parts" and it was very evident he is a boy. But then the nurse claimed she could not be held responsible to that claim because if the parts fell off it would be a girl...I thought that was the funniest thing I have heard.

I think Vin was very happy and relieved that he was going to have a son, and not be outnumbered by all his "bitches" (the dogs and wife). Plus he said now we will definitely have a skier in the family because there is no way mom will be able to teach a boy to snowboard...Nice eh?

So we are very excited and looking for boy names now. We had the girl name, but not boy...Any suggestions we would love to hear.

Yesterday Mom and I spent the day shopping for baby furniture and picked out a crib and changing table...It was fun but also expensive. Lots yet to buy and I love to shop so this is fun!

The final doctors update is: we are expecting baby boy Faraci on July 18th. We will keep you posted...Thanks for reading!!!

The Stoweflake Spa

2006-03-03T07:34:00.000-05:00

So here I am on school break and one of my friends suggests we go to the SPA to relax. That was the best idea I have ever heard...

We decided on the Stoweflake Resort and Spa in Stowe Vermont and it was HEAVEN! Actually the best day of "vacation" I have ever had. I chose the Maternity package which included a message, manicure and pedicure. I bought my mom an early mothers day package of facial, manicure and pedicure.

Here is how the day goes...You enter and check into the spa, change and wear a rob and slippers, then await your call for your appointment. While you wait you can enjoy the hot tub, sauna, steam room, mineral baths, or hydrotheropy waterfalls pool. It was so unbelievably beautiful and awesome. WE did everything! We even had a gourmet lunch at the poolside lounge. It was just the best day of doing nothing and getting papmered ever!

I have never had a message before so the entire time I was getting one I was trying to figure out how with all the years I played sports and was physically hurting...how I NEVER had a message!!!

I highly recommend you visit the Stowflake resort and spa if you ever come to VT. It was such a great day...I could even be talked into going again if you need some company.

Baby Update

2006-02-17T09:41:00.001-05:00

So after all the fun and games of trying to figure out this blogging thing and posting pictures, I finally got what I wanted....UGHHH.

Here is the photo of the 12 week old "little faraci".
I am at week 18 1/2 and will post the next ultrasound photos in March when we go. Hopefully to find out if it is a boy or girl. No more baby news...excpet I am tired all the time and can't wait to feel it move. I think I feel flutters but no kicking. Kicking needs to come first though...tough soccer players kick!!!

Health teacher on Drugs

2006-02-14T11:14:00.000-05:00

So this is a funny story to update you on last weeks happenings.

On Wed I was fighting a major headache so I took my "new" pain meds the doc gave me that are save for pregnancy and work much better than tylenol. I took one at 4pm Wed, and another at 9pm Wed, and went to bed. Unfortunately I woke at 6am to go to work with the same pounding headache, so I took another one at 6:30am with my breakfast of toast and cereal.
Now here is where it gets funny...So I am driving to work and all the sudden feeling sluggish, slow and dizzy. The road is getting further and further away from me...Longer almost. I am thinking the headache pill is having a different effect one me now. I get to work, about 20 min later and can barley get out of the car. I am sluggish and feel like I am floating way above the ground, me feet not even hitting. I weave into work to find my colleague Dave, he takes one look and me and starts laughing because apparently I am not walking in a straight line and I am slurring my words. Needless to say at 7:45am I was lying down in the nurses office unable to teach my first health class of the day. I was in the nurses office until 10am passed out cold. She checked on me and gave me food and water and looked up the meds I took. It was so weird...I have no idea why they affected me so different one day and not the other. ANYWAY...I refused to go home because I felt better and did not want to use a sick day...So I went to my 10:15am Health class. My 7th graders are doing a very large research paper on drugs. I was still slow and unsteady so I informed them of what had happened and they all laughed at me. I told them "drugs are bad" and "you should never take them" "even prescribed drugs can have effects." They still laughed and were very good in class as I sat down and tried to focus on teaching them. They had a good laugh as they pronounced to the whole school that their "Health teacher was on drugs today in class."
NICE eh...If it is not one thing it is another...Baby doing fine by the way...No drugs for it. (Don't be worried the madicine is baby safe--so I am told...that's why I have it)

Hello bloggers

2006-02-02T15:34:00.000-05:00

Okay...I have decide that I need a family blog...my brothers have them and they are so much fun to see and read...so here goes.

The Faraci faimly will try and post interesting stories and thoughts and, of course, baby updates on this blog.

Angie just had her 16th week prenatal appointment and all is well. The baby has a speedy little heartbeat and is doing fine. We did bloodwork to check the normal things and any abnormalities...yikes. Angie was placed on anacid meds to help with her uneasy stomach and given stronger headache meds...so all medicated as well.

In one month we have an ultrasound visit to find out if the baby is healthy and growing as it should, and if it is a Boy or Girl...if the baby cooperates and we can get an accurste reading that is. So we will let you know when we find out.

Due date is July 22, 2006...so summer is going to be fun.

Keepin this first one short....I want to get home and walk the doggies... :)