Everybody MOVE!

This past June Tony completed his long journey through med school, residency and fellowship. It was finally time for a "real job" for Tony and a new, and permanent home for us all. Sounds great, but it was definitely a hard decision to make!  While we always complained about the "match" process, where we were told where to move next, deciding for ourselves came with a lot more pressure than we realized. Nonetheless, we came to what we hope is the perfect marriage of job for Tony and community for our family: Norwich, Vermont, a quaint town right across the Connecticut River from Hanover, New Hampshire (home of Dartmouth College). And so, with T's job in the bag, all that remained was our last big move.

With that move also came the "mov-ing" of Miss Olivia. That's right, our little peanut has become quite mobile over the past 2 months; crawling faster and faster; pulling up on everything; and cruising from table to sofa to Mom's leg, and so on. This made for an exhausting move, but we are very excited for Olivia's newest milestone.

Olivia lending a hand in her room : )

Mocha was not much help at all.

Neither was Lula.

Me amongst the chaos!

Water-Baby!

This summer Olivia has really started to explore the water! With her first taste of summertime fun at a friend's house in Providence, Olivia now has her very own kiddie pool in our backyard and has started taking swim lessons (with me, of course) at Storrs Pond Recreation Center in Hanover, NH. Here are some shots of the little girl in action. I hope to have some shots of her lessons in the future - so stay tuned!

Me and Mommy at Lena's house!

Cooling off with my Providence buddies.

OK Daddy,  I'm ready for a dip! 

Mommy and I dance in the water!

It's fun to splash the water from the grass too!

July 4th

We had a great first 4th in Vermont with visits from Mary, John, Rebecca, Scott, Megan and Miles. We had a little BBQ in the back yard, spent time with the kids at the playground and celebrated both Rebecca and Scott's birthdays AND their anniversary. Tony and I also got to enjoy the Hanover fireworks (put on by Northstar - the company Jon works for) on saturday night with John and Megan as Mary was kind enough to stay behind while Olivia slept.

In addition, the following weekend was the Norwich Lyons Club Fair. It was quite a to-do complete with rides, a bingo tent, silent auction, church rummage sale, games AND... a Northstar fireworks display put on by my very own pyromaniac brother! Tony and I got the "best" seats in the house right next to the action while Trish took Koa to our house and watched Olivia. Tony even had to assist which was a lot more intense than either of us had anticipated! I've included a little video of the finale - enjoy : )

John was poised with his tripod and new camera -
ready to capture the perfect fireworks shot!

Megan making a funny face as we waited for the show to begin.

Jon's Finale:

Exploring Norwich

It was so nice to have a whole month together in our new home before Tony had to start work. We explored some of the nice trails around Norwich; checked out the "Norwich Pool", which is a dammed river that creates a little swimming hole and is a short walk from our house; and the plentiful Farmer's Markets - there seems to be one somewhere every day of the week!

River dam at the Norwich Pool.

The Norwich Pool in early morning.

Livvy swinging in her PJs
(it was quite early when this photo was taken!)
at the Norwich Pool.

Surrounding woods.

Norwich Pool lifeguard stand and deck.

View from the fire tower at the top of the Gile Mountain hike.

Posing a top the fire tower look out.

 Olivia and T relax in a hammock
in the warming cabin along the trail.

Sitting in the shade on Dartmouth Green
after a stroll through the Hanover Farmer's Market.

Haver-Reunion 2011

The event: a Lloyd 31 reunion (Tony's buddies from Haverford). Location: Bondville, VT (Stratton Ski Area). Adults: 9. Children under the age of six: 7. Possibility for total chaos: 100%!!

The luxurious accommodations we got for a steal in the off season!

Heading out for a hike with the Ergos!
Olivia was very interested in Jonah, though he wasn't so sure
about this younger woman : )

Hikin' a breeze on Daddy's back!

Josephine had the best view of the hike
perched on Ben's shoulders.

Julia helps Jonah fuel up after our adventure
in the wilderness.

Nancy & Ben
 (yes, there are 2 Bens)

The Bens and their boys,
Alex (left) and William (right).

Jonah's glamour shot in the reservoir : )

Alex and William were fast friends.
(ie: inseparable!)

Jake gets toweled at the reservoir.

The Cutlers making s'mores (Ben, Jake, Nancy & Alex)

Emily shows Williams and Josephine the ropes!

Brian and Ben.

Josephine and Jake get silly!

Olivia and I cooling off at the reservoir.

Brian and Dan.

Brian started an impromptu drum circle with the kids.

The best group shot we could muster ; )