Hurricane Sandy

The Chatterton family has weathered their first hurricane.  We were very lucky as our neighborhood is filled with giant beautiful trees which fell all around us.  South of us there was major flooding and significant damage, many people suffered total losses of their homes.  

We lost power Monday and it finally came back on Friday which was a blessing since it was supposed to get very cold over the weekend, the food in our fridge had gone bad, we were low on firewood and we had just enough gas to make it to Forrest Hills but not back again.  Only to have it go out again on Wednesday when the Nor'easter snow storm hit and again the following Saturday when a transformer blew.  

The kids are finally back in school after two weeks.  Our district was one of the last to go back.  When power was finally restored from the hurricane our community was hard hit by the Nor'easter with 7 inches of wet, heavy snow knocking down power to several schools again.  

Gas was very hard to find after the storm.  80% of the gas stations did not have power and a major refinery was flooded.  Mom and the kids sat in two different gas lines for an hour and a half each on Friday and still wasn't able to get gas.  Finally on Monday morning we sat in a line for three hours and were able to buy $50 which was about a quarter tank on the Land Cruiser.  A lot of Hurricane Sesame Street was watched in the car during this time.   Months later Hank still asks frequently how much gas we have.  

House on Hawthorne Street, 3 blocks south of us.  

Stuart Street, 3 blocks North.

Stuart Street, 3 blocks North.

Stuart Street, 3 blocks North.

Candelight dinners 

Brrrrr keeping warm by the fire.  

Killing time in the gas line. 

Nor'easter

More trees down. 

End of Summer

Saturday morning we headed down to LIDO beach for one last hurrah before summer ended.  Mom and the kids had gone before but it was Dad's first time.  Ella was very excited to show Dad the ocean and waves.  The tide was strong resulting in some very high waves.  

Ella was definitely the most excited about running in the waves. 

We were a bit unprepared without swimsuits. 

Big holes .... 

Mom and Meg hung out on the beach.  Meg insisted on eating many handfuls of sand. 

Tasty.

Happy Father's Day

The morning started with a very serious Lego session with the big kids while Mom made a special breakfast.  Cooking anything in our apartment is a feat of creativity these days.  

We then packed up the kids and headed for the Roosevelt Island Tramway three short blocks from our apartment, through the Tramway Park that was recently declared a major rat infestation area.  The kids had expressed their reservations about the tramway but declared it "not too scary" once we got going.   Hank said it was kind of like a helicopter, a big complement from a little boy currently obsessed with helicopters.

  

Once off the tram we headed for the nearest park to run off some energy.   A park that included a fifteen foot climbing wall Hank quickly scaled and Jack was determined to follow.  Mom just stopped watching after awhile. 

Having packed a picnic we hopped on the Red Bus that loops through the island for $.25 a ride, quite a bargain by any standards and a hit with the kids.  That took us to Lighthouse Park at the other end of the island where we ate our lunches, played soccer and watched the boats go by.  Normally we would have photos of our adventures but Mom and Dad are finding it hard to take pictures and keep everyone safe at the same time, being hopelessly outnumbered by kids in the big city. 

Overall it was a wonderful day followed by equally appreciated long naps by everyone except of course Meg and accordingly Mom.  

Bye Bye Brown House

Moving day has finally arrived.  In true form Mom has been in denial about moving so when the team arrived to pack on Thursday we were completely unprepared.  "Dave" the truck driver was quickly adopted by the kids as a member of the family.  Hank had serious conversations with him about Legos, fortunately Dave was a very good sport.  

Thursday the movers started packing and we headed over to the Cruse's for dinner and playtime instead of hanging out in a house full of boxes.  Friday we moved into the Highlands Ranch Residence Inn.  The kids were very excited especially for the fold out sofa which Dad had spun into a "Transformer" bed.  

Although it was sad to leave the house we brought two babies home to and had many wonderful memories, we were very excited to all be living in the same house again.  

One last snack at the "brown house"

A bit skeptical

Moving day. 

All set for temporary housing. 

Basement all packed up.

Ready for the next family to love.

Farwell Party

Because we were leaving quicker than anticipated, we wanted to have a chance to say thank you and goodbye to all the friends and family we were leaving.  We had one last party at our house.   It was a beautiful evening and the rain managed to hold off.  

The Dudes in one space

The ladies in another

Looks like an illegal daycare. Thank goodness for Katherine and Bridgid keeping the peace. 

Meg getting cuddles from Jen 

Spring is Here

After a record breaking snowy winter, spring has finally arrived in Colorado.  Mom and the kids headed to the Civic Green Park to run off the stir craziness.  

Ahoy captain 

Ella has now mastered skipping bars 

Jack loves to spin  "Mo, Mo, Mo" 

Brief moment of peaceful cooperation

Funny Things Kids Say

These days we have some very funny conversations....

Hank
"Mom,  I have a lost tooth!"
"When I'm 5 I get to be a Daddy"

Ella
"Mom, are those pirates?"  There is a definite lack of diversity in Highlands Ranch.  One day on the playground there was an African American family.
"When I get to New York, I'm going to the ocean to visit the Octonauts"

Jack
Still working with a speech therapist Jack only has a couple of words.  Jack does know all his colors which is very early developmentally and he uses them to describe objects.
"Go, yellow, go"  this is Jack's fallback, it is his contribution to many conversations.
"Nope"  Moms favorite

Meg's First Month

Meg has survived the first month as part of the Chatterton family.  She is now 8lbs, 14oz and we know this because we have seen the doctor at least once a week since she was born.  Meg is continuing the Chatterton tradition of being intolerant to dairy products leading to a fussy, puking baby with terrible diaper rash.  In spite of this she is a very good eater and continues to gain weight at an impressive rate.  

Unfortunately Meg has been born into a tumultuous time in the Chatterton household.  Dad accepted a job in Manhattan a month before she was born and now commutes and is home only on the weekends.  This had left Mom at home with three kids and a newborn trying to get a house presentable enough to sell.

Meg quickly learned the best way to get attention in this house is to be really, really loud.  She is by far the loudest baby we have ever had.  Meg will continue to scream like she is dying or starving to death until Mom can figure out and fix the problem.  Common causes have been:

1.) Wanted her hat off

2.) Didn't like the ceiling fan 

3.) Had a booger at 3 o clock in the morning (mom's favorite) 

Her older siblings are infatuated with her,  especially Jack.  Much to Mom's dismay he has stubbornly continued to call her "Bobo" and loves to give her kisses which is mostly sucking on her hair.   Hopefully the nickname won't stick.  

We love you Meggers .... 

Blood pressure looks good

So comfy

Cuddle time with dad 

Awake!  

Tuckered out

Forecast is Snow

Although six inches of snow was forecasted, we woke up to 20 inches of snow on the ground.  It will be April before we see the backyard again.  Luckily it was Saturday so Dad was home to shovel all day.  

Enter at your own risk

Hoops anyone?

Tempting to belly flop off the deck

Our sad attempt at a snowman

Helpers 

Dad built a sleding hill down the back stairs

We may have a problem 

Welcome Home Meg

After a few days in the hospital, Mom and Meg came home some expectant siblings. With Hank still under the weather, Dad went on a cleaning spree and set up a private suite in the master bedroom. The quarantine zone was in full effect, complete with a gate to control entrance for the 3 and under crowd.

Once home, first on the agenda was reuniting with big sister. Ella's enthusiasm had not faded in the several days since Friday's introduction.


While relaxing later in the day it hit us that just 5 days ago this little bundle was still content in the womb. Given how much she has slept for us, Mom is convinced she thinks she's still in there...

Fast forward and the same smile is still ear to ear! Our little opportunist holds her little sister every chance


Shortly thereafter a comparison between the official little sister and the doll...for several weeks we had been making the comparison between the child in mommy's tummy and Ella's doll...looks like we understated Meg's size at birth. At least someone is amused!


Big Brother Jack says hello!

Announcing Baby Meg

Well, though it is a scheduled date, once again we left everyone guessing by keeping the gender unknown and the possible names secret. We began the day with our customary picture of Mom just prior to the big event...

...fast forward a couple hours and....it is a baby girl. Here Mother and Daughter (Mary Margaret) meet face to face for the first time.

Never mind the fact we're in the OR, after some ribbing from our doctors the anesthesiologist stepped up to take a family portrait...only to have our doctors document their part in the day! (not to mention the permanent marker of the potential names...)

Fast forward a few more hours and Meg gets her first bath. Dad dutifully accompanying as the nurse did the heavy lifting (she is officially the smallest at birth at 6 lbs 6 oz).

The official i-Phone photo that documented the arrival on FB. Meg was dozing in Mom's arms.

On Friday, the first visitors arrived! The first introduction was to her big sister...I think she was satisfied with a sister (she actually teared up Wed night at bedtime when Dad told her it still could be a baby brother, she was absolutely convinced it was a baby sister...)

Grandma Laura and the girls!

Meg takes in the sunlight as she snoozes in her little hospital bassinet. This was a typical move for our 4th during her stay in Littleton.

Mom and Meg finally were allowed to come home on Monday. Not only was Mom enjoying the extra rest, but Hank had the croup and the rest of the family (sans Ella who was high on her status as a big sister) was lacking sleep and fighting off Hank's bug. So Monday morning we all piled in the car to go pick up Mom and Meg...here you can see their home for the 4 days at the hospital, charming...

The peanut is loaded for delivery home.