Earlier this month I decided that Brian's nickname should be changed from "Little Dude" to "Crash". He is always running, jumping, playing to such extremes that crashes are inevitable. Little did I know how foreshadowing this nickname would be.
Today, Brian got to ride in an ambulance. His babysitter (her first day for us) got into a car accident. It was not too terrible but the airbags did deploy. Fortunately, Brian was strapped into his car seat in the back of the car and the babysitter was wearing her seat belt. Unfortunately, Brian complained that his neck hurt. So he was strapped to a backboard and placed in a neck brace- he really didn't like that- and loaded in the ambulance (fortunately Adam reached him before they left the accident scene).
I arrived at the hospital after they were checked in. Brian was doing great. He told Adam that he "needed a new babysitter because this one crashed her car." The doctor took the neck brace off and checked Brian out. ALL IS WELL for now. Brian is on the "watch" list. He does have a scratch on his neck from the car seat belt. We are suppose to try to keep him from running around and doing too much activity. :-) ha ha!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
August 2012- back to life, back to reality
August came and went so very quickly.
Brian and Alexandra started school the 2nd week of August. Brian is now in the 3 year old room, Mrs. Tonya at the First Learning Center. Alexandra is in Mrs. Leslie Hall's class at Hardin Park Elementary.
I returned to work the 3rd week of August (the beauty of being a part time advisor is July off).
Adam returned officially on August 22nd- but let's be real- Adam never really stops working.
Alexandra bridged from Daisies to Brownie (Girl Scout terms). It was a great day. After the Bridging Ceremony, we invited the troop to our house for a party. The ceremony was fabulous!
The party afterward was "dirty". We let the kids play in the hot tub then go down the "water" slide into a puddle of mud and then back into the hot tub.
At the end of August, our family participated in a "Trout Derby" at Grandfather Trout Farm. I'm not exactly sure what a "Trout Derby" is suppose to be. For us it was: catch a fish, name it "Bob," bring Bob home and eat it. Yes Bob was delicious.
I returned to work the 3rd week of August (the beauty of being a part time advisor is July off).
Adam returned officially on August 22nd- but let's be real- Adam never really stops working.
Alexandra bridged from Daisies to Brownie (Girl Scout terms). It was a great day. After the Bridging Ceremony, we invited the troop to our house for a party. The ceremony was fabulous!
The party afterward was "dirty". We let the kids play in the hot tub then go down the "water" slide into a puddle of mud and then back into the hot tub.
At the end of August, our family participated in a "Trout Derby" at Grandfather Trout Farm. I'm not exactly sure what a "Trout Derby" is suppose to be. For us it was: catch a fish, name it "Bob," bring Bob home and eat it. Yes Bob was delicious.
July 2012- Drive South to fly North
Bring on the travel…
What I am about to say may sound a bit odd: We drove 13 hours to South Florida to fly 6 hours north to Chicago! Yes we did. Why you may ask? Adam and I wanted to go to Chicago for a friend's surprise birthday party but we didn't want to take the kids with us to the night time events. That meant we drove to South Florida so that Adam's parents could keep the kids while Adam & I flew to Chicago to see friends and some of my family. It was a great weekend.
When Adam & I arrived back to South Florida we drove to Gainesville, FL to spend a night with Aunt Rachel (Adam's sister) before heading to Tampa for a week to spend with my family. The kids had a great time with all the family. They swam just about every day and we even managed to squeeze in a trip to see the one and only "Winter" (of Dolphin Tales) and a beach trip.
I was able to attend a wonderful baby shower for my college friend, Jennie Wiand. Baby is due in Sept. It was a wonderful party for a wonderful reason.
Adam and I also got to experience the Emergency Room on our trip. I know this sounds like a fun place to be or a telivision show but no, no its not. Adam had a coughing fit that he couldn't get under control and was feeling all together crappy, so off we went in the middle of the night to the ER. It turns out that he had pnemonia! He is still recovering (its the last day of August when I wrote this.)
Fortunately, the rest of July was pretty boring. Play dates at the pool, park, The Children's Playhouse, and at home. Adam and I trying to find a house plan we both liked and could afford. Interviewing builders etc.
What I am about to say may sound a bit odd: We drove 13 hours to South Florida to fly 6 hours north to Chicago! Yes we did. Why you may ask? Adam and I wanted to go to Chicago for a friend's surprise birthday party but we didn't want to take the kids with us to the night time events. That meant we drove to South Florida so that Adam's parents could keep the kids while Adam & I flew to Chicago to see friends and some of my family. It was a great weekend.
When Adam & I arrived back to South Florida we drove to Gainesville, FL to spend a night with Aunt Rachel (Adam's sister) before heading to Tampa for a week to spend with my family. The kids had a great time with all the family. They swam just about every day and we even managed to squeeze in a trip to see the one and only "Winter" (of Dolphin Tales) and a beach trip.I was able to attend a wonderful baby shower for my college friend, Jennie Wiand. Baby is due in Sept. It was a wonderful party for a wonderful reason.
Adam and I also got to experience the Emergency Room on our trip. I know this sounds like a fun place to be or a telivision show but no, no its not. Adam had a coughing fit that he couldn't get under control and was feeling all together crappy, so off we went in the middle of the night to the ER. It turns out that he had pnemonia! He is still recovering (its the last day of August when I wrote this.)
Fortunately, the rest of July was pretty boring. Play dates at the pool, park, The Children's Playhouse, and at home. Adam and I trying to find a house plan we both liked and could afford. Interviewing builders etc.
Next June..
Then came June... oh what a month we had.
Adam and I were still working full-time but managed to have some fun with the kids.
On June 7th- 10th, 2012, Alexandra, some friends and I headed to Washington D.C. for the 100 years of Girl Scouts celebration called "Girl Scouts Rock the Mall."
We had a fun filled weekend. We met a U.S. Senator, Tom Carper of Delaware. He invited us to his reception room and to meet all of his interns. Senator Carper was very gracious and kind. He arranged for us to have a private tour of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate buildings. Fortunately, Senator. Carper got us tickets into the White House. I was ecstatic! I don’t think Alexandra understood just how rare and special it is to visit the White House.
We visited multiple museums: Air & Space, Natural History, and the new American Indian. We walked to different monuments: Washington, WWII, and Viet Nam. Alexandra and I hiked over to see the Lincoln Memorial- one of her highlights.
Saturday was the official Rock the Mall celebration. I thought it was going to be a sing along. Nope, it was a rock concert for girls. Fortunately, Alexandra understood right away that I couldn't handle the crowd for too long so we walked our way through the Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial slowly trading S.W.A.P.S. http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/facts/swaps/
We had are really wonderful time. At some point Alexandra lost her Hello Kitty hat that we had bought at Marks & Spensers in England. A bit of good luck-I had put her name and my cell phone in it. So when it was found, we got the call to collect it. Overall it was a good trip.
Also in June, Adam and I gave up the hunt for buying a different house in Boone. Since we had looked and found nothing that we truly loved, we decided to build it ourselves. So we bought a piece of property in a neighborhood called Council Oaks. More on this as we progress.
Adam and I were still working full-time but managed to have some fun with the kids.
On June 7th- 10th, 2012, Alexandra, some friends and I headed to Washington D.C. for the 100 years of Girl Scouts celebration called "Girl Scouts Rock the Mall."
We had a fun filled weekend. We met a U.S. Senator, Tom Carper of Delaware. He invited us to his reception room and to meet all of his interns. Senator Carper was very gracious and kind. He arranged for us to have a private tour of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate buildings. Fortunately, Senator. Carper got us tickets into the White House. I was ecstatic! I don’t think Alexandra understood just how rare and special it is to visit the White House. 
We visited multiple museums: Air & Space, Natural History, and the new American Indian. We walked to different monuments: Washington, WWII, and Viet Nam. Alexandra and I hiked over to see the Lincoln Memorial- one of her highlights.
Saturday was the official Rock the Mall celebration. I thought it was going to be a sing along. Nope, it was a rock concert for girls. Fortunately, Alexandra understood right away that I couldn't handle the crowd for too long so we walked our way through the Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial slowly trading S.W.A.P.S. http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/facts/swaps/We had are really wonderful time. At some point Alexandra lost her Hello Kitty hat that we had bought at Marks & Spensers in England. A bit of good luck-I had put her name and my cell phone in it. So when it was found, we got the call to collect it. Overall it was a good trip.
Also in June, Adam and I gave up the hunt for buying a different house in Boone. Since we had looked and found nothing that we truly loved, we decided to build it ourselves. So we bought a piece of property in a neighborhood called Council Oaks. More on this as we progress.
Then came May 2012 ...
Adam took a class to Washington D.C. for a week in May. He had a great time and ate a lot of international food (something we don't get a lot of in Boone).
Alexandra performed in the Hardin Park First Grade Talent show.
She also performed in her dance recital.
I returned to my Orientation job where I basically work full time (and then some) for 2 months. My job as an Orientation Advisor requires me to help new Appalachian State students plan their schedules for this Fall and make sure they know what they need to graduate in 4 year's time. It takes a lot of work and time but its lots of fun too.
Because Boone had such a mild winter, public schools got out early and summer camps were not open yet. Fortunately, my parents were able to stay for a few weeks and keep the kids while Adam and I were at work. They went to the park, the library, Tweetsie Railroad, and Linville Caverns . I know the kids LOVED being with the grandparents and wanted them to stay forever. But I know mom and dad were exhausted and were looking forward to their trip to Spain, Morocco, and Portugal when they finally escaped our house.
She also performed in her dance recital.
I returned to my Orientation job where I basically work full time (and then some) for 2 months. My job as an Orientation Advisor requires me to help new Appalachian State students plan their schedules for this Fall and make sure they know what they need to graduate in 4 year's time. It takes a lot of work and time but its lots of fun too.
Because Boone had such a mild winter, public schools got out early and summer camps were not open yet. Fortunately, my parents were able to stay for a few weeks and keep the kids while Adam and I were at work. They went to the park, the library, Tweetsie Railroad, and Linville Caverns . I know the kids LOVED being with the grandparents and wanted them to stay forever. But I know mom and dad were exhausted and were looking forward to their trip to Spain, Morocco, and Portugal when they finally escaped our house.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Catching up with 2012
I realized yesterday that since coming home to Boone, I did not keep up with my blog so well. I am going to make a better effort to do this.
The first half of 2012 saw the recovery of Brian's broken leg, and Adam's Achilles Tendon. We suffered our share of minor colds and had a warm Spring. We made a quick trip to Charlotte, NC for a weekend but otherwise we didn't go anywhere during the first 5 months as a family. Adam went to a training or 2. Other than those minor adventures life was pretty bland:
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| Alexandra selling cookies at ASU |
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| Alexandra's 7th birthday |
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| Brian selling cookies |
Brian also sold Girl Scout Cookies in the Spring, made it through the 2 year old room at pre-school and celebrated his 3rd birthday with a party at home. Other than a minor incident where he fell into landscaping rock and cut his leg, there were no major medical issues.
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| Brian's 3rd birthday- after cake! |
Then came May & June...
Saturday, December 31, 2011
December 31, 2011: The Holiday Letter
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
As you know its been quite a year for the Newmark Family. We have lived on 2 continents, visited multiple countries (documented in this blog) and had a ton of fun!!! One of our biggest thanks is for technology. Why technology you may ask. It helped us stay in touch with friends and family via Skype, Facebook and email. We took over 7,000 pictures this year. Yes I said over 7,000. Can you image the cost of film for all those pictures? Its been fun even narrowing them down to which one print. Aren't you glad I decided on a blog instead of just sending you a link to 7,000 pictures. ;-) 
We spent the first 6 months of 2011, settling into our home at Keele University in Staffordshire UK. From there we traveled quite a bit. Mostly we made some great friends, whom we miss very much now that we are settled back in our house in Boone, NC. We arrived back in Florida in late June just in time for David and Heather's beautiful wedding in South Florida. Then the mad rush back up to Boone so that Adam could teach summer school. Alexandra started 1st grade at Hardin Park Elementary in early August. I took a weekend to go to Emerald Isle NC with the ladies. A week later, Brian, Alexandra and I drove down to Atlanta to visit our great friends Anusha, Anand, and Rachel (Andrew decided to head to MN instead of "play" with us in ATL. He was missed.). After all those travels back in the USA, we settled down for the Fall semester--Brian in preschool, Adam teaching classes and co-directing the Graduate program, Alexandra in 1st grade and me in 1/4 time turned 1/2 time job in Academic Advising. Yes, I was pretty happy to get my old job back after my "leave of absence."
The Autumn has been filled with music classes for both kids, cheer-leading, Daisy's (Girl Scouts for the 6 year old), Adam's and my 10 year anniversary and unfortunately trips to the hospital. (Don't get me wrong, the people are very nice and very good at their job. I just wish I didn't know them in their professional capacity :-).
All in all, its been a fabulous year. I hope that you all had as much fun as we did. We are looking forward to 2012 and whatever other adventures head our way. We wish you all a very happy and SAFE 2012.
Lots of love to you and your family,
Laura, Adam, Alexandra and Brian
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