Here is a link to all of the pictures. Don't forget our baby pool!
REMEMBER! Click on the slideshow and you'll see larger pictures and be able to control scrolling through them. Baby/Fetus A is Madison, but Baby/Fetus B (Kerrington) was in a better position for pictures, so she stole the show.
Another tidbit--they are both normal weights for their age of 25 weeks (very good for twins). However, ONE BABY (not saying who for the pool) has the legs of a 26 week old! She's got some Chalk in her!
Feel free to participate by clicking on the link below! It is completely free and should be fun!
NOTE: The site does NOT require you to register, just to share your first name, relation to the parents, and your guesses. BE SURE to make a guess for both girls! (There are 2 tabs, and you have to fill out the form twice!).
Free Help: We're having twin girls, and the due date is October 19th. Do not choose after October 19th, as the doctor will not let us go past this date.
Despite the drought in Maryland, everywhere the Chalks go, it showers... babies!
Our whirlwind baby shower tour is now over, and what a fun time it was. We really do have such special family and friends. Thank you all for coming and sharing this unique moment in our lives.
A special thank-you goes to my Aunt Deanna, Holly's sister Jill, and both of our Moms and my Grandmother for making these events absolutely amazing. We really are lucky to have all of you in our lives.
I had no idea when I wrote my last post that I'd be following up with another post a week later detailing the craziness that occurred Tuesday night into Wednesday.
If 28" of snow wasn't enough, what about another 24"? That's right, we have 52" of snow piled in our yard. That's over 4 feet! These are drifts of 4 feet, this is baseline 4 feet. Many piles are taller than I am! Now that the neighborhood is dug out and a snowplow finally cleared a path down our street, the piles on the side of the road are 6-8 feet tall. That's a wall of snow on either side of you, while you are driving down the street!
It's really ridiculous, and all Holly and I can do is laugh. There aren't even really many kids out playing in the snow. When the snow is 4 feet deep, you could easily lose a child in this stuff. It's as if a sea of snow has descended on Maryland.
The one positive was that we had electricity the vast majority of the time. We lost power for about 3 hours on Thursday, but we were out shoveling and taking pictures so we didn't really mind.
We did spend much of our time digging and plowing. My garden tractor managed to keep up with the snow, but at its heaviest I had to go out every 4-5 hours and "start over" again, plowing 6 inches of snow at a time. While I dealt with the driveway, Holly went out 3 separate times and cleared snow off of the deck. The deck fared well during the storm, but we didn't want to guess what would happen if we let the deck fill completely to the brim with snow. Had we not cleared, it surely would have.
Since words can't do the storm justice, and pictures only go so far... please see the attached additional pictures (with Holly as a height comparison) and video that we shot once the sun finally came out on the last day (Thursday about 4PM).
Q: What happens when the media calls the Blizzard in 2009 (previously reported on this blog) the "Storm of the Century", and then another bigger, nastier Blizzard occurs in the SAME SEASON?
A: Make up an even more over-the-top claim... this is no ordinary Blizzard. It's SNOWMAGEDDON! (I think President Obama came up with the term, but it's been broadcast everywhere the past 24 hours).
Q: What happens when another storm comes along even worse? (Hopefully not this year!)
A: Call it "Snowmageddon of the Century"?????
At any rate, the official totals across Maryland claimed anywhere between 24" and 31" of snow. All I know is that it snowed... a LOT. I also knew it was coming, so I had the Bolens tractor ready and was able to plow the drive -- 4 times. Once Friday night at 10PM, once Saturday morning at 7AM, again Saturday afternoon at 4:30PM, and finally this morning at about 9:30AM. The sun has baked off most of the remaining snow on the drive, but there is literally no place else to stack snow. The snowbank along both sides of the road are as tall as Holly, and the bank my Bolens tractor made are a strong 4 feet tall. It's really ridiculous--as you can see by my pictures below.
My favorite picture is Holly's car--that we parked at the top of the drive to make room for the Bolens and snow cleaning operations below. The car became part of a car-size snowdrift. You literally cannot tell where snow ends and the car begins!
What's worse is that they are calling for "a lot" of snow on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. Plus, it won't rise above freezing until this coming weekend when another snow storm is supposed to come through. I have no clue where "a lot" of snow will go!
2009 was a pretty good year. Holly completed her certification requirements to become a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Maryland, I had a good year of work (delivering my first project for T. Rowe Price), we built a barn in the backyard, and we both remained relatively healthy.
We enjoy the end of the year so much because we get to spend time with both sides of our family (mine at Thanksgiving, Holly's at Christmas). It's so great to see everyone and catch up--especially since we live apart from both sides and don't get to see anyone too often.
Since we're out by our lonesomes in Maryland, we wanted to post pictures of our Christmas tree and decorations so that everyone can enjoy.
We can't wait to visit with all of the family that we'll be seeing over the next couple of days, we really regret not seeing the family that we'll miss, but Merry Christmas to all and I hope the next year is as good or better than the last!
And the blizzard of 2009 is over... 19 inches is the official total recorded in Westminster, but it seemed like an awful lot more. It started on Friday night around 11PM and most of the snow was done with by 11PM Saturday night. That left Sunday morning to clean out the mess.
I got the Bolens tractor all set up for snow, but it just couldn't cut through the mass of snow that was drifted in the back yard -- probably 2 1/2 feet in some places. So, back into the shed the tractor went, and 4 hours and a semi-sore back later and the driveway was clear. UGH! 4" of snow is great, 8" is plenty, but 19"? Yuck! Check the pictures on the deck in the evening... that is a LOT of snow on that table! Also take a look at how high the snow is on the railings.
Now that the tractor is all set up and ready for the next snow, I bet it won't snow again the rest of the year!
What a great trip to visit family! Holly and I enjoyed visiting Mom, Dad, Matt, Jenn, Buttons, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins... we saw almost everyone on my side of the family. While seeing everyone was the best, the food was tremendous as well. What a tremendous Thanksgiving.
