Birthdays!

Late February/early March is a busy time for birthdays! First up, Melissa's 28th birthday. Brian organized a surprise party, although it was only a surprise until she pulled into the driveway.

Melissa loved her gift from Brian: a nautical map of the area where she grew up.

We hope your wish comes true!

The following weekend, it was time to celebrate Joe's 57th birthday. The cake wasn't quite big enough for all of his candles!

Apparently Brian didn't have enough cake, so he turned to Melissa!

Next on the birthday list...Stacy!

I love that new car smell!

As the winter has progressed, we could no longer deny that Stacy's car was a deathtrap and needed to be replaced before the little one comes along. On one hand, it was hard to say goodbye to the Saturn...

...but not too hard since she now gets to drive this sweet ride:

After doing our research, we had narrowed our choices down to Honda or Toyota. In the end, Toyota was a better fit and better deal for our growing family. Stacy was the prime negotiator, and rocked it. We knew we had the car salesman right where we wanted him when he chased us outside after we told him we'd get lunch and think about it. Ultimately, we got a great deal on this 2010 Toyota Corolla LE.

We'll see if we're still this excited when we have to make our first payment next month!

Baby Russell - EXPOSED!

A few weeks ago, we went in for our 20-week ultrasound. We were excited, but didn't quite know what to expect. The first thing we saw was our little one's feet...5 toes on each, a good start!

The ultrasound featured a combination of 3D and what they refer to as 4D photos, although we can't quite figure out what the fourth dimension is...

We saw some great shots of Baby Russell's arms and hands, too.

There were shots of the baby's spine, ribs, heart, brain, kidneys, etc. but they didn't compare to seeing our child's face. He or she wasn't exactly cooperating, so it was difficult to get some crisp images, but they were still pretty sweet!

Who do you think he/she looks like? Eric? Stacy? The milkman?

As the technician was wrapping up, Baby Russell threw its hand up. We're still not sure whether he/she was saying "Enough is enough!" or waving goodbye...

The entire experience was very humbling. We stuck to our guns and didn't find out the sex of the baby, and haven't had second thoughts (so if you think you see something in a picture, keep your mouth shut! [says Eric]).

We can't wait for June (or maybe May?) to see this baby in the flesh!

Another Year Wiser

Last month, Eric celebrated his 32nd birthday. After dinner at Massimo's (an authentic Italian restaurant in Bangor), he enjoyed dessert and presents at home...

What he assumed was one large present turned out to be several smaller packages.

He was quite thrilled to see that one of the gifts was the first three seasons of Mad Men.

Like a child, he made a bit of a mess with the wrapping paper!

Overall, what does Eric have to say about turning 32? "I hope I'm not too old to be a first-time dad..."

Christmas

A collection of photos from Christmas day

Santa was thoughtful enough to fill a little stocking for the bun in the oven:

Even though it wasn't a surprise, Stacy sold it when we opened our present to each other, a new camera:

Joe was in the spirit in his usual Christmas day attire:

Grammy was excited to get some DD coffee:

Eric had his fingers crossed all day that someone would think to get him the Wii golf game he wanted:

The bun in the oven was included in the festivities again with this super cute bear fleece:

Eric's new t-shirt (If you're confused, check out Mother Lover on hulu.com):

"A gift real special, so take off the top" (inspired by d*** in a box):

What's in that box, Melissa?:

The Alexander family:

Our last Christmas, just the two of us:

Some gift highlights:

A new digital SLR







A rocking chair for the nursery, thanks to Sue and Joe










A dutch oven for some camp cooking, thanks to Sandy







A one-of-a-kind print of Hotel Russell in London, thanks to Brian and Melissa

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

Early on in our relationship we started the tradition of choosing and cutting our own Christmas tree. This year we returned to the same tree farm as last year, King's Mountain, and were not disappointed with the selection. It didn't take us long to spot what would become our tree...

We were excited to cut it down and bring it home!

Eric started out with the saw...

...and Stacy took over.

We felled it!

Once home, we got to work stringing our popcorn and cranberries. Unfortunately, Eric trusted Stacy to pop the popcorn, and, true to her style, she burnt it to the point where it almost caught on fire. Guess we have to add microwaves to her "Use With Caution" list!

It took a few days, but we finally got it fully decorated. While it was a few feet smaller than last year's tree, measuring in at 8ft, it was still quite impressive (that's what she said) and never toppled over!

It looked just as nice from the outside.

To include our bun in the oven in this year's holiday celebration, we got a mini stocking for the little one.

Stay tuned for pictures from Christmas day...

A Thanksgiving Feast

Since Eric had to work this Thanksgiving, we decided to invite Stacy's family up to celebrate with us in Holden. It was our first time cooking a special dinner for so many people.

Stacy got some much-appreciated help in the kitchen from her mom, especially with chopping up the celery root (for a new recipe, mashed potatoes and celery root), as seen here:

The men spent the late morning and afternoon enjoying the parade, football, and even a little basketball!

We were excited to finally get use from our new, large table and put much time and thought into making the table look nice.

Despite doubts from the peanut gallery, the turkey was done on time and came out perfectly!

Brian, Melissa, Joe...

...Sue, Scott, Uncle Dave...

...Eric and Stacy all enjoyed the Thanksgiving feast!

The Alexanders/Vaillancourts don't mess around when it comes to dessert! As you can see from the spread, there was plenty to choose from, although some (ahem, Brian) didn't choose, and had a true "rainbow." (In fact, likely for the first time in the history of Alexander/Vaillancourt Thanksgivings, Brian had a double rainbow - a little of everything from both dinner and dessert!)

Our first holiday hosting experience was a huge success, and we hope to do it again...someday!

We hope all of our family and friends were surrounded by as much food, family and fun as we were!