I like to fix stuff

So everybody that knows me knows that I'm not the handiest guy in the world. I'm more of a division and specialization of labor type of guy: that is, I will continue to crank out workforce policy analysis and let the expert plumber guy fix the leak in our pipes. It's not that I wouldn't like to fix the leak in the pipes myself, it's just that the leak in the pipes would likely cascade into a deluge in the pipes if I were to intervene.

I like to fix stuff

That said, I was really proud of myself for fixing our shower the other day. I took out the water regulator that limits the water flow in the showerhead, so now we can revel in our high-blast water-wasting shower! Hooray for me! Take that tree-huggers! Also, I thought I would put out there for East Coast Tracy fans a little picture of stuff I've fixed lately. (I'm including "assembled" and "put some screws in" as being synonomous with "fixed" here. I know it's a generous claim, but hey, it's my blog). Stuff I've fixed lately include my bike, Karen's jogging stroller, this big bookcase thing, our new BBQ grill, and my habit of constantly complaining about Saturday morning chores. (Karen's note: He's down to complaining about Saturday morning chores only frequently now. He's coming along!)

In other ECT news, Sarah is chomping away at solid foods and is loving it, as shown here. She reports her favorites being mushed rice cereal and mushed peas. Mmmm... And Karen reports success hosting a baby shower for a friend in the ward last weekend and discovering we have a nice floorplan for parties. She is headed out to Utah in December for brother Daren's wedding and is super-excited to be there for the big day. (Adam's note: I am already stockpiling the canned chili. *sigh*)

All in all another another action-packed few weeks for the East Coast Tracys!

Bonus Sarah picture: Daddy and daughter after the baby shower

Rachel gets married!

To conclude East Coast Tracy Summer Vacation 2009 we swung by Nauvoo, Illinois by way of Harrisonville, Missouri to attend my sister Rachel's wedding. Hooray for Rachel and Scott, the new Champion family! Check out my famous sister and brother-in-law here!

http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/58074/A-prophets-visit.html

It was fun to see everybody again and to be present at the Nauvoo temple for the sealing. Welcome to the family Scott!

After the wedding, we got to spend a few days with my sister Becky and her husband Doug, my younger brothers Jacob (who just got back off his mission to Albania), and Joseph, and my parents back in Harrisonville. It was pretty chilly for Missouri after our fun in the Croatian sun. And of course, little Sarah was loved up as much as a little baby could be by Grandma Tracy. (Sarah's note: Read me another story Grandma!)

Balkans and back again!

.

The Tracy/Hill Clan on the Adriatic coast in Croatia

From a long but fun trip the East Coast Tracy's are back home. We spent the last three weeks traipsing around Turkey, Greece, Slovenia, and Croatia - and we all lived to tell the tale! So without further ado, here are the greatest-hits from ECT Summer Vacation 2009.

Are we there yet Daddy?

Sarah was such a doll our entire trip! She conked right out on the plane when she was supposed to, and played contentedly with her toys on each and every flight we were on. What spoiled parents Karen and I are so far! Plus, she was definitely the star everywhere we stopped. From getting blessed (Masha'allah!) by every adult in Turkey to never touching the ground at the Grandparents house in Slovenia, you're looking at one little girl that's gotten a lot of love!

Istanbul was our first destination. We settled into a quaint little guesthouse about two blocks from the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace in the Sultanahmet district. We spent four days wandering around the city and marveling at the wonders of the city. I really enjoyed touring the above sites and reading about the history of the region, as the Roman Empire split into the Byzantines Empire, which was then overrun by the Ottomans and Turks, and from the Christian to Muslim transition that was evident everywhere we looked. And we got to sample some yummy kebabs and Turkish food. Mmmmm...

Our next stop was in Athens, Greece. We spent about five days in Greece at a studio apartment less than a block and a half (!) from the Acropolis. It was such a great location we could stroll home for naps (often), sleep in (always) without missing anything, and cook dinner together with native ingredients from the local supermarket (Karen's note: that should probably read 'eat together' instead of 'cook together' :). Besides saving some dough it was tons of fun to sample all the different kinds of feta cheese to choose from. Mmmm... feta...

East Coast Tracy's invade the Acropolis!

Aside from the Greek olives and cheese, I loved being back in Athens. I was very surprised to see all the excavation and restoration work that had been done since I was last in Greece in 2006. It was nice to take a leisurely pace this time too. Highlights of Greece were of course the Parthenon, but also less well known sites like the Temple of Zeus, seen here at left with our intrepid little explorer Sarah, and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.


Lastly, we stopped by Grandma and Grandpa Hill's home in Ljubljana, Slovenia. They took some time off from their duties as the Slovenia/Croatia mission president to host and tour around the region with us. We got to tour all over Slovenia and Croatia and down the Adriatic coast on the Istrian peninsula. It was fun to see President and Sister Hill in action too, and Karen and I got to speak in the Croatia Zone Conference. Talk about bringing back the old missionary days!

Karen in Croatia

And even though Slovenia itself was such a beautiful and pristine place, and Croatia just bursting with Medieval and Roman-era towns and history, the best part about the trip was spending time with family and just enjoying each others' company. We miss you already! Hooray for vacation!

Bonus Sarah picture: Out little munchkin at the Roman Amphitheatre in Pula, Croatia

And we're off!

Heading out on vacation tomorrow morning. Turkey, Greece, Slovenia, and Croatia here we come!

Baldies

These past few weeks Adam, Sarah and I have been settling into our new house, new ward, and new commuting schedule. Not very exciting huh? Well, life at ECT Headquarters is never dull!

The most exciting news is that I shaved Adam's head. Not all the way tho ugh; Adam reports being too chicken for that. I buzzed him down almost as far as the clippers would go and he is loving it. (Adam's note: It makes me feel like I'm constantly flying with the wind through my hair. Everyone should do it at least once.) And all the ladies in the ward keep saying how much Sarah looks exactly like Adam. In fact, a completely random woman at the grocery store remarked how Sarah must take after her daddy. (Adam's note: that's my girl!)

Adam in a longer-haired time... about a month ago.

And this week Adam finally realized a long-held dream by purchasing leather couches. He is ridiculously pleased with them, and for the fact that the day after we had them delivered his long-time nemesis - the micro-fiber couches that made him so hot every time he sat on them - found their way via Craigslist to a new home. Hooray!

And adding to all this excitement, we've now turned our attention towards our upcoming trip to Turkey, Greece, and the Balkans to see Karen's parents. It's come up like a bolt out of the blue even though it's been on our calendar for about a year. We can't wait to get started on that trip and see the family!

Meanwhile, Sarah continues to get fatter, put things into her mouth, and learn stuff. She even rolled over this afternoon! Hooray for our smarty-pants baby!

Bonus Sarah picture: My girl loves her some K.C. Masterpiece!

And... we're back!

To all our ECT fans out there: I've been lazy, but due to popular demand (and just like Michael Jordan's first comeback to the NBA)... "I'm back." (Karen's note: Huh?)

Camp Metzger on Burden Lake

Life has been a whirlwind for us here in sunny Washington, D.C. these past few weeks. We've moved into our new townhouse changing wards, zip codes, states, and even sides of armed conflict if the year was 1861. We're now official Southerners! Our good friends Wade and Kelli Eyerly welcomed us to Virginia with flowers and our very own edition of Southern Living, while our new neighbors brought over wine and cookies. Our next act will be to rebel against the Union! (Or at the very least against high taxes and cost of living.) Okay, maybe not, but maybe one day little Sarah will become a southern belle and live in our ancestral home of Four Square. Stay tuned!

So, our new house. We're excited to have finally finished all the paperwork, signed our names to the deed, and moved in. For all those who are looking at buying a new place or have recently dived into the market (HOORAY for Brian and Callie!!!) you'll know what I'm talking about concerning getting all that paperwork out of the way. Our new place is a 3 bedroom, 2 and 1/2 bath townhouse in a suburb of DC in Virginia called Burke, and we couldn't be more thrilled with where we've landed. Burke is a forested, small-towny, commutable oasis in Northern Virginia. Karen (and by extension, Adam... I guess. *sigh*) can walk to Wal-Mart, grocery stores, parks, lakes, walking trails, play places, and ward neighbors all literally just outside our door. We could go on and on about it, but to sum it up we're tickled pink about the whole thing. Here are some pics of our new place, mostly unpacked:

Also, since our last post lo these many weeks ago, we had my parents here to visit DC with my youngest brother Joseph. They arrived the day after we moved into our new home so they were able to stay in an actual bedroom instead of in the corner of the dining room of our old apartment (Mom and Dad Hill and Brett, Eric, Brian and Callie, we now have room for you guys to visit again!). They got to tour DC for the week and help us unpack and settle into our new place.

Warning: Don't get between Grandma Tracy and her grand-cubs

East Coast Tracys at Fort Ticonderoga

THEN.... on Thursday of our move-in week we drove up to Albany, NY for the Metzger Family Reunion. We spent about five days with all my mom's side of the family in upstate New York. We hung out at the Metzger Camp on Burden Lake, took a side trip up to Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain, and generally had a great time catching up with family, meeting cousins Jensen and Maya, and seeing everybody again. Four generations of Metzger and Tracy ladies!

And this upcoming weekend Karen's brother Eric is stopping by to visit for a few days. So here's the open invitation to you all you guys; we've got space now to host you now, so come on down! You still may have to settle for an air mattress for a while, however.

How's Sarah handling all this excitement you might ask? Well, she has recently discovered her hands, and that they can put things into her mouth. She is very excited about this new development, and shows us by sucking her fists and anything else she can grab a hold of. She remains delightfully chubby, and so her Daddy continues to call her his little sausage link. And Karen reports many a happy day with Sarah while Daddy slogs away at the Department of Labor coal mine loading sixteen tons a day for the company store.

Overall we're thrilled with life here on the East Coast and thankful for all the blessings the Lord has shown us.

Bonus Pics: Quite a while ago we absconded with our little Sarah to Rehobeth Beach in Delaware.
What a couple of beach babes!

House-hunting...

... is done! Karen and I signed on a townhouse this past week. Hooray!!! We've been truly blessed lately. If everything goes according to plan we'll officially sign the papers on July 1oth and be new homeowners!

And just in time too, because on the 12th my parents and brother Joseph are coming out to visit before we all head up to Albany for the Metzger Family Reunion. I'll try to post some pictures of it here if I can find some. We're moving to a little town in northern Virginia called Burke. Karen is excited to start her very own garden in her very own house, and Adam is recovering from having to sell his kidney to pay for it.

How does Sarah feel about all this? Well, she conveys her approval every time we tell her about it by gurgling incoherantly or by making her hungry face. Our little girl has picked up many nicknames from her Daddy lately for her growing prodigious-ness. They include Daddy's Little Chubkins, Chubba-Lubba, and Daddy's Little Sausage Link. But as I always like to say: She ain't heavy--she's my baby.

Baby blessings

And now... the new and expanded East Coast Tracys!

Life here at ECT HQ is going swimmingly. Sarah is getting bigger-- a whole three or four pounds bigger-- and we've started getting out and about with her. Her wonderful pediatrician, Dr. Lillian Beard, says we're "doing all the right things." Music to a mother's ears!

Sarah's blessing day - Mom made the dress!

A baby brings the added blessing of visits from relatives, and this month we got a visit from Grandma Tracy and Aunt Rachel. It was great to see little Sarah snuggled up with her grandma-- and to turn around to find a clean kitchen all week long. Aunt Rachel charitably handled our screaming child while I got to run an errand or two and we even made it to the temple one evening. We took Sarah out for her first tour of the Capitol, and she now has the rare distinction of being one of the few and the proud to have nursed at both the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials. Sarah and I also got a thorough tour of the mother's lounge at the Library of Congress while the in-laws browsed through the bookshelves.

The Sunday everyone was here, Adam gave Sarah a beautiful blessing, and she slept quietly through the whole thing, looking like a picture in the lovely, lacy gown Grandma sewed for her. It's clear that little girl has a hold on her daddy's heartstrings. Adam is happy to be back to the regular routine of going to work everyday, but loves to come home to kiss his girls every evening. And Mom enjoys every minute of motherhood, even when feeding Sarah in the wee hours of the morning. (Adam's note: and Dad is enjoying Mom enjoying getting up in the wee hours for Team Tracy!) We're happy to report that bedtime is now established and nighttime is at least more predictable, so life is good!




Bonus happy baby video...

How We Live: Little Baby Sarah

It's been awhile since our last update, so here comes How We Live: Little Baby Sarah.

The proud mama and papa at the hospital

I could probably sum up this entry with just this - less sleep, more crying - and you'd all get a pretty good picture of what life is like here at ECT HQ these days. Our little baby Sarah has brought all kinds of sweetness to our house, and definitely some changes. For one, I didn't realize that baby's poop SO MUCH! Seriously, she's like a machine. Food in, poop out 24/7. It's astounding. But we still love her to pieces, and in her waking moments she must be the most hugged/kissed/snuggled little baby girl there ever
was.
.

Some interesting aspects of new parenting I hadn't been fully aware of. First, househusbanding is back in style at our house. It's been my job since I've been off of work to tell Karen to go to bed when Sarah does and make to sure the house is clean. And I must say, by househusband standards I'm doing ok so far. (on the clean part that is, getting Karen to go to bed...)

Taking care of Dad stuff

Other than that our sweet little baby is growing like a weed, Karen is recuperating well, I am keeping myself busy watching college basketball on my computer and, of course, doing chores. *ugh* And on an exciting note, my mom and sister are coming in two weeks to help out with the baby. Karen and Sarah and I are so excited to have Grandma Tracy come out to see her sweet little chickadee. (and yes, you are Grandma Tracy now mom!)

Introducing... Sarah Anne Tracy!

Yes, it's true! Karen delivered a beautiful little baby girl at the wee hour of 7:30 am this morning. Let's hear it for the newest member of Team Tracy, little Sarah Anne!

Karen woke me up this morning at 3:30 am, and after timing a few contractions we both knew today (9 days early!) was going to be the day. (Karen's note: Now that I've had a moment to get to the computer, let me clarify that statement. I had been up since 12:30 already, and had called my mom in Europe who suggested after about 20 minutes of pretty steady contractions that it was time to be serious about them. It was still a pretty speedy labor.) We got to the hospital at about 4:30 am, and at 7:26 am our little Sarah was born, weighing in at a wee 6 lbs. 15 ozs. and 19 1/2" long. Here are the little angel, her sweet Mama and proud Papa. Both Karen and Sarah (and Dad!) are doing great and are eager to get home. Here are some videos of little Sarah's (literally) first few moments. We're so excited to welcome here to our family!