Santa

We went to Yankee Candle with Grammie and Mimi earlier in the month. Santa was in his workshop making toys for Christmas. Maddie was less than thrilled to see him out of his red suit (but the beard was the real deal). Santa wanted me to sit on his lap too. Grammie and Mimi didn't see anything wrong with this. (Am I the only one who thinks it is a bit weird?)
We got a great picture in any case.

Gingerbread House

Don't look - it is a pre-made kit (the best kind).

We have some catching up to do!

Here are some pics from Maddie's birthday party. We thought the holidays might be unpredictable and crazy this year so we actually had it the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Can't believe my baby's 3!

The picture with my brother, we all thought was a riot. He's not one for hanging out with little kids, but Hannah climbed right up and had a seat there next to him.

Halloween Part II

Spooky!
A Pirate, a Sprite, and a Bee - Oh My!!


Cute Trick or Treaters













In keeping with the fun of last year, Brian unveiled his pumpkin beer before we took the kids out trick or treating. Sean won the pumpkin king brew because of his lawn mower racing success. Erika and Christina brought over the most amazing food. Thank you guys. We had a princess, a sprite, a pirate, and a sock hop dancing girl accompany the adults out for the evening. In case you were wondering...I am a bee. Brian dressed as a vampire, although he is not feature here. He kept trying to tell me he was from the True Blood series. Auntie E was in the spirit too with her devil horns. The grandparents held down the fort and passed out the candy. Miss Hannah Banana managed to eat through one of the wrappers while we weren't looking to get at a Nestle Crunch Bar. I looked back to see chocolate smeared all over her face. Crazy girl. Will that pass? Ha!

The Lawn Mower Race

Every summer in Brookline as part of Old Home Days the town celebrates by having a lawn mower race. Now Brian and I have never actually been, but we plan on entering with our neighbors next year. After all it could be a riotously good time. Ken, Sean, and Brian had a face off on Halloween day. (I still can't quite remember how it all came about). In any case though, it was no contest. Sean won by a large margin. Brian lost by a large margin and Ken finished somewhere in the middle. Maddie and Hannah were on the sidelines cheering with Erika, Christina, and I. Notice the skull on Brian's lawn mower. It was decided that the loser gets to put it on his tractor until the next race. It was taken from Sean and Erika's elaborately staged graveyard complete with black ravens at the end of their driveway. Also, does anyone recognize Ken from Toy Story? Way to get into the spirt of Halloween guys!

Success with Poop (and Pee)

I almost forgot. Maddie is completely potty trained. I received several pictures via cell phone chronicling her success (scary when the messages were opened at work), as well as phone calls from Grammie. I would tell you it was easy but that's because there was no way Madeleine was going to let me assist her with this. Most of the credit goes to Grammie I think, then Dada. It is sooooo nice to be changing only one diaper.

My Messy Eater

This one was too good to pass up and I had to publish it.

Washing Machine

Our washing machine was out of commission this past week. Grampie was kind enough to help us trouble shoot and Maddie and Hannah came to the rescue too.

I have a whole new appreciation for this particular appliance now - especially with two little ones.

Hannah Turns One!!

After a pre-party melt down, Hannah pulled it together and did very well (without a nap too).


Thanks to everyone for making her party a success. It was crazy, but fun.
Here are some pictures. Enjoy.

Hannah's Walking (and has been for awhile)

Okay. So it is harder to keep track of child number two. She's probably been walking for about 3-4 weeks now. At least we captured the progression on film. We thought she was trouble before though....

Sad News

We have been off the radar for a little while. At the end of August my dad received word that he has Multiple Myeloma. We were all devastated initially, but he has started chemo and is doing very well with the treatment. He certainly isn't letting it stop him. Despite having promptly retired, his days are very busy. He's been out to breakfast several times with Marcel. He visits with the girls and I several times a week. He is still running and working out as always. We can't seem to get him to take it easy, but that's his nature I suppose. I want to thank everyone for their well wishes and support. I'm pretty sure we have the most amazing friends and family out there. Please keep us in your prayers.

Storyland

It was such a beautiful weekend that we decided to pack the car up for the day and head north. Our original plan was to camp out in the White Mountains overnight, but between the lack of time and the idea of staying in a tent with two babies, we decided against it. The kids were so well behaved though that a day trip worked out just fine. We got to the park around 10am and Maddie was rearing to go. Some of the days highlights of our day included going on the Polar Coaster and the Flying Dutch Shoes. We went to the circus where there were performing dogs, gymnasts, and this crazy dance show. Maddie drove us around on a tractor and an antique car. She went on the log flume with Brian.

Maddie got her face painted like a puppy dog which was her favorite part of the day. We stopped off at Friendly's for dinner and ice cream before heading home. You can see Maddie passed out, face totally smeared, sitting in her car seat on the way back.

As an aside, we ran into Kevin Scanlen, a college acquaintance from the "Burg". Also, this is so totally weird and random....We are wrapping it up at the park when all of a sudden I see Lauren, then Ryan, and then Ben. I shout out to Lauren and she seems to be surprised seeing us out of context too. They were up with their parents for the weekend and intended to go back to Storyland on Sunday. Will, Rory, and Marie were in attendance but very busy playing in the tree house. Maddie was too, enjoying the slide. Maybe next time we can organize something together guys. Nice to see you all.

Aquarium

Bri, Maddie, Hannah and I spent a rainy day last week in Boston at the New England Aquarium. It was an amazing field trip and we had a great time. Maddie really like the penguins. I thought the sea dragons were super cool. Due to an unforeseen Facebook snafu we missed cousin David. Sorry David, we'll catch you next time. We later walked around the Boston Garden and tried to go on the Swan Boats. We'll have to save that for another time though. I think they were closed because of the weather forecast, but it was disappointing given that it was sunny in the afternoon. Maddie also liked the T. I think we could have just taken her into the city for that alone. Hannah slept most of the day away. She especially liked it when Brian had to carry her up the steep staircase at Government Center (Can you believe they don't have an elevator at that stop?). We walked through Fanueil Hall and Maddie saw the big macaroni noodle and wanted her picture taken. She also wanted her picture taken with Red Auerbach? We had Bri stand with her so it wasn't so weird. She's a character that one.

Blueberries!!

I'm Going to be Walking Soon.

....And Back to Maine Again.

Katie and Trevor invited us up to their cottage in Lakeview Plantation, Maine, over the holiday weekend. It's tough to find LP on the map. It's easier to locate if you look for Schoodick Lake. In any case it's pretty far up there - remote. - past Milo and just south of Millinocket. We had been up before back in 2007. The water was just as beautiful this time and we had some nice weather. As you can see Maddie went out in the kayak with Dada, and Hannah and Ameilia played together. Brian bought Maddie this floatie combo bathing suit (and also bought a life preserver because he's more neurotic than I am) and she was so cute learning how to swim. Thanks for hosting guys.

Some Pictures from a Quick Trip to Maine

The weather was perfect this time around and we had a great time.

Maddie has decided her favorite flavor of ice cream is "nilla".

Hannah is so fair but thank goodness for SPF 50. She wasn't as enthusiastic about the beach as Maddie was, but we think it will grow on her.