Blessed...

...with getting to see these two little faces every day of my life.

Christmas 2009: Part III (Florida)

I've tried to write this post a million times, but Blogger is giving me fits and not letting me make it look the way I want it to (or maybe it's my computer?). So without further ado (and without the text I originally wrote and then lost), here are the photos from our very lovely trip to see Grammy and Popi (and Ray and Jan and Rita and Ray a/k/a Robbie and Kim) in early January!

{ready to go}

{christmas came a bit late; birthdays came a bit early!}

{oh man, are we ever in trouble some day}

{reading with uncle ray}

{more books with aunt rita}

{jeff & i got away for a night...our view from the ritz...cold but beautiful}

{scoot-bers}

{scoot-bers with scoot-to-ma-lu and gram-scoot}

{we managed to get to the playground even though it was fa-freezing there}

{double doras}

I must be doing something right...

It's another snowy day here in Massachusetts. (It's also Lucy's 4th birthday, but of course I will do a special post about that later. ) This morning, wanting to keep the kids from bouncing off the walls for yet another day, I remembered the little plastic shopping cart that I picked up at the swap area (i.e., the dump) last summer. I threw on my Wellies and trudged out the the shed (I'm British in my heart...you know that, right?) and retrieved it. As I walked back to the house, I could see my Lu jumping up and down exclaiming, "A shopping cart!!!" I cleaned it up and away it went to the girls. I knew it would create a fight for control, as most exciting toys do, so I diffused the situation a bit by inviting Lucy to set up some stores on the living room chairs with the plastic food. I asked her to make a "healthy store" and a "junk store." And all on her own, here is what she came up with...

{the healthy store}

{the junk store}

{ms. lucy elise, sole proprietor, lucy's health food store and disco bar}

I guess that the past 4 years have really taught her something, eh? Well, I should hope so, with her breast-feeding-advocate-vegetarian-on-a-raw/vegan-food-kick mommy. I may march to my own beat, but at the end of the day, I must be doing something right.

Christmas 2009: Part II (finally)

(I'm finally catching up on my Christmas posting!)

After presents and breakfast on Christmas, we headed down to the Cape to Nonni & Nonno's house. More presents opened there, including a little wardrobe for Lucy to hold her American Girl Doll clothes in and a little trunk for Phoebe to hold her dollie gear. We got to see Nana & Poppa as well as cousin Daisy and Uncle Paul as well -- more presents and fun -- but I must have put my camera down when they were there (I probably didn't want my hand to officially fall off). It was such a nice day and the girls were great, though Phoebe got fussy toward the end due to no nap and lots of excitement. The gifts were a big hit and are still being played with constantly, so I think Santa really hit a home run :)

Up next, Christmas Part III, the Florida edition...stay tuned!

{what's in the big bag, nonno?}

{gift from nonni}

{opening on daddy's lap}

{holding my newest baby, who is apparently juice-fed}

{lu got ballet clothes from n&n...ya think she liked them much?}

{getting tired...did you notice they stayed in their jammies ALL day?}

{modeling her "belle" dress from daddy...along with a headband from her stocking. i think she looks like a bordello worker in the old west, but oh well.}

Joy division

After viewing some photos of Jeff as a baby this week (while visiting Grammy & Popi in Florida), we've decided that Phoebe is actually half me and half Jeff...and not ALL Jeff as people sometimes say. She is him from the nose up and me from the bottom of the (deviated septum) nose to the chin, and in the overall shape of her face.

Oh and her body, well, that is 100% chicken and holding.

A snowy end to the year

The last day of 2009 has brought some snow to our house. Perfect weather for daddy to be home...I unfortunately am doing a very mundane and time-consuming work task today (cite-checking a paper, for those who know what that means, as many of you do). Here's to a 2010 filled with a bit less of the white stuff.

Christmas 2009: Part I

We had a really great Christmas this year. It was the first year that Lucy could really anticipate what was coming and oh boy was she ever excited for the day to finally arrive! We counted down with an advent calendar and also a chart on the fridge. I think it has something to do with being almost 4 -- she understands the passage of time in a much more concrete way now than she did last year. Phoebe was excited, too -- but she was more taking it as it came. I also anticipated the holiday more than any year since I was a kid...I was so excited to see them open the gifts that Santa had so lovingly picked out for them :)

{waiting for lucy & phoebe to arrive}

No explanation necessary

If only it had calories!