On the way home from Vermont, we decided to stop by Killington Resort to
pick up some information about ski lessons for the kids when we're back for Christmas. Steve and I both grew up skiing/snowboarding and have been waiting for the day we can go with the whole family. Grace and Sean love sports and snow, so hopefully this will be the year. On a side note, I can't believe how much snow was already up on the mountain. Or that my kids
took a minute from playing in it to pose for this adorable picture.
« October 2008 | Main | December 2008 »
November 30, 2008
November 29, 2008
Thanksgiving
We spent Thanksgiving in Vermont enjoying some much needed R&R. Turkey Day dinner was prepared by Aunt Penny and was A-W-E-S-O-M-E. For the first time in four years, I was actually able to enjoy my turkey (and stuffing) induced coma. That was partly due to the fact that my kids are getting older and no longer require my undivided attention (most days), and partly due to the fact that Aunt Penny has two new puppies - Walter & Sophie. Sophie is an adorable little spitfire of a Pug that immediately took to Sean. The two spent the afternoon chasing each other around until they literally collapsed in exhaustion. Gracie was afraid of Sophie, but found a friend in Walter - a calm and very soft Shih Tzu puppy. Here's Gracie and Walter snuggling on the couch.
And Sophie teaching Sean how to French kiss. LOL!
November 28, 2008
November 25, 2008
"I win, you lose. That's makes you a looooser!"
If Gracie's Christmas wish is gymnastics equipment, Sean's is board games. He loooooves them, and it's amazing how long he'll sit and play. It's pretty much as long as he can convince a willing opponent, which is easier said than done since he's a poor loser and an even worse winner. He cries when he loses. And when he wins, he screams, "I win, you lose. That makes you a looooser!". LOL! Sean also has no patience for anyone that doesn't play by the rules (i.e. his sister), so that leaves Steve and I to take the brunt of his competitive spirit.
This past weekend, after deciding that we couldn't bring ourselves to play another minute of Candy Land, we taught Sean how to play one of our game-night favorites - Aggravation. I was amazed that he actually got it. Not that it's difficult, but you do need to know how to use a die and move the marbles strategically around the board. I've recently been pouring over toy catalogs trying to find some new games that we can put under the tree for him. So if you know of any good ones, please link me up.
November 24, 2008
Dear Santa
I hope you know how to make gymnastics equipment, because Gracie would like one of each of these for Christmas please.
Currently, our bed is doubling as a wedge, the bathtub as a beam, the stair balusters as a rope, and the broom as a bar. From the moment Gracie wakes up, she doesn't stop flipping. Here's a video of her latest trick called Skin the Cat. She'd do this all night long if we'd let her.
I love Sean's commentary, by the way. He has the cutest voice ever!
November 20, 2008
"Awhhh Pickles!"
- If there's one thing kids are really good at, it's making you aware of all the little things you say or do without even knowing it. Apparently I say "Damn it" A LOT, because both my kids know how to use it in perfect context. Needless to say, we've been working on alternatives. Not sure where Gracie picked up "Awhhh Pickles", but it's her favorite new saying. And a heck of a lot cuter than "Damn it".
- I've come to the realization that my 4 year old is already cooler than I am. Today we were driving in the car and Gracie asked me to play "the just dance song". When I told her I had no clue what she was talking about, she replied "Lady GaGa, Mama." Who?
- Gracie and Steve have been fighting off a cold this week. Gracie missed school on Tuesday, and I tried to send her Wednesday, but got a call from the nurse that she was crying and not acting like her usual self. When her driver arrived to pick her up, she said Gracie was passed out in the nurse's office. I felt TERRIBLE for sending her to school. However, it was really cute to see her excitement over learning that there is a "real doctor's office" inside her school. I have a sneaking suspicion that given Gracie's love of attention, ailments, and medical instruments, it won't be the last call I receive from the nurse's office.
- A follow-up visit with Gracie's regular doctor confirmed that she's probably just fighting off some sort of bug/infection that's going around. The doctor also confirmed that she's not color blind. (I was concerned about this awhile back when I realized that Sean knew all of his colors and Gracie thought everything was pink.) So that's a relief.
- I'm on a mission to find good hair elastics. Not the "no damage", "no metal parts", "made of all natural fibers", "no animal by-products" kind. The kind that actually rip your hair from the root when you try to take them out. Why don't they make those anymore? They're the only thing that hold Gracie's hair. And mine. I can't find them ANYWHERE!
- I love how proud Gracie & Sean are of their art wall. As you can see, they can hardly wait to get home to display their latest work. I may have to find a new place to hang our Christmas cards this year, because I just don't think I have the heart to take this down in another week or so.
November 19, 2008
Sean
I've had these pictures for awhile and just never got around to posting them. The second one (and the matching picture of Grace) now sits on my desk at work. Sean reminds me a lot of my brother in that picture. They have the same eyes. Not the same color, but the same shape and the same look behind them. It's uncanny - the similarities between the two of them.
November 18, 2008
Dancin'
Last Friday when I picked the kids up from daycare, Isabelle told me that Gracie had been bragging to her friends that she was "going dancin' with her daddy" that night. (They were indeed going to a local swing dance, but mostly just to drop off flyers.) Equally sweet was Steve's pride when Gracie finally asked him to teach her how to do a triple step.
So while I may soon find myself without a dance partner, I'm not out to pasture just yet. Here are some pictures from the dance event we attended two weekends ago. This is my friend Peter. And although he's the tallest leader and I'm the shortest follower (and we always seem to draw each other in Jack & Jill contests), we rocked it with a second place finish!
And here's one of me judging Steve & Marty's "Borat" performance. I love that while everyone else is covering their mouths in shock, I'm taking pictures.
November 16, 2008
Christmas Pictures
After realizing on Friday that I am the only one of my girlfriends not to have her Christmas Cards done, I decided to cave into peer pressure and book an appointment at the local photo studio for Saturday afternoon. Of course I had NOTHING remotely Christmasy for Grace & Sean to wear, so I spent the better part of Friday running around buying as many different coordinating outfits as I could find, wrestling them on and off the kids, while trying not to remove the tags so that the ones we didn't like could be returned. Sean loved all of the nerdy sweater vests I picked up (and looked ridiculously cute wearing them), but Grace HATED every single dressy thing I bought for her. And truth be told, none of them seemed to fit her personality. Steve & I have always said that while she's not a full-out tomboy, she's definitely not a girly-girl either. So I ended up settling on matching sweaters from the Gap. Considering the fact that I had very low expectations for how this photo shoot would go (my success with getting pictures of the two of them together is not good), I'm very happy with the way the pictures turned out. And much to my surprise, I now face the challenge of trying to pick just one (or two) for our card.
