And Then There Were Four

Big sister little brother

2011-11-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

dentist

2011-11-01T20:12:00.001-07:00

smile! madeline has become a pro at this and she has paved the way for her brother’s first cleaning too

easy as 1-2-3.

In case you did not see this, live it, taste it or experience it live. (for any number of reasons ;)

2011-10-24T21:15:00.001-07:00

Don went crazy celebrating my birthday this year.

He asked me what I wanted and I said that all that mattered was that I didn’t have to plan anything!

And then he and Madeline decided that we’d have to have a treat of some sort. (Though later, Madeline insisted that we have cake. Its not a birthday without cake)

(that’s my new t shirt with the chemical equation for chocolate on it

So Don did some heavy research and tried to track down my favorite ice cream of all time. Haagen Dazs’ Macadamia Nut Brittle. It has been taken off the market for 5 years. So… he decided to make it. And he wasn’t about to mess around. It had to be the creamiest, the richest, the best. It had to be precisely what I remembered from Haagen Dazs.

He then asked me if we were going to HAVE something for my birthday, and it would be awesome but it would be more awesome if it was slightly dangerous, which method would I want him to pursue.

and of course I chose danger.

So, thanks the the sleuth work of my brother in law, Carl, it became about acquiring some heavy chemicals, a stand mixer, organic farm creams and premium flavorings and toppings and a recipe for ice cream that includes not just milk and sugar but heavy cream and egg yolks too- And a few hours of mixing, cooking, blending soaking and measuring on Don’s part. Here is a bottle of the ice cream mix- being finished off:

It was a dream come true. And, as promised, I didn’t plan a THING.

In fact, I had no idea what was happening, even after I opened package after package of ice cream ingredients, a stand mixer, and a 60lb (Doer) of Liquid Nitrogen!

Heres the footage:

Friends and family members came to add toppings (like 100% cacao from venezuela) to the ice cream, an audience for the big show and lots of laughter and fun.

And of course, there was a rich chocolate cake with the chemical element abbreviation for liquid nitrogen spelled out on it too. I wonder what the folks in the whole foods bakery thought of that request?!

Thank you for making this day so unforgettable, my love.

Madeline is 5

2011-10-15T19:37:00.001-07:00

Okay, so its been 3 weeks, but im finally posting pics of Madeline’s 5th birthday party.

She wanted an Annie cake. so that’s how it all started

and we used the same image for the invitations (the guests’ names are written in black above ‘Annie’ )and you know whose faces we used for Annie and Daddy Warbucks, right?!

and from there it turned into a theme party, a house decorated like an orphanage, a full cast of characters, a moon bounce pillow fight like ‘hard knock life’ and a lot of fun.

behold the preparation

guests arrives as orphans and were greeted by ms hannigan and annie, sandy and daddy warbucks.

made some orhpan aprons

(uncle) Rooster showed up to help too!

they attacked ms hannigan in the moon bounce and had so much fun! Then ran to the basement for viewing scenes from the movie with popcorn

annie dressup time just before Annie songs karaoke

farewell to our guests, departing with their very own annie wigs and lockets

yeah,… I’d say she had a swell day.

Beach getaway

2011-08-28T19:47:00.001-07:00

Don has been preparing around the clock for a big presentation at VMworld in vegas. so the kids and I have been hunkering down at home a lot- but in the past few weeks everyone seemed to disappear to the beach.

Well, as luck would have it, my dear friend, Sue, offered for us to join her and her 8 year old son Tucker, on a trip to the beaches in Delaware this week! SO of course, despite the hurricane- we went!

We had an incredible time. Cut short by a day (no thanks to the emergency evacuation that WOULD have had us leave on Friday) and we got home quickly and safely on saturday long before she hit our area.

The kids had pure fun. and I must admit. there was plenty of that for the moms too!

In the pool at the beachouse. Yep, that’s a POOL! (and yes, perhaps those are hurricane clouds

scootin around the neighborhood

the kid’s first time to an East coast beach and as we arrived, dolphins were jumping out in the bay! (we were in Lewes)

quality time and belly laughs with bennett as madeline and tucker collect shells and have water fights

a long days work for three happily tired kids.

‘I don’t want to leave!’

Back ‘home’ for ice pops- makes everything better

the moms ate gelato (and checked the evacuation details- deciding that we’d have another day at least before irene would arrive. let the fools duke it out on the roads tonight- we have dark n stormies to drink!)

and sunsets in a stormy sky.

What a way to end a summer.

summer in review

2011-08-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

So… we did not schedule anything for this summer. No camp, no classes, no travel. Aside from 5 mornings of soccer this month, the kids and I have been more or less just Playing for months. And it has been awesome. Just what we needed in our very overscheduled life.

So here is proof of our mellow yellow summer :

Bennett has become a big-kid on a swing. no more baby swing.

Madeline is flipping up her training wheels and learning to balance. check out the knee and elbow pads!

she is really trying!

After this she spent the afternoon on the skut (bike with no pedals for balance practice) and was doing great but I had to put the camera down

We spend lots of time in pjs or shirtless, painting at the kitchen window.

The kids have found ways to entertain me every day. Plays, songs, costumes, recitals. they have really learned to work together on these little shows.

I have done a LOT of home cooking. Here are this week’s Mahi tacos with citrus slaw in process…

Lots of unstructured time with friends

hanging out..

camping at the lake

with friends

in the rain…

and the list goes on and on…

its been awesome. I am so grateful for this time with them.

exhausted. but in an excellent way.

so proud

2011-08-20T20:49:00.001-07:00

they are so proud of the things they’ve been growing in our garden this summer.

Madeline was broken hearted when I cut one of her zinnias to bring a bouquet inside. She insisted I leave them and let them grow instead of killing them by bringing them inside. So there is just the one in her room now

Our pumpkins are thriving and im optimistic that we’ll keep them growing till late october. we’ll see…

End of Soccer camp!

2011-08-12T19:50:00.001-07:00

big smiles

Soccer camp is over. Madeline loved her coach. He called her jeremy- and she called him lila. it was so funny to see her with the long running joke every day.

Her certificate today was written out to Madeline ‘Jeremy’ Mann…

runningh

coach pow-wow

chompers

2011-08-12T01:39:00.000-07:00

our family pet

SOCCER

2011-08-08T18:34:00.001-07:00

first day of soccer for madeline. and bennett cant wait to go too!

getting ready:

UK Soccer Elite: Amazing coaches!

bennett find a way to stay busy too…

quickberry quackberry pick me a blackberry!

2011-08-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

kids at play

2011-08-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

madeline is very proud of her long hair these days.

you know what IM proud of? the love between these 2 kids.

here is madeline going into b’s room after his nap to give him a snuggle

we had a movie night last week when don came back from sf

let them watch their first real movie. had friends and popcorn and cookies in the basement on the big screen. they are so hooked!

mmm chocolate chips

helping mommy make play dough

gardening

2011-07-31T19:40:00.001-07:00

tomatoes of course. and this one was just so pretty

and cherry tomatoes. these were volunteer from last year!

bell peppers

pumpkins (from last year’s seeds!)

more peppers

rosemary

basil and parsley

and of course a few flowers (from seeds my mom sent madeline for easter!)

closing rock of ages tour with zygos

2011-07-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

so excited to have been there for the closing of the rock of ages tour with the zygos.
what an incredible show and so much emotion from the remarkable cast.
looking forward to seeing mike open Once off broadway (and then we'll see...) in the fall!

xoxo

but dont forget when you are signing autographs that you sat in my living room and sang this for me the night bennett decided to come into this world
and that we needed you to sing it to us while i was in labor. yo will always be a huge part of our life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjZuxwsu0co

uncle zygo!

2011-07-19T20:34:00.001-07:00

we have had a great time catching up with uncle mike zygo this week. His show Rock of Ages is closing its run this week and we are lucky to have their last performance in DC on sunday!

So we got to spend a few days playing with nanny (aka Manny) zygo- going to the zoo, the gymnastics gym, the playground, the town square for arts and crafts and having so much fun.

This man voluntarily changes diapers and will sing your kids to sleep any day of the week.

we were so lucky to get to spend some qt with him

xoxo

my kooky daughter

2011-07-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

I love her and here are some of the many reasons why:

she ripped all of the hair out of one of her dolls because it was unjust that none of them look like daddy.

she ate the marshmallow right off of the paper towel- go big or go home. she is not afraid to make a mess for something yummy.

she gets into character the second we paint her face.

uncle deedge bday

2011-07-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

dennis turned 33 last week but was out of town so we got to celebrate this weekend!

despite the fact that I baked during naptime and they all woke up to the smell of cake, and despite the fact that he saw us frosting it- they insisted we hide and Surprise him for his bday!

we love you, uncle deedge.

homemade pineapple ice pops=summer

2011-07-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

Fair

2011-07-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

Bennett really thought he wanted to go on the teacups

it started off like so much fun!

until he didn’t…

it tookoff and he lost it! screaming and crying and turning bright red. they stopped the ride and let him off and then madeline and her friends (madeline and lilly) got to spin that thing like crazy

front yard fun in the planting

2011-07-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

fathers day

2011-07-13T18:30:00.001-07:00

did I ever show you these?

the kids made don some #1 dad trophies and we went out for sick-good korean bbq.

how do you like don’s fathers day gift? –new t shirt

doesn’t she have the pre-teen look already, here?

sorry bennett- they don’t serve CHEESE!

grandaddy bill visit

2011-07-11T12:25:00.001-07:00

so lucky that don’s dad was able to come and spend a few days with us! the kids could not have loved him more and already have asked when he is coming back!

lunch in the square with grandad

big squeeze!

then don took bill to the us open for a day with the pros

more pics from last camping trip

2011-07-06T19:03:00.001-07:00

“I love you so much daddy”- and ran over and threw herself into his arms”

we could not keep her in shoes.

what is she contemplating…

oh. the stream.

Bennett dancing at town square

2011-07-05T17:08:00.001-07:00

exchange

2011-06-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

an exchange

Bennett: (opening a coloring book that Madeline has used the day before) Madeline did you draw this picture right here?
Madeline: Yes
Bennett: (high pitched) Ohhhhhhhhhhh its Fantastic!
Madeline: Thank you Bennett
Bennett: Its Wooooooooonderful.

Great american backyard campout

2011-06-27T05:04:00.001-07:00

smores!

neighbors~

sunday morning blueberyy buttermilk pancakes a la Don Mann, breakfast maker extraordinaire. Blueberries courtesy of last week’s pick your own with the kids at Butler’s Orchard.

blueberries on her eyes

cookout dance and smile

more summer pics

2011-06-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

wakeup time in our tent!

on our way to friends for bbq sunday afternoon!

blueberry picking at Butlers

he stole my glasses

check out the blue lips… you should see their fingertips!

catchup pics from may-june

2011-06-23T13:24:00.001-07:00

on the train ride with a friend from school

about to dive into a frozen banana sundae

“mama will you put my baby in my ergo carrier?”

caught uncle deedge feeding him a donut ice cream treat!

smithsonian zoo

museum of the native american

camping in PA with friends

bennett is out for the count!

shaving with daddy

mommy break time!

camping in MD with friends

miss me?

2011-06-22T20:04:00.001-07:00

its been a while. im overwhelmed with getting a ton done and having both kids with me 24/7 to help ;) but im also happy to report our second camping trip of the summer was a big success and the summer is off to a great start around here.

also thrilled to tell you that don's dad was here for the us open this month and they had a blast chilling on the course with the pros and hanging in the champions pavillion.
waiting for pics from don before i can post.

but heres a bit from this weekend spent along a beautiful stream, with great friends.

weekend snapshot

2011-05-30T19:18:00.001-07:00

Strawberry picking!

and don made an amazing strawberry rhubarb pie of course!

splashin in the backyard

uncle deedge comes to rescue the basement.

we worked our tails off- cleaning, organizing, scraping and painting- he did the worst of it for sure! you are the best friend ever.

trike a thon on friday!

a moment at school with the girls

madeline took ahold of my camera. she wanted to take a pic and I was impressed at how well she did

Madeline's turn!

2011-05-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

We took madeline to a children's fun run today sponsored by the Montgomery County Road Runners. We started this tradition 2 years ago and she was thrilled to improve her racing skills today.

She ran the whole race grinning from ear to ear.

Ran into a few runners from the runamuck that don and i did in Rockville 2 weeks ago too. The kids were all thrilled to have their shot after coming to cheer us on as the parents raced in the mud.

Next year Bennett wants us to register him too!

Character fun

2011-05-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

from afar. dancing in the street with the characters was fun for even bennett

but madeline had other ideas about which bennett would have preferred to have been consulted.

up close and personal!

notice no bennett- that’s because he was clinging to me for dear life every second of every character interaction. Which, of course, is a lot of fun at a buffet dinner with daddy working in another part of the hotel. yikes!

thank god don was able to come to breakfast for a few minutes. bennett actually stopped hyperventilating!

he’s not so sure re this one. she keeps going on and on about her unbirthday…

honesty- its exactly what she sounded like!

and here come’s my favorite…

the ONE character he was willing to make contact with…

but the best fun of all, was hanging out together:

Days 3 and 4 Disney 2011

2011-05-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

Day 3- Animal kingdom. Safari first thing before the rush=amazing and bennett was especially thrilled: crocodiles, lions, cheetah, elephants, zebra, warthogs, crowned cranes, giraffe, you name it!

Lion King Show with don as the lead warthog participant (see photo), chip n dale autographs, thumper sighting! Dinsaur ride, boneyard playground, attempted rollercoaster vetoed by madeline, Nemo show complete with hysterical preschooler so sad that nemo’s dad wont find him. Italian ices to soothe afterward of course.

Nap and dinner at Sanaa (african cuisine)- complete with animals roaming around outside the restaurant (giraffe, zebra, wildebeast, ostrich)

patience… a very useful tool when visiting Disney. We were seriously proud of these two!

Day 4- its showtime!

Little mermaid show, Disney Playhouse live show, toy story ride, high school musical parade, beauty and the beast show, honey I shrunk the kids playground/fountains (uh. awesome)

Beachtime with mom while dad gets a few things done for work.

Dinner with papa ric and Susan after a sunset cruise to wilderness lodge and pool slide playtime complete with geyser display. Awesome meal at our resort and back to the room to begin packing by flashlight.

Morning departure just after sunrise and daddy stays in orlando this week to work his tail off some more.

Thank you Don for an amazing experience none of us will ever forget and good luck this week at NSM. We are so proud of you.

xoxo

Disneyworld 2011

2011-05-10T18:55:00.001-07:00

part 1

on the magic express from airport to the resort! we get to watch videos on the bus? what!!!?
signing the book

9:30pm- arrive at our hotel- ‘go to sleep now kids’ Yeah right!

madeline spots cinderella’s castle and the fireworks within 15 minutes

looks downstairs and sees mickey and minnie serving dinner and dancing 3 floors below her!

bennett spots a train driving through our hotel.

Nobody went to sleep till waaaaaaay later.

then…

Day 1- Magic Kingdom. Perfect warm and breezy day: Dumbo ride, pinnoccio sighting, small world ride, winnie the pooh ride, splash mountain, goofy meeting, playground, funnel cake, mickey’s celebrate parade, train ride around mk and nap

all in a morning’s work for bennett!

resport pool time after nap

Don scores us dinner with mickey and the gang. Tons of dances, hugs and autographs. and of course dessert!

Bennett working hard to capture it all

Day 2: Epcot- ride the nemo ride as soon as park opens, meet crush the talking turtle, tinkerbell sighting, chilling at the aquarium and off to brunch with mary poppins and poo and the gangs from 100 acre wood and wonderland

a few more MK rides- swiss family treehouse, magic carpet and jasmine sighting

princess trifecta autograph mania and back for naptime.

check out our balcony view. bennett’s favorite part of the day- waking up to watch the boats!

evening boatride to whispering canyon for fun and tasty dinner

mid dinner roundup- all the kids grab a horse and gallop around us!

a patient 4 yr old- not once was she bored or grumpy. Coloring to pass the time and there was lots of waiting this week.

more pool fun at the animal lodge

quick photo of bennett on our last night. when it all caught up to him.

more to come: day 3: animal kingdom, day 4 hollywood studios. characters, rides, shows and safari pics

Disney news

2011-05-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

We told the kids we are going to disneyworld next week

researching what rides to hit first

after breakfast madeline asked me if we’d go on the rides with the water and get wet. I told her yes so she was excused from breakfast and told me she was looking for her bathingsuit.

Cleaned up breakfast and bennett and realized I hadnt seen her in a while so I turned on the camera and headed upstairs.

Runamuck

2011-05-02T20:11:00.001-07:00

This is how the day began

and this is where it ended

and in between- a lot of fun:

duct taping our shoes on

the kids are thinking we are nuts

leaving them with our trusty friend and babysitter when we go to the start line, Benita says ‘just rip the bandaid!’

RRRRRRRRRRIP!

READY

(quick diet coke to stave off the mid muck migraine that was about to come on full blast)

SET

Go!

as we take off at 10am, the first runners from the 9:30 heat are just beginning to come in to the finish.

Below: Sue and Julie and their snorkel finish!

and about 45 min later, after hurdles and rock walls and mud bogs, and slipper bridges and mud quicksand we enter the final stretch!

SPLASH!

teammate Shari- this was her idea

and we’re finished!

even after a freezing firehose shower…

and at 10:30 the costumed heats began!

but we were ready to have a bath and burn our clothes!

Runamuck challenge DC 2011

Team cardiac

Spring holidays

2011-04-29T21:03:00.001-07:00

We are so lucky to get to celebrate everything!

don and bennett playing slaves for the seder in tis pic if you cant tell. pharoah is lurking just out of the frame and is ordering the to build! (julie you rocked it!)

of course the burning bush. you shoulda seen the locusts and the baby heads

seder plate. madelines’s new favorite song is the one who’s refrain is ‘and lotsa lotsa matzah’

then there was easter

madeline left lots of eggs for bennett to find

we locked ourselves out of the house and the kids tore into their baskets while we waited in our pajamas for rebecca to rescue us with our spare!

Field trip

2011-04-27T12:33:00.001-07:00

one great advantage to attending a co-op preschool is you get to bring the siblings on field trips.

pics from today’s lessons on reptiles and amphibians

Madeline and Sophie deeply engrossed in the discussion. You’ll see this expression repeat itself a lot!

Bennett blending in with the 4 year olds

There’s that expression again!:

watching the video about metamorphosis:

Who wants to touch the snake? I do!!:

curious big sisters too!

Just before it peed on them- thanks boxer turtle:

Nature hikes are better with a buddy!:

Gosling sighting!

Tadpoles everywhere! Lots of toads this summer!

quote of the day

2011-04-14T19:35:00.001-07:00

sitting at breakfast feeling grateful yesterday morning
i looked at madeline and bennett and said
'i am so glad that i have children'
and madeline looked at me and exuberantly said
"Especially THESE children!"

yes. especially. :)

a 4 year old and a two year old at play

2011-04-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Here is what we are up to these days.
Bennett talks a mile a minute and impresses everyone with is rich vocabulary and use of pronouns and expressiveness. He is obsessed with trains, particularly the Thomas variety of course, and loves and adores his big sister- mimicking her every move, phrase and nuance.
Madeline performs for us constantly and wows us all with her ability to act as both lyricist and songrwiter (modifying, of course, popular songs and showtunes). Currently her favorites are the Annie score and Bruno Mars- Amazing. She is growing by leaps and bounds in both her independence and wit. She is always making us laugh.
The two of them together have been intoxicating recently- watching them play off one another is priceless.

i particularly enjoy the way he throws his hands up in the end, as he walks away,
how she does her little booty wiggle in the beginning and cuts straight to the quick bow at the end to let us know she is done and should be applauded!

the essential bennett...

2011-03-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

1:1 with Bennett while Madeline naps.
sometimes its so hard to carve out some time alone but it always pays off.

You’ll never be One again…

2011-03-20T18:54:00.001-07:00

what a fun day Bennett (and Madeline) had today
trains trains trains.
here is a mini recap :)

Did you hear him ask for a plate in the middle of the song!?

Guests: Henry and Sophie, Luca and Emma, Benjamin, Eliana and Ziva, Tommy and Eleanor.. and the parents!

big sister train engineer

that’s how he says ‘cheese!’

early march is so busy!

2011-03-19T21:03:00.001-07:00

goldilocks!~

daddy’s bday!

wacky wednesday

at earth treks

namaste- yoga class

pirate party for benji

yosemite

jackson hole! with our crazy ski hats

bennett’s bday party. my first custom cake. (more to come)

kids say....

2011-03-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

...the darndest things. Such as:

'The Vamanos Snowmann'

Kind of makes sense when you read Dora the Explorer books and see the play Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer'.

don's award trip to Jackson Hole WY!

2011-03-04T08:47:00.001-08:00

Smithsonian

2011-02-25T19:19:00.000-08:00

how awesome is it to be able to go here just on a whim?

my little monkeys.

Valentine’s Day

2011-02-25T11:56:00.001-08:00

wishing every day was valentine’s day:

chocolate croissants:

(ok, so honestly, ours are chocolate and madeline’s is nori- she loves the stuff!)

then there was school…

Madeline’s class had a ‘wear and eat things that are red and pink’ day. strawberries, raspberries, cookies, cupcakes and a sea of hearts!

even the little brothers were included in the fun!

Don made heart shaped pink pancakes from scratch and this lovely message for me

nothing says love like your first initial made outta sausage…

I baked homemade pop tarts for the kids’ surprise breakfast

we made cookies for friends and neighbors

everyone got to decorate some for their friends and eat one for dessert!

food

2011-02-12T19:04:00.000-08:00

nothing beats homemade soup and bread machine wheat brioche on a cold snowy day!

Aint no stopping her

2011-02-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

Most of our videos are of the back of her these days bc she is always on the go. so independent! 3 videos from last week's trip to sf.

and here she is posing with her very own snowman

and check out the neat new tattoos we got!

chatting with mr b

2011-02-08T05:03:00.000-08:00

i just realized i never posted this. it was taken just after christmas. gotta get a new one soon so you can hear him really talking up a storm

Bennett makes his move

2011-02-05T18:38:00.000-08:00

On a date with friend, Olivia, in California
they were watching a puppet show at Happy Hollow
and obviously as she talks and talks he is saying in his own way
"just watch the show!". "Do you see whats happening up there? its incredible!'

{oops- i posted the video in the san francisco blog post a few days ago so it wont repost here}

grab her butt. and cozy up to her
then looks back at Papa for a little affirmation

stud.

Yogi

2011-02-04T12:18:00.001-08:00

Madeline is loving her yoga class!

Flower

Cactus pose

cow pose moving to cat

Down Dog!

SF trip 2011

2011-02-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

I’ll let the pictures tell the story for the most part …

‘ mama- look, snow!’

We went on a food tour beginning with Tartine’s bread pudding, lattes and chocolate croissants and ending with sibby’s cupcakes, Romolo’s cannolis and in between an incredible feasting adventure!

Palm avenue- our old block. day 1. 70 degrees breezy, sunny

We got to spend lots of time with Uncle Jason, Nana and Papa and were thrilled to also get to spend time with Eve and Arjun at Tricia’s house, Allie and Jeremy, Jordanna and Olivia, Hayden, Chris and Shane, Adrienne and the gang- Howard, Lila and Carter, and even a few date nights for mom and dad.

at happy hollow on his first solo amusement park ride and chatting with his girlfriend

spa night for mom and dad

time in the car

everyone needs a little pick me up now and then- lol

date night for mom and dad too! we stayed at the Omni together – nice bathrobes! kids stayed with nana and papa overnight. dinner in japantown and an awesome walk through sf that night.

the best ice cream- ever

quick change!

attentive at the children’s service at our old church.

saying goodbye

We cant wait to go back. and not only because we came home to a blizzard and a power outage

thank goodness for a warm hotel for our first night home

and a friends and a family sleepover our second night!

their daddy’s kids

2011-01-31T20:01:00.001-08:00

don

bennett

madeline

Just saying…

xoxo

Girls Day

2011-01-31T13:14:00.001-08:00

Never got these pics up from Madeline’s girls day out.

We had a blast with Noelle and Lucy and Julie and Allie. When Allie and Lucy saw the mommies going out for Noelle’s birthday, we put our heads together and came up with this.

Fancy dress-up day complete with pottery painting and cupcakes- just the girls!

mlk day for my kids

2011-01-17T07:21:00.001-08:00

girls day

2011-01-12T11:56:00.000-08:00

madeline went out on the town with friends.
here is her friend's blog about it
http://jerallie.blogspot.com/

twins

2011-01-11T20:39:00.000-08:00

lol- bennett pulled out these old glasses today and it was a blast from the past!

and madeline acting like a pirate- now time to get a video of bennett!

Rudolph

2010-12-30T19:58:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to see the first stage production of the old school claymation holiday movie of Rudolph at our own Adventure Theatre- It was so much fun. It was Bennett's first full length play and he sat through it, captivated.

(that is bennett's new 'cheese')

and Madeline learned the words to Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, see:

snow

2010-12-29T20:55:00.001-08:00

recital

2010-12-29T12:12:00.000-08:00

just remembered to post these from last month
the pics dont do justice to the experience of it all
mostly- fingers up the nose, staring into space and generally not following
the ballet teacher's instructions whatsoever.
Then they let the little brothers get up and dance too
it was a blast!

santa sightings and christmas cheer

2010-12-17T06:58:00.001-08:00

HOME!

too bad we were in the emergency medical center later that night- who knew you could Become allergic to Pine trees- poor madeline...

but we got the house done and were happy with the results

Then.. madeline and i took a 4 hour road trip to see the Clark crew:
5 star hotel brunch with uncle deedge and family! Complete with lifesized gingerbread house!

check out the ingredients in that house- 400 lbs of icing...!
Getting to see White Christmas and meet the cast afterward with Deedge's castmates- priceless.

.

Santa rescues a stranded driver at the mall- grabs his jumper cables and his 'my boss is jesus' cap and lends a hand!

Santa shows up at storytime!

what a great santa- he recited the Grinch story by heart!

don's xmas came early

2010-12-04T19:49:00.000-08:00

A.R. Drone

busy week

2010-12-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

We got to go see our friend's broadway debut (ok so its the broadway national tour).
Jill calls us at 6:30 to let us know she is surprising him at his Rock of Ages Premiere and we head up to Baltimore STAT. Here she is applauding him at curtain call!
And of course, me with Zygo, posing with Constantine.

Took madeline on our date night
out to dessert and an impromptu christmas celebration in town square.

And ironically,
Here you see Madeline celebrated Hannukah with us tonight. She set the table herself!

and spent some qt with our son too!

Madeline put him on the potty and gave him an ottoman :)

afternoon sillies

2010-11-24T18:57:00.000-08:00

music time in our playroom
Sophie and Madeline are in the same preschool class and so their mom, Rebecca, and I watch eachother's son when we are co-opping in the girls' classroom once a week.
The boys get lots of time together and then after school we inevitably end up having an impromptu playdate and lunch.
Today there was more play than lunch, as usual ;)

homemade cider

2010-11-23T18:55:00.000-08:00

We had a blast making cider at a local cider press with our friends, Julie, Jeremy and Ally.
What a nice way to jump into the holiday spirit.
25lbs of apples- almost 2 gallons of homemade cider and the kids did most of the work!

Ally hard at work

peanut gallery

the machine behind it all!

say cheese!

2010-11-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

Kid loves to floss, brush and

gaze at herself in her jammies in the mirror

and really... i cant blame her!

what have we been up to?

2010-11-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

cookin with mom
(she made this one all by herself!)

not a whole lot, just spending time at home, in the neighborhood, enjoying autumn and one another.

playing at the elementary school on our block they will one day attend

mostly best friends, but watch OUT if you try to take her avocado!

maybe the cat is an easier companion ;)

Though don and i got out for a night of swing dancing last week and an amazing courtside Wizards game.

just backyard birdwatching

quick halloween pics

2010-11-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

had to post a few quick pics so you could see their costumes...

Great day at Madeline's school for a costume parade and even the little ones got involved!

then...

The Wongs came over this year for our second annual movie night on halloween. We had dinner together (jack o lantern pot pies), and don set up a movie in our carport for trick or treaters.
The kids loved it and I wasnt sure they even wanted to leave to go trick or treating!

and don and i got our friends in on a little theme costume party too.
check it out:

and of course, the obligatory pumpkin carving- with a twist this year.
We carved a sweet pumpkin. roasted the seeds, ate the pumpkin and took one of the other ones and gave it the ol' mr potato head treatment.

blair witch baby

2010-10-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

its part blair witch project
part sonogram with a 1 year old
and slightly, for me, hilarious.

remember when...

2010-10-28T12:30:00.001-07:00

october 2008

look what i did

2010-10-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

i made some cupcakes for my friend mike this week
he is a very artistic person and don had said we cant just make him a cake...
and he happens to love halloween (people travel from out of town to his house to see the show they put on each year).
so i made him some monster cupcakes
check em out:

eat up

2010-10-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

just some food related pics from the week
delivery truck from South Mountain Creamery!

Chock full o beef and pork for the winter

chowin on some homemade burritos- the kids gobble em up!

i have an obsession...

2010-10-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

bennett loves anything that GOES.

this week its firetrucks
usually its trains
but we are also obsessed with construction vehicles, cars, busses and big trucks.
here he is in his usual attire.

and playing with pumpkins... also a favorite pastime. non. stop.

autumn

2010-10-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

weekend fun

4 is a good age

2010-10-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

here are pics from her first ballet class. took me a while to get them together but here ya go.

oh- and here she is being 4 at Bounce U.

milestones

2010-10-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

this has been a busy month,
both kids are growing by leaps and bounds and here is proof

Homestead Farms with best friends

2010-10-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

We loved spending time with our best friends who came out 2 weekends ago to welcome autumn with us and the kids.
Here are some shots from our day out!

Big Kids

2010-10-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

This is how i keep Bennett's pants up these days.
he looks a little Amish but whatever... at least you cant see his bum!

Went out for breakfast with the kids the other day and there was a fire drill. really had to leave our food and go outside. But the kids loved it! The firefighter asked if M wanted to climb up.
uh... yeah!

playing at the park

ok. Madeline is 4 now. and she has a big girl bed. Here she is getting used to her new digs. Hey Thanks NANA and PAPA for the great birthday gift (you bought her the comforter set in her favorite color in case you didnt know ;)

singing in the rain.

liquid nitrogen birthday!

2010-10-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

Madeline's classmate, Zachary's dad is a scientist at NIH. He comes in once a month (and this time came on Madeline's birthday) and does hands-on science with the kids (Mr Dan the science man) and this week it was well... you'll see...

The kids got to touch the bubbles created from submerging dry ice into warm water.

They got to dance in the evaporate created when spilling liquid nitrogen on the floor and it instantly turns to gas.

Then he took a rubber tubing piece and placed it in liquid nitrogen for 2 minutes then smashed it on the table and it broke into pieces. Then after a few minutes, the kids were able to touch the tube and it was soft again!

this is the 3 year old program. what will he do next year?!!

Then she got to do her presentation of her "all about me" box in her class.

what a day to be 4.

CRUNCH

2010-10-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

crunch, squish, wipe, spray, wipe, flush.
'Bye bye cricket' i say, in my mind...

but Bennett was with me, watching.

And he says, out loud 'Bye bye cricket'
bends down, looks at the spot on the floor where cricket once was
and gives it a little kiss.
'bye bye cricket'
he says again.

Ballerina

2010-09-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

Madeline has begun ballet classes and LOVES them.

We signed her up for the fall class where she gets to dance after school every Monday with the 3 and 4 year olds at her preschool (there is a ballet studio upstairs- happy coincidence!).

She gets to have lunch at school once a week with her friends and goes straight to dance and I come and get her at 1:30. It is a great way for her to have some independent time and she is learning a little dance too

Grandma Rose and Grandaddy bill sent some adorable ballet gear for her 4th birthday gift. She is tickled pink.

Learning plie’s just before dismissal. (ok so they look sort of like crooked squats, it’s a beginning and she loves it!)ps- thankfully this teacher is not a stickler as some ballet instructors I had growing up were… because this child of mine does not like to wear her hair up and Forget about a bun! Au natural for miss madeline.

Turning Four!

2010-09-26T18:45:00.001-07:00

Madeline celebrated her 4th birthday ALL weekend.

It began with a crown that arrived via Maury.

To that we added Madeline’s eager desire to have cake with Tucker

and voila! Madeline is going door-to-door in the neighborhood inviting folks to cupcake hour at 7:15 on Saturday night and offering them party hats.

We have a great neighborhood family. Most of them even came up with an unexpected gift in the 30 min they had to prepare!

Here she is trying on the black tutu skirt and purple top from Tucker’s family- of course it was the chosen birthday uniform!

Then, Sunday morning Madeline and two friends went to Glen Echo to the Adventure Theatre to see an amazing Children’s Theater performance of Spot’s Birthday Party.

We had cupcakes,

did arts and crafts, played with punch balloons, saw a great show and even rode the carousel thanks to Eliana who bought us all a ticket to ride. Pretty thoughtful for a 4 year old, huh?

We also brought a gift for Spot. The theater collected gifts for children in need, living in a group home, and Madeline was excited to out together a box of fun things (cake mix, frosting, candles, the works, gifts, a book, decorations) and drop it off at the theater.

We got to meet the cast afterward and the girls were taken with Spot himself.

Home for lunch (Pizza- we discovered a local organic place that does vegan cheese), gifts, play and NAP!

Dinner at her favorite sushi restaurant (we were trying to go for pancakes but they were closed). and out with daddy on a pajama storytime date at school (pics to follow).

So many wonderful gifts, cards and calls. Im sorry she was unable to respond to them all but she will be available all week

Happy birthday to our brave, beautiful, kind and silly 4 year old.

holding her own

2010-09-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

We dont have swords, knives, guns as toys over here but of course her friends do
and its good to know she can hold her own-
Here she is with Zachary