Getting Fancy

Abby is really into "fancifying" these days, and received a number of "fancy" presents for Christmas, including the Fancy Nancy books, several pairs of fancy tights, and these fancy slippers and legwarmers. I don't think they actually keep her legs warm, but boy are they fancy.

Merry Christmas!

A Day of Holiday Fun

Our annual day of pre-Christmas festivity with the Lamy-Peterson crew was jammed full of activity this year. We decided it would be a good time to get the girls out on ice skates for the first time, as our local ice rink was hosting a 5-and-under skate with Santa. We were also joined by Maisie and her family:


Julia and Maisie took to the ice right away:


Abby needed a little more help. The rink allows little ones to use buckets to steady themselves, but Abby did not love this idea:


She quickly gave up the buckets (spurred on by the idea that neither Julia nor Maisie was using them) and skated with Daddy, and then Mommy:

After a lap with each, she decided that Polly (Maisie's mom) was the way to go and dropped us like a hot potato. To be fair, Polly grew up in Rochester and is a terrific skater:



After the skating, we took the girls for some cocoa at the Mudhouse:

Then back home to construct a gingerbread house:

We ended the day with gift opening all around. Benji loved his trucks, and the girls each got fairy wings and a music box, among other items:

And now all the mommies and daddies need a long nap.

Trimming the Tree

I'm a little behind in posting our holiday pictures, so these are a few days old. We had a great time trimming up our tree. This is the first year that Abby had a real interest in hanging ornaments, and she stuck with it until the end. She especially liked placing the tree topper.



Benji didn't hang any ornaments, but he loved looking at the lights. And grabbing the branches. And pulling the branches. Well, we may need to keep him from further contact with the tree...

Here is the final product:

More holiday photos tomorrow.

Tofu Face

Benji is finally starting to show some appreciation for finger food. Mainly for squeezing it to bits in his chubby little fists, but he did put a few pieces of tofu in his mouth at this feeding. And then he planted his face into the entire tray of tofu in front of him. Not sure what he thought he was doing, but this was the result:

Fashion Statement

We have had to limit her to one headband a day at school, else she would always dress like this. She may be trying to start a trend, but the more headbands that leave the house, the more get lost, so the world will have to wait for this bit of haute couture.

Bubbles

Having a little fun with bubbles. Benji likes trying to catch them, and seems confused as to how they disappear as soon as he touches them. He was trying so hard to get them all, that he kept falling over backward as they floated towards him...

Our Family Crest

In preparation for the upcoming Hanukkah party, Abby's teacher assigned all the families the task of creating a special "family crest". Here is Abby proudly displaying what we worked up. It may not come through on the monitor, but there is a LOT of glitter and sparkle paint involved.

The Almost Christmas Photo

We decided to go with one of the whole family, so this was relegated to the reject pile, but it was my favorite of the attempted holiday card photos.

So close....

He is now rocking back and forth on all fours and occasionally lunging forward. He can also crawl backwards, but he does not find that amusing.

Happy 5th Birthday Julia!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Well, at least to the shopping center. Last night was the "open house" at the upscale shopping center near the law school, and we decided to check it out. Lots of carolers, cider and cookies, and a Santa Claus with no one waiting to see him! Abby was so surprised to find a Santa just standing around waiting for a kid, that she hopped right into his lap. And promptly told him that all she wants for Christmas is a bathrobe...



After some goading from the big man, she gave up that she also wants a nightgown. This from the girl who last year only wanted an umbrella. Where did she come from??? The open house also featured a face painter and balloon artist, so an all around good time:

Feetie Pajamas

Ever since we broke out Benji's winter PJs last month, Abby has been hounding us for her own "feetie" pajamas. This seemed like an easy thing to fix, except that it is surprisingly difficult to find a blanket sleeper (which, as it turns out, is the real name of "feetie" pajamas) in size 5. I finally came across some in a Carter's outlet last weekend, and Abby was ecstatic when I brought them home. She has hardly taken them off since.I'm thinking I should have bought more than one pair....

More Teeth!

As of last weekend, Benji's 4 top teeth started coming in:



By yesterday, you could see them really well when he smiled. It definitely changes his whole expression. Also, it now really hurts when he chomps on your fingers. . .

Trying on Hats

This one does not seem to fit. May have something to do with the large Paquette head.

Cat!

This truly is the most exciting thing in Benji's life.

Filling Mommy's Shoes

In her ongoing quest for boots, here is Abby commandeering my shoes for a walk outside. This is also part of a larger trend of Abby trying to do everything exactly like mommy right now. She eats only what I eat, drinks only what I drink, and insists that we coordinate our clothes and pajamas on many days.

It is sweet, but also a bit overwhelming and stalker-ish. Here she is having put on the socks I just took off:

The Teacher, part II

Ever helpful, Abby is now trying to teach her brother how to use a sippy cup. He seems interested, but her technique consists of shoving it between his lips and commanding him to drink. When he lunges to grab it, she just pushes it in harder. I think he is confused....

I Love You, Little Benji

Last night during dinner, Abby asked to be excused from the table for a moment so that she could talk to Benji. She leaned in close, told us she had to tell him a secret, then in a stage whisper said, "I love you little Benji. I am your big sister and you are special to me." Awww....

The Christmas Season

It's here. Santa arrived at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and now we are gearing up for all of the December holiday events. We've already seen Santa (from a distance) twice. Here is Abby getting a piece of candy from Mrs. Claus prior to the Grand Illumination of the Christmas Tree on the Downtown Pedestrian Mall:

Golfin'

Ok, not really, but Abby was having a lot more fun rolling down the hills on the golf course than
the golfers looked like they were having.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Fuzzy head

There is just no way to keep it down.

Turkey Art

As excitement for the holiday builds, Abby has been really into turkey art projects. Here she is posing with a few we did this week.

Deer!

Our new house has a much more wooded setting than our place in Falls Church, and we have been graced with frequent visitors in the backyard, including chipmunks, fox, woodchucks, and deer. A band of 5 deer have been chasing each other around the yards in our neighborhood all month, but this young deer appeared alone and, rather than just racing through, stopped and grazed in the yard for about 20 minutes. Benji and Abby were both fascinated by his presence (you probably can't make it out in the picture, but he has tiny antler buds):

Winter has arrived

After a very mild fall with many days in the 80s, the cold weather has hit like a ton of bricks. Benji does not seem to care for his snowsuit overmuch:




So, for the time being we have switched to a hat and warm sweatshirt. Not that he loves the hat, either:



For Abby, the cold, dry weather means static electricity. Check out what happens when she plays too close to the fuzzy blankets on the couch: