New York!

We had a very quick trip to New York last weekend for our nephew Brian's christening. It is always great to get together with the cousins, particularly because they all play so well together. Some pictures with the Paquette cousins:








And a few with the Payne side (we went bowling):






Note that 5-month-old Gavin looks like he could eat 22-month-old Benji for breakfast....

Special Dinner

With visitors and travel, we could not actually celebrate on Valentine's Day, but we had a special family dinner anyway.

Visit from Grandpa Steve

Grandpa Steve came to see us last week, which was a nice treat for us all. The heavy snow earlier this month, and the corresponding snow days, meant that Abby was in school the whole time, much to her chagrin, but we still found plenty of time.

For snuggles:


Quiet stories:


And general silliness (here Grandpa Steve and Abby are "playing" the rubber band. It was quite a tune:

Ring Ring

I love this picture because it reminds me so much of Abby at this age:

Layering Strikes Again

Challah Time

We tried our hand at making our own last week. It came out pretty well, and Abby was very proud of herself.

Bowling for Coke

More ways to kill time when you are snowed in

Birdhouse

Project for a snowy day...

Snow Gazing

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Steph!

We trekked up to DC the weekend before last to celebrate Steph's birthday with her (and several surprise visitors). The kids knew there was a party coming, but Steph did not. They were trying to be subtle, but they could not help dressing up for the occasion:

Happy Valentine's Day

Abby with the Valentines she made for her classmates.

Ready to Go

Recipe for a Snowy Day

Abby likes lists, so we decided to plan out our snow day activities.

The ice sculpture:





Snow ice cream:

Snow Play

Now that the snow has stopped coming down, it's time to play!

Sledding with friends:



Benji likes being pulled in the sled, so long as no snow gets on him:



Building an igloo:


The finished product:

Fun in a Box

Snowmageddon

This storm was not nearly so big as the one in December, but still a good foot of snow. Here are some pictures of the storm.

Our house, blanketed in snow:



Before the plow came through:



Lots of downed tree limbs in the neighborhood:



Our dogwood, leaning precariously under the weight of the snow:



The toys are all buried:



On a walk when the snow finally stopped. Abby, queen of the snow mound:

Cleaning Up

The Boots

A Hershey Tradition

I am so glad I found these pictures! I love this photo of the two of them at Hershey. This was the first year Benji was able to help "make" the kisses. Here he is trying to follow Abby's lead on shaking up the gear:


He was pretty satisfied with himself:



Added Bonus: My calendar for today says that Hershey was founded February 9, 1894. Pure coincidence that this post was today.

Birthday Hats

From the lost picture files. Kristin, being a good sport playing "birthday hats" with Abby and Ella.