Happy Halloween!

The A-Team was on the move, helping MLM get ready for the trick-or-treaters we're expecting today.  This long video was taped yesterday.  If you lose interest, I understand.  Skip ahead to the end.  Ashley says something very special to me!

We also send our love to Grandma Witch.  Today is her birthday!

Leaf Peeping in Concord, MA

What fun!  Playing in the leaves at Bob and Camie's home was lots of fun.  And there were two dogs to play with!  It doesn't get any better than this:

Sydney loves to give kisses!

Want some leaves, Mommy?

Everyone is in the leaf pile.

Mommy's gone.  Now we can really have fun!

Wish we could do this more often...

Camie doesn't agree with the age minimum for tractor driving.  Here she gives Ashley some pointers.

Camie and Boomer

Many thanks to Bob and his superb leaf raking skills.  His leaf piles kept the kids busy for a long time!

Bedtime Routine

I'll be honest.  Our bedtime routine worked like a charm, except for one step:  tooth brushing.  We tried an Elmo tooth brushing video.  We tried a laughing cat app.  We tried using what child development experts call a system of "stars and rewards" (formerly known as "bribes").  Nothing worked.

Until....

Behold the magic of the spinning toothbrush:

Pudding Play

Ashley and Adam have distinctly different approaches to eating chocolate pudding.  Watch:

All in a Day's Work

It's all in a day's work, isn't it?  Whether it's prepping for a car nap:

Mommy!  Please put away your camera!  I'm trying to nap!

Ah.  Deedee is in the right spot.  

Or carrying the drinks:

Wind in my hair and TWO cups of milk.  Life is good!

The citizens are always busy!

Digging in the Dirt

Ain't nothin' finer than diggin' in the dirt.

Because if you're lucky, you'll strike gold!

Dare Devils

As the A-team grows and learns new skills, they are starting to take on new adventures.  Below is a series of short video clips showing their latest achievements:

As you can see, this took a while so I stopped recording for a bit.   But her persistence paid off:

Eventually, Adam got in on the action:

And although it took some doing, we managed to get a shot of them together:

Co-Pilots

Ashley and Adam make a great co-pilot team.  They practice their skills at McClennan Park.

CSA delivery

Our neighbors went on a vacation and gave us their CSA share for the week.  Adam and Ashley thoughtfully offered to return the basket.

To Sleep or Not To Sleep

Here's another long-lost (hahaha!) video.  The kids keep saying they want to go to sleep, but it's clear that it is not going to happen.  At least not soon, anyway:

Beginning to Potty Train

Every now and then I find a video on my phone that I forgot to download.  Today's post is one of them!  We still haven't started the actual training process yet, but all of the resources out there say you're supposed to "acclimate the child to understanding what the potty looks like."  Right.  So we have been doing this diligently.  Here are the results:

Coffee Cravings

The other day Ilya and I were on a walk with the kids and we stopped into a well-known chain for a cup of coffee.  "Stah-buck!" shouted Adam.  He was absolutely right;  that's where we were. 

I've got to drink less coffee.  

Despite this resolution, the kids are determined to help Ilya enjoy his morning cup:

Statler and Waldorf?

The other day we were hanging out on Mass Ave, chompin' on apples and having a generally dandy afternoon.  Although it wasn't fully captured on the video, the citizens' commentaries reminded me of Statler and Waldorf (see image at the bottom) -- but without the biting sarcasm.  

Statler and Waldorf

Merry-Go-Round

The kids love visiting the merry go round when they travel to NY:

Eek!  What's wrong with this horse?  It's got a handle sticking out of its neck!

Ashley, is your horse OK?

I don't think so.  It's crooked!

Home Gym

The citizens recently added a new skill to their repertoire:  Daddy-based resistance training.

Ashley the Artist

This gal loves to paint!