Baby It's Cold Outside

A+A testing out their new foul weather gear:

Assembly Line

What do you get when you combine one grandmother with 4 kids who need to brush their teeth?  An assembly line, of course!

Terrarium Technology

The kids opened up their gifts and found a make-your-own terrarium hiding in the mix.  Watch both videos and then decide which part of this project they liked best:

Jordan's Furniture

Now I know what you're thinking.  Why would we post something from a furniture store?  Good question.  Not every furniture store has an exciting ropes course just for the preschool set:

Step 1:  Getting ready

Step 2:  Trying it out

Step 3:  Bean Sprout mastery!

Family Affair

Tooth brushing is a family affair in our home:

Harvard Square

The sun was shining.  It was unseasonably warm.  So we headed out to Harvard Sq to soak up some of the local excitement.  Little did I know, these two can generate all sorts of excitement on their own:

Sleeping In

There's nothing better than sleeping in on a Sunday morning.  Except, of course, if your baby brother joins you:

Raspberry Fingers

The kids love playing around at breakfast:

Cleaning Crew

A+A make a formidable cleaning crew.  Amanda snapped these photos of the kids "cleaning" her room.

Two Months

Tate is two months old!  Tate enjoys eating, sleeping and watching his "girlfriends" (the mobile characters).  Most recently he's developed a fine sense of humor, laughing at my jokes.

Live from da Crib

Live fro da crib, it's Tate!  Take it away, baby!

Tate's Chair

Tate enjoys sitting in his high chair:

Hanukkah Happiness

The first night of Hanukkah is always a blast.

VinKari Safari

Met up with a group to explore VinKari Safari, a place designed for the under-7 set.  Wow, is all I can say:

Water Works

We visited Jordan's Furniture in Reading a few days ago.  Adam and Ashley loved it!  There was ice cream and a water show and jelly beans everywhere.  Ashley proclaimed the place to be "magical".  

Recovered

The citizens have been battling one cold after another.  They were finally well enough to hold their baby brother the other day:

Enjoy the Silence

MLM recently "discovered" a new feature on the iPad:  a headphone jack. OK, I knew it was there, but I never realized just what a game changer it could be.  Wow.

Backseat Driver Part #2

And here's a quiet, yet cute, video of our backseat driver:

Lullaby Preview

As we sang the same night time songs to A+A for over 2 years, I often wondered what effect it would have on the kids.  Would they remember it?  Would laugh about it?  Turns out it's made a favorable impression on them:

Dance Fever

When I was little, I remember a show called Dance Fever.  It was on TV shortly after dinner.  Post-prandial dancing cuts across generations.  These two caught the dance bug too:

The Great Helper

Adam is a fantastic big brother who likes to help take care of Tate:

On the Go

Tate and I attended a friend's bris a few days ago.  Tate rested comfortably (and quietly) knowing that he wasn't going to be the center of attention this time.

Homeschooling Lesson #23: Chemistry

This is what happens when you mix one part Adam with one part Halloween candy:  you get one messy face.

Backseat Driver

Tate and I spent one long morning in the back seat of our minivan.  Why?  He needed to eat and have his diaper changed.  Unexpected bonus:  the beautiful lighting.

Mercedes at the Mall

Grandma snapped this cute photo at the mall last week:

Ready for Rugby

Tate is ready for rugby.  Once he wakes up, of course.

Identical Twins?

Tate has an identical twin!  Look very closely...

One Month Today!

Tate was born exactly on month ago.  To celebrate, we snapped some photos:

Mommy, what are you doing to me?

Hey Adam!  Hey Ashley!  Can I get some back up here?

What?  You two did this too?  Oh my.

This guy?  Again?

Well, if you can't beat 'em, nap with 'em.

Crafty Grandma

Grandma is very handy.  She knows how to knit.  This winter the A-team will be toasty warm with their new hats:

Nap with Dedushka

One of the best places to nap?  In Dedushka's arms, of course.

Dress Up

It's fun to play with our friends while wearing fun costumes:

He's Awake!

It doesn't happen often, but every now and then Tate is alert for a little while.  Kudos to our guest photographer for capturing the moment.

Homeschooling, Lesson #22

Lately Adam has shown a penchant for blowing into straws.  Straws filled with milk.  In an attempt to redirect his efforts, we decided to take a scientific approach to straw blowing.  Enter in Grandma, a cutting board, straws and random kitchen stuff:

Some objects didn't roll very well.  Others, like m&ms, didn't make it to the testing grounds (they were eaten too quickly).

We are thrilled to report that the research project ended in a pomegranate and pea snack (both object rolled down the board and right into their mouth!).

Guest Photographer

Grandma has been a spectacular guest photographer for the past few weeks.  We'll highlight some of her photos of Tate.

Mommy, this swing doesn't move fast enough to generate a breeze.  Is the hat really necessary???

Flipeez!

Shout out to our NY aunt, uncle and cousins for this gift.  We love 'em!  (And they were very useful on Halloween in the evening...matched our costumes beautifully!)

Roar!

Roar! said Tate to the bear. 

Roar!

Not so tough, eh big guy?

Yawn!  You are a cozy place to take a nap, though.

Sleeping Baby

All washed up, cozy and asleep.  Just how we like 'em!

Happy Halloween!

The Anna (from Frozen) and a handsome race car driver (same color as Lightning McQueen) set out to trick-or-treat with their Daddy (another race car driver) in style.

A Lullaby for Tate

Ashley asked me if she could sing a lullaby to Tate.  Who am I to say no?

First Song

There's a song that Adam and Ashley learned at school last year.  I don't know the official name of the song;  I've always thought of it as the "Blink-a Stink-a" song and I love it.

First Family Meal

Snapped this one from my bed: