Smile!

Karly snapped this one when the light was just right:

Blocks

Remember how much the citizens loved this toy?  Turns out it's a hit with Tate too!

Two Monkeys, One Banana

A fun photo of two monkeys and one banana:

En Plein Air

Well, not exactly "en plein air" because it's December and it's cold, but you get the idea.  Ashley is working hard on breaking a habit so that she can have a fairy garden with mini plants.  Last weekend she asked to "go to Mahoney's so I can draw the plants".  Kid you not.  She's asking to sketch on site.  Who can refuse a request like that? 

Musical Brothers

Adam and Tate are quite the music makers!  The fantastic dog guitar keeps both of them entertained for long stretches.

Snoozer

The best part of this clip is the first 3 seconds.  After that, bliss:

Jam Time

We visited Jam Time with other multiples families.  A+A were a little old for some of the toys, but Tate felt right at home:

The his big sister took him into the bouncy house.  Now that was fun!

Tega Twins

The A Team participated in a study at the Media Lab a few weeks ago.  They interacted with Tega, a learning robot.  After the study finished, Mirko took us to the Lab where we saw other robots.  Best part?  We got to dress up as Tega!

Vin Kari Safari

It's amazing to watch how the kids have grown.  Climbing structures that were once of no interest are now very exciting:

And when you think about it, climbing in socks ain't so easy:

Even the littlest guy got in on the action:

Mahoney's Trip

One citizen loves seeing the sparkly lights and glittery pinecones at Mahoney's this time of year.  Who can blame her?  It's fun to see:

More Mac and Cheese, Please

I don't know why we haven't done this before, but it appears that mac and cheese is Tate's new favorite food:

Quincy House Pt 2: Family Mugs

Everyone had fun at Quincy House.  Ashley was a very big girl;  she went to the cafeteria on her own to snag a banana.  Adam had a blast:  pancakes and pasta in the same meal.  Yup!  Quincy House is now on the top of their list.

bye bye!

Quincy House Pt 1: Tate Drinks!

While college residential houses aren't supposed to be known for their drinking skills, Tate demonstrated his newfound skills in a burst of excitement when we visited an alum event at Quincy House.  All of a sudden he started screaming and pointing to the glass, so I handed it to him.  He grabbed it with two hands, shoved it to his face and started slurping away.  Makes a mommy very proud.

Noo Joisy visitas

We had some visitas from Noo Joisy a few days ago.  With any luck one of them will relocate to Boston for college for a few years!

Bedtime for B13

Lately the kids have been sporting their "B13 Casino" shirts from our cousin's bar mitzvah.  Good news for me:  it's going to be a while until they outgrow these.

Big Girl

Sometimes I forget what a big girl Ashley is now that she's in kindergarten:

ONE THOUSAND

Hate to toot my own horn, but this is post #1,000!  Cheering, jeering, hootin' and a-hollerin' in the background....  Thanks to our loyal readers (all five of you) for staying with us for the past five years.  Here's to five more!

To celebrate, let's check out some fun photos from the Ecotarium in Worcester.  What a fun trip!  There was so much to do inside and outside;  we'll go again soon.  Even Tate had fun, although he was napping when these photos were snapped.

Waiting for the train to depart

Duck hunting, anyone?

midway through tower building

Most fun of all, we watched Karly help Ashley build a tower.  Amanda help Adam build a home.

Floppy Ears

The hats Grandma knitted for the citizens are still going strong.  They pulled them out the other day when the weather got chilly (finally!).

Mommy and Me

What a fun photo of us together!

Thankful

So thankful for family!  We had a wonderful evening with our cousins.  There's one little dude missing from the photo.  Unfortunately he was tired and went to bed a bit earlier.  We'll get it next year!

Bedroom Fortress

The kids woke up in a good mood on Saturday.  But it was too early for Mommy, Daddy and Tate.  So what's a kid to do?  Why, build a fort of course.  I got the grand tour at a more appropriate hour:

Who am I?

Tate knows the answer to this question.  And one day in the future when I show this to him and jokingly ask him this question, maybe he'll belt out "Jean Valjean!"

Orchid Show

Every year the Massachusetts Orchid Society has a show at the local Mahoney's.  It's beautifully done with multiple displays and each year I see a new species that I don't remember from the previous year.

This year Tate volunteered to join me.  I'm not sure he enjoyed it as much as I did, but he smiled when it was important:

Doe Orchards

This year our favorite orchard closed for the season on the early side due to the drought.  We found Doe Orchards in central MA.  We all had a great time!

Walk-a-thon

When your feet are small, any distance feels like it's a walk-a-thon.  Especially if you're pushing extra weight around:

Cookies

As long as we're on a sugar high, here's a clip of Tate and one of his first cookies:

First Birthday: Cake!

Tate loved the cake!  He couldn't wait to eat it!

Are these edible too?

First Birthday Photos: Friends

Lots of our friends gathered with us to celebrate: