Roomies

A and A love being roomies.  It's the best part of being a twin!

Beary Cute

This little guy is unbearably cute!

Homeschooling Lesson #25: Birds and the Bees

Kids are never too young to learn about the birds and the bees, right?  Tate crawled around in a beehive and the kids learned about bird habitats.  Thank you, Museum of Science, for helping us tackle such a delicate lesson.

Talking and Walking

Just the other day Tate said his own name.  Now he's walking too!  And this kid didn't mess around.  Some babies totter around for a few days learning how their legs work.  Not Tate!  Once he started, he never looked back.  Watch out world... here he comes!

Android Programmer in Training

Sit on Daddy's lap and you're bound to learn a lot:

Snow Angel

Guess who made this snow angel?  I told you he was becoming a winter person!

Stop the Presses!

Stop the presses!  Stop the presses!

Tate says his own name!

Lil Chef

For the past few nights, Ashley has been a fantastic help in the kitchen.  How did she develop this talent?  "Mommy, that's why I always want to be in the kitchen, so I can learn from you."  Delicious!

First photo is her creation, and the parsley garnish was entirely her idea.  The other photos were inspired by Adam who wanted us to document for our doc just how colorful our meals are.

Adam's plate:  lettuce wrap, kale chips, brown rice, cashews, mango flower.

Ashley's plate:  meat, kale chips, brown rice, tomatoes, bread, mango flower

Dance the Night Away

There are some nights where all the kids want to do is boogie:

Can't Help Falling in Love... With Both of You!

I can't help falling in love with these two.  They're just so cute (even with the occasional squabble)!

Peanut Sauce

Want to see Tate inhale food?  Put some Vietnamese peanut sauce on it.  It will be gone, along with the tips of your fingers....!

Bickford's

Tate is becoming a master of the green reusable placemat.  He knows that any food placed on it will have new flavors (beyond the olive oil and salt his mommy uses).

In fact, the whole family enjoys the outing:

Snap Circuits, Jr.

What a fun holiday season we had.  Adam snagged a gift that fit right in to his train fascination:  Snap Circuits.  What's the connection ('cause I didn't see it either)?  Adam said, "Mommy, you got this for me so that I could understand electricity and use the Lionel trains even better!"

Smart kid, that one.

Here's the first circuit he made all by himself.  It makes the light and fan work together.  Adam was too impatient and didn't want to wait for that project (we're following all of the projects in the booklet).

Choo Choo Choo Choo Choo

Adam worked really hard to kick a habit in December, and he was rewarded with Papa's Lionel trainset.  It's old, but MLM and MLD and Deda worked very hard to bring the set back to life.  Starting with Deda's assessment that the transformer was still in working condition, Daddy rewired some of the controllers while Mommy cleaned up some of the trains.  After a few weeks, the trains were ready to roll again:

Enchanted Village

There's a longstanding tradition in Boston each holiday season called the Enchanted Village.  I've always wanted to see it, so this year we took the A-Team during the winter school break.  

What exactly is the Enchanted Village?  Here's the description from Jordan's Furniture, a local retailer.

The Spirit of Boston’s Holidays 
Throughout the 1960's and into the 1970's, Jordan Marsh displayed the Enchanted Village in its Downtown Crossing store. The heart-warming display quickly became an integral part of New England’s seasonal celebrations. Until 1972, when Jordan Marsh closed the display, a trip to The Village was a traditional event.

A Tradition in Jeopardy
The Enchanted Village remained closed from 1972 until its rebirth in 1990. Then, in 1998, when Macy’s purchased Jordan Marsh, the Village was sold to the City of Boston for a City Hall Plaza display. In 2003, a lack of funding forced the Village to move to the Hynes Convention Center. By 2006, Boston stopped displaying The Village altogether. In 2009, the Village was put up for auction.

A Local Custom Continues
Jordan’s Furniture purchased the surviving pieces of the Enchanted Village at auction in May of 2009 and restored the vintage collection to its former glory. The Village is on permanent display here in Avon, and is open for all to enjoy during the holiday season. Whether you’re reliving your youth or starting a new family tradition, Jordan’s hopes your holidays are as enchanting as the Enchanted Village.

First Snow

Greetings loyal readers!  We might be off to a bit of a late start in 2017, but we promise the smiles and laughs will continue well into the new year and beyond.

To start off, we'll check out Tate's first snow experience.  He wasn't sure what to make of it.  But as you'll see in later posts, he picks it up like a true New Englander.

What is this stuff?  What is happening?

Mommy seems to be really happy, so maybe everything is OK?