Butterfly

Our little butterfly!

Daniel Tiger Strikes Again

Daniel Tiger taught the citizens many valuable life lessons:
-- find a way to play together
-- you can take a turn and then I'll get it back

And of course our very favorite:  "When you have to go potty STOP!  And go right away.  Flush and wash and be on your way!"

So it makes plenty of sense for Ashley to introduce Tate to Daniel and his friends.

Lazy Sunday

Every now and then we all love a lazy Sunday:

Sunday Ride

Sometimes MLM and MLD take Tate on a country car ride while A+A are in Sunday school.  One weekend we stopped at Bolton Orchard's year round farmstand.  Like his siblings before him, it was the ramp which held the greatest appeal.

Great Ap-Peel

Carrots now hold grater ap-peel than they ever have for Adam.  It's his new favorite snack:

Farmyard Pickup Truck

Today's guessing game:  where are we?  Here's a not-so-sophisticated hint.

Author and Artiste

This is a good one.  I think you'll be able to read what Ashley wrote:

Too Fast for Mommy

One morning, Tate was too fast for MLM to catch him on camera:

Think you can catch me?  Ha!

And... I'm off!

With a quick break to suck on my two fingers (my fave!)

Be quick!  I'm going to take off again!

Leonardo da Vinci?

Looks like Ashley is taking after one of the great masters.  Leonardo da Vinci was known for writing this way.  Look closely at her writing as she approached the edge of the page:

Not So Sleepy

Adam isn't so sleepy in this photo.  He just wanted to show us how cute he is when he's snuggled in bed.

Another Twin?

It appears we have another twin in this house.  Daddy!

Silly Smiles

Sometimes all you need is a silly smile to start your day.

Skateboarding Park

There's a nearby skateboarding park that's very popular with the under 8 set.  Ashley showed us how she runs, hops and makes it up to the top.  Adam tried once.  Adam tried twice.  And here's Adam's third attempt:

Brand New Dude

In the space of less than one hour, Tate got new shoes and a new haircut.  He's one stylish guy!

Grandma Reads

For one very brief moment, Tate's attention was captured:

Fairy Garden

Ashley kicked a habit, so she got to pick out and help plant her very own fairy garden.

St Patrick's Day!

Our seasonal delivery from NY came a few days early.  Not that anyone minded, of course.  There's lots of video to watch... check out what the little guy has done by the third video!

This is how I feel about our NY care packages.

Everyone's happy!

Crazy Faces

As a treat, the A-team went for ice cream one afternoon during their vacation week.  By the time they got home, it was almost dinner time.  

Who's really hungry for dinner?  No one.  
Who thinks everyone should eat dinner anyway?  MLM.  
What's a mom to do?  Crazy faces!

Adam's plate

Ashley's plate

Adam's proud macaroni addition

Bonus points to those who can identify all of the ingredients used!

Vacation Culinary Destination

If you're five years old, then your idea of a vacation culinary destination is McDonald's.  So I obliged them twice that week, once for breakfast and once for dinner.

Even the littlest guy was able to get in on the action:

Big Wheels, Little Dude

The little dude discovered Big Wheels.  

Better yet, the little dude discovered the buttons which make noise:

Kitchen Helper

One by one, Ashley is learning how to use new tools in the kitchen.  Today's lesson:  vegetable peeling.  With great determination, Ashley showed those golden beets a thing or two.

Leggo my Lego

The A-team worked together to construct a car with a camper.  Cool!

New 'do

Every now and then we're able to sculpt Ashley's lovely locks into a new 'do:

Artwork #4: Things I Love

This is how Ashley sees her family:

Upper Left:  Tate and Adam (Adam is clearly in red.  Tate is tiny.  Obvious)
Upper Right:  Mommy and Daddy (Daddy is clearly a large pumpkin.  Mommy has the tiny waistline she always wanted.  Obvious)
Lower Left:  Amanda goes to the Miata
Lower Right:  Karly (?) to me.

Artwork #3: The Sledding Crash

This is the longest written sentence I've seen from Adam yet:

Top sentence translation:  The X means where the krach (crash) was!

Translation of bottom sentence:  Me and Ashley went sledding and we got push down the hill and we were going fast and we crashed (cracht) and we were on sleds!

This sledding crash was all Adam talked about for a few days.  Once he drew it in detail for us, it certainly made a lot more sense.

Small Bites, Small Bites!

Tate is moving on from the teeny tiny cut up pieces of food to big pieces that scare Mommy.  Today we're experimenting with challah.  Watch:

Muncha Munch!

Today's blog title comes straight from Adam.  Watch!

Today's menu:  grilled cheese, Ruffles potato chips and apple slices.  A winning combination!  

Musical accompaniment:  The Boxer by Simon and GarFUNKel (as the kids like to say)

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

Even though it's winter, Ashley isn't stopped by snow.  When this gal wants to ride, she rides!  Here we are on the Minuteman Path.  It's clear that I'm never going to keep up with her while I'm pushing the stroller:

Boooo!

Tate has discovered how to sneak up on someone and shout "boo!"  He finds it endlessly entertaining.  Today's version shows him playing in his command seat:

Moooooo!

Tate's favorite word is "moo".  This is not like a cow's moo.  This is a special moo.  And this moo appears to mean "soft".  Or "place I want to put my head so I can suck my fingers".  Or anything in between.  It's a very catch-all word.

So one night I was washing dishes and wondering why everyone was mooing and laughing.  I turned around to find the tail end of a new "moo" game with Daddy:

From New York, With Love

Every now and then a box of cookies arrives in the mail.  What a fun way to end dinner!